PrimalDemand by Rebecca Airies Read Free Book Online Page A

and the other
beings who were more than human. That he was more than human made sense. The
bite and the wildness she sensed within him for a start. On top of that there
was that unexpected climax. She wondered what had caused it, but hesitated to
ask.
    Her mountain village Parit didn’t have much contact with the
outside world. The warriors in the area were constantly feuding and it didn’t
involve anyone outside of their little valley. Most of their problems came from
the clans of warriors in her home village and the other villages in the
isolated area.
    “Your mate, but that’s not what you mean is it?” He tilted
his head, but made no move to withdraw from her.
    She shook her head. The look in his eyes was different from
any she’d seen from him before. A little harder and more focused. She had a
feeling that she hadn’t seen the real Arron yet. It made sense. He was still
regaining memories.
    “I’m Zarain. Well, Shadatai Zarain, but Shadatai just
indicates that I’m more than a normal Zarain.” His eyes never left hers as if
he were waiting to measure her reaction.
    She stared at him blankly. She had no idea what that was.
“What is a Zarain? I think I’ve mentioned that the area where I come from is
very isolated. I know of shifters and some of the other beings like the Dain,
but other than that and rumors, nothing.”
    His hand combed through the hair at the side of her face. It
seemed like all of her senses focused on the soft stroking. She forced herself
to concentrate. She didn’t want to miss anything important.
    “A Zarain is a shifter.” He unhooked her legs from around
his waist before rolling onto his back.
    He kept her clamped against him as he moved. She sprawled
across his chest. With her hands braced on his chest, she rose to look down at
him. So many questions swirled through her mind.
    “What do you change into though?” She’d always wondered
that. Were they able to shift into anything they wanted or was it only one
specific thing?
    “I change into a Zarain. It’s…” His voice trailed off and he
frowned. “You wouldn’t recognize it. I haven’t ever seen anything close to it
in the wild. I’ll change sometime so you’ll be able to recognize me.”
    She bit her lip. That “so you’ll be able to recognize me”
gave her some pause. It sounded like he planned on more than just a few days
traveling with her. She didn’t confront him with it though.
    Something held her back. She didn’t know if she hesitated
because she worried about how he’d react or because if he confirmed that he
planned more than the journey to the next city, she’d have to do something
about it.
    Maybe it was a little cowardly, but she didn’t want to
confront that part of her worries. At least not when he had his arms around
her. She ignored the unexplainable trust she felt. It made no sense. She didn’t
know him or what he might do in any situation. In spite of that, she felt
strongly that he wouldn’t hurt her.
    “The others you were traveling with, are they like you?” She
tilted her head. He could be part of a troop of mercenary warriors looking for
those monks. She knew those groups acquired men looking to be paid for their
skill.
    Okay, she’d avoided the important questions, but there were
other things she needed to know. She consoled herself with the thought that
they still had a day’s travel to pass. There was time. She’d have time to work
around to asking that difficult question and any others that came to mind.
    “They’re like me. In most cases, Zarain and other shifters
stay in groups of their own kind.” He leaned down and inhaled deeply. “You
don’t want to know something different?”
    Yes, she certainly did want to know other things and he knew
it judging by that knowing smirk. “I’m just trying to learn here. I have lots
of questions. So many that you’ll probably beg me to shut up. I really don’t
know where to begin.”
    “You’re avoiding the questions you