Forbidden Mate by Stacey Espino Read Free Book Online

he
moved so fast? She even checked behind her for an identical twin and came up
empty.
    He blocked her path, not allowing her to move
further. She pressed her hand against his bicep to push him aside. Instead, she
found her fingers lingering on the rock-hard muscles, even testing their
strength.
    “You’re in heat,” he said matter-of-factly.
    “I’m a little chilly, actually. There’s too much
shade in the forest.”
    “Shadows,” he corrected, lowering his head to her
neck. She nearly toppled back as she attempted to put a safe distance between
them. When she heard him breathing her in, his satisfied groan ignited
something powerful inside her. He was as animalistic as Wesley had been. Those erotic
memories assaulted her.
    “I–I should go…”
    Every warning she’d ever heard about strange men and
strange places came rushing into the forefront of her mind. Then she recalled
the attack she’d endured just the night before. Panic began to well up inside
her as she thought of the terrifying possibilities.
    “You’re afraid,” he said, an evil glint in his eyes. “And human.”
    “I need to get back.”
    He took a section of her dark hair and felt it
between his fingers.   “I promise I won’t
hurt you.”
    She swallowed hard, fighting an inner battle of lust
and fear. The man was strongly built and should be intimidating, his dark eyes
roving tauntingly over her curves. It was odd how her body felt safe with him,
even though her mind screamed for her to get away.
    “What’s your name, pretty girl?”
    “Helen.”
    “Very nice.” Then
he sounded out her name slowly, his deep voice giving it an erotic edge. “ H-e-l-e-n .”
    When she dared to look him in the eyes rather than
avoid them, she was lost.
    “My name’s Targus. I want you to have supper with me
tonight. Will you do that?”
    “Okay.” After she spoke, she realized she’d just
mindlessly agreed. Was she insane? What kind of woman accepted strange
invitations to a man’s house? God knew what was in store for her.
    She tried not to think of the delectable X-rated
images forcing their way into her mind. She didn’t need to know things like
what he looked like without his shirt on or how his muscles would flex if he
supported his weight over her body. Helen needed to think of things like axe murderers
and heartless kidnappers for her own security. For once, she had to refuse.

Chapter
Four
     
    Humans had ventured into their neck of the woods. Targus
was outside scouting their territory when he found her. His mood wasn’t the greatest. Marco had stayed out all night,
but no matter how much he worried about his good friend, he refused to feed
into his destructive cycle. Although Targus was relieved he’d come home in the
morning, he couldn’t deal with him yet.
    When he saw the cute brunette he could have sworn
she was a she-wolf. She had the curves, and she was alone in the forest. It was
only after he took in her scent that he knew she was a human. Not just any
human. His mate.
    Targus had resigned himself to never having a woman
of his own. He’d worked too hard to be the perfect mate for one of the wolven
princesses, jumping through hoops to be one of the chosen suitors. It wasn’t
about love, but position, respect, and honor. His parents expected great things
of him. When the princesses returned home with men they’d personally selected,
he lost any chance of achieving his goal. Targus retreated from shifter
society, keeping to the fringes. He felt cheated, angry, and no other female
would ever compare to royalty.
    Until now.
    He tried to piece together what was happening to
him. Targus had never experienced the mating call, so he wasn’t sure how to
handle it. A she-wolf would have allowed him to fuck and claim her with no
reservations. The mating call would be obvious to both of them, an unspoken bond
drawing them to each other. But Helen was human, innocent to their ways.   He wasn’t sure how to move forward and show
her