No sound had ever filled him with such terror.
* * * *
Run. Just run.
Death couldn’t catch her if she ran fast enough, and if it did, she’d exhaust the hell out of the bastard first.
In her large brown bear guise, she could travel quicker than in human form. She might not have the same graceful movements as some of her friends. As a lynx, Marci was sleek. Nina’s jaguar was all sinew and hard muscle. And the wolves inside Charlotte, Fleur, and Suzan could run with ease. Bears like Elaine, Lia, and Gioia might have stockier limbs and heavier bodies, but they could still sprint. Many humans made the mistake of thinking they could outrun a bear at full tilt. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Elaine could move, but she knew full well she could never outrun Connor’s mountain lion. He was built for stealth and speedy attacks. His great paws enabled him to traverse terrain with ease. As a shape shifter, he was even larger than the typical wild mountain lion, and his muscles were a thing of beauty and intimidation.
She knew he’d catch her, but if he wanted her to stop, he’d have to take her down first.
Run.
Elaine’s bear twisted its large head. Connor’s great cat rasped somewhere behind her. He was close.
She sucked air into her expanded lungs and broke off to the right, away from the paths, away from the resort. She ran toward the far end of the island, into the deeper woods. The forest welcomed her into its majesty. Great maples and oaks towered above her, and snow fell from their high branches as she pounded the ground. She’d wandered these woods so many times with Lloyd it seemed his spirit watched her through the trees. His memory bore down on her, making her heart hurt. As much as she hated herself for it, she just wanted to escape him for a while. However, every tree seemed to bear his name, as if he’d carved it into their trunks with his own penknife.
Run.
Her movements became jerky. She never would have called herself graceful in her bear form, but she felt even less so now. With tears burning her eyes, she lost sight of her path. A couple of times, when she misjudged the openings between trees, she smashed into their trunks. Pain exploded through her hips, but she didn’t stop moving.
Damn these bear hips!
She dared another glance at her predator. The mountain lion bared its teeth. Connor’s normally dark eyes had lightened with his transformation, taking on the brighter sheen of the cat’s eyes. They gleamed in the dim light of the forest.
What was she thinking, leading a sexually frustrated shifter male on this merry chase? It would only give him more ideas.
The woods opened up ahead. Elaine sped toward the clearing, hoping to lose him. Connor’s cat lengthened its stride and ran alongside her. As it caught up, it kept low to the ground, readying for attack.
Desperate to shake him off, Elaine stopped and rolled, intending to backtrack and knock him off course.
Before she could get up, the mountain lion pounced. It tackled her bear, and the creatures rolled in the snow, their quick breaths as loud as their snarls and growls.
She should have known she couldn’t shake him. Connor was built for hunting prey, in both animal and manly forms. Her acrobatics were no deterrent.
She tried to push him away, but his claws dug into her fur, holding her where he wanted her. Angered, she shifted back into human form, intending to slide out from under him.
No sooner had she ordered her bear back into its cage than Connor shifted as well. The golden hairs covering his body disappeared into his pores, only to be replaced by the sparser black hairs on his chest and legs. His claws retracted, but his fingernails still gripped her. Every muscle in his body seemed tight and aggravated.
As their panting breaths washed over each other’s faces, both their bodies relaxed a bit. He lay atop her, his weight a sensuous burden. Against her slick core, his cock throbbed. The snow had chilled their skin on the surface, but their pounding hearts surrounded them in a glow of warmth.
He felt…so good.
Although he held himself still above her, his hips settled in, grinding ever so slightly against her. His motion seemed experimental, and his eyes remained watchful, looking for any sign of resistance.
Wet and vulnerable, she couldn’t give him one. He could have taken her then and there. She’d forgotten what it meant to struggle. This was Connor, after all, and she didn’t want to fight him.
The scent of blood reached her nose, distracting her from the different shades of brown in his eyes. She glanced at her lower half. A shallow gash marred her hip. He’d scratched her during their tumble.
Connor’s gaze was drawn toward the wound as well. “Dammit! I hurt you.”
He bounded away from her and stood a couple of feet away.
Elaine slowly stood and brushed the snow off her ass. She met his gaze.
His chest heaved. His thighs were taut. His cock stood straight out.
