Fealty Of The Bear by T.S. Joyce Read Free Book Online Page A

teeth sank into her neck just as the first shot of heat burst into her. A low snarl rippled through him. His bite should’ve hurt, but all she could feel was the blinding intensity of another orgasm. She cried out as he gripped her hips and throbbed inside of her. Warm wetness trickled down her thighs as she detonated, like he’d given her more than she could hold, and she panted as his body seized again inside of her.
    He released her neck as the last pulse of pleasure died away, and pulled her down against him. Cradled in his embrace, she sighed in deep contentment and fell asleep feeling safe for the first time in as long as she could remember.
    He would leave tomorrow, but tonight, Logan had been hers.

Chapter Five
     
    Logan tied his boots and shrugged into his jacket. The leather still smelled like a crime scene, but Muriel had done him a favor by being thoughtful enough to clean it right away.
    Out the living room window, pink and gray tinged the dawn sky and he could still make out the subtle twinkle of a few stars. The longer he stayed here, the more danger he put Muriel in, and after last night, he cared enough about her to keep her far away from the hell he was trailing.
    On a magnetized notepad stuck to her refrigerator, he scribbled a quick letter and padded as quietly as he could down the hallway to her bedroom.
    He’d slept better than he could remember with her in his arms.
    Whatever had possessed him to bite her neck last night wasn’t something he could bring himself to regret. If she knew the real meaning, she would hate him. Now he had a secret claim on her that she’d never understand, and he’d never push. Someday, when his life was at an end, he would know a part of her was his for always, and he would draw on his memories of last night to help his transition into the next life.
    He could just make out her soft hair fanned out across the pillow, and as he leaned on the open door frame, his eyes began to adjust to the dark again. Her full lips were slightly parted and the fine arch in her brows relaxed. From here, her creamy skin nearly glowed in the dark, begging him to run a finger down her cheek just to see if it felt like satin as he remembered.
    His heart thumped erratically against his sternum and he crossed his arms over his chest to stifle the odd sensation. No woman he’d ever met had affected him so completely. She’d been beautiful as she touched herself for him last night. None of the constant insecurity he’d seen in her yesterday had tainted their time in her bedroom.
    She’d owned him, body and soul.
    She’d been upset and vulnerable near the linen closet last night, and then she’d let him touch her. His chest had burned like hellfire when they were together, but he hadn’t dared complain. She felt too damned good against him.
    The thought of leaving her before he was able to find out more about her made his guts turn icy. But if she was going to survive him, he needed to leave her now. His next mark was Bronson Cress, and though he didn’t have the first clue where the alpha of the Hells Canyon shifters lived, he was sure he could find out in town somewhere.
    Logan’s first choice had been Marsden’s clan. They were more obscure, and harder to find, but the old codger had booted him to the curb without a care for his plight.
    If Bronson Cress said no to protecting him, Logan was as good as dead.
    ****
    The phone rattled across the night stand and clattered to the wood floor. Muriel squinted one eye open and glared at the alarm clock. Six in the morning, really? Who the devil would call this early?
    Reaching over, she nearly fell out of bed stretching her fingers toward the phone as it skittered away from her like a roach. The vibrate function on her cell was impressive.
    She barely registered Bron’s number before she accepted the call. “Is Sam okay?” she asked immediately. There was no other explanation for why her ex-husband would be calling her, much less at the