His Purrfect Mate Read online

  Rave lifted his large body up and gripped the log to peer over the other side. He growled. “Anton, what the hell are you doing?”

  The cold, wet nose jerked away from her body and she relaxed, knowing it had been Anton touching her intimately. His brother lowered his face level with her and met her gaze. She avoided glancing at his groin. The guy wasn’t wearing anything but blood on his skin. His fingers gripped the collar.

  “Sorry. My brother just wanted to make sure none of those pride males raped you. I’ll assume they didn’t since he’s not going nuts.” He cocked his head to peer behind her. “He’s changing back now. Give him a minute to get back into skin. Let’s get this collar off you.”

  His touch made her hurt worse. She squeezed her eyes closed and took shallow breaths. Desire shot through her to the point that she had to clench her teeth not to moan at just the brush of his fingers pressed between her throat and the leather to unfasten it. The heavy weight dropped away and new hands gripped her hips. She started, her eyes flying open.

  “It’s Anton.” Rave frowned at her, sniffed, and then paled. “Fuck.” He fell on his ass to get away from her.

  “What did they do to you?” Anton’s voice scared her. He snarled when he spoke.

  She turned her head now that she could. Rage gripped his features—his fangs still out, and deadly. Blood was smeared all over his body. The hold on her hips tightened.

  “They turned you on?” He started to breathe faster—panting—and his eyes shifted enough to wolf. “Are you sorry I showed up? Did I interrupt a party?”

  Shock and hurt lanced through her. Her lips parted but nothing came out.

  “Damn it, Anton,” a man snarled. “Does she look willing? They have her tied down. See the ropes? Move!”

  A stranger grabbed Anton’s shoulder and pushed him aside. Shannon realized the guy had to be related, with his black hair and similar features. His eyes were more of a light brown though. He hesitated.

  “It’s okay. I’m Brand Harris. I’m their cousin. I’m going to get you free. He doesn’t understand what’s happened to you. I’ll try like hell to avoid touching your skin. I know you’ve got to be hurting pretty bad and touch makes it worse.” His nose flared and he softly groaned. “You’re in full heat.”

  Anton suddenly lunged, almost stepped on Shannon’s leg to put his body between her and his cousin. “Don’t touch Shannon! Think I don’t see how you react to her? Jesus. That’s my woman you’re sporting wood over!”

  “Damn it, Anton! I’m not going to mount her. I’m just reacting. I’ve got a pulse. She’s in the most intense stage of heat. I told you I used to live with one of her kind. It’s not her fault that she’s aroused this strongly. It’s got nothing to do with what they planned to do to her. It’s biology. She can’t help what her body is doing. Any touch is going to be hell. Just untie her if you won’t let me do it. She’s going to be super sensitive at the slightest…hell. You don’t know anything about what she’s going through, do you?”

  “No,” Anton growled. “I know you want to fuck her.”

  “I can’t help reacting to her scent.”

  Someone cleared his throat. “If you need any help tending to her, Anton, I’m offering. Damn, she’s affecting me too. I thought our women smelled good.”

  Anton spun to glare at Rave. “You touch her and I’ll kill you,” he snarled. “And fuck you for getting a boner. She’s mine.”

  “She won’t be if we don’t get the hell out of here,” one of the others argued. “I’m sporting wood too. Don’t yell at me. It’s a physical reaction, Anton. We aren’t going to try to mount her. We need to leave before the two who escaped return with reinforcements. I’m sure you’d rather fuck her than fight off more who want to take her from you.”

  Anton’s hands worked the ropes free. She clenched her teeth not to moan when his fingers brushed her skin. She refused to look at him, humiliated by her body’s reaction, the discussion she’d listened to, and the fact that it seemed that every male in Anton’s family had an erection over her scent. They’d also seen her naked and spread-eagle.

  When he freed her legs, she clamped her thighs together and clutched the torn shirt over her breasts. She wanted to curl into a ball, hide her body as best she could, and cry. The pain staggered her now—sharp stabs of fire—and she couldn’t manage to get to her feet.

  “Shannon?” Anton’s voice softened. “Look at me.”

  She refused. She focused on the ground instead. He softly cursed and his hands gripped her hips. The touch made her cry out and she threw herself forward and hit the log hard enough to scrap her skin. She huddled against it.

  “You’re such a jerk,” Brand muttered. “They were going to rape her and you think she wanted it just because her body is in heat. Move out of the way and I’ll carry her.”

  “You touch her and I’ll tear your head off!” Anton threatened with a snarl.

  Someone crouched behind her close enough that she could smell him. It made her whimper. Her body burned and her breasts tightened until her nipples throbbed. She pressed tighter against the log, the rough bark better than having one of them touching her.

  “I’m sorry,” Anton rasped softly. “I was out of my head, okay? Rave told me what they do to unmated half-breed females, how they use them to carry their young, and I didn’t think I’d reach you in time. I know that you didn’t want them. I’m going to pick you up. We have a van about a mile from here. We need to get you back to pack territory before more of those pride males show up. I can protect you better there.”

  “I’ll walk,” she whispered.

  “Damn,” he ground out harshly. “You aren’t in any condition to walk. Don’t fight me.”

  He jerked her away from the log and scooped her up in his arms. Her back arched and she hissed. His warm body drew her, though, and she turned into him, pressed tightly against him, and buried her face against his skin. His masculine scent made her moan and twist within his hold. Her hands gripped his shoulder and chest, her fingers kneading his skin frantically.

  “We need to go,” he muttered. “Let’s hurry. If I see anyone staring at her body, it will be the last thing you ever look at.”

  The jarring motion of him jogging with her cradled against his body made her writhe in his arms. Sexual desire fogged her brain. She made soft crying sounds she couldn’t stop from passing her lips and sometimes a rumble would vibrate in her chest. It was almost a whining. She hated being out of control, and the fact that there were witnesses made it worse.

  “Get the door,” Anton ordered. “Brand, you drive to stay as far from her as you can get.”

  “I’m not going to try to fuck her!” the cousin snapped. “It’s just physical. You’re aroused too. We all are.”

  He nearly crushed her when he ducked down to move inside the van. He gently placed her on a cool leather seat and then dropped down next to her. She turned away from him toward the window, huddled on the seat with her knees drawn up, and kept her back to him. She sat on the back bench seat of an extended travel van with tinted windows. The other guys climbed inside and the van doors slammed closed.

  “We’ll dress later,” someone announced. “I know I can’t put my jeans on in this state. My zipper might catch skin even if I could shove my dick inside enough to attempt to get them closed. Roll down the windows, Brand. Turn on the air conditioning too. Now I can taste her. Why the hell didn’t anyone ever tell me that’s how they smelled in heat? I would have hooked up with one long ago.”

  Anton snarled. “Silence, Braden. Someone toss me a shirt to cover her with. She’s trembling.”

  The van engine started and the vehicle rolled forward. Shannon slid into a big, warm Anton when Brand made a sharp U-turn on the narrow two-lane road. Just brushing up against Anton made her hotter. She fought the urge to stay there. She tried to pull away but then he wrapped an arm around her waist to secure her at his side.

  “Here’s a shirt. Let’s put this on you.”