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Espie stared, too stunned to run or scream, not realizing that she had subconsciously shifted back as she watched her rescuer tangle with the feline.
***
Luther knew he should have stayed hidden. Espie’s scent had been so painfully strong near the ski resort that he’d just wanted to catch a glimpse of her through the trees. A bit creepy? Sure. Sort of stalker-ish? Maybe. But no one would understand why he’d gone there unless he or was also a shifter.
He hadn’t gone to the resort to be a hero. He had gone there, hiding his rather obvious white fur in the shadows as best he could, in order to be close to Espie. His inner bear had been driving him fucking nuts ever since he had first scented her at the park, and he thought this might be a good opportunity to shut the beast up so that for once, he could get a good night’s rest.
He had watched the small grizzly sniff out the cabin from a safe distance, but he couldn’t stand by when that jacked-up cougar that looked like he was on steroids came out into the open. The truth was that the bear’s scent drove him just as wild as Espie’s. He didn’t have to see her shift to know that it was her. So, while any bear could handle themselves against that overgrown pussy cat, Luther’s bear couldn’t stand for a single strand of his mate’s fur to come anywhere near harm.
So he charged. The wounds on his side stung as he watched the cowardly feline slink off, unable – or unwilling – to finish the fight right then and there like men.
As the storm raged on overhead, Luther padded a few steps after the cat, nose up high to try to scent the creature. It was difficult through the rain, but his heightened senses, even for that of a bear shifter, should not be telling him that the cat making such a hasty retreat was wild. Not when its manner and its presence easily declared it to be a shifter.
His side throbbed. Unable to see the depth of his wounds in bear form, Luther shifted back with some degree of pain, ending up in a crouched position. He took a moment to prod the cut. Superficial, but with the way his heart hammered against his ribcage, the blood kept pouring.
A gasp caught his attention. Eyes wide, Luther stood and faced Espie, who was also naked and in human form. Both of them, unclothed and exposed. As blood dribbled down the side of his body, his gaze raked over her gorgeous curves, slick with rain.
Luther frowned as he studied her, this beautiful creature sent from the heavens, fated to be his soul mate, and he shook his head slightly. Espie’s human form had a more fiery scent – somehow more savage than that of her bear’s. In her bear form, Luther had wanted to protect her. But now, illuminated briefly by a hot crack of lightning, Luther just wanted to close the distance between them and fuck her. It was strange to feel such different yearnings for the same woman.
His lips parted, raindrops spilling over and into his mouth as he drew a breath, but she fled before he could get a word in edgewise. He couldn’t tell if it was fear or anger or surprise that sent her running, but after watching her go, his inner bear demanding they catch up and claim her, Luther took the hint and got the hell out of there.
The rain would cover his scent and remove his tracks as though he was never there, but it wouldn’t erase the memory from Espie’s heart. Clearly, this was a conversation they would save for another day.
