Lover's Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novella by Katie Reus Read Free Book Online

Antoine, they weren’t remotely sexual and Nikan hated seeing her distressed. So, they were on their way to see her former professor whether he wanted to see them or not.
    Esperanze was wearing dark, slim-fitting jeans, black knee-high boots and a snug black wraparound sweater that accentuated all her curves. She might be petite, but damn she was curvy and soft in all the right places. Just like a woman—his woman—should be. She’d loosely braided her hair, letting it fall down her back, and all he could think about was freeing it and running his hands through it as she rode him.
    Patience.
    He might not be a pro at the whole patience thing, but he’d do any damn thing she wanted. Holding her last night against him had been just as good as sex—
almost
. Feeling all those curves and hearing her softly breathing against his chest had been fucking heaven. He loved that she’d trusted him enough to let him hold her all night. He had been afraid for a brief moment when he’d tugged her close that she’d resist. But she hadn’t.
    He’d known her long enough that he realized her trust didn’t come easy. Though she looked to be in her early twenties, at eighty she was the same age as him, and before he and the rest of Connor’s warriors had united their packs she’d been sheltered. He’d heard enough about her old Alpha that he knew the guy hadn’t trusted humans or outsiders. Not to mention that Esperanze hadn’t been very friendly with any of the other warriors except him. He’d pretty much made it impossible for her to ignore him—showing up at her house for dinners, escorting her everywhere around the ranch, helping her out with the cubs—and she’d been wary at first. But after a few days she’d relaxed. Still, letting her guard down enough to share a bed with him, trusting him not to make a move—it touched him.
    Even so, it bugged him that she hadn’t responded to him saying that he would have defied their Alpha for her, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Hell, he had some pride left. He’d all but admitted his feelings for her and she hadn’t said anything. He wasn’t going to demand she respond. And that had nothing to do with pride. If she didn’t feel the same way—damn, he didn’t even want to go there.
    As they neared the door to Antoine’s room, Nikan put his arm out to stop Esperanze from going any further as he jerked to a halt. His canines ached as the sudden scent of blood permeated the air.
    There were a lot of various scents in the hotel—shifters of all varieties, vamps, demons, humans—but the groaning coming from the room they were headed to didn’t sound pleasurable. Mixed with the distinctive coppery scent of blood, he knew something was off.
    “Is that Antoine?” Esperanze whispered, frozen in place.
    Nikan put one finger to his lips then motioned for her to move back. He wanted to tell her to leave the hotel completely, or at least go down to the lobby, but knew she’d argue and didn’t want to waste time.
    Nodding, she took a couple steps back and pressed her back up against the wall. He stepped partially to the side as he knocked on the door.
    Inside there was a hushing sound then another thump, which sounded like someone being punched if the muffled groan was any indication. When no one answered, he knocked again. “Antoine, I know you’re in there. Don’t make me bust the door open.” Nikan didn’t plan to, but he scented more than just Antoine inside, and someone was hurt, he was almost sure of it.
    A second later the door flew open and a shifter with buzz-cut dark hair and olive-toned skin answered the door. The scent of blood intensified. It wasn’t overwhelming, but Nikan scented it just the same.
    “Who the fuck are you?” The shifter was an alpha without a doubt, but he was no warrior.
    Nikan quickly scanned the guy, taking in the leather jacket, ripped jeans, shit-kickers, silver ring with a wolf emblem on his right hand . . . and his