Lunatic. Lunatic. Lunatic.
Her head pounding, Marcelle picked up her luggage and walked out of the bus station. Because it was early in the morning, so early everyone with a brain was still asleep, Lake Gemini appeared deserted. The shops were all closed, and the windows were all dark. Even the bakery window was devoid of its usual treats because they’d been put away for the night. She touched the window as her belly complained. “I would kill for a butter tart right now.”
Marcelle’s doe got up on trembling legs, alerting her to potential danger. She looked down the main street. At the very end, a couple of big men loitered. She couldn’t make out their faces and doubted they saw her, but something told her to steer clear. Too tired to risk any sort of confrontation, Marcelle headed down one of the back streets. She knew a shortcut that would take her to the docks in no time.
Although Lex Dawson arranged most of the boat transportation between the mainland and Gemini Island, there were usually a couple of spare rowboats lying around near the dock. She would borrow one of those and return it to Lex at a more civilized hour.
Her route took her into the laneway that ran behind some of the stores. She walked past the optometrist, the drugstore, and the bakery. Upon passing the bakery again, her stomach growled even louder. She could almost taste their Italian loaf with its crunchy crust and soft interior. Pretty soon, the bakery employees would be arriving to put the first batches of bread into their ovens, and she was so hungry she had half a mind to wait right there.
The laneway was dark and still. Too dark. Too still.
Her doe moaned, racing back and forth. Although a delicate animal, not suited for fighting, her doe had keen senses. Its sense of hearing was better than that of many other animals, generally warning her of trouble nice and early.
It knew something was wrong way before she did.
Something cracked behind her, like a twig being crushed under a foot.
Marcelle spun around but saw nothing.
Okay, she reassured the doe.We’re almost at the dock.Nothing ever happens in this town. You’re just imagining things.
When two men appeared out of nowhere in front of her, she knew the doe had reason to be scared.
“Ah.” The smaller of the two men spoke, although he was by no means small. “Marcelle Burgess. I’m delighted to make your acquaintance.”
“Who the hell are you? How do you know my name?”
“I’ve done my homework.” He grinned. “Vadim, would you please show Ms. Burgess to the car?”
“With pleasure, Mr. Hill.” The larger of the two, Vadim, sounded like a Bond villain. “If you would be so good as to come with me, please.”
Marcelle dropped her luggage and sprinted in the opposite direction. Her doe took control of her body, bursting from her womanly frame. Her clothing shredded, falling to the ground, because of the frantic transformation. The animal’s long legs propelled her forward. She tried to call out but knew anyone who heard her would think it was only the cry of an injured wild deer.
Behind her, a bear snarled.
Shit! Bear shifters.
Her doe glanced backward. The bear, the biggest wall of lean muscle she’d ever seen, was gaining on her.
Terror-stricken, Marcelle’s heart called out where she could not.Josh!
* * * *
Josh’s bear wouldn’t let him sleep. The bear had been pacing inside him for hours, its nervous rumblings making Josh’s gut ache. By the time Josh finally closed his eyes, around three in the morning, the animal rounded on him. It scraped its claws on Josh’s flesh, making him feel as if he was on fire from head to toe.
He sat up in bed.What the hell?
“Marcelle.”
He could get no rest for thinking of her. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking of her, not since the moment she’d walked away.
She was his mate, provided his bear actually knew what it was growling about. Josh had tried to talk himself out of the idea at least a dozen times since Marcelle’s departure. It made no sense. There was practically no foundation on which to base this imaginary relationship, other than what he supposed was a mutual interest.
Okay, lust. He could call it lust. He’d felt it from the first moment. Josh had spent the nights since dreaming of what it would be like to brush his lips over her gorgeous skin. He’d fantasized about the shape of her legs and the way her waist flared into amazing, round hips. Her smile still teased. Her dark eyes flashed to black in his memory, dilating when she looked at him. Her fruity perfume made his mouth water. The scent had imprinted itself on him. He smelled it everywhere he went, even though she was far away.
His bear bumped its head against his ribs again and again.
The feelings were getting stronger. If this was his reaction in the first couple of weeks of her absence, what would he be like a month from now? Or two?
