Page 122 of Evil Hearts

Beast

N ot touching her was killing me. My paws tingled, my heart pounded in my chest and roared in my ears. I couldn’t shake the image of the men holding my human down, drawing a knife on her.

Threatening her.

The girl was mine and I would protect her and keep her safe until the end of time.

“Please, let me touch you.” I shifted to my hind legs, raising paws to hover beside her face. Instead of answering, she threw herself on me. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she buried her face in my chest. Sobs wracked her body, causing her to gasp and shake against me.

I wanted to kill them all over again for touching her, for upsetting her. For making her believe their suffering was her fault.

It wasn’t in my nature to take pleasure in killing. I did so for defense, for food. But I had never reveled in the violence before. Nothing had ever mattered to me as much as the woman in my arms before.

Branches snapped and trees rustled around us as the bears and wolves made their way to the scent of a fresh kill. They wouldn’t come any closer, not while I was there. Not until I gave them permission. But it was wasteful to let the bodies go to rot.

“Come, little human. It’s time to go.” I shifted to lift her into my arms as her sobs settled into gasping breaths. I cuddled her close to me, noting the blood had transferred to her clothing. She would want to bathe.

“Eat well,” I told the animals as we left the clearing and entered the safety of the trees.

“Home.” Mari said as I started toward the stream. “Please, take me home.”

I froze. I had feared this moment, the time when she would be done with me and want to return to her kind. A human wasn’t meant to be in the woods with the beasts.

“As you wish,” I murmured, my heart at my feet. But when I turned toward the village, she stopped me again.

“No, not there.” She pushed away from my chest to stare into my eyes. “I don’t belong there. I never did. Take me home. To our home.”

Before I could process, she leaned up and pressed a kiss to the side of my snout.

I nearly dropped her in my shock. It was more than I had ever dared to wish. It was more than I could possibly deserve.