Uncaged by Alisha Paige Read Free Book Online

warm blood rushed down his throat. His gut grumbled in answer. It had been so long. He ate heartily, swallowing chunks of delightful, gamey buck.
                  He grunted and growled as he tore into the animal’s flank, tearing the tastiest meat from the bone. The tender, warm morsels melted in the lion’s maw, a delicacy he had sorely missed. When his belly became extended, he lay beside the mangled carcass and sighed. Night was near. A cool, autumn breeze tickled his mane and dried his wet nose. New energy surged within. He would feast for one more day and head back to London . He bathed himself, licking his bloodied paw and rubbing the dampened fur over his face and whiskers.
                  His mind wandered to Wren again. This was the first time he’d shifted since escaping the cage and it had felt glorious. Now he was wondering if life with a man could hold such freedom, such joy. As a man he’d have to find employment and sustain his other half by concealing his true identity, but there was Wren. He could never see himself walking away from her, her love or the amazing womanly things she did to him in the night. He nibbled again at the ca rcass, swallowed and sighed. He’d leave the rest for the vultures.
                  He padded back to his clothing and sat on his haunches. The moon was just rising over the tallest pines. A strong urge to roar welled up inside of him, but he thought of his horse and restrained it. Again he sighed. Africa held so much freedom. He yearned to be wild once again, but doubted that was now a possibility.
                  He shifted quickly and then dressed. The horse neighed and swished his tail when Bruce approached. The nearest town was a few miles up the road. He’d check himself into an inn and sleep. One more day of feasting and he could return to Wren. He was already worried about her, relieved that he missed her even more when he made the change back to man. He knew that his human thoughts while in lion form could be clouded by raw, feral emotions linked to the hunt.
                  As he guided the stallion onto the winding dirt road, his mind wandered back to Africa . Drum beats echoed in his head. Images of freedom, nights beneath the stars and long, lazy days spent loving his lioness edged their way into his consciousness. The road before him became a wavy blur as tears threatened to spill. Bruce rubbed his eyes and sniffed them back. Being far from home made him miss her more, though she’d been gone five long years. The thought of losing Wren too made his heart ache. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sur vive that kind of loss again. He stopped the horse, stared at the night sky and made his decision. With one click of the tongue, he had the stallion turned around and headed back home. One kill would have to do. He’d survive on forest bunnies if he had to. He headed home, back to Wren, back to the woman he knew would now become his wife.
    ~*~
                  With another full day of travel behind him, Bruce was exhausted. He contemplated passing Wren’s home and heading into London . He could sleep at the tavern and return in the morning, but the pull in his loins refused to let him go further. The horse had already sensed his direction, turning instinctively onto the dirt road and through the opened iron gates. Bruce wondered if Wren had ordered them left that way in case he came home earlier. Both of them had dreaded his leaving. He’d even told her not to be surprised if he cut his business short. The house was pitch black and deathly quiet. He dismounted his horse and patted his sweating rump before bounding up the creaking steps to peer through the blackened windows. There was no noise, no wind. Even the locusts were asleep. The wooden planks beneath his feet groaned in protest as he walked from window to window. He couldn’t make out a thing.
                  He hesitated only