I have to get her the fuck away from me.
The thought brought him to his knees.
The pain of meeting the hard concrete was nothing compared to the agony of an inevitable shift. Not when all of the primordial parts of him were battling for supremacy. They’d rip him apart to gain favor and take control. It was an indisputable fact. Only one thing would soothe them, bringing each and every one of them together, but in the doing would cement his fate whether he liked it or not.
Unable to do anything else, he accepted the will of his animalistic halves and buried his face into the neck of the unconscious female, pulling her scent into his lungs. The fragrance was like a balm that tamed and calmed, starting in his nostrils and winding its way through his body. He darted his tongue out and tasted the skin along her throat, lapping reverently at her tender flesh. With that first taste of her sweetness the burning in his bones lifted and the tingling along the surface of his skin vanished.
Fucking hell.
Allowing the man to walk away was one thing, but this was something else entirely. He lifted his head and brushed a shaky finger against a chunk of pink hair, swallowing thickly.
“Let’s get you out of here, Pinkie.”
She weighed next to nothing, and with her short stature it was easy to situate her in his lap on the bike. The loud roar of the Harley didn’t rouse her, and he realized just how vulnerable she was. Like a tiny, helpless kitten nestled against his chest. Her small head notched under his chin when he lifted the kickstand with his heel and shoved it into place.
“Hang on,” he whispered into the softness of her hair and wrapped his right arm around her waist.
She didn’t make a sound when he guided the bike onto the road, put on speed and took off in the direction of home. This was the stupidest thing he had ever done, and he’d done some pretty idiotic shit in the past. Hopefully by the time she woke he’d have a handle on himself and they would have the opportunity to talk.
Talk. Now that was a laughable thought.
He couldn’t talk to her like this. Not with his rock-hard cock straining against his leathers. The fucking thing was practically begging her to touch it, pulsing against her soft bottom as if it were attempting to gain her undivided attention.
Christ.
Sure, they would talk. After he took an ice-cold shower and stroked himself to a good strong release…
The air carried her succulent scent to his nose and his muscles went taut before his entire body shuddered.
Better make that two.
Chapter Two
Something fuzzy brushed against Ava’s nose, rousing her from a restful slumber. She grumbled and swatted at the softness with her fingers, shifting her body slightly. Hot breath and the discernible funk of dog food crashed into her face as something cool and wet prodded her chin, followed by the brush of a rough, warm tongue.
“What the—” She opened her eyes, met the stare of an enormous beast and screamed loud enough to wake the dead.
Scrambling wildly, she fell off the side of an unfamiliar bed in a tangle of sheets, limbs thrashing, and struggled to gain her balance. The fact that she was clothed in nothing more than her underwear, in a room she didn’t recognize, didn’t register. Her focus was on the hideous canine that plopped down on its rear across from her and tilted its head to the side as if it were trying to gauge her reaction.
“Stay,” she ordered in a pitifully weak voice. The massive thing started to move and she swallowed loudly, inching toward a door on the left. “God, but you’re an ugly one. Aren’t you?”
The dog’s haunches came off the bed and it growled, baring teeth.
Not good.
“Whoa, ugly,” she ordered and lunged for the door. Once she’d snatched the handle, she turned it and applied pressure with desperate fingers.
The dog barreled off the bed and she pushed at the door. Crying out when it gave way, she fell inside a pitch-black space. She didn’t think twice about slamming the thin barrier closed and facing the darkness. Dark she could handle. Deranged wildebeests with fangs the size of tusks were another thing altogether.
Heavy claws bore down on the other side of the door, scraping viciously. Growls became heavy brays, so loud the door vibrated with each deep bellow. Scooting on her palms and heels, she tried to place as much space between her and the hound from hell as possible, kicking away from the crack of light against the hardwood floor. Something brushed against the top of her head and she lashed out, squealing in terror while slapping at the flimsy thing with her hands. Objects fell on top of her, some light, some thick and heavy. The harder she thrashed and fought the more she became entangled in the mess.
The loud howls came to an abrupt stop when she heard a man order in a deep husky baritone, “Quiet, Oscar! Sit.”
The handle jiggled and the door opened. Sunlight poured in and she slapped at what she was mortified to discover were sheets and blankets. A large form appeared in the doorway and she froze. Memories from the night before rushed back, sending her into a panic. Vampires had attacked and the entire world had gone black. But she wasn’t dead and the sun was shining.
What the hell happened between then and now?
Desperate for answers, she reached out with her mind, homed in on her captor’s thoughts and listened. A big wall of nothing greeted her. It was daytime, so he wasn’t a vampire. She eyed the enormous shape before her. She couldn’t make out his face but he was big, big and big…
Oh crap.
Shifter.
“It’s all right, Pinkie,” the form said softly and crouched. “Don’t be afraid.”
“D-dog,” she stammered dumbly and hated herself for sounding like a complete ninny and idiot. Of course he knew a rabid canine was present. He’d called the damn thing off. Unfortunately she couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say.
“Let me guess.” His shadowed head tilted to the side and she detected laughter in his voice. “You called him ugly.”
“What?” She swatted at a sheet dangling next to her face and scowled at his corresponding throaty chuckle.
“Oscar.” He lifted a hand and flicked his thumb over his shoulder. “You told him he wasn’t much to look at. Didn’t you?”
Her face flamed in embarrassment. What if the dog wasn’t really a dog at all? She hadn’t been around a shifter in animal form before but the hideous thing was terrifying—and large—enough to pass for one.
“Yes.”
Clucking his tongue, he stood and flicked a switch on the wall. “I would suggest you keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself from here on in. Oscar is as docile as a lamb until you remind him he’s got a face only a momma could love. You might find this hard to believe but he was quite a heartbreaker as a pup.”
His words didn’t process, not when she got her first look at the owner of that deep, commanding baritone. Working in a dance club meant she saw her fair share of preternatural creatures—vampires, shifters and demons were common patrons of the establishment—and through it all, she’d learned one valuable lesson. Steer clear of them. They were as dangerous as they were sexy, able to tear people apart before they felt that first, telling bite of pain. She knew better than anyone not to take the stranger in, not to view him as a man or to allow herself to fantasize about what could never be between them. But god help her, shifter had never looked so good.