Destined for Harmony by Leia Shaw Read Free Book Online Page B

wanted the cover of the trees.
    “Harmony. Stop.” His sharp command seemed to cut through the night, stilling every creature in the meadow.
    Instinctually, she slowed the n, with a shake of her head, sped up again. He wasn’t getting her that easily.
    “Harmony, stop now!” There was a desperate edge to his order this time.
    She halted and imm ediately saw why he’d sounded panicked. About a hundred feet away, a bear stood on four legs, head hunched low, looking in Harmony’s direction.
    Her heart fluttered and every muscle tensed.
    Behind the yellow and brown bear, two cubs played in a stream, splashing and romping, oblivious to her presence.
    Oh shit. Mama grizzly.
    She gulped and took a step back. The grizzly looked at her and growled . Should she run? No. She’d look like prey and a grizzly could outrun even her.
    “Drop your gaze, Harmony,” Sorin said. His voice didn’t sound far off. He was there. For some reason it made her feel a little better, even though he was in danger too.
    She did as he said. Staring at the ground made her feel more vulnerable but that was the point. Let the bear know she wasn’t a threat.
    “Back away, slowly. No sudden moves.”
    Trying to keep her breathing even, she walked backward, listening carefully for signs of aggression from the bear.
    It growled again, louder, and her inner wolf fought to get free and run. But even as a wolf, she was in danger. And she’d definitely look and smell like prey.
    “Don’t shift,” Sorin said. “Just keep moving back. You’re almost to me. The bear is losing interest.”
    A few more shaky steps a nd she felt him at her back. He pulled her into his arms, kissed her cheek then shoved her behind him. “Keep walking back. All the way to the trees.”
    Together, they shuffled backward. The mother grizzly must’ve deemed them unworthy because she went back to looking over her cubs. In the safety of the trees, Sorin turned around and gathered her in his arms.
    “ That was close,” she said, taking comfort in his embrace.
    “Too close.” He gazed down at her and placed his hands on her upper arms. “How could you not smell them? You would’ve run right into her if I didn’t stop you.”
    A huff of anger was her first response. “Hey! I was…” She trailed when a reason failed to appear. “I…”
    “You weren’ t being careful,” he admonished with a finger pointed at her.
    Damn him for being right. She growled, grabbed his finger and bit it. Instead of pulling away like she’d thought, he slipped it in further and pushed down on her teeth. Her mouth opened and she closed her lips around his finger. His eyes hazed over as he stared down at her. With a smirk, she twirled her tongue around his finger then sucked it.
    He gave her a longing look then pulled away. “Tease.” His voice sounded harsh and he swallowed hard.
    She grinned. Maybe she wasn ’t as powerless as she’d thought. By the desperate hunger in his eyes, she knew she had him wrapped around her finger.
    “Let’s head back,” he said, grabbing her hand. “It’s getting late and your little tease gave me ideas for that mouth of yours.”
    Uh-oh. Her mind searched for a reply but nothing came. Strangely, the idea of using her mouth to pleasure him was appealing. Her insides clenched and she fought back a blush.
    They walked hand-in-hand through the forest and she tried to think of ways to change the subject. After a few moments of silence, she asked, “What would you have done if the bear attacked me?”
    “ Shifted and fought her.” He shrugged as if it were no feat. For him, maybe it wasn’t.
    “ I hope you wouldn’t have killed her. She was just protecting her cubs.”
    With a sideways glance, he said, “As am I. P rotecting what’s mine.”
    Her stomach thunked . The wolf part of her preened at the sense of belonging, especially to such a strong male. She shook her head, pushing instinct aside. On an intellectual level, his barbaric ways stung her