The Mating Heat(4)

Or her.
Things could be worse. Fur ruffled, she stood her ground against either comer.
And then from the shadows came an enormous gray wolf, his muscles moving with fluid power. Black fur streaked its muzzle. Kara’s muscles tensed. Ryder.
The wolves attacked, chasing after the trolls who squealed and fled into the woods. Ryder targeted the troll closest to her, baring his fangs and pursuing the troll into the woods. High-pitched howls of fear abruptly cut off. Wet, ripping sounds followed. A shaky sense of relief filled her.
The wolves returned to the clearing and loped over to the stream. They drank and washed the blood off their muzzles. Still in wolf form, she eyed the path ahead. Maybe she could make a run for it…
But then they turned and started toward her. Inching backward, she retreated to hide among the shadowy trees. A burst of sunlight dappled the pine boughs and spilled onto the forest floor like a spotlight. She moved away from it.
Ryder turned and stared into the trees as if trying to sense her hiding place. Mild speculation fast turned to male Lupine appraisal. He’d caught the scent of her approaching heat.
Oh yeah, things could always get worse.
Kara had nearly forgotten how intimidating Ryder was in wolf form. Muscular, weighing probably over 200 pounds, he had thick gray and black fur that rippled in the wind. His piercing blue gaze glittered like sunlit sapphires.
Then he nodded. The wolves shifted into their Skin form and clothed themselves by magick. She did not recognize any of them from her former pack.
Ryder shifted into his Skin form. Virile and strong, he stood well over six feet, with well-defined legs and arms, and a flat abdomen rippling with muscle. His tousled brown hair looked thick and silky, cut shorter than before. Kara’s heart constricted as she remembered running her fingers through the strands as he’d kissed her.
Hunger and weakness from the long journey had proven too taxing to hold onto her wolf form. Kara shifted back, clothed herself by magick and hovered in the shadows.
He stood naked and confident, his stride silent as he neared her hiding place. In wolf form, he could rip out an enemy’s throat in a heartbeat. In human form he was equally dangerous.
“Come out, Kara. We will not harm you.”
“Put your pants on and maybe I’ll believe it.”
A small, amused grin touched his handsome face. Ryder waved a hand and clothed himself by magick.
“Kara, come out. You cannot run from me any longer, sweeting. I promise, I will not hurt you.”
Stepping out from the dark shadows was the hardest thing she’d ever done, even harder than summoning the courage to return for her father’s gold. She had not willingly shown her scarred face to a male since the day Aiden spirited her away, half-dead and bleeding, to save her from their father’s wrath.
Kara stepped into the little pool of light.
Nine males gasped. Some turned away, refusing to look. Shame kicked her in the guts. Lifting her chin, she told herself not to care what they thought.
But she did. She always did. Men found her horrifying, men who once called her pretty.
Please, don’t do this to me, please, she thought, the lump in her throat turning to a baseball. Ryder would not want her in his bed now. He’d probably recoil in disgust.
Finally she summoned the courage to lift her gaze. He did not flinch or turn away. Instead, his look was slowly appraising and thoughtful. The warmth of his smile erased her fears.
“Take her backpack,” he instructed the males.
“What about the girl?” one Lupine asked.
“She’s so ugly, I’m surprised the trolls didn’t die of fright after seeing her,” another muttered.
Ryder backhanded the Lupine, sending him sailing through the air into a thick tree trunk.
“Don’t insult her,” Ryder snapped.
He strode forward and lifting her as easily as a sack of sugar, dumped her over his broad shoulder. The flat of his palm gently stroked the curve of her bottom as he faced his men.
“She’s mine,” he told them. “Meet your new queen. My mate.”
    







 
    Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance by Jennifer Ashley, Alyssa Day, Felicity Heaton, Erin Kellison, Laurie London, Erin Quinn, Bonnie Vanak and Caris Roane
    
 


 
CHAPTER 3
His… mate?
Maybe her Lupine hearing had gone awry. Kara felt deeply confused as Ryder jogged through the forest, carrying her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than a sack of cotton. After a few minutes, the woods opened to a wide clearing with a dirt road. Parked near a tall pine was a gleaming black pick-up truck. Ryder opened the passenger door and gently put her on her feet.#p#分页标题#e#