Her Wild Hero

Kendra wrapped her arms around him. Had it only been a few days ago that they’d made love like this in the cave in Costa Rica? It seemed like years.

She cooed as her trailed scorching kisses along her jaw and down her neck, shivering when his teeth scraped against her skin. No, not teeth, fangs.

She grabbed his head, gently urging him to look at her. He gazed down at her in confusion, his eyes glowing like the setting sun.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I just wanted to see your face,” she said softly. “Your fangs are out.”

His eyes widened, and she caught the panic in them before he quickly looked away. She cupped his cheek, gently bringing his face back to her. He didn’t meet her gaze.

“Declan, look at me,” she entreated. “Please.”

He did, slowly. His eyes were almost back to their natural color, and his fangs had retracted nearly all the way. She couldn’t see much more than the tips peeking out. Knowing he was hiding that part of himself made her want to cry all over again.

“Declan, when I say love you, I mean all of you, including your shifter half,” she said. “You never have to be afraid to show me that side of yourself, especially in the bedroom. Okay?”

He started to say something, but then stopped and swallowed hard. She waited for him to try again, but instead he kissed her so hard she could barely think much less remember what they’d been talking about. When he finally lifted his head, she saw that he’d unleashed his inner bear again.

“Thank you.” She smiled up at him. “Now I want you to stay just like that while you make love to me.”

He did, not shifting back until he made her scream with pleasure and they were both lying back on the pillows gasping for breath. Kendra knew because she’d been gazing into his eyes when they both came.

“You’re going to wear me out,” he said huskily.

She smiled as she snuggled up to him. “Shifters don’t get worn out.”

“Maybe not, but they do get hungry.” He lightly ran his fingers up and down her arm. “And I’m a bear, so I get hungrier than most.”

“Then maybe you should make good on your promise and take me to P.F. Chang’s.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said. “Though as hungry as I am, I might have to order one of everything on the menu.”

She laughed. “They have a very large menu.”

Declan rolled her over with a sexy growl, settling himself between her legs again. “I have a very big appetite.”

Yeah, she was learning that about him. Kendra’s reply was muffled against his mouth as he kissed her. Mmm, maybe dinner could wait a little longer.





Epilogue


Somewhere in Tajikistan

Minka Pajari watched warily from her seat on the cold stone floor as the two guards talked softly among themselves outside her cell in a language she couldn’t understand. Normally, that wouldn’t be enough to make her uneasy. But the doctors who’d turned her into the monster she was had been away for a few days, and something told her those vicious thugs were coming up with a new way to torment her. They’d always been mean to her, throwing rocks and poking her with sticks, putting vile things in her food and water bowls, but things had gotten worse after she’d killed their friend.

She hadn’t wanted to do it, and in some ways, she hadn’t. It had been the animal inside her defending itself that had caught the rock the man had thrown at her and sent it whistling back to hit him in the head. But the other men didn’t care about that. Their friend was dead and they wanted to make her suffer.

Today was different, though. She didn’t know whether it was the rapid beating of their hearts or the sudden acrid, bitter smell of their sweat that made her nose wrinkle in disgust. Either way, she knew they were growing tense with the anticipation of violence and that they meant to hurt her badly this time. Without the doctors here to stop them, they might very well kill her.

Not that she cared very much whether they killed her or not. Death might be a blessing. But she feared the pain the men would inflict on her before they ended her life. Because when they hurt her like that, the animal inside her came out.

Even though she’d come to accept some aspects of the animal the doctors had put into her blood—the hearing that allowed her to know when the men were about to strike, the sense of smell that warned her when the doctors were coming back to continue their tests, the eyesight that let her see the rats and bugs near her in the darkest part of night—overall, she still hated what she’d become.

The rage inside her was a living thing, coming out whenever it wished, no matter how hard she tried to control it. Even now, the animal purred in the back of her mind, wanting the men to come close, so she could tear them to shreds for everything they had done to her.