Fuck. Grinder. An enforcer from my pack.Really fucking bad news.
For everyone.
“You okay, Mer?” I demand.
“Yeah, of course. Nothing I can’t handle.” Her laugh is a little tight. “I’ve got protection, y’know.”
She means the 12-gauge shotgun she keeps under the counter. Which reassures me. That, and the fact she’s a big old grizzly. Telling her to call me stat if anything else happens, I slam the phone down on the chair and turn back to Maya.
“Someone’s after me?” Her lower lip quivers, and the fear in her innocent features cuts right through me.
Possessiveness burns in my veins, and my animal snarls and scrabbles, desperate to break out.
I’ve never felt like this before. All these years I’ve lived without the mating urge. Without feeling much of anything. And here it is. Arriving like a wrecking ball.
This girl is my mate.
Mine.
Even if she doesn’t know it yet.
But this is a disaster of fucking epic proportions: I’ve finally found my mate, and her brother happens to be enemy number one of my pack.
“No one’s going to hurt you,” I say.
Her eyes get even bigger. “B-but—” she stammers. “What do they want from me?”
“Don’t worry about that,” I tell her, already planning how I’m going to take out Grinder. “I’m here to take care of you. I’ll keep you safe.”
She blinks, shocked. “Why would you do this for me, Forge? You don’t even know me.”
I can’t resist smiling. Because already I know she has a pure, courageous heart that connects with my own. That she would risk her life for her loved ones. That she’s smart and resourceful. And all of this is wrapped up in a package sweet enough to turn my animal crazy with lust. A lot of knowing, considering we only met an hour ago.
But I’ve got to tread carefully. I’ve already alienated her by telling her I’m a shifter.
“I know you’re a good person,” I say at last.
“And, that’s enough for you?”
My heart swells as I take her in. She’s such a beautiful contrast to all the dark, fucked-up things in this world. She has no idea. “That’s more than enough.”
Her eyes get very bright and a single tear spills down her cheek. “I’ve been scared for so long,” she hiccups out. “Can’t even remember the last time I wasn’t—” she breaks off in a heart-rending sob.
“You don’t need to be scared anymore.” I try to make my gravelly voice soft for her. Impulsively I hold out my arms, and suddenly, she’s there. Falling into them.
When her body touches mine for the first time, I swear a meteor shower rains down. Slowly, gently, so I don’t scare her, I wrap my arms around her. She feels like a scrap of silk. Tiny, vulnerable, yet full of womanly curves. I hold my breath, worried the slightest thing could make her flee.
Then she lays her head against my chest, and a pleasure like nothing I’ve felt before floods my veins. I used to chase all kinds of highs when I was younger, and they were all nothing, nothing compared to the euphoria of having this girl in my arms, seeking comfort from me.
My hand is unsteady as I lift it to her head and stroke her beautiful blonde hair. Warm, spun silk. I can’t resist sliding my fingers in and feeling it tumbling through them.
As I continue to stroke the length of her hair, she makes little sounds of contentment and I find myself muttering all kinds of things that have never come out of my mouth before. “There, there… everything’s gunna be okay… Forge is here now… he’s gunna take care of you.”
Stupid shit, but it feels right, and it seems to calm her.
At last, she lifts her head. Her face is tear-stained, but her eyes are clear. “Your heart is beating real hard,” she says.
That’s an understatement. It’s practically beating out of my chest. “Guess it’s the effect of being close to you.”