She was out there—wandering the land.
I paced the house, stopping in her bedroom more than once, but her scent had thinned, faded to a ghost of what it had been. I glanced at the window. The smudges from her hands were still there. Proof she’d stood there. Touched it. Then there was the way she’d taken me from tip to knot—the supple give of her flesh, the way she’d drawn me in.
There were so many things I still needed to do with that woman.
Mate, Fenrir cut in.
Sure, I replied, pacifying him.
Dammit.
Could she swim to one of the other islands?
Her beast might give her that kind of strength.
I bolted downstairs and out into the open air, dragging in sharp breaths and scenting hard.
Play the game.
Lure her back.
Keep her.
???
We caught her scent—hers and her animal’s—leading us to the small stream. From a distance, I saw her stretched out in the sun. The sleek lines of her hyena form were utterly beautiful. She was large, built for the hunt, those teeth made for prey. Powerful—but not of the gods.
Sunlight warmed her fur, bleaching it lighter, making it glow. The dark stripes along her body drew my gaze down to her paws. My cheek still throbbed.
This was why her scent had driven me mad.
I touched my face.
My very own personalised sex toy.
No, Fenrir huffed.A mate is equal and—
Yeah, yeah, I muttered, moving closer just as the hyena’s ears pricked up.
She didn’t even look at me as she rose. She stretched lazily, head dipping low, spine rolling as her back arched. Then she turned and bolted through the bushes, vanishing into the trees.
Fuck. She was fast.
Fenrir hummed—pride and something dangerously close to happiness bleeding through him.
I, on the other hand, went to the docks and burned the boats.
???
Friday came and went, but the stubborn little bitch still didn’t come home. Fenrir refused to force her. He could easily enlarge, overpower her—but no matter how much I pushed, he flatly refused.
In fact, whenever I slept, he shifted and stayed close to her.
Outside.
Leaving me naked and lying in filth by the time I woke.
Her scent grew more alluring by the day, each note deepening. It was as if Fenrir knew exactly why—and refused to tell me.
