Page 14

Kiy

Following her had been easy. I was raised in the forests, and I’d honed my tracking skills over years of working as a bounty hunter. I’d tracked far stealthier humans than Fern. Even with the snowfall covering her steps, there were signs everywhere.

But after a few hours of loping along, I realised she had left the trail. What was she thinking? I felt along our bond. She wasn’t that far now. I could find her and get us back safely. Although the snow was a problem. But everyone knew not to leave a trail. It was too easy to end up wandering in circles or not be going in as straight a line as you thought you were. She must have been panicking.

I turned off the trail and followed her path, the scent of her filling my nostrils as I got closer and closer to her. I rehearsed all the things I was going to say to her. How she was safe now. She never had to run. I’d dealt with Luke, and I would take care of her. The charges against her would be dropped. We’d live our life together. I jogged along now. I had to let her know it would be ok.

My cock twitched before I even consciously recognised it. A slight whiff of arousal in her scent. I kept moving. The bond between us tensed. I was getting closer to her, and she could probably feel it. Was that making her aroused? I sped up. The scent of her desire got stronger and stronger. But after a few minutes I still hadn’t caught her.

If she was that keen to see me, wouldn’t she have stopped to wait for me? Why was she still running? I imagined catching up to her. Chasing her down. My cock was rock hard at the image. Was this why she was aroused? The thought of me chasing her down?

The realization made my whole-body tingle with need. Any part of my brain that was sensible or coherent shut down. I was like a wild animal, running as fast as I could with one focus. I wasn’t just a monster; I was a predator now. Fern was my prey, and I would have her.

My senses honed in on her scent. Her arousal was only getting stronger. And then it intensified in one area and didn’t go anywhere else. I skidded to a halt and looked at the surrounding forest. She was here somewhere. A part of my brain tried to access all that tracking knowledge. To look for visual signs, but my animal brain had overwhelmed that part of me.

I inhaled deeply. She was slightly to the left of me. There was nothing but a shrub there. A shrub between me and my mate. I grabbed at it and began ripping branches away from it like a feral beast, only stopping when a squeal of shock rang out.

“Fern?” My voice ground out, thick with need. Silence. I pulled at the shrub again with a roar, tearing it apart. Fern looked up at me, from where she had been hiding. Her eyes were wide with fear. But I could smell the juices dripping from her.

She scrambled back, falling on her ass. I reached down, but she rolled away. I grunted and stepped back away from the remains of the shrub while she pulled herself to her feet. Her eyes met mine, and I thought my cock might burst out of my pants. Her gaze trailed down to it. Another intense burst of her smell. I wondered just how wet she was.

“Kiy?” Her voice was shaking.

It took a strength I had never known I possessed, to hold myself back for a moment. “Do you want this?”

“Yes.”

“Then keep running.”

I clenched my fists as she turned and ran again. The way her ass moved as she sprinted off should have been illegal. It was barely a minute before I resumed my chase. I’d never been so consumed with the need for another person. There was no way I’d be able to hold myself back once I had her in my arms. I could only hope she could take it.