for years but this was the first time he had shown himself to her in his human form. He had met her all those years ago as a werebear and known instantly that she was his mate. She carried his mark too, even though she didn’t know it. He knew it was that mark that had attracted Ramsey to her in the park.
He rubbed his hand tiredly over his face as he tugged on his tuxedo. Now she had seen him he had to stay in her orbit. It was the surest way to protect her, even if he could never have her. Once the others knew his mate was human, they would strike. Plus, he was afraid of hurting her. She was so small, she would fit him like a glove.
His blood stirred hotly in his loins and he felt his dick prod the zipper of his pants. He was so turned on he could actually feel his hands trembling in reaction. His veins began to bulge, his pupils dilated, fur appeared around his body until it erupted all over him and his hands and legs stretched further away from his body, lengthening painfully.
He knocked back a big glass of whiskey and waited for the reaction to fade. Nothing worked. It had started and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Hastily, he tore off his bow-tie and tux and raced towards the back of the house, only managing to clear the pool area before, with a mighty roar, he turned into a large werebear. His powerful hands shoved away the small gate at the back before he bounded away into the valley behind his house.
He had chosen this house with care. It was the only house for miles and it opened up into a thick dense forest which was his favorite place to go whenever he turned.
He roamed the thick, dense forest roaring loud enough to wake the dead. He lost all sense of reasoning, prowling through the forest in search of prey. The entire night became silent, the forest absorbing his roars as he prowled mindlessly through it until the last trace of passion fueling his transfiguration faded from his veins.
He finally came to, lying naked beneath a large oak tree.
He groaned as he rose creakily to his feet He was due at a charity function and he knew Lisa would be there. He had chosen to attend the function deliberately even before they’d met at the park. Tonight had been his night to meet her in person. There was no help for it, he would simply arrive late.
***
Raven Kindersley was late! Lisa had never met the man, but he was the guest of honor. Heck, the entire charity ball was his idea. Lisa searched her memory for what she had heard about the guy but all she came up with was, ‘business shark’.
It seemed to her that a person who was a shark would be time conscious. Perhaps he had had a change of heart? Panic knotted her insides as she thought of this. Most people here had come because they had heard that a deep pocket like Kindersley was going to be there too. Heck the ball had been named for him!
What if he stood them up? More panic coursed through her and her palms began to sweat. She unobtrusively moved closer to an air vent, plastering a smile onto her face as she greeted the next person.
“Lisa? There’s someone I think you have been dying to meet,” Melissa Stilwell, Raven’s PA said in a sing-song voice.
He was here then. Lisa turned around, a practiced smile on her face. She froze immediately she caught sight of the man towering over Melissa; that was the guy from the park!
She saw the brief flash of recognition in his eyes right before he smiled at her and damn near stopped her heart. He was an extremely attractive man but when he smiled like that he was downright dangerous. If she had thought he was handsome before, when he smiled he was an absolute knockout.
She swallowed nervously as he stretched out a hand, “Miss Fuller? A singular honor.”
“You have the advantage of me. I believe we met earlier today at the park. Thank you again Mr…?”
“Kindersley,” he said as he took her hand in a surprisingly gentle grasp for such a large man. “Raven Kindersley.”
A jolt
Marguerite Henry, Bonnie Shields