Shifters’ Captive(4)

Tongue lolling, he moved closer and breathed in her scent, rich with pheromones. Fear and sexuality oozed from her pores. His hackles rose and his cock did too. He wanted her, wanted to mount her, even though she wasn’t one of his kind. Gathering strength in his haunches, he leaped up and landed with his paws against her shoulders and his muzzle on a level with her face.

She screamed, another knife-like wail that shredded his eardrums, and pushed against him. But his weight bore her down, dragging her to the floor with him on top of her. He wanted to fuck her, wanted her to turn over on all fours so he could bury himself deep inside her. He wanted to whine and bite her neck and come into her hard.

No. Not like this. The inner man pulled sharply on the leash connecting him to his primal ego. John Walker struggled back to the surface, gathering in the dark folds of his wolfish alter-ego and binding him.

The body shifted again, painful to do it twice so quickly.

The man re-emerged, smooth-skinned, two-legged, so limited compared to his wolf strength and stamina. And still the woman beneath him screamed. She’d damage her vocal chords if she didn’t stop soon.

“Sh. Sh,” he soothed, his hands braced against her shoulders and his body pinning her flat. “I told you I won’t hurt you. That’s not what we’re here for.” But his aroused body made it hard for her to believe him.

Sherrie twisted and wiggled beneath him. His cock ached and strained into the cheap polyester waitress uniform covering her soft belly. He couldn’t resist pushing, thrusting lightly with a rock of his hips.

John grunted and rolled off of her. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“Hah!” She gave a sharp bark of laughter that sounded as harsh as her screams and began laughing hysterically. She sat up and drew her legs to her chest. “Don’t know what came over you,” she gasped through her laughter. “That’s good.”

He grabbed his jeans off the floor and thrust his legs into them, pushed his erection inside the fly and fastened it so fast he nearly caught his sac in the zipper.

“Sorry to scare you, but you’d never have believed me otherwise.” He sat cross-legged, facing her. “I didn’t do this lightly. I can count on one hand the number of humans I know who know about our existence. And I can count on one finger the number I’ve allowed to see me transform.” Her giggles abruptly cut off like water from a tap. “I’m honored,” she said dryly. “Why me? Why did this happen to me?”

“I told you, you’re chosen or marked in some way. Divined as being someone important to the shifter world.”

She rested her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands. “Every kid daydreams about discovering they’re magical or a super-hero, but this isn’t the kind of fantasy I had. This is a nightmare.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” John touched her foot, the only part within his reach. He didn’t know if he meant to be comforting or if he simply needed to make contact with her. He, who’d always been against shifters mixing with humans, was undeniably attracted to her, and when he was interested in a female, he had to touch. That was the way wolves demonstrated affection: a playful nip, a bump of shoulder, a muzzle rubbing their mate’s neck, broadcasting sexual or friendly intentions.

Sherrie pulled her foot away as if he’d scalded it. Her face jerked up from her cupped hands, and she glared at him. “What do you expect me to do? How long are you going to hold me here?”

“As long as it takes to figure out what your part is in this.”

“What if there is no part? What if it’s all a big mistake? Will you let me go after what I’ve seen or is this like the Mafia?”

He smiled. “No, I’m not gonna whack you and I will return you home after you’ve helped do whatever it is you’re supposed to do.” It was frustrating not to have a better answer. He’d like to know why he was holding her as much as she would. Was Anna really wise or was she going senile?

But no. This woman was unique, not quite human. He’d felt it much more strongly when he was wolf, but he could sense it now too. And his burning need to possess her refused to abate. It was a powerful yearning beyond his control and different from anything he’d ever felt.

John shook off his desire and rose. “I’m going to make you something to eat. I brought a box of supplies along, which you chucked at my head. You’ll feel a lot better with some food in you.” She snorted. “You think I could eat anything right now?” He turned away. He was going to cook anyway, to give himself something to do while he figured out what to do next. Besides, he was starving after expending so much energy shifting in just a few minutes’