Fledgling firefighter Scott Michaels pulled a teenaged girl from her
burning family home, saving her life. In her semi-conscious state, the
girl announced she saw a bear saving her. Scott has a secret and not
even his best friend and work colleague, Blake, knows what it is. Four
years previously, a young girl, when dragged from her blazing home,
had seen into the heart of him. She'd seen what he was.
Talia Martin was celebrating her nineteenth birthday with her best
friend, Kaycee. Talia hadn't really wanted to go out. Then they'd met
Scott and Blake. As Talia gets to know Scott, she has a feeling they've
met before. Could he be the handsome firefighter that had saved her life
four years ago? Evidence quickly comes to light that the fire may not
have been an accident and that someone is now keen to finish the job.
With an evil from Talia's past quickly closing in, will Scott be able to
save her and make her his mate?

Chapter 2
Flames licked the ceiling in the back room of the small wooden house.
Smoke roiled grey and caustic beneath the closed bedroom door,
slowly filling the small space with its choking presence. The girl stirred
and coughed as the changing air tickled her lungs.
Sirens wailed as the fire engine came to a sudden stop outside the house
that was quickly being consumed by fire. Four men in protective gear
and helmets scrambled from the vehicle. Each had a job, unravelling
hoses, hooking them to the on-board water supply and starting the
pressure pump, retrieving and checking breathing apparatus.
A woman dressed in a night gown, robe and slippers rushed through the
front gate of a neighboring house, running awkwardly towards the
firefighters.
One man stepped forward holding up a hand to halt the woman's
ungainly approach. "Ma'am, you need to clear the area. It's not safe.
Please go back to your home until we tell you otherwise."
"But, the girl..."
"What girl?" Eyes full of authority drilled into the woman's face.
"The girl, a teenager, she should be home. Her mum works nightshift,
so she's there by herself a lot. It's just the two of them now, you see."
The woman wrung her hands and gestured wildly towards the blazing
house, her eyebrows drawn together, as she spoke.
The fireman, Leading Firefighter Daniel Grant, turned to the other
men. "Michaels, grab a mask. You're going in. There's probably
someone still inside.
"Jenson and Blake, get some water on the base of those flames!"
High pressure water gushed from the nozzle, rocking Jenson on his
wide-legged stance as Blake hurriedly turned the valve adjusting the
pressure.
Grant turned back to the fretting woman beside him, "Thank you ma'
am. Now, please return to your home." Grant joined his team, grabbing
a second hose from the truck, unravelling it rapidly as Blake

connected it to the water supply.
The water spout arced across the short distance to the blaze, sizzling in
a burst of steam and embers.
"Blake, you're with Michaels as backup!" Leading Firefighter Grant
shouted in order to be heard above the roar of the water and whoosh
and crackle of the flames. He tapped his helmet, indicating they turn
their communication head gear on as he did the same.
Grabbing an oxygen mask and tank assembly, Blake ran to the front
door of the small house where Scott Michaels positioned himself,
waiting for the signal from Grant. Blake tapped Scott on the back in
their practiced buddy system signal. No one entered a fire on their own.
"Go, go, go!" Grant signaled through their earpieces.
Scott was breathing hard as he swung his axe, breaking the lock on the
front door. As a fledgling firefighter, this was only his second shift out
with Southport Fire Unit and his first as First Response Rescue. He
took a calming breath and then another, trying to slow his heart. His
beast was restless.
As a bear shifter, stress was not Scott's friend. Too much and his bear
tried to take over.
Acting on their extensive training, the pair entered the smoke-filled
home. Scott scanned the area around him, listening intently for a hint of
where the suspected occupant might be.
"You got this," Blake encouraged Scott, his voice muffled by the
breathing apparatus, but clear in Scott's earpiece. Scott nodded. He held
up one hand beside his head, slicing the side of his palm through the air
in two sharp forward movements, indicating they proceed further into
the house.
The oppressiveness and heat of the air around them grew as they
moved towards the back of the tiny home and the fire. A short hallway
was flanked by a closed door on either side. Bedrooms, Scott assumed.
They'd cleared the kitchen and lounge at the front of the house. No
occupants. The only rooms left were these two rooms, the bathroom,
laundry and the room at the very rear where the fire seemed to have
originated. If someone was in one of the two closest rooms, they were
in trouble. If they had been trapped at the back of the house. Scott

shuddered. It would be too late.
Blake pointed at the ceiling at the far end of the hall. Through the
thickening smoke Scott could just make out the bubbled surface. Not
good. The fire had taken hold in the roof space. It would now move
quickly, engulfing the house in minutes if the guys outside didn't get it
under control. They needed to find whoever was here and get out.
Scott placed his gloved hand on the door, checking for heat. He nodded
for Blake to open it. Blake twisted the knob and pushed. It opened, but
only a small distance. Something was behind it, blocking their entry.
"Damn it!" Blake put his shoulder against the door, using his
bodyweight. The gap widened.
"Hold it there," Scott instructed as he stuck his head through the space.
"She's here, behind the door!"
Together the two men forced the door open further, pushing the girl's
still body with it. When the gap was big enough, Scott squeezed
through.
Taking the girl under the arms as he'd been trained, Scott dragged her
out of the doorway. Flames licked up the inside of the back wall of the
room, quickly creeping across the ceiling, enlivened by the inrush of
oxygen-rich air through the open doorway.
Scott threw the girl's lifeless body over his shoulder as his bear growled
at the flames. Despite her lanky limbs the girl was surprisingly heavy; a
dead weight.
She coughed weakly. Good. Not dead. Scott hurried from the room.
"Let's go."
Blake checked the other door for heat then made a sweep for anyone
else. The bedroom was empty. The rest of the house was now too
dangerous to enter. Blake and Scott moved swiftly back to the front
entrance.
Leading Fireman Grant stood manning one of the hoses, barking
instructions at the other firefighter. This house was a goner, but he
could still, sure as hell, prevent any of the neighboring properties from
succumbing to the same fate.
He glanced anxiously at the doorway as his newest recruit and his

partner emerged from the smoke and flame engulfed building. Young
Michaels carried someone over his shoulder. Good lad.
The pair moved a safe distance from the doomed building before Scott
set the girl down on the ground. Ripping off a protective glove, he
placed two fingers against the side of her neck feeling for her carotid
pulse. He moved his fingers, feeling again. Ah, a pulse. It was faint and
thready, but her heart still beat. Scott tore his oxygen mask from his
face and shrugged out of the tank's shoulder straps, laying it beside the
girl's prone body.
Blake grabbed a thermal blanket from the medical kit in the truck. It
wasn't cold, but shock was nearly as big a threat as the smoke
inhalation. He helped Scott wrap the girl then fit the mask to her face,
infusing her system with much needed oxygen.
Scott's bear hunkered over the girl protectively, needing to make sure
she was safe. Scott studied the girl in confusion. Why was his bear so
protective and possessive all of a sudden? Was it going to react like this
to every rescue he made? He groaned inwardly at the thought.
Scott's eyes cast over the girl's features. She was a teenager, maybe
fifteen. Lanky limbs and frame, still boyishly slim in her youth, but
hinting at the woman she would become. Her hair was dark, appearing
black in the paltry glow of the street light. It hung past her shoulders,
fanned out around her on the ground. Her fringe was plastered to her
forehead from sweat caused by fear and the fire's intense heat. Scott
used his thumb to wipe it away from her face.
"You know this girl?" Blake was staring at him, his expression
unreadable.
"No. Why?" Scott felt embarrassment flush his cheeks. "I know she's
your first rescue, just don't get too attached. It happens to the best of
us," Blake said, slapping a friendly hand on Scott's shoulder. "You feel
a kind of connection. Accept you've done a good thing, man, and move
on. It' s healthier for everyone."
Scott knew Blake was right. They'd learned about this kind of thing
during training. That didn't mean his bear had to like it.
The girl coughed, stronger this time. The oxygen had started to seep
through her smoke saturated lungs. Her eyelids fluttered as she tried

to regain consciousness.
Scott placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You're going
to be all right. Lie still now."
The distant undulating wail of more sirens reached the team. Scott
sighed in relief. "The ambulance is on its way. You're in safe hands."
The girl's eyes opened, flitting about unfocused as an unsteady hand
grabbed at the oxygen mask.
Wracking coughs shuddered through her body as she tried to clear the
sooty presence from her lungs. Scott stared. Her eyes were like looking
into the darkest night sky. Wow. What color were they?
She tried to say something, her voice a rasping crackle from the smoke,
her words further muffled by the mask. Scott pulled it away from her
face enough to let sound escape but keep up the oxygen flow.
"Bear. I saw. carried." Another coughing fit wracked her tiny frame,
cutting her off.
No way. No freaking way! Scott shot a worried glance at Blake. He
didn't think he'd started to shift, but what if Blake had seen something.
"Aw, Scott, she's going to be okay. Oxygen deprivation will do that to a
person, cause hallucinations. They see and say all kinds of freaky shit.
Don't fret, man."
Blake's laid back surfer's drawl was somehow reassuring and Scott
nodded to him, letting his shoulders relax a little.
The ambulance arrived and with swift efficiency the two ambulance
officers took over the situation, checking vitals and asking the relevant
questions. Within minutes they had the girl loaded onto a gurney, a drip
in her arm and their own oxygen mask replacing Scott's as they pushed
the gurney into the back of the ambulance and drove away.
Scott removed his helmet, swiping sweat stained hair from his
forehead. His bear was restless as they watched the ambulance drive
away, like something was amiss. For the life of him Scott could not
work out what it was.
Blake tugged at his sleeve. "C'mon lover boy, let's see what we can do
to help these other clowns," tilting his head towards Grant and Jenson
who were working tirelessly with the hoses. "They look lost without
us."

As Scott walked back to the truck he realized he didn't even know the
girl's name.

Chapter 8
"Come on, slow poke! You're going to be late to your own birthday
celebration."
Talia frowned at her friend who stood, hands on hips, waiting
impatiently by the bedroom door. With a loud sigh, Talia shoved her
feet into the too-high-for-comfort heels Kaycee had insisted she wear.
"Why? Is there someone else invited that I don't know about and they're
waiting
for us?"
Kaycee's cute face puckered at her friend's poutiness. "No sourpuss, we
haven't had a birthday together in years and I wanted to do something
special for you. Besides, it's not every day that you move back to town
and turn nineteen."
Talia felt guilty. She didn't even know why she was in a bad mood.
Well, maybe she did. As a bit of a homebody, Talia's ideal birthday was
a night in, sharing drinks and nibblies, watching a movie and catching
up on everything that had happened in Kaycee's life in the four years
that Talia had been away. She had not planned on the surprise night out
Kaycee obviously had her heart set on.
"How do I look?" Talia swished her long dark hair over her shoulder,
striking a fake pose, deciding to at least try to get in the party mood.
"Gorgeous. You're going to knock their socks off," Kaycee said,
admiring her handiwork. She really did know how to dress Talia to
bring out the hidden sex goddess, even if she did say so herself.
"Um, whose socks?" Talia's glower was back.
"Nothing. No one's... all I meant was you look stunning.
"Come on," Kaycee said, slipping her arm through Talia's. "Grab your
I.D. Let's get this party started."

Talia had expected to be taken to a nightclub with the outfit and
makeup Kaycee had forced her into. Instead the taxi had dropped them
off outside a large, well-appointed and obviously popular pub.
Suspicion flourished.
"Kaycee, isn't this where the firies hang out?" The local fire station was
less than a block down the road making this the perfect place to
unwind. Close to the beach, you could hear the waves from the hotel
and with its well-stocked bar, game room with pool tables, foosball, air
hockey and a range of arcade games, the firefighters treated it like a
second home.
Kaycee took a breath. "Well, you know how after the fire you mooned
over the handsome fireman for months and you seemed to have a thing
for firefighters after that? I thought. we should, maybe, find you one to
sate your appetite." The words rushed forth as if saying them fast
would make Talia more amenable to the idea. "Surprise! Happy
Birthday."
Kaycee's cute face was screwed into an apologetic grimace that Talia
guessed was meant to be a smile.
"Kace, I was fifteen. Of course I was going to heroize him. He saved
my life. Then I grew up." Exasperation made Talia's tone sharper than
she'd intended. Looking at her friend's downtrodden expression, she
sighed. "Let's go in. We're here now. We may as well make a night of it.
But, just so you know, I will not be taking home a fireman."
Kaycee's smile was back. They linked arms and approached the
bouncer at the door for I.D. checks.
"Ooh, shots!" Kaycee announced. "First round's on me."
Talia laughed, "It's my birthday, Kace. Every round's on you."
Kaycee patted her purse. "Good thing I'm packing plastic, then."

Chapter 10
Scott plonked onto a stool at the bar, ordering a drink from Steve, the
bartender. Once again he was waiting for Blake. He'd never known a
man could spend so long primping in front of a mirror.
Placing his empty glass on the bar he spied Blake sauntering across the
room towards him, seemingly oblivious to the appreciative stares he
received from both women and men. The primping obviously paid off.
Blake's sun-bleached, perfectly tousled, light brown hair and tanned
skin made his sapphire blue eyes pop. His tall muscular frame and
rakish good looks made him every girl's wet dream.
Combine that with the fact he wore a uniform and fought fires for a
living, he was damn near irresistible. He had his pick of just about any
woman he set his sights on. Scott was used to never having a chance
beside him.
Taking a seat at the bar beside Scott, Blake sipped his drink, scanning
the surrounding patrons for talent. Scott made his own observations.
He watched his friend scope the room in what had become their usual
Friday night ritual.
Blake may have his pick of women, but he put his friendship for Scott
before his own wants, never ditching him for a better offer. Scott would
often leave first, calling it a night or feign interest in someone, to his
own shame, to allow Blake to pursue his endeavors.
Whether Blake left with someone or not, he always went home with at
least one woman's phone number in his pocket.
Scott sighed, envious of his friend's ability to enjoy women the way he
did. And they seemed happy enjoying him, too. Scott had never met a
woman he made that kind of connection with. Yes, certain women
attracted him and he found them sexy, but when he spent time talking

with them the attraction waned. It was like discussing the weather with
a relative, which was quite the opposite of a turn on.
Blake's advice, when Scott had confided in him, "There's your
problem, man. You spend too long talking to them. If you think they're
sexy and they seem into you, kiss 'em. Your body will do the rest."
Scott wondered, not for the first time, if Blake was right. Maybe he was
too uptight. Being a shifter, he always felt a bit different. He was wary
of someone finding out what he was. He tried to push it from his mind.
He was here to have a good time.
Blake stilled beside him as he stared towards the pool tables at the back
of the room. "Check out the sex-on-legs with the dark hair leaning over
the pool table." He nudged Scott suggestively, "Her blonde, curvy
friend is pretty cute too, bro."
Scott followed Blake's line of sight to take in long legs in slinky black
pants, leaning over the pool table, lining up on the black ball. The legs
owner's perfectly round ass, pointing skyward, moved seductively as
she adjusted her shot.
Scott's bear growled in appreciation. It had never done that before.
Scott couldn't help but notice the other male patrons appreciating the
same view. His bear growled again, this time in warning.
What was wrong with him? He hadn't even seen her face. He'd never
reacted like this to a set of legs and great ass, no matter how amazing
they were.
Blondie glanced their way and grabbed her friend's arm excitedly,
making legs miss her shot and throw the game. She stood frowning at
her perky friend, then turned to see what the fuss was all about. Her
eyes skimmed over Blake and came to rest on Scott's face. A small
smile pulled at the corners of her lush mouth as she brushed her long
dark hair back over her shoulder, before turning back to her bouncing
blonde friend.
Blake turned to Scott open-mouthed, his expression incredulous. "That
was cold. She looked straight past me, like I didn't exist." His eyes
narrowed. "She saw you, though, bro."
He stared at Scott for a second more, as if considering his options.
"That blonde is just how I like 'em, cute, curvy and full of energy."

Leaning closer, Blake wiggled a blonde-tipped eyebrow at Scott. "You
may get lucky tonight, after all."
Scott frowned. Blake laughed. "Let's get these ladies a drink. They look
thirsty." He leaned over the bar.
"Hey Steve, what are those luscious creatures by the pool table
drinking?"
Scott shook his head. Blake certainly had a way with words. Whether it
was a good way, he couldn't tell.

Chapter 13
"Oh-my-gawd, oh-my-gawd!" Kaycee tugged frantically on Talia's
arm causing her to totally miscue. The white ball sailed past the black
and straight into the corner pocket. She'd just thrown the game. Her
bearded opponent leered at her across the table.
"Thanks, darlin'. That was one of the most enjoyable games of pool I've
had in a long time." His eyes moved deliberately to her cleavage as he
spoke. Talia had to stop herself from trying to draw the low cut vee of
her top together to cover her breasts. Instead, she turned to glare at her
bouncing friend.
"There are two hunks of gorgeous man flesh at the bar and they are
looking at us." Talia turned to where Kaycee indicated and glanced at
the pretty boy surfer type she could see Kaycee falling over herself to
be with. Then she spotted the other hunk Kaycee was frothing about.
He was tall, dark haired and broad shouldered. Both men were
handsome and well-built, each in their own way, but something about
the dark haired one made Talia's heart beat faster. His chiseled features
were reminiscent of a face she'd seen years before, as if in a dream, the
night she'd been pulled from her burning house.
It wasn't him, she chided herself. She hadn't really seen him clearly
anyway. Her eyes had been swollen nearly shut from the smoke and
heat and the man had been wearing a visor and a helmet.
The fantasy still lurked in her mind it seemed. Before she knew what
she was doing, Talia smiled at him.
"Yes, yes, yes," Kaycee's eyes were big. Talia nearly laughed at her
friend. She sounded like she was already on her way to her first orgasm.
"They're on their way over, with drinks." Kaycee was squeaking with
excitement.

Talia patted her hand in an attempt to calm her. "Pull yourself together,
Kace, before you end up a puddle on the floor."
Kaycee moaned, biting her bottom lip. The blonde man leaned in
towards Kaycee, handing her a drink. "You sure I can't bite that for
you?"
Kaycee giggled. "Maybe later - depends how the night turns out." Talia
shook her head. Kaycee was such an outrageous flirt. She turned away
from the pair as someone stepped close to her. She looked up, straight
into the jade green eyes of tall, dark and hunky.
"Happy Birthday," he said, handing her a large cocktail. "My name's
Scott."
Talia scowled at Kaycee and then at the bartender, who smiled and
shrugged before turning back to his thirsty patrons. "Talia. Thanks for
the drink." "Nice moves on the pool table earlier."
Talia shrugged, "I would have won, too, if Kaycee hadn't gone all
gooey over your surfer buddy, here." She glanced at her friend who
seemed to be getting to know the surfer well. They stood close
together, hands touching, talking and giggling. Talia had no clue how
Kaycee did it. She dragged her envious gaze back to Scott. Scott took a
punt. "So, he's not your type?" Talia laughed. "It's not all about sex
appeal. Some women like their men with substance."
Scott wasn't sure how to take that. Did he have substance? Did he not
have sex appeal? What he really wanted to know, what his bear really
wanted to know - was he her type?
The night progressed with the consumption of way too much alcohol.
Talia's head was buzzing. She realized too late she should have stopped
several drinks ago.
Finally, Blake and Kaycee decided it was time to call it a night.
Reading between the lines, Talia knew it really meant they were ready
for some alone time. She wanted to go home to bed too, but she found
she was quite enjoying her time with Scott.
The next thing she knew they all piled out of a taxi and into Kaycee's
apartment. Kaycee and Blake quickly disappeared into her

bedroom, leaving Talia and Scott to fend for themselves.
"So, you and Kaycee live together?" Scott asked to break the silence.
"Yeah, we've known each other since high school, but I had to move
away. I've only recently moved back. Kace is letting me stay with her
until I get established."
Whoa! That was more information she'd given him about her life in one
statement than she'd told anyone, apart from Kaycee. For some reason
she found it very easy to talk to him.
"Want to sit?" Talia waved a hand towards the lounge chair.
"Sure"
Cursing Kaycee for making her wear these impossible heels, Talia
stumbled as she walked unsteadily to the couch. Aware it was as much
the copious drinks she'd imbibed as the shoes, she blushed when Scott
caught her before she fell and guided her to the chair.
"Let's get you out of these shoes before you hurt yourself." He so
wanted to get her out of more than just shoes. His bear huffed and
pawed in agreement.
Mate, it rumbled. Scott hurriedly quashed the thought. Get that out of
your mind. You hardly know the girl.
Talia rested her head against the plush back cushion. Bad mistake
closing her eyes, now her head was spinning. Way too much to drink.
Something tugged at her foot. Opening one eye she found Scott
kneeling at her feet undoing the buckles on her heels. He removed one
shoe, then the other, placing them together next to the lounge where no
one, namely her, could trip over them.
He lifted her foot, rested it on his raised knee and pressed his thumb
into the ball. It felt amazing. Scott worked deftly, applying pressure to
sore points, massaging out the tendons and muscles in her arch and
generally causing her to melt into the seat. Once one foot was
sufficiently relaxed, he began with the other.
"Wow," Talia breathed. No one had ever done that to her before. She
looked at Scott who still sat at her feet, watching her silently. She
blushed, making him look away.
"Sorry. You looked like you were really enjoying that."

"I was. No one's ever given me a foot massage before."
"Really? Well, anytime you need another, give me a call. " Scott smiled
at Talia making her insides jumble and her heart skip. His smile lit his
jade eyes, taking him from handsome to stunning. Her brain ceased to
function.
"Are you okay? You faded out there for a sec."
"Yeah, yes, I'm fine. I need a drink of water." Talia stood up quicker
that she'd intended only to find she was still unsteady on her feet. She
toppled.
Scott scrambled to his feet to grab her, faster than Talia thought
possible, pulling her against his chest to stop her headlong plummet to
the ground. She stayed there, pinned to him by long muscular arms, her
hand resting over his heart, soaking up the heat of him. Scott smelled so
good; woodsy. She breathed him in.
Talia raised her face, leaning back slightly to see him better. Scott bent
forward and claimed her mouth with his own. The kiss took Talia by
surprise. She froze and then melted into his embrace, welcoming his
soft lips against hers, kissing him back.
Scott deepened the kiss, opening his mouth slightly, sliding his tongue
over her bottom lip. Talia moaned, opening to him. She let the tip of her
tongue touch his as electricity shot through her, buzzing through her
chest and welling deep in her core. Scott's tongue teased Talia's,
dancing and embracing in their eager mouths.
When Scott pulled away, Talia was breathing hard. Their bodies were
pressed so closely together she couldn't miss the hard object between
them, pushing against her stomach. Scott watched her eyes widen as
Talia realized the object was his erection. Talia pushed against him.
Thinking she wanted to get away from him, he let his arms drop to his
sides, shoulders slumped.
"Sorry." Talia stared at the bulge straining to be free of Scott's jeans.
"I've never... it's just... a bit overwhelming..." Her fingers flitted at the
waist band of his jeans as her heart pounded in her ears.
Relief flooded Scott. Talia wasn't rejecting him, she'd just freaked out
at his arousal. The gravity of her statement took a second to sink in.

Wait. Not ever?
He kept his wits, saying nothing. This woman was special; she was
amazing.
Placing his hand upon her cheek, with his fingers pushed into her hair,
Scott drew Talia back into a kiss. As his tongue delved into her mouth
hungrily, his other hand, slipped down from her waist to cup her round,
firm butt cheek, squeezing as he pulled her firmly against his hard
cock.
Talia groaned into Scott's mouth, fire licking through her center at his
hardness being thrust against her. She sucked on his tongue. Grinding
her hips against him now she wanted more, to feel more. More of Scott.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her whole body into
him.
Scott felt the pert mounds of Talia's breasts, tipped by hardening
nipples, poke him in the chest. Trailing his hand from her ass, over her
hip, to lift her tank top, he palmed her supple breast. The excited flesh
puckered further to a solid bud under his thumb as he brushed across it.
He pinched it gently through her bra. Talia whimpered as the sensation
shot through her chest to swirl as building heat at her opening. She
ached.
"The bedroom," Talia moaned against his mouth. "Let's go to my
bedroom."
"Which way?" Talia was already moving in that direction as Scott
started walking her backwards, his mouth still firmly kissing hers. A
large hand placed at the small of her back stopped her from falling. It
also made it impossible to ignore his body as muscles rippled and
moved beneath his clothes. Scott's hardness rubbing against her groin
drove her to distraction, the intensity of its closeness sending shudders
through her that further impeded Talia's ability to walk.
She slammed into something with a thud. It sounded slightly hollow - a
door. Scott fumbled behind Talia searching for the door knob. A giggle
burst forth as he growled against her neck. It tickled. She giggled again,
feeling lightheaded.
The door suddenly disappeared from behind her. Talia squealed.
Kaycee screamed from somewhere in the room as Scott tried to keep

Talia from landing on her backside as they both tumbled through the
doorway.
"Dude!" Blake boomed. Talia couldn't stop giggling. It was like some
comedic nightmare.
"Wrong room, wrong room," she wheezed as they both scrambled back
out the door, closing it with a slam.
"Sorry, bro," Scott called through the door to his friend as Talia tugged
him by the hand towards her bedroom, still giggling feverishly. When
had this gotten so out of control?
The door closed behind them and Talia pushed him back against it,
hungry for him. She was a different woman from the one he had started
kissing only ten minutes ago. Scott grabbed her hands as she tried to
shakily undo the buttons on his shirt.
Talia's eyes were slightly unfocused and glassy. She'd had quite a bit to
drink tonight. He couldn't take advantage of her while she was still
drunk. He wanted her like he'd never wanted anyone or anything in his
life, but he wouldn't do that, especially if she regretted it in the
morning.
Scott's shifter metabolism allowed his body to burn off alcohol quicker
than a human, to the point where he had trouble actually getting drunk.
He was capable of making rational decisions. Talia, he thought, was
not. Not in her current state of inebriation. He would have to make it for
her.
Still holding Talia's hands in one of his large ones, Scott kissed her
softly, tasting her sweet lips before gently guiding her to the bed. He
threw back the covers where she sank under them with a sigh,
beckoning him to join her.
"I'll get you that water." Scott turned, striding back to the door, then
stopped. "Where are your pain killers?"
Talia blinked, taking a second to process the question. "Second drawer,
beside the kitchen sink."
Scott closed the door softly behind him. Leaning back against it he
cursed silently. This was not how this night was supposed to go.
He opened a few overhead cupboards randomly until he found the
glasses. Taking two from the shelf, he filled them with tap water then
rummaged in the drawer for the headache tablets. Popping two from
the

blister pack, then, after a pause grabbing the entire box, he started back
towards the bedroom, glasses of water in hand.
Placing one glass and the box on the bedside table he pressed the tablets
into Talia's hand and held the water out to her. "Take these."
Scott was surprised Talia had still been awake when he got back, but
her eyelids were drooping. It wouldn't be long.
She downed the pills with a couple of swigs of water. Scott would have
preferred to see her drink the whole glass, to help ward off the
hangover she was sure to have in the morning, but he wouldn't force the
issue. She didn't belong to him. Yet.
He shook his head trying to get rid of the thought. His bear had other
ideas, pounding from one front foot to the other in a possessive dance.
The thought unnerved him. He'd never wanted to claim anyone. Now, it
was all he could think about.
Talia grunted, bringing Scott out of his thoughts. She had her pants
unzipped and was attempting to push the clingy material over her
rounded hips.
"What are you doing?" Scott's voice shot up an octave. "Well, I can't
very well sleep in them. They'll cut off my circulation." Talia sat up
suddenly, grabbing her head to stop it from spinning. She ripped off her
tank top, throwing it towards the corner of the room and flopped back
against the pillow.
Scott thought she might have passed out, but then, after a second, Talia
raised her hips off the bed and peered at him with one almost black eye.
He still hadn't worked out if they were deep blue or dark brown. He
made a mental note to find out.
"A little help?"
Scott groaned. This was not a good idea.
Sighing, he took hold of the waist band of her pants and pulled. They
hardly moved.
Talia giggled, her breasts jiggling at the top of her lacy bra while her
hips remained off the bed. Scott pulled harder. Talia wedged her
fingers under the band at the back trying to push it over the taut butt
muscles that strained at holding her ass off the bed for so long. Scott
growled. "Were these sprayed on?"

In the end, Scott folded the band over on itself and peeled the stiff
fabric from her body as if peeling a banana. Talia collapsed back on the
bed with a sigh. Her eyes closed.
Scott turned to leave.
"Don't go. I won't try anything, promise." Talia smiled, eyes still
closed.
After a long moment Scott took off his shirt and removed his jeans,
throwing out a silent thank you to whatever deity was listening that he'd
worn briefs tonight instead of his usual nothing. Then he slipped
beneath the sheets next to Talia.
She threw her arm across his naked chest with a contented moan,
snuggling up against him.
How could this feel so normal, Scott wondered, after sleeping on his
own his entire life? As he settled, floating in that pre-sleep cloud, Talia
stirred, her lips tickling his shoulder as she mumbled, "Your bear is
cute. I think he likes me."
All of time stopped. Scott's heart thudded in his chest as he stared at the
ceiling waiting for his world to fall apart. After thirty seconds that
seemed like several hours, he heard the slow steady breathing of sleep
coming from Talia.
What the hell was that?
Sleep took a long time coming and when it did Scott dreamed of a
house fire, where he'd rescued a young girl with raven black hair and
midnight eyes. A girl who'd seen his inner bear.

Chapter 21
Talia woke, afraid to move. Her mouth was dry and her pulse thumped
in her temples. Damn Kaycee and her birthday celebrations. Never
again. She tried to bring her hand to her face, but it was trapped in
something warm, fleshy and vice-like. At that moment she became
abundantly aware of the same warm fleshiness pressed to the entire
length of her nearly naked body.
Her eyes flew open to take in the black waves of hair of the sleeping
Adonis beside her. She stared at his long black lashes resting on his
perfectly sculpted cheeks. Bastard, she thought. She had to pay for
lashes like that. There was something innately wrong about them being
on a man. But then, Talia remembered how they'd framed Scott's jade
green eyes and knew she wouldn't want him any different.
Now, about this hand of hers - Scott held it firmly against his chest
close to his heart. Talia could feel his heartbeat, slow and steady,
against her palm. She tried to flatten her hand and slide it out from
under his. All she succeeded in doing was brushing her fingertips
against his nipple. It hardened at her touch.
Scott's lips parted with a sigh, his hips rotating slightly. Talia noticed a
bulge under the covers, realizing part of him was already awake. Was it
wrong that she wanted to slip her hand beneath the covers and take
hold?
Thump! Thump! Thump! The door shook on its hinges. Scott leapt
from the bed, eyes wide open. His stance said he was ready to take on
any attacker.
"Hey, Michaels," Blake yelled through the door. "Rise and shine, lover
boy. Our shift starts in an hour."
Scott visibly relaxed, his hands dropping to his sides and unclenching.
"I hate it when he does that."
Turning back towards the bed, Scott groaned, "Now that's a sight I

could get used to waking up to." He blinked, not sure if he'd said that in
his head or out loud. His eyes trailed slowly over Talia's curves. When
he'd leapt from the bed he'd thrown the covers back, leaving her
exposed.
At some point during the night she'd ditched her bra. She laid there,
chest heaving from the fright, her nipples peaked on soft rounded
breasts, unaware of her nakedness.
Talia rolled onto her back, throwing her arm across her eyes to ward off
the morning. A large warm hand manifested on her stomach. The bed
moved under her as Scott returned to it. His hand slid up over her ribs
taking one breast into his palm, pinching the nipple gently between
finger and thumb.
Something warm and wet slid down over her other nipple and pulled on
it gently. Talia gasped. The sensation was foreign and incredibly
intense. Her back arched into it as impulses shot from her breast
straight down between her legs. A humming deep inside her built as the
tugging on her aroused nipple continued.
Scott let it slip from his lips with a soft pop as Talia moaned in
pleasure. He wanted to touch every part of her.
"I've wanted to do that since last night," he crooned, "but I wanted you
lucid when I did." Talia removed her arm from her face, revealing
bloodshot eyes.
"What did you do?"
"I kissed you good morning." To demonstrate, he leaned in again
running his tongue around the already puckering areola then sucked it
in between his teeth. Talia elicited another soft cry of pleasure as she
arched in response.
"Good morning, beautiful. How do you feel?" "My head doesn't hurt as
much when you do that." So she's not scared of me. Maybe she doesn't
remember, Scott mused.
"Well, I wish I could stay and do that and much more. I would love to
keep your headache at bay, but, alas, I have to get to work. I can,
however, offer you this." Scott turned, retrieving the second glass of
water and the box of pain pills, popping two into her outstretched hand.

"Thank you." Talia stared at him for a moment, like no one had done
anything like that for her before - taken care of her.
She deserved that and so much more, and Scott wanted to be the one to
do it.
Another rapid-fire bash on the door. "Taxi's on its way, bro. You've got
five minutes," Blake boomed.
"I give you permission to shove a sock in that," Talia muttered as she
dragged herself slowly from the bed. Scott laughed.
He watched as she shrugged into a satin dressing gown and tied it
tightly about her waist. Talia ran long fingers through her hair trying to
comb out the worst of the tangles. Scott liked the bed-head tousled look
on her, but he was probably biased. He hoped to be witness to it again
soon.
As she moved, the dressing gown clung to her curves, flowing around
her long sensuous legs. He liked the look of that, too.
Throwing on his clothes, Scott and Talia exited the bedroom as a loud
horn blast sounded from outside.
"Perfect timing. Taxi's here." Blake grinned at him.
Ignoring him, Scott turned to Talia. "See you soon?"
Talia nodded, stretching up to peck him on the cheek. "Thanks for a
great birthday, the parts I remember, anyway."
"Anytime," Scott smiled.
Blake and Kaycee were joined at the lips again. Kaycee finally let him
go. "Thanks for last night, Bart."
Scott stared at Blake in surprise, but said nothing. They climbed into
the cab and Scott told the driver the station's address. They might as
well shower at work. They always kept a spare uniform there for
emergencies.
"So... Bart, huh?" Scott tried to contain his smirk.
"I don't know how the hell..." Blake reached for his back pocket, color
draining from his face. "That little minx must have been in my wallet."
He flipped through all his cards, then spread the center pocket,
checking its contents. Nothing missing - cards and cash all present and
accounted for.
Scott fought a grin. "I thought you only had one name. Like a rock

star. You know, like Bono or Prince."
Blake scowled. "Yeah, and that's the way I'd like it to stay." "So, Bart,
short for?"
"Bartholomew. If you breathe a word of th is . " Scott threw his hands
up in surrender. "I shall take it to my grave." "You got that right." Blake
pulled a piece of handwritten paper from his wallet, flipping it so Scott
could read it. "Until next time, lover
Stay limber xx "
Scott raised an eyebrow.
Blake shook his head, smiling. "I'm not one to kiss and tell," a fact that
still pleased Scott no end, after knowing Blake for as long as he had. He
really didn't need to know of this man's boundless sexual exploits. "But
that woman is insatiable. I had trouble keeping up with her."
Blake continued to stare at the note. His expression told Scott he was
ready to accept her challenge.
They rode the next few blocks in silence.
"And how was your night?" Blake asked abruptly.
Scott paused, considering his answer. "Interesting."
"Hmmm, not the answer I wanted to hear. Interesting good, or
interesting bad?"
"Both. Good, I think. I don't know." Scott took a breath. "I think it's
her."
Blake peered at Scott through narrowed eyes. "Her as in "the
one"?"
"No. yes. maybe. No! Her as in her! The girl I pulled from the burning
house four years ago. My first rescue."
"Holy shit!"
They both fell silent.
"Did she tell you it was her?" Blake asked.
Scott shook his head, "No. It was just a couple of things she said."
"So you're not sure."
Inspiration struck Scott. "Do you think the chief will let me pull the

file on that case? I need to see the name."
"If he doesn't know the reason, then maybe. But he'll ask." Blake
thought for a moment. "Tell you what. The next time I have to access
records to fill in a report, I'll "accidently" punch in the wrong file code.
I' ll get her name for you, so you can put this sorry mess to bed and get
on with your life."
Scott ignored his bed pun.
"Or," Blake continued, "you could just ask her."
"Right, because there's nothing stalker about that."
"No more than what I'm going to do for you."
Asking Talia was out of the question. Scott's lips thinned. "What's it
going to cost me?"
"The deets. All the sordid little gory bits, after you burst in on us,
that is."
"I thought you didn't kiss and tell." Blake's grin was wicked. "I don't."
A second passed. "All right." Blake's eyes widened. "Yes?" "Yes.
Nothing happened."
"What?"
"After we made it to Talia's bedroom she fell asleep." He didn't need to
know everything. "She'd had too much to drink and passed out." Mock
pity oozed from Blake's gaze. "Oh, you poor bastard."

Chapter 26
Talia pressed her forehead to the cool countertop and rolled her head
gingerly from side to side, groaning. Its cold stone surface felt good
against her alcohol heated skin.
Kaycee wafted a steaming travel cup under her nose. "Look, Blake
brought us coffee, the good stuff. Mrnrnrn, smell those roasted beans."
She took a sip of hers.
"So, how was last night?" She continued to chirp, "For your first time
you don't look half as undone as I thought you might. Was he no
good?"
Talia shot upright, regretting it immediately.
"Men built like that," Kaycee continued, oblivious to Talia's
indignation, "are sometimes compensating for certain inadequacies."
Talia was still stuck on the first thing Kaycee had blurted. "My what,
now?"
"Your first time, sweetie. Don't be coy. So you've been saving yourself.
He wasn't a bad first choice. At least you can say you've had your
fireman now."
Talia's brain finally caught up. "I'm not undone, as you say, because
nothing happened. Not for the want of trying, on my part, I might add.
He was the perfect gentleman. He said I was too drunk and he wanted
me to be with it, when it happened." She glared at her friend taking the
offered coffee from her. "And, there's certainly no inadequacy that I
could tell. From what I felt I should probably be scared."
"Will you be seeing him again?"
"He asked to."
"Then my work here is done."
"He's still got to call yet." A sinking feeling took hold. "But I didn' t
give him my number."
"Hopeless." Kaycee reached for her phone. "What would you do

without me?"
"What are you doing?" "Texting Blake."
"Why?"
"To tell him to tell Scott to make sure he reads my message." Talia's
head hurt. She closed her eyes, saying, "What message?" "The one I'm
sending him now." Kaycee glanced at Talia. "You know how it is,
when you get a text from an unknown number?" "Um, how do you
know Scott's number?" Kaycee shrugged, "I took it out of Bart's
phone." "Nothing illegal there. You know, invasion of privacy, and all
that.
And why Bart?"
"Semantics," Kaycee scoffed. "It's his name. He doesn't like it, but I
think it's cute."
"I'm sure he'll love that."
"He'll come around. When I'm screaming his name, he'll think it's the
best thing he's ever heard."
Talia cringed, "You know I can't un-hear that. It's that sort of thing that
scars kids for life."
"Well it's lucky my little girl's nearly all grown up." Kaycee hit send.
"There. He'll call."

Chapter 28
Blake poked his head into the rec room. "Hey Michaels, you got a
minute?"
Scott nodded, rising from the seat to follow Blake into the hallway.
Blake leaned in close when they were out of earshot of the other guys.
You know that thing you asked me to look into? It's her. The girl you
rescued was Talia Martin. Sound familiar?"
A warm glow filled Scott's chest making his bear chuff with
satisfaction. He clapped Blake on the back. "Thanks, man. I owe you."
Yeah, I' m happy for you. Not sure what it means, but go for it." Blake
wasn't smiling. "That's not all."
Scott let his hand drop to his side. "Okay?"
"Now, it might mean nothing at all, but two fires in the last two months
have involved people with the surname Martin. One's been ruled arson.
The verdict's still out on the latest one. Waiting on test results or some
shit."
Talia's house fire had been investigated as arson. Scott felt suddenly
cold, his bear's hackles rising at the potential threat to his mate.
It was Blake's turn to pat Scott on the back, this time in a placating
manner. "You know, it could be nothing - pure coincidence." Changing
the subject, he said, "We're off roster tonight. Why don't you take Talia
to dinner or something, now that you know she's," Blake held up two
fingers on both hands, miming quotation marks and swooning a little.
""The one"."
Scott pulled a face.
"Besides, I have a challenge to take up," Blake declared. "If that little
tantric blonde vixen thinks she's got the better of me, she's got another
thing coming." He strutted back down the hallway throwing Scott a
peace sign as a parting gesture.
"Stay limber, indeed. Woman, I was born limber. When I get hold

of you," Blake muttered as he made his way back to the office where he
filled out reports, "I'm going to limber you right off the bed." Scott
could hear his continued mutterings until the office door closed.
He shook his head trying to stifle a laugh. The imagery he could have
done without, but he'd never seen someone get under Blake's skin the
way Talia's friend, Kaycee had. Ever. Until he'd witnessed it firsthand,
Scott hadn't thought it possible.
Bringing his mind back to his own issues, he wondered how he would
approach Talia about the date. Swallowing his male pride, he did the
one thing he could do to show he was serious. He phoned Kaycee.
This was going to hurt.

Chapter 30
The tiny metal bell tinkled musically as someone pushed open the front
door to the shop. Talia looked up from the front counter where she'd
been balancing the till, in preparation for closing. She smiled her
friendly customer service smile until she spotted the flowers.
Her gaze traveled to the broadly muscled chest and wide shoulders
behind the bouquet to Scott's vibrant green eyes and dark waves. Her
heart skipped. She closed her eyes for a moment as the vision of a huge
black bear nodding his head at her seemed to overlap with Scott's very
solid presence.
"Hi," Talia squeaked. Scott's smile dazzled.
"Hi," He stepped forward and presented her with the bouquet, long legs
covering the distance quickly.
"Thank you," she said, blushing, "I'll get them some water.
Talia ducked through the curtained doorway into the back storeroom to
grab the vase, filling it with water from the tap in the lunch area.
Returning to the front of the shop, Talia placed the vase on the counter.
"That looks good there, don't you think?"
Scott nodded, taking a deep breath in preparation for what he would say
next. Out with it, man. "Could I take you to dinner tonight?" She looked
torn. That wasn't the reaction he'd hoped for.
"Oh, Scott. I'd love to, but Kace and I had planned a girl's night
in."
Funny, Kaycee had neglected to mention that fact when he'd spoken to
her earlier, getting Talia's work address. He looked at Talia. Was she
trying to let him down easy, by making up an excuse?
Talia reached for the phone under the counter. "I' m sure she wouldn't
mind if I postponed, just this once."
Maybe she did want to spend time with him after all.

"Hi Kace, it's me." Talia paused listening to Kaycee through the phone.
"Yes, he's here... Yes, he asked, but I said we had plans."
Scott heard loud screeching noises. When Kaycee had calmed down
somewhat, Talia brought the phone back close to her head.
"...you thinking? We can do G.N.I anytime. You are going to dinner
with Scott and that's final." Talia smirked, trying not to laugh at her
petite friend. She could almost hear the little foot stomp punctuating
the end of her sentence.
"And besides," Kaycee continued, "I have plans, too. It seems I sent out
a challenge the other day to Bart, one he couldn't refuse.
"I simply showed him he knew less about women than he thought he
did. He really has got a lot to learn, you know. But he'd shown promise.
He gave me something to work with."
Kaycee sighed dramatically. "Anyway, I'm going over to his place
tonight, so don't wait up. Oh, and I've laid out your clothes for you on
your bed. Make sure you wear them."
Talia groaned. Kace was dressing her, again.
"Ciao, Tai. Love you," Kaycee chirped.
"Love you too, Kace. Have fun."
Kaycee laughed a bell like tinkle, "Always," and hung up.
Talia glanced up at Scott, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Dinner it
is," she smiled. Scott beamed back.
Scott's shifter senses had made him privy to everything Kaycee had
said during that rather one-sided conversation. "She's one fiery hellcat,
our Kaycee."
Talia liked the way he'd said "our", like he wanted to be part of her little
family. Stop getting ahead of yourself. It was just a manner of
speaking.
"Blake's got his work cut out there, I think. He may have finally met his
match." Scott chuckled, taking Talia's hand after she had switched off
the lights and locked the front door. "The pressure will do him good."
Talia laughed, too. "She's certainly a handful," thinking of the outfit
waiting for her at home. "Good thing she's so cute."

Chapter 32
For the umpteenth time, Talia smoothed her hand over the slinky
material of the black dress Kaycee insisted she wear. Talia was way too
aware of how tightly it clung to her curves - a fact that was not lost on
Scott, judging by his reaction.
She might have gone along with wearing the ridiculous dress that
Kaycee had chosen but Talia had drawn a line at the shoes. Dumping
the killer heels in front of Kaycee's bedroom door, "I refuse to wear
these instruments of death and torture," they landed with a dull thud.
Now sporting more sensible pumps, ones she could actually walk in,
Talia linked her arm through Scott's as he led her along a path towards
the front steps of a small house.
"I thought we were going to a restaurant."
"I wanted to cook for you," Scott stopped walking, "We can still go to a
restaurant if you prefer."
"No, no. Oh, Scott I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so rude. I'd like you
to cook for me," she said, threading her arm through Scott's again and
coaxing him towards the door. "You can cook, right?"
Scott scowled making Talia laugh. "I'm teasing. C'mon chef. I'm
hungry."
The meal was amazing. Besides chopping some vegetables and tossing
the salad, Talia had had very little to do towards the preparation of their
meal. Scott was indeed the budding chef. He moved with purpose and
efficiency within the well-appointed kitchen.
When the meal was finished they moved to the lounge area, sitting in
the two-seater leather lounge chair.
"I'll kill Kaycee for making me wear this dress. I could feel it tightening
with every mouthful of food I ate," Talia groaned as she leaned back
against the plush cushions of the lounge.
"You look incredible. Beautiful," Scott said quietly. He marveled

at her dark hair cascading over her shoulders in soft waves, lightening
towards the tips to a rich russet brown, as they curled over her full
breasts. Scott remembered how those breasts had filled his palms.
Rounded hips crowned long toned legs slimming to slender ankles and
delicate feet. He quickly brought his gaze back to Talia's face.
Before Talia could thank him for the compliment, Scott spoke again.
"What color are your eyes? I've wondered for years."
Talia blinked as Scott sat forward, peering intently into her eyes.
Seeing his mouth so close to hers reminded her of his soft lips on hers,
the sensations that had shot through her body as their tongues had
touched the first time. She wanted that again. Talia wanted Scott to kiss
her.
Then it struck her, "Wait. years? You said years. We only met last
week, didn't we?"
No way! He couldn 't be, could he?
Damn, Scott could have punched himself for being so careless. Not
how he wanted to start this conversation, but, oh well.
"Four years ago I rescued a teenaged girl from a burning house."
"It was me," Talia confirmed quietly. "I told myself it wasn't you. That
I couldn't have seen you clearly enough to recognize you, but
something about you had seemed so familiar."
Scott grabbed her face between his large hands, crushing his lips to
hers. The urgency and need he emitted rocked Talia to her core. Her
heart raced and heat pooled where her thighs intersected, bringing a
moan to her lips.
He pulled her closer, needing to feel the heat of her body. Leaning
backwards until his shoulders rested on the arm of the chair, he brought
Talia with him until she was draped over him.
She sighed into his mouth as his hand slid down her back, cupping her
firm butt cheek, pressing her against his rock hard erection. Breaking
the kiss she leaned back slightly, "Blue, sometimes."
Scott stared, uncomprehending.
"My eyes," Talia sighed through rapid breaths. "They change."
"Midnight," Scott said at last. "That's what I'll call them."
He took her mouth again in a passionate kiss. He moved the hand

he wasn't using to cup her delicious ass, to encase one of her pert
rounded breasts. It fit neatly into the palm of his hand.
"Just perfect," he murmured as his mouth trailed along her jaw to her
neck. Scott swirled his tongue lightly over the sensitive skin of her
pulse point. She whimpered.
Scott could smell Talia's arousal as heat swelled between her thighs,
dampening her panties. She smelled so good. Good enough to eat. His
bear growled and bounced in agreement.
One moment Talia went from lying on top of the hardest and hottest
man she'd ever seen, to being pinned beneath his muscular frame. Her
body melted in a whole new level of awareness as his hardness pressed
against her wet center. Her breasts molded to his rigid peck muscles as
her nipples hardened at Scott's weight upon her.
Scott groaned into the hollow of her neck, wanting Talia, wanting to
claim her. His entire body strained against the constraints of his
clothing. He had to get out of them, had to get Talia out of that damn
sexy dress.
The urge to claim her, to make her his mate, was overwhelming. His
bear roared. Scott knew Talia had to agree for it to become real. For her
to agree she had to know about his bear and accept him, accept the bear.
Their first time, her first time, was not the time for that.
His first time, too, Scott reminded himself. He'd never been interested
in any other women. It had always been her. He just hadn't known it
until he'd seen her again. The realization floored him.
A warm hand against his cheek and fingers laced through his hair
brought Scott back to the here and now.
In a sudden movement Scott launched backwards off the sofa dragging
Talia with him into his arms. She let out an involuntary squeal.
With long, sure strides he carried her to the bedroom. Setting her gently
on the bed he stood back to admire the view. He began to unbutton his
shirt.
"Let me, please." Talia crawled to the edge of the bed, kneeling on the
mattress rather than getting off to stand. She reached up and began
unbuttoning his shirt. The urge to rip it off him was strong, but she
resisted. Maybe next time, she thought. Already thinking about next

time... interesting.
With shaky fingers Talia pushed the fabric from his heated skin, over
broad muscular shoulders, baring his well-defined chest and six-plus
pack stomach muscles. He was magnificent.
Muscles rippled as Scott shrugged his arms out of the shirt, letting it
fall to the floor. Talia wanted to taste every bump, ripple and hollow.
She felt consumed with sexual abandon, but it felt so right. She knew
they'd only met a week ago, but it seemed like she'd been waiting for
this moment for four long years. Was she right in thinking he had as
well?
She bent forward, kissing the bulging muscle just above his erect
nipple. A shudder ran through him. He growled, the animalistic sound
spearing straight to her center making it pulse with desire.
Encouraged by Scott's reaction, Talia used tongue and teeth against his
skin, biting her way down his body until she got to the waistband of his
trousers. Popping the button and unzipping as quickly as she could, she
grabbed hold of his large, hard member as it sprang free.
"Slow down," he grunted through gritted teeth, "or I'm not going to
last."
Scott gently pushed Talia back to kneeling, taking hold of the hem of
her stretchy sheath dress. "My turn."
With one tug the dress was above her hips. She raised her arms and the
dress was gone. She knelt on the bed in nothing but her seamless
panties, her nipples puckering as the air touched them.
With a low moan Scott bent down and devoured first one breast then
the other, tongue circling the hardening buds at the center, kissing and
teasing them with his teeth. Talia's fingers wove into his hair,
clenching, forcing him harder against her as she sighed and gasped in
pleasure. Her body was on fire and her nipples ached at the feel of his
mouth.
Moving one hand down between her knees, with slow tantalizing
movements he traced his fingertips up her inner thigh until they
brushed over her heated sex. Her lower lips were already swollen,
ready for him. Two fingers moved in slow circles over the engorged
nub of her clit, making her buck beneath his hand, her breathing
labored.

Scott could feel the wetness soaking through the thin fabric of her
panties. He pushed the material aside, running his fingers through her
slick folds, gathering the wetness on the surface and dragging it back to
her clit. He circled it some more, fingers sliding freely. Talia rocked
against him, crying out wordlessly as he continued to suck and kiss her
luscious breasts. He licked his lips, needing to taste what was between
her legs.
Placing a hand flat against her stomach, Scott gently pushed, coaxing
her to lie down. He crawled onto the bed straddling her prone body, his
cock hard and erect, standing out of his open fly. A droplet of dew
glistened at the slit of his swollen head. He ached to take her willing
body now, but he wanted to do this right, do it properly, to make it an
experience they wouldn't forget, for all the right reasons.
Taking hold of the thin fabric covering her lower, most private parts, he
slid the panties over her shapely hips and down her legs. Talia lay on
the bed, chest heaving and wide-eyed, exposed in all her beauty. Scott
stood back again, drinking in the sight of her. He pushed his own pants
over his hips and stepped out of them, crawling back on the bed to once
again straddle her long legs.
Talia thought she was going to explode and he'd hardly touched her.
This was what she'd held out for. Scott was who she'd been waiting for.
She'd had boyfriends, but their kisses had not made her pulse race, their
touch had not set her skin afire and sent pools of heat to swirl between
her hips. She had not wanted them.
The thought of Scott's large throbbing cock plunging into her brought a
moan of need to her lips. She licked them nervously, watching Scott
lower his mouth towards the quivering intersection of her thighs.
His tongue emerged from full lips, the tip brushing gently against the
top of her folds poking from between her tightly closed thighs. Talia
wanted to open herself to him but could not, in case Scott thought she
was not as she claimed; a virgin, inexperienced.
He seemed to sense the conflict in her. "Can I tell you a secret?" he
asked. Talia nodded.
"I hope you don't think less of me, but I've never done this

before."
Talia gawked at him, not sure she'd heard him correctly.
"If I do something you don't like," Scott continued, "or you want me to
do something different, please tell me."
Slowly curling a hand beneath one of Talia's knees, he lifted it, moving
her legs outwards to expose her glistening center. She gasped, closing
her eyes.
Taking hold of her ankles, Scott brought both her feet onto the bed,
positioned wide apart. Her sex opened to him as he slid down between
her trembling thighs. He breathed in her scent as his tongue traveled the
length of her damp lips. They parted easily at his gentle pressure and he
probed deeper, tasting her virginal passage.
Taking one swollen, wet lip into his mouth, he sucked it gently, then,
moved to the other, kissing it. Returning to her dripping center he
pushed his tongue in, feeling her tight opening. Her breaths were
ragged, punctuated by gasps at each thrust of his tongue.
Scott moved up to Talia's engorged, erect clit, just begging to be
sucked. Wrapping his lips around her growing bud, it pulsed against his
tongue as Talia groaned in pleasure.
She'd never known sensation like it. She felt his tongue flick and
plunge, igniting her arousal even further. Spikes of pleasure coursed
through her as a thrumming sensation began to build deep inside. The
ache grew.
Gently, Scott brought his hand up to Talia's opening as he continued to
work on her clit. Rubbing his middle finger through her liberally
flowing juices, he pushed the tip between her folds. Her opening was
tight. He would have to be patient or risk hurting her. Knowing his size,
he wondered if there was any way out of that - apart from abstinence.
Applying a little more pressure, he slid his finger in a fraction more
then pulled back as he felt her tense. Repeating the movement several
times, her body started to grow accustomed to his presence and she
began to relax. He pushed further in until his finger disappeared to the
first knuckle and then the second. Talia whimpered, her fingers
entwined in his hair.

Slowly Scott began to thrust in and out of her. She was still so tight he
knew it was going to hurt no matter what he did.
His own body ached with need, his cock rigid against the bed sheets as
he kneeled between her legs. With his tongue massaging her throbbing
button and his finger sliding in and out of her well lubricated pussy,
Scott felt her walls start to pulsate around his digit.
As the feeling of tightness and building rush of pleasure engulfed her,
Talia moaned loudly. Her body convulsed, her back arching off the bed
as her pussy contracted, pulsing around Scott's thrusting finger. As she
shuddered through her first orgasm, the world swam around her,
narrowing to the center of pleasure between her legs.
She was stretched, her opening burning as Scott maneuvered a second
finger inside he as she continued to shudder around him, the waves of
her climax crashing over her.
Scott laved her throbbing clit with his tongue in time to his slowing
fingers.
Talia's blood whooshed in her ears as Scott slowly withdrew his fingers
from her still vibrating channel.
"Oh my God! What was that?" Talia whispered, her breathing still
rapid.
Scott looked at her bewildered. "I think you had an orgasm. I'm no
expert, of course. Have you not had one before?"
"Nothing like that." Her eyes were luminous, pupils blown with
arousal. Her fingers still wrapped in his hair tightened, trying to pull
him up towards her mouth. "I need you to kiss me."
Scott's engorged head nudged her dripping opening as he kissed his
way up her body, paying particular attention to her hardening nipples,
circling, kissing and sucking them as Talia squirmed beneath him. He
continued up her slender neck and along her jaw until he found her soft,
eager mouth.
Talia tasted herself on Scott's tongue. It was slightly tangy, not
unpleasant, but oh so intimate. She shuddered with pleasure. He
groaned against her lips, his cock aching to enter her.
He couldn't wait any longer. With a sudden lurch sideways Scott
reached for the top drawer of the night stand beside the bed. When he

brought his hand back he held a small square foil packet.
"Better to be safe than sorry." Scott hated the idea of it. He wanted to
experience Talia in the entirety that was meant for them, but he had to
be patient. Only when she knew about him and accepted him could he
claim her properly.
Leaning back on his heels, still poised between her spread legs he tore
the packet open and rolled the thin sheath over his sizeable length.
Guiding his head to her glistening folds he slid it up and down her slit,
using her own lubrication to wet his end. He massaged her clit with his
now slippery knob enjoying the way she squirmed against him.
Talia gasped as she watched the hard bulbous end of his even harder
looking shaft circle her throbbing bud of ecstasy.
Scott moved above her, centering his rod at the entry to her pussy.
Applying pressure against her virginal restriction he kissed her
passionately, sweeping his tongue into her mouth, entwining her
tongue with his as he angled his hips further in.
Suddenly the constriction gave way. Talia cried out at the sharp sting
then groaned at the burning stretch as Scott's large member slid into her
tight pussy. He stilled, shaking with the effort not to thrust, letting her
get used to him inside her.
"Are you okay?" he murmured against her parted lips. She was panting.
"Relax." He reached between their bodies massaging her clit until she
groaned again, muscles letting go slightly.
Talia's entry throbbed, but the fullness she felt at only a third of his
length was overwhelming. Suddenly she wanted to know what all of it
felt like.
"More Scott, please."
Scott let out a growl, his bear roaring with need. Slowly he pushed his
length inside her. She gripped his shoulders as a low groan rattled
through her. He watched her expression carefully for any signs she was
in pain, but as he pulled back and thrust home again her eyes rolled
back and her mouth fell open in a silent exclamation of pleasure.
As he moved in and out in a steady rhythm, letting Talia become
accustomed to the motion, she began rocking her hips, meeting his

forward strokes with her own. Small gasps escaped her as her body
welcomed him deep within her.
She dug fingernails into his back as he picked up speed, pummelling
her with hard and fast strokes. Her pussy clenched around his girth as
pressure built deep within her core. As rapid breaths rasped from her
throat, Talia soared towards another climax, this time understanding
what was about to happen.
"Scott, I'm coming!"
Another growl, "Yes, baby!"
Wrapping her long legs around Scott's waist, she gave him unfettered
access to her tight, willing hole, allowing him to plunge deeper, hitting
the limits of her body.
Small cries came in quick succession, increasing in speed and volume
as Scott moved faster, bringing her to the verge of climax. She held on
as he rammed into her, waves crashing over her in a blaze of heat and
light.
Driving into her, feeling her already tight muscles clamp down on him,
Scott could no longer hold back the tide of his own orgasm. She
dragged him over the precipice with her. With a final thrust, deep
inside her to the limits of both their bodies, he stayed there, throbbing,
as his seed spilled. With a drawn out cry, Scott fell forward on top of
Talia as her convulsions slowly eased. He captured her lips with his,
kissing her thoroughly.
As their heartrates slowed, Scott carefully withdrew from Talia. She
groaned, wincing slightly. Despite his care and tender gentleness she
knew she was going to be sore. Knowing why she was sore and who
had helped her get that way made the ache so worthwhile.
Watching Scott's lean, muscular form and beautiful dark features walk
back towards her after disposing of the condom made her ache in a
whole new way.
Her body sprang to life, nipples hardening, as she gazed at his cock
swinging as he moved back to the bed. A moan escaped her before she
could stifle it. Scott caught her gaze, a smile curving his sensual lips as
his penis jerked in response.
He sat on the bed beside her, producing a washcloth to wipe her

down. It was warm and damp, soothing the swollen flesh between her
legs.
When she was clean he leaned in and kissed her plump, sex-ravaged
folds. Talia gasped, rising up, back arching, and pushed her sex against
his warm mouth.
"Oh my God," she whispered, "is it bad that I want you again,
already?"
A chuckle shook his shoulders as he leaned back. He grasped his
erection. "No worse than me. But maybe we should let you recover."
Scott climbed into the bed, gathering her into his arms. She snuggled in
under his arm, head resting on his chest as it rose and fell with steady
breaths.

Chapter 42
Talia's eyes flickered open as morning sunlight filtered into the
bedroom.
A warm, solid mass pressed against her back. Scott nuzzled her neck,
his thickly muscled arm drawing her closer. Something hot and hard
pulsed against her tailbone.
"Good morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?"
"Like a log." Talia luxuriated in the feel of Scott's heated skin. She
stretched, then winced as the movement stirred the ache between her
legs.
Scott sensed the aborted movement. Frowning, he said, "Are you
sore?"
Talia blushed, "A little." "Maybe I should kiss it better?"
Before she could say "It's fine, really," he scooped her off the bed,
flipping her around until her knees landed on either side of his head,
like she weighed nothing. She let out a shriek as she found herself
exposed, gaping open, over his grinning mouth.
Her cheeks burned beneath her palms as she covered her face.
"Don't you dare," he said, gently removing her hands. He took them
behind her, placing them on his chest, forcing her to lean back, opening
her center to him even more.
Her breath hitched and her heart rate elevated with embarrassment and
anticipation. The thought of his hot tongue plied to her sore pussy
brought a gush of wetness to her lower lips.
Scott smiled. He could smell her arousal. With a deep growl
reverberating through his chest, he lifted his head off the pillow,
kissing one side of her swollen opening and then the other. His kisses
became gentle sucking, on each lip in turn, not going between them to
her damp center or touching her clit.

With tender patience he continued to kiss and suckle her, moving
closer to her clit, but never quite touching it. With a moan, Talia moved
her hips as her arousal blossomed, swirling between her hips. He swept
his tongue along her damp slit tasting her essence, letting the tip graze
her already elongated bud of pleasure. Electricity jolted through her at
the touch, making her inner muscles contract.
He licked her opening again, pushing between the plump fleshy folds.
Talia sank on her knees as he thrust his tongue into her channel.
Scott reached up, cupping her breasts in his large hands, brushing
across her hardening nipples. He moaned in pleasure as she rocked
backwards and forwards, her climax building.
Scott worked faster, licking and sucking her engorged clit, feeling her
buck against his mouth, then plunging his tongue into her pulsing
entrance. Tiny whimpers escaped her at each of his thrusts and sucks.
Concentrating now on her hypersensitive clit, he swirled the flat of his
tongue over the bulging, pulsing button, then sucked it into his mouth,
pulling gently. Talia's fingers dug into the muscles of his chest, curling
with every rock of her hips as she brazenly rubbed herself against his
mouth.
In the crescendo of stars and lights behind her closed eyes, Talia cried
out in passion as her body exploded and fell apart in his hands. She
came, the force of her orgasm throwing her around like a marionette.
Her whole body twitched as a series of aftershocks left her thrumming.
She began to sink, no longer in control of her muscles. Scott took hold
of her waist and lifted her back into the bed beside him. He propped
himself up on one elbow looking down on her as she tried to steady her
breathing. He licked his lips all the way to his chin, tasting her juices.
"You taste good." He smiled as her eyes tried to focus on his face.
"Feel better?"
"Feel?" Scott chuckled at Talia's inability to focus. He liked having that
effect on her. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. She
responded, returning his kiss, opening to him.
She tasted herself on his mouth for the second time in less than twelve
hours. There was something highly erotic and very personal about

tasting oneself on the lips of the man you were kissing, she decided.
"You're very good at... that."
Scott grinned, "I aim to please." He watched a little crease form
between Talia's brows.
"Have you done that before?"
"Nope," Scott smiled down at her, gently brushing a few stay strands of
hair from her face. "First time was last night with you."
"I was your first." Her mind reeled. He'd waited for her, too.
Scott nodded. "When you've recovered, we should think about getting
up to have some breakfast," he crooned, tracing the line of her jaw with
his thumb.
"Yes, please. I'm starving." She'd worked up quite an appetite. The
problem being it was no longer just for food.

Chapter 45
The day dragged on. Talia served her customers diligently, but her
usual fervor was lacking. She missed Scott. It had been three days since
they'd spent the night together and it felt like she was having
withdrawals. She shook her head, chastising herself for crushing on
him like a hormonal teen.
But something was different. Her whole body craved his sight, his
smell, his touch. It was an itch that only he could scratch.
"What have you done to me, Scott?" she mumbled, rubbing the goose
bumps from her arms.
Was he suffering the same or was this all in her mind?
The little shop bell tinkled gleefully, welcoming the latest customer as
they opened the front door. Talia looked up from the shelves she was
restocking straight, into the eyes of a man she'd hoped she would never
have to see again. The nightmare of her past had come back to bite her
in the ass.
Blake eyed Scott suspiciously. "Man, are you okay? You're sweating
buckets and we've hardly done a thing."
Scott wiped the back of his hand across his brow, frowning as it came
away wet.
"Yeah, I'm just a bit off, I guess."
He hadn't been off, per se, but since he'd spent the night with Talia he' d
been antsy. His skin crawled with the need to see her again, to touch her
and taste her. To claim her.
His every thought was directed towards keeping his mind on his job
and not walking out to find Talia, to tell her about his bear and take

her on the spot. He growled at the thought and the frustration he was
experiencing because of it.
Blake broke into Scott's thoughts, his face serious. "Hey Scott,
remember last week when I told you about the house fires that
coincidentally happened to people with the surname Martin?"
Scott nodded. "Not something I'm going to forget. Go on."
"Well, nothing's been publicized yet, but the fire yesterday afternoon
that Jake's crew attended? The family's name was Martin. It looks like
anyone with that name is being targeted. Whoever this asshole is, he's
just lucky there have been no fatalities. The way he's escalating, it
won't be long before arson becomes murder."
Color drained from Scott's face, his skin clammy.
"Cover for me, Blake. I gotta go, man. Tell the Chief I suddenly got
sick."
Blake viewed Scott's pale visage. "It wouldn't be that far from the truth,
bro. Go. See you back here tomorrow, when your head's where it
should be. I need my partner at the top of his game."
"Thanks, Blake. I owe you."
"Yes, you do," Blake winked.
The line of shops surrounding Talia's little store was characteristically
quiet for this time of year. It was the tourist low season, so shoppers
were less numerous.
As Scott approached her shop, he noticed the 'Closed' sign displayed on
the door. Scott frowned. That seemed a bit strange. Talia hadn't
appeared the type to cut out early. Admittedly, he didn't know her well,
but he had a sense about her. He knew his bear wouldn't be drawn to a
mate that wasn't reliable, trustworthy and brave.
Moving closer, he heard raised voices from close by. His enhanced
shifter hearing enabled him to pinpoint the voices within Talia's shop.
"You thought you'd won, you little bitch. Spoiled little brat, using

spiteful lies against me to keep mummy to yourself," an unknown male
voice hissed maliciously.
"I don't know who you are. You need to leave." Talia was surprised at
how forceful she sounded, belying the fear she actually felt.
The man confronting Talia leaned across the counter. His hand shot out
towards her, grabbing a handful of her hair at the base of her skull and
dragging her off balance, twisting her head so she was forced to look at
him.
"Arghhh!" Talia's cry enraged the bear within Scott. He had to fight to
keep it from emerging, at the pain in her voice.
"You selfish little shit. I could have made her happy."
Talia spat in the man's face. "Get out of my shop." She glared at him,
watching his hand draw back, aimed for her exposed cheekbone. This
was going to hurt.
With a snarl, Scott shoulder-charged the locked door. Splintered timber
rained down inside the shop as the door flew open.
The man with his hands on Talia, on Scott's mate, spun around, glaring
towards the door, ready to tell whoever was interrupting to fuck off. He
stared at Scott's broad chest, at what would be an average man's
eyelevel, having to redirect his stare upwards to meet Scott's eyes. The
sneer vanished.
The man's hands dropped to his sides, releasing his hold on Talia's hair.
She straightened immediately, moving out of his reach.
Scott's eyes burned with rage. His entire body rippled with the need to
transform into his bear form and tear this poor excuse of a human to
shreds. He barely held the urge in check.
The man must have sensed danger. He eased his way to the door, hands
raised in supplication.
"Leave," Scott snarled through clenched teeth. The smaller man sidled
past him and disappeared out the door.
When he was sure the danger had passed, Scott's shoulders slumped
slightly as he held his arms wide. He strode towards Talia, beckoning
her to him.
A sob wrenched from her chest as she stepped from behind the counter.
Warm arms encircled her, pulling her close as she buried her

now tear-streaked face against his chest. "What the hell did I just walk
in on?"
A fresh flood of tears was stifled by a determined sniff. "It was more
like you burst in." Talia craned her neck past his bulk to look
meaningfully at her disintegrated front door.
Drawing his phone from his pocket, Scott scrolled through his address
book. He tapped the screen. "Lucky I know some people."
Half an hour later, with some favors called in and a few more promised,
a new door hung, fitted with a shiny new lock.
"Now," Scott said, taking Talia's face in his large hands, kissing her
softly on the lips. "Let's go somewhere we can talk in private."
"Your place?" Talia suggested. "I love Kaycee, but I don't think I can
face her right now."
Scott nodded. At least at his place they could talk openly, without
interruption. He pushed from his mind what he would rather be doing,
what his bear roared at him to do, with her in the privacy of his home.
Before they could move forward, he needed answers.
Talia sat at the kitchen bench, rolling the glass of wine between her
hands. They'd restricted the conversation to small talk to this point.
Now there was no more stalling.
"The man in the shop, I told him I didn't know him, but I did. I do. I
remember him from four years ago." Talia closed her eyes, taking a
deep fortifying breath.
"Mum had been single for a few years, after dad left. A man she met
through her work asked her out. He seemed nice enough, at first." She
paused, her lips pursing together momentarily. "I guess I better tell you
about me first. So you understand."
"Nothing you can say will scare me off," Scott said quietly. "I have
secrets I need to share, too."
Talia smiled weakly, not sure what to make of his statement. She

decided to continue. She could only deal with one confession at a time.
"Okay," another calming breath. "I can see things." She watched Scott's
expression. "Not like, 'I see dead people' kind of see things," she
clarified quickly. Talia frowned, struggling to find the right words.
"It's more like sensing the true person within someone." She took a
long sip of wine. Her eyes met Scott's. "When I look at you sometimes,
I see a bear, a huge black bear. But he's protective and loyal as much as
he is fierce. A lot like you are on the surface." "Is it always animals you
see?"
Talia shook her head. "No, like I said, it's usually more a sense of a
person. Seeing an animal spirit is quite the exception.
"When I look into someone, I see a projection of their true self. Kaycee,
for example, is beautiful on the inside as well as out. She reminds me of
a nymph; close to nature and wild, but all woman."
Scott smiled at the imagery. It seemed fitting. "What about Blake?"
"Ah, Blake," Talia grinned. "Blake is a good friend to you, I think. He
is honest and forthright, but his looks have made him..." she paused.
"Shallow's not the correct term - one dimensional fits better - in parts of
his life. Kaycee's spirit, for want of a better word, seems to be aligned
with his, for now. They both have lessons to teach each other." "When
did you know you could do this, see these things?" "From the time I
was quite young. I didn't understand what I was seeing and said many
inappropriate things that got me into a lot of trouble. Mum was pretty
understanding, though. Her mother could do it, too. Grandma started to
teach me, but she died when I was still pretty young.
"When mum brought the man she was dating home for the first time, I
saw something. I saw ugliness and rot festering below his clean-cut
exterior. Superficially he was a reasonably good looking guy, a few
years older than mum. He acted sweet and caring towards her, but I
caught the flashes in his eyes when she showed her independence.
"I guess he hadn't yet secured his role as head of our family, so he was
biding his time, not showing his true intentions until it was late enough
that Mum couldn't get away.
Talia shuddered. "I know they're not real, but I saw him as a troll,

waiting beneath the bridge for his unsuspecting victim. He was cold
and malicious, surrounded by the bones of the ones that had come
before. I couldn't let that happen to mum."
Scott placed a comforting hand on her knee.
Talia drained her glass. "I told mum everything I'd seen and felt. I
begged her to get rid of him." She looked up at Scott, her eyes misty
with unpleasant memories. "If my grandmother had not had the same...
gift, I think my words would have been written off as an overactive
imagination and the stories of a jealous teen. But mum did listen to me
and with some reluctance she broke it off with him and told him not to
come back. I think she may have been falling for his flashy charm and
overly loving act.
"When she wasn't around, he was different with me. He threatened me
with beatings if I made trouble. He kept that well hidden from her."
An involuntary shudder ran through her, making the hairs on her arms
rise. "Mum never said anything, but I think he might have made her life
difficult for a while, trying to pressure her back into the relationship.
For several months after she got rid of him she was shrouded in a
shadow, like darkness was wrapped around her. Then the house fire
happened and we moved away."
She shrugged. "I guess he held a grudge."
A cold sense of foreboding settled over Scott's heart.
"Talia, I don't want to scare you, but you need to know. There's been a
series of house fires recently that seem to be targeting people with the
surname Martin."
"Targeting - you mean they were deliberate?"
Scott nodded grimly. "Yes. Nothing's official, but some of the fires
were definitely arson."
"My shop! He knows where I work." Her face drained of color, eyes
brimming with tears. "Oh, those poor people! Could this be because of
me? He did this to get to me."
"Hey! " Scott gathered her into his arms, pulling her against his warm
chest. "You can't blame yourself for what someone else chooses to
do."
"But if he's doing this because of me, to get to me... If I hadn't

made mum get rid of him," she sobbed.
Scott growled, squeezing her tighter. "Then both your mother's and
your life would have been a whole lot worse." He grabbed Talia's chin,
turning her face so she had to look at him. "You saw what he was."
Talia nodded against his hand.
Scott held her gaze for a moment longer. "You can stay here until the
police get this guy. We've got something to give them now."
"What about Kaycee? What if he tracks me to her? She could be in
danger." Talia's long-fingered fists bunched in the fabric of his shirt
front.
"Blake won't let anything happen to her. I'll fill him in on the details.
And, we'll get an alarm system installed in your shop. You shouldn't go
back there. It's too dangerous now."
"But, my regulars. my business."
"We'll hang a sign in the window saying 'family emergency'. They'll
understand."
Talia buried her face in his shirt, resting her forehead over his heart. It
beat steady and strong, the sound comforting. Maybe she could stay
here, right here, retreat into this rhythm and lose herself.
Scott didn't say it, but he suspected now that this man from Talia's past
had found her, the house fires would stop. It also put her squarely in the
crosshairs of his hate-fueled revenge. She was in danger.
Now was also not the time to raise the other subject he needed to share
with her. Telling her about his bear would have to wait until this dude
was behind bars and no longer posed a threat to his mate.

Chapter 52
Kaycee waited patiently for Talia to push through her pout and speak.
"Scott's not telling me something, I know it," Talia finally blurted to
her best friend. "He's distracted and I've hardly seen him lately."
"Honey, I love you. But you need to talk about this to your man. "
Kaycee wrapped an arm around Talia's shoulders. "From what I've
seen, he' s crazy about you."
"I know. I think he is too." Talia smiled as color crept into her cheeks.
"Oh Kace, I really like him."
"Tai, let's look at this logically."
Talia eyed Kaycee suspiciously. "Okay, who are you? And, what have
you done with Kaycee?"
She ignored Kaycee's death-glare.
After a moment Kaycee held up her pointer finger, her fingernail
flashing a dazzling pink. "He's distracted - he's just found out you're
being stalked by your mother's arsonist ex-boyfriend."
Her middle finger joined the first digit in the air, indicating "two".
"You've hardly seen him - he's working the graveyard shift, the same as
Blake. You're not the only one having withdrawals," she added.
"And the third... I can't help you with. We could speculate all day as to
what's lurking in that man's brain that he's chosen not to tell you.
"Before you ask, Blake knows nothing. I already quizzed him. The only
way you'll know is to ask Scott. And, you may just get that opportunity
sooner than you think."
"What? How do you know?"
Kaycee winked conspiratorially. "A little birdie told me the Chief has
approved Scott's request for some time off."
"You mean Blake told you. How many times does he text you through
the night and day, anyway?"

Kaycee shrugged noncommittally. "It's meant to be a surprise, so act
surprised, okay?"
"What's a surprise, the getting time off bit?"
"No, silly. Scott's taking you away for a few days."
"Oh." Talia was surprised and excited at the prospect of spending some
time with Scott, alone, with no interruptions, no work or alarm clocks.
Her stomach fluttered in anticipation, heat pooling lower.
"Ooh, you wanton woman. I saw that look. You're thinking about what
you're going to do with him when you have him alone."
Talia's face burned, her skin heating all the way down to her
collarbones. "Shut up, Kace."
"C'mon, let's get you ready. We can't have you scaring him with those
hairy legs of yours." Kaycee tugged her towards the bathroom. "Plus
we'll need to pack."
Talia glared at the back of Kaycee's head. "How am I supposed to
convince Scott I'm surprised if I'm already packed?"
"We'll leave a few things out so you can throw them in at the last
minute. Now, where are my tweezers?"
"Your tools of torture, you mean," Talia grumbled.

Chapter 54
An elderly woman led her dog along the footpath towards the park at
the end of the street. She passed the same way every morning like
clockwork, walking in front of the fire station. Some mornings the
doors were open and she would greet the firefighters as they packed up
at the end of their shift.
Today an odd fellow lurked at the end of the street. He stayed close to
the bus stop as if waiting for a bus, but his focus was on the fire station.
As she passed the man, she gave a clipped greeting and continued her
walk. Alfie, her little schnauzer, growled a warning as he crossed the
man' s path. That was odd, she thought. Alfie usually liked everyone.
The man smiled and tilted his head, but continued to watch the fire
station.
Maybe he just liked fire engines?
Beverley Keating walked a little faster. The man had been pleasant
enough and he had somewhat handsome features, in his mid-forties,
she guessed, but something felt off. It made her uneasy.
Reaching the fire station she suddenly felt a bit silly at her irrational
reaction to the stranger.
A tall figure stepped out of the doorway, bending to give Alfie his
morning neck scratch. Now, there's a handsome man, Beverley
thought. If I were fifty years younger.
"Good morning, Mrs. Keating. How are you this fine morning?"
Good morning, Scott. It is a fine morning. I think Alfie and I might stay
in the park a while longer today." She waved goodbye and they moved
on.
Scott ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the weight of the night
hours he spent awake, at work, instead of curled up in bed. His shift
was finally over. He had somewhere he needed to be. But first he had to
go home, shower and grab some clothes. There would be time

enough for sleeping later.
From his observation point at the bus stop, Kevin Deluca watched the
exchange between the old woman with the horrid little dog, and a large
dark haired man. His eyes narrowed as he squinted against the early
morning sun. "Gotcha, you asshole," he grinned maliciously.
Deluca couldn't read the man's nametag from where he stood, but he' d
recognize that black-haired behemoth anywhere. And this oversized
freak was going to lead him straight to Talia Martin and the revenge
he'd been planning for years.
Deluca ran through the list of things he wanted to do to that selfish little
bitch. Messing up her too-pretty boyfriend's face was a thought that
pleased him immensely. No man should be that good looking. He
sneered as the image of the firefighter, disfigured with burns and
crippled with pain, formed in his mind. A shudder of anticipation ran
through his body as he stared at his hands, not really seeing the scarred,
puckered skin covering them. The burns were years old, silvered now.
The lines crisscrossed his skin with ridges and pock marks from where
his skin had blistered and bubbled in the intense heat of the flames.
Yes, he had a lot to be avenged for and that Martin bitch would pay the
price.
Waiting until he saw the fireman drive away from the station parking
lot and pass his vantage point, Deluca ran to his own car to follow him
and begin this game of cat and mouse.
Parked across the street from Officer Michaels' house, Deluca

watched the giant throw an overnight bag into the trunk of his car. For a
man of his size, Michaels moved with surprising grace and agility.
Deluca hated him.
"Oh, this is too perfect," he chuckled. It looked like Michaels was
taking his snooty girlfriend away for a couple of days. Hoping the
threat would blow over or he'd be caught by the police, probably.
Laughter filled the car as Deluca shook with mirth. The police hadn't
even come close in four years.
By now Miss Martin would have given them the name he'd used back
then. One of the aliases he went by that would lead them on a wild
goose chase. This was so perfect. By the time the two lovebirds
returned from their time away, he would be ready for them.

Chapter 57
Talia placed her hands on the incredibly muscled chest that left her
weak at the knees every time she thought of it, and leaned back to meet
Scott's jade green gaze. The kiss he had just delivered upon her willing
lips had her breathing hard with the promise of more.
She had a problem, an addiction. And it came in the hulking, passionate
form of Scott Michaels. She also knew he was keeping something from
her. Something important.
Scott had brought her to a secluded property close to the national park a
few hours' drive from the coast. He'd explained on the drive there that it
belonged to Blake's family. There shouldn't be anything to connect her
to the place, or him for that matter, if the creeper stalking Talia had
found out who he was.
Scott remembered he'd been wearing his nametag on his uniform when
he'd burst through Talia's shop door. He wasn't stupid, or naive enough,
to think that the guy hadn't seen it, or known where he worked from his
uniform alone.
This dude wasn't stupid either. He'd managed to remain a ghost for four
years and evade detection for the recent run of suspicious house fires.
The forensic crews still had no solid leads.
Scott's police contact had informed him that the name Talia had given
them as a lead was false. It had led to an elderly gentleman on the other
side of the country who had been the occupant of a nursing home for
the past six years.
Talia and Scott now stood in the lounge room of the rustic cabin,
regarding each other in silence.
"What aren't you telling me, Scott? Spill it." A frown creased Talia's
usually smooth forehead. Scott kissed it, easing away the lines.

"I really like you Talia..." Oh, boy. Talia's eyes rolled. Here comes the
'but'. "...and I want there to be no secrets between us. You've told me
yours, about seeing the essence of a person, now, there's something I
need to tell you about me." He'd hoped he wouldn't have to do this
straight away. What he wouldn't give to spend time with Talia, loving
her, before he was forced to drop this bombshell.
"Show you is actually more to the point." Scott began to take off his
clothes, ignoring her bewildered stare. This could be about to turn into
the most disastrous day of his life.
"You've told me when you look at me you sometimes see a bear. Well,
it's more literal than you think."
"Okay?" Scepticism oozed from the word. Talia considered the naked
man - if she admitted it to herself - she was falling in love with.
"I'm not human, Talia. I'm what's called a shifter. I can change into an
animal, a bear."
"Like a werewolf?" Talia froze. This was too much. "Yes, but only that
we change from human to animal and back. We are not enslaved to the
moon and we keep our humanity during the change."
Talia's head was spinning. How could she take him seriously? She'd
trusted him. Let him see her at her most vulnerable, given him
something she could never give to another.
A tear threatened to drop from beneath her lashes as a battle raged
within her. She had told Scott about her ability, her gift, that would
make her an outcast in society, and he hadn't blinked. He'd had every
reason to question her sanity, but he'd accepted what she'd said as truth.
The least she should do was give him the same courtesy.
With her heart pounding, Talia braced herself. "Okay, show me."
"You're sure?" Fear of rejection, Talia guessed, made Scott's voice
waver. She really wasn't sure how she'd react if he did turn into a bear
but she nodded anyway, swallowing hard.
Scott made some room for himself, pushing aside the coffee table and
moving the sofa back to the wall. Talia eyed the space in trepidation.
How big was this frigging bear of his going to be?

Standing in the middle of the open space, his outline began to shimmer
and expand as he bent forward, large hands meeting the floor with a
thud. Only, his hands were no longer hands but huge paws, covered in
black fur, claws flexing against the timber floorboards. The shift was so
fast, Talia wasn't sure what had actually happened, but Scott was gone.
In his place stood the biggest bear she'd ever seen.
Thinking of the only other bears she'd ever seen - the ones held in
enclosures at a zoo she'd visited with her parents, so many years ago
-they paled in comparison.
The huge black bear shook his head, shaking out his pelt as he stared at
Talia with huge green eyes - totally unnatural for a bear. The eyes were
Scott's.
Talia took a step back, her heel catching on the wrinkled rug and fell
heavily on her backside. A small squeak escaped her. Scott snorted and
took a step towards her, lowering his head.
He needed her touch, craved it. If she would just reach out and accept
him. It was the only way he could find peace with the bear within him.
He needed to make Talia his mate.
He stood, four paws on the ground, head lowered, waiting for her touch
for what seemed like a millennia. He opened one eye. She hadn't
moved. She sat there, hands gripping the rug in tight fists, eyes screwed
shut.
Move! A voice screamed in Talia's head. If you don't move you lose him
forever. The voice sounded decidedly like Kaycee's sharp authoritarian
tongue.
As Scott turned, ready to walk out and give her as much space as she
needed despite the ache in his chest, despite his bear roaring in his ears,
hesitant fingers snaked into the fur on his neck.
" S co t t. " Talia's voice broke, sounding so tiny in the silence. He froze.
She stood, taking a small step towards him, then another, until her body
pressed against his front leg.
She trembled as she moved her hand, watching her fingers separate the
hairs of his thick black lustrous coat. It was soft and silky, so much like
Scott's hair - when he was human - not coarse and rough as she'd
imagined.

He still hadn't moved. He was frozen to the spot, not moving a muscle,
for fear he would scare her away.
In his bear form he was magnificent. So tall, Talia could only rest her
head against the base of his shoulder blade. He towered over her,
dwarfing the room around him. She slid her hand up his neck to his
furry, rounded ear, scratching behind it. A deep moan rumbled from
him and Scott leaned into the scratch gently. He seemed to like that.
Talia giggled. She felt tipsy with fear and the overwhelming immensity
of the situation, her heart thudding against her ribcage.
With some trepidation she stepped closer to his lowered head. She
placed a hand under his massive jaw and coaxed his head around to
look into those large green eyes that were so much like Scott's. "I need
to talk to you. I need answers."
His big head nodded in her hands and she stepped back.
His outline shimmered, suddenly shrinking as quickly as it had grown.
Dark fur vanished, replaced by pale human skin. Before her, at her feet,
Scott knelt on all fours, appearing small by comparison to his bear
form.
With absolute certainty, staring at his prone form, Talia knew she loved
him. And he loved her. He had shared the biggest secret of his life with
her, entrusting her with this knowledge. She would never betray him,
she knew that with conviction.
"Well, buddy," she said, making Scott whip around to look at her.
"Looks like you're stuck with me now."
His eyebrows drew together. "What do you mean?"
"You can't very well let me go now that I know your secret. You'll have
to keep me." Her body was suddenly alive, nerves firing in electric
need. She knelt beside him, pulling him up to his knees to face her.
"Kiss me, please."
Scott's eyes flashed with desire as he crushed his lips to hers, sweeping
her into a deep passionate embrace. Their tongues clashed and probed,
tasting each other's need.
He pulled away suddenly, muscles quivering with the effort. "You have
questions."
Talia licked her lips. They tingled from being kissed so thoroughly.

"Huh?" Questions, she'd had questions? "I don't remember. They were
inconsequential... silly," she mumbled, trying to draw him back into the
kiss. He resisted. She growled.
A small smile tugged at the side of his luscious mouth, but then
vanished just as quickly. "There is something else..."

Chapter 62
Talia slumped in his hands. What else could there be? "Okay, hit me
with it."
Scott took a deep breath. "Part of being a shifter is that we have mates."
Talia eyed him suspiciously.
"It doesn't happen for everyone, but sometimes a bear spirit will
recognize his true mate. It's the person that they will spend the rest of
their life with. The mate will feel the same attraction. They both live
long and happy lives together because of it. It's only true mates that can
have children together.
"You're my true mate, Talia. My bear recognized you the moment we
pulled you from the fire." The words rushed from him, trying to make
Talia understand.
"So you don't love me, really. It's just an animal attraction that ensures
the continuation of your species," She swiped at a tear, "and makes sure
I don't stray in the process."
"I do love you!" Scott grabbed her, pulling her roughly into his
embrace. "God, Talia. I do love you. I should have said so before now.
It goes deeper than that, though. With my bear it becomes a bond that
no one can break. We won't fall out of love. I will want you, like I do
now, until the day I die."
Talia's eyes were huge as she stared at Scott. Do I even get a say in
this? "Does this mean I ' m tied to you now - forever?"
"No, I haven't claimed you. The bond is not complete. You can still
walk away, if that is what you wish." Scott's grip loosened. She still
hadn' t placed her arms around him to return his embrace. She remained
rigid against him. He was losing her. His bear howled in grief and
rejection. Scott winced as pain lanced through his heart.
"But we've had sex."
Scott's voice was labored as he pushed through the pain in his

chest. "The bond is not complete. It has to be unprotected sex and you
have to know what I am. You also need to accept my bear." Scott
leaned back, taking Talia by the chin, turning her face up towards his.
"And it wasn't just sex. We were making love."
Talia registered the conviction of his words, but her mind struggled
with the concept of mating, more than with the idea of him being a man
who turned into a bear whenever he wanted.
"I need some time.... to absorb all this."
Scott's arms fell to his sides, letting her go. He turned to leave. "I'll give
you some space."
Talia reached out, putting her hand on his arm. It dropped as soon as he
paused.
"No. This is your friend's house. You stay." She closed her eyes for a
moment. "I need some fresh air."
Talia walked out the door, not looking back. She heard Scott say
something. It sounded like, "Stay safe," but she didn't stop to find out.
She walked for what seemed like hours, not seeing her surroundings,
simply walking. Her mind churned through everything she'd learned
that afternoon.
The problem she was having was that mating sounded a lot like
ownership to her, like she'd lose her free will, her freedom, if she said
yes. She wasn't sure she was ready to tie herself to Scott, forsaking all
others, after knowing him for only a few weeks. She wasn't sure she
was ready for that sort of commitment, period.
She was only now starting to live her life and make something of it.
That, coupled with the threat of her mother's ex-boyfriend, it was all
too much.
Talia's thoughts were cut short as her footing slipped. She slid to a halt,
finally noticing what was around her and peered straight down over the
edge of a ravine. She had been about to step off the edge in her
unseeing contemplations.
She shifted her weight, preparing to step away from the ledge, when the
ground crumbled beneath her feet. It disappeared in a cascade of rocks
and soil, pitching her into the abyss.
Talia's scream echoed off the surrounding hills, fingernails tearing

as she scraped and scrambled for purchase on anything that would halt
her downward plummet.
Scott had been pacing the cabin for the past half an hour. He must have
walked to the door, opened it and then turned back at least a dozen
times. He now found himself standing outside the cabin several feet
down the path.
The scream reached him on the breeze, faint and thin. It could have
been a bird call, it was so distant and indistinct. His bear knew better. It
fought for control, needing to reach his mate who was obviously in
trouble. Scott let the bear have its freedom.
Huge paws threw tufts of grass and dust as he sprinted in the direction
of the scream, slowing only to sniff the air for Talia's scent.
He saw boot prints in a patch of bare soil as he rounded a bend in the
narrow path he'd been following. Beyond the bend was the yawning
chasm of the ravine that ran through the national park adjacent to
Blake's property.
The ravine cut across one corner of the property line for no more than
twenty feet. Of all the places she could walk to.... But where the hell
was she?
Scott sniffed the breeze, his bear senses much stronger than in his
human form. She wasn't far, but terror permeated her usually sweet
scent. The earth was disturbed a short distance from where he stood;
evidence of a recent landslide where the edge of the ravine had broken
away.
No, no, no! Scott roared his distress. He raced to the edge. Talia clung
to a tree root thirteen feet down the cliff face. Dirt streaked her face,
striped with clean lines where her tears had run down her cheeks. Her
arms quaked with the effort of holding her own bodyweight for so long.
"Help me," she whispered.

The huge black bear growled and snarled as he looked for a ledge or
some footholds; some way to get to Talia. There was nothing. He could
see she wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
With no other way down, Scott turned around and backed over the edge
of the ravine. His claws dug deep, searching for purchase in the loose
rocky soil. Stones and clods of earth broke loose to tumble down the
cliff face.
He continued to climb down towards Talia, stretching his massive body
to bring him closer to her while still finding footing in the unstable
ground.
Finally within Talia's reach, she still wasn't moving.
"I can't... I can't let go." She'd been gripping the tree root for so long
and with such force her fingers were locked in a death grip. Asking
them to relax enough to release the vegetal lifeline to grip Scott's
outstretched leg would see her splattered at the foot of the ravine.
Seeing Talia struggle just to hang on, Scott grunted as he began to
climb down further. He moved straight down and then worked his way
across until he was directly below her dangling legs.
Bears were good climbers, some able to scale vertical tree trunks, but
the ground slipped and gave way beneath his substantial weight,
making the climb back up arduous. He slowly worked his mass under
her body, crawling back up the ravine wall, claws digging deep in the
earth.
Talia's legs gripped Scott's ribs tightly as her arms finally dropped to
either side of his neck, virtually useless in their lethargy of overuse.
Her hands hung distorted into hooked crow's feet, unable to straighten
her long fingers after gripping the root for so long.
Scott pushed off with all his strength, eager to get them both to solid,
horizontal ground. Releasing long talons from between rocks, he
reached for another hold, thrusting upwards with powerful hind legs.
The earth let go. Talia screamed, gripping his neck tightly, as they slid
backwards. The bear roared, fighting for footing as he clambered to
halt their downward slide.
Long claws gouged the earth, slowing their descent until Scott was able
to regain his upward momentum. With painful slowness he climbed
them both to the top and to safety.

Dragging his huge bulk over the edge, he collapsed on the ground.
Talia slid from his shoulders to lie beside the panting bear. Tears
started to fall. Once they started she couldn't stop them. She wanted to
throw her arms over her face, but they stayed at her sides. They were
heavy, like lead; immovable.
The bear shimmered and in his place lay Scott, breathing hard. He
gathered Talia into his arms, pulling her onto his chest. Her heartfelt
tears pooled in the cleft at the base of his throat and trickled down his
neck as Talia continued to cry.
When her sobs began to abate, she spoke. "When I thought I was going
to die, all I could think about was that I ' d never see you again." She
raised her head to meet his eyes. "Scott I don't want to live without
you."
With gentle hands, Scott brushed her tears and some of the dirt from
her cheeks. "Let's get you cleaned up."
Pushing to his feet, Scott lifted Talia with him then swung her into his
arms, carrying her back to the cabin.

Chapter 67
Steam coiled lazily from the surface of the foam covered water. Talia
stood beside the bath as Scott carefully removed her clothing, mindful
of all her scrapes and bruises. He stepped into the water, then lifted
Talia over the rim to stand in front of him. Sitting against one end he
guided her to sit in front of him, lowering her into the water.
Her arms were still like rubber; boneless, unable to hold anything. The
hot water soothed her aching muscles and joints and eased the pain in
her scraped hands and knees, once the initial sting of its touch had
passed.
Strong muscular hands massaged her shoulders and arms. When the
knots started to let go, Scott drew her back against his chest, where she
let out a long sigh.
They stayed like that until the water grew cool. Scott then helped her
out, dried her off and carried her to the bed.
Placing her under the covers he crawled in beside her, hugging her
close. Within minutes she was asleep.
Talia woke the next morning to the smell of bacon cooking and freshly
brewed coffee. Her stomach growled.
Making her way to the kitchen, she plonked her weary body down on a
kitchen chair, thankful that despite her muscles screaming at every
little movement she could at least pick up a coffee cup and feed herself.
Yesterday she would not have been capable of either.
Scott smiled at her, placing a plate piled high with food in front of her
and handing her a steaming cup of coffee. "Good morning, beautiful.
How do you feel?"
Talia chewed her mouthful of bacon and eggs quickly, washing it down
with a swig of coffee. She was famished. "Like I've spent a day on The
Rack."

Scott kissed her forehead before sitting down with his own heaped
plate of breakfast. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"Thank you for saving me. And for looking after me the way you did
afterwards."
"I wasn't going to let the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with
fall to her death." Seriousness suddenly darkened his handsome
features. "You are my mate, Talia. Of that, I am sure. But you have to
be sure, too. I want to make you mine in every way possible. I need to
know it's what you want."
Talia opened her mouth to respond. She was sure.
"Don't answer yet. You need to be sure. Being the mate of a shifter is a
lifelong commitment. You will be mine, forever, as I will be yours.
With the stress of yesterday and the threat of your mother's
ex-boyfriend still very much an issue, this is not the time to be making
a rash decision. Take some time to think it over."
Talia lifted her hand to Scott's face, wincing at the movement. "After
yesterday, I am sure. I ' m sure I don't want to live without you. But, I
will wait. I'll think this through, like you say."

Chapter 69
Talia glared out the window of the car, fighting back the tears that were
stinging her eyes.
The previous day and a half had been the longest of her life. The
tension made her skin prickle.
Scott had been distant since their conversation the previous morning.
He'd given her "space" to contemplate the commitment of becoming
the mate of a bear shifter.
The reality seemed, to Talia, to be that Scott had withdrawn, raising a
shield around his heart, in preparation for her inevitable rejection.
She thought back to their last night in the cozy cabin. They'd made
love, but only after Talia had kissed, coaxed and cajoled him to a state
where he had no choice; his bear threatening to tear him apart from the
inside if he didn't relent and love her. Scott's lovemaking was
impassioned yet reserved, giving Talia the impression it was his way of
saying goodbye.
Well, damn him! She swatted at a tear that crested her lower lashes as if
swatting a bug, not wanting Scott to know how much she was hurting.
Anger bristled within her, manifesting as a white heat searing her veins.
She'd waited for him, not even knowing if he was real, saving herself
for the bear-spirit that had pulled her from the fire. No one else had
made her feel the way she felt when she was with Scott. They were
meant to be together.
No one else had or would excite her the way he did. Talia knew this,
right to the marrow of her bones; she felt the pull, like their spirits were
linked. And, be damned if he thought he could push her away now.
Fuck, he was the one that came to her with the notion of fated mates
and life-long commitment.

A low feral growl left her throat before she could subdue it, causing
Scott's eyes to flick towards her then return to the road in continued
silence.
Scott took in a deep breath, trying to steady the chaotic flip-flop of
emotions tormenting his mind and making his chest hurt. He was
fighting with his bear, which was threatening to tear him to shreds if he
didn't stop the car and claim his mate right then and there. The cage
he'd constructed in his mind to contain the enraged beast was showing
signs of weakening. But he refused to claim the woman he wanted to
spend the rest of his life with, on the hood of the car or on the backseat,
beside a highway.
If it was going to happen it was going to be perfect. Nothing less would
do for the woman he loved. If only he knew it was what she really
wanted. She'd said the words, but only after coming so close to death
she would have said anything to feel safe again. No, he had to be sure.
And so, he fought to contain the howling, roaring beast within,
knowing that his exterior was becoming aloof and reticent with the
effort. Whichever way he looked he was losing.
Tires crunched over the pebbled quartz of the driveway to his home. He
would take Talia back to Kaycee's, if that was what she truly wanted,
but first he had to establish how safe it was. Keeping her with him was
the only way Scott knew how to be sure of her safety.
His outwardly distant demeanor, although containing the battle raging
within him, was only making matters worse. He could see Talia's mood
deteriorating. He was going to drive her away if he didn't do something
quickly.
Handing her the front door key, his hand enveloped hers. "We'll talk
when he get inside, okay?"
A brief smile flitted across her lips as Talia nodded in response. Scott
moved to the back of the vehicle, grabbing their bags.
As he approached the door, Talia inserted the key in the lock, preparing
to turn it. Scott sniffed the air, his keen animal senses picking up the
whiff of accelerant and something much nastier; the acrid stench of
homemade explosive. Scott dropped the bags, lunging for Talia. He
grabbed her around the waist as he turned his back to the door.

He took a step to run them both to safety when the blast hit him from
behind. He'd been too slow in his response, the key turning in the lock,
triggering the device.
A fiery, heated shockwave, filled with splintery missiles of shredded
timber and cement fragments, exploded outwards. Scott used his bulk
to shield Talia as best he could as they were both thrown several feet
back along the path.
His ears rang as debris rained down around them. A huge mushroom
cloud of thick acrid smoke rose slowly into the air above his destroyed
house, followed closely by leaping orange flames.
His vision swam as the ground underneath him began to writhe. Too
late he realized he had landed on Talia as she struggled desperately to
free herself from beneath his weight. He tried to rise to his elbows, but
pain flared across his back and side. His movement was enough to help
Talia escape.
She turned towards him screaming his name as she looked around in a
panic. Scott saw through blurred vision Talia strip out of her tee-shirt.
She lunged towards him in only her bra and jeans. What was she doing
stripping at a time like this?
Talia threw the tee-shirt over his back and patted at the flames eating
their way through his shirt and into his flesh. Scott howled in pain as
she slapped at him. Tears clouded her vision. "I'm sorry, love. You're
burning. I need to put them out!"
Maybe Scott heard her and understood because he started to roll over.
Talia tried to help by pushing on his arm and ribs. Scott howled again,
his face white as the flames on his back were stifled against the rough
stony ground.
Then she saw it. Through a tear in his shirt that was quickly soaking
with blood, a shard of timber protruded from the fleshy part of him just
above his hip.

Chapter 72
With shaking fingers Talia peeled the blood-soaked shirt away from
Scott's torso to reveal the extent of his injury. The large splinter had
speared into his abdomen on a shallow angle. Talia sighed; relieved it
hadn't gone straight in.
On closer inspection her relief evaporated when she couldn't tell how
deep the shard went. Several inches of wood protruded outside his
body while she could see a raised ridge at least three inches long under
his skin before it receded to nothing. There was no way to be sure if the
splinter ended there or went deeper. Moving him could pierce internal
organs, if it hadn't already done so.
A shudder ran through Talia. Scott could be bleeding internally, dying
before her eyes and she was sitting here - weeping!
She thrust herself onto her feet. "I'll call an ambulance, don't move."
She ran towards the car to grab her phone, ignoring the blood dripping
from her stone-damaged knees and elbows and the heat of the swelling
bruise across her cheekbone where she'd contacted the hard ground
with Scott's weight crushing her from above. She suspected bruised
ribs as well from the sharp pain lancing across one side of her chest at
every breath, but she couldn't worry about it now.
By some miracle, Talia had left her handbag in the car when she went
to unlock Scott's front door. Normally it would have been slung over
her shoulder. She silently thanked the powers that be for this small
mercy. At least it wouldn't be damaged.
Sirens wailed in the distance. The firefighters were already on their
way. They were always first to respond. Talia knew that the ambulance
was probably on its way too, but she wasn't going to take that chance.
She reached for her phone.
Rough hands grabbed her from behind. Fingers bit cruelly into her
cheeks as one of the hands covered her mouth, stifling her scream.

A quiet sibilant voice sounded close to her ear, "Ooh, this is too good.
Little prissy bitch's protector is down for the count. He can't do
anything but watch while I deal with his whore." A slimy tongue
swiped slowly up the side of Talia's face as her attacker's other hand
slid from her waist up to cup her breast, squeezing painfully, while he
twisted her around to make sure Scott saw everything.
Scott roared, a sound that wasn't quite human, as he tried to roll over
again, dragging himself towards Talia and her assailant. Blood welled
around the splinter embedded in his side leaving a trail of blood on the
path behind him, while the burn holes in the back of his shirt displayed
charred, raw flesh coated in dirt and pebbles that stuck to the oozing
surfaces.
The smarmy grin left Deluca's face as he watched Scott draw his knees
up under his massive frame in order to stand. This asshole's a machine;
he can't be human. Time to go.
Pain suddenly lanced through Deluca's palm. Talia bit hard, bearing
down with all her might until the man screamed in agony. He released
his grip on her. "You fucking...!"
Talia shouted over his curse to Scott. "Don't move, Scott. You'll hurt
yourself. Stay st. ! "
Her words were cut short by a fist driven into her temple with
considerable force. Stars flashed in front of her eyes as her vision
swam. As her knees buckled, Deluca unceremoniously tossed her over
his shoulder.
Talia's mouth tasted vile. There had been a residue on Deluca's hand
that smelled like kerosene and something else she didn't recognize. It
made her tongue tingle unpleasantly and her eyes burn. His clothes
smelled like it, too.
Scott could do nothing but watch the woman he loved get carried away
by a piece of human excrement. His bear fought tooth and nail for the
change that could only bring more danger to himself and those around
him. Humans, in general, were not ready to know that there were those
among them that were different. Scott knew he was stronger in bear
form, knew he would heal quickly from his injuries, but he couldn't risk
it.

As he continued to crawl towards his vehicle, watching Talia dangle
over the piece-of-shit's shoulder, he noticed something in her hand.
Despite being knocked senseless, she'd managed to grip her phone,
keeping it clenched in her fist.
One of the first things that Scott had done after the threat to Talia had
become apparent was activate and sync the GPS locators on both their
phones. He could find her and she could also find him, if the need ever
arose. If ever there was a need, this was it. He pulled his phone from his
pocket.
The screen was cracked, but it still worked - thank you shockproof
casing. Scott breathed a quick sigh of relief as he tapped the app icon,
activating the track. Hang on to that phone, babe. Don' t let go.
Ignoring the multiple stings of burnt skin covering his back and the
deeper ache in his side, Scott had the tires of his car squealing in protest
as he reversed out of his driveway at breakneck speed, high-tailing it up
the street to follow the little moving dot on the screen of his phone. He
caught sight of fire engines in his rear-view mirror, assembling outside
the burning pile of rubble that was once his home. Apart from making
sure the neighbors' houses were safe from the spreading flames, there
was nothing more they could do for his.
Talia continued to be taken north, heading towards the edge of the city
in its very outer suburbs. Small clusters of industrial estates dotted this
area in various stages of construction and use. There were many empty
buildings, any of which could serve as a place to hide. No one would
hear them. No one would care.
Scott watched the dot on the screen intently before a blaring horn
brought him back to his own reality. Slamming on the brakes, the car
shuddered to a halt, narrowly missing the car in front, after managing to
swerve back onto his side of the road.
The maneuver cost him. Pain speared through his side and his vision
blurred as the seatbelt pre-tensioner locked him hard against the seat in
his rapid deceleration.
Blood oozed freely from above his hip where the splinter still
protruded. Scott realized he would have to deal with his injury before
he could hope to confront Talia's kidnapper. He wouldn't be able to
shift

with it still in his side.
Swerving into a parking lot, Scott pulled the car up in a brief slide.
Unable to lean across the front seat to access the glove compartment
because of the foreign object in his side, he had to climb out of the car
and walk around to the passenger door. He braced his injury, arm
wrapped tightly around his waist.
Retrieving the first aid kit from the glove compartment, Scott sat
heavily in the front passenger seat. It was safer if he was sitting. He
closed the passenger door to stop prying eyes as much as possible and
gripped the end of the wood shard impaling him.
The process was slow. And painful. Several times he had to stop as his
vision swam. The shard, with so little to grasp onto, could not be pulled
out with one swift movement. Instead, Scott had to work it out bit by
bit, his fingers slipping on the blood-slicked end. Finally enough
protruded for a decent grip and he pulled it from his body, stifling his
roar of pain through clenched teeth. He hoped like hell no smaller
splinters had remained inside his gut, but this was the best he could do
under time-sensitive conditions like these.
Dousing a sterile swab from the first aid kit with antiseptic, he placed it
over the wound staunching the steady flow of blood, hissing loudly at
the sting. He quickly wrapped a bandage around his midriff to keep the
swab in place.
If he transformed into his bear, the bandage would be gone. But, by
then, he hoped he would have started to heal.
Checking on the dot on his phone, it seemed to have become stationary.
Scott noted the streets surrounding the blip and left the carpark with a
screech of tires.
Flexing his shoulders, he discovered the sting of the burns on his back
had lessened in intensity. He was thankful for his accelerated healing
abilities. The douchebag holding Talia would not expect Scott to
recover so quickly. He would use that to his advantage.

Chapter 76
Pulling up several buildings away from where the dot now rested, Scott
crept forward on stealthy feet. Voices reached him from the large
empty warehouse building in the middle of the block.
"Do what you want to me. You think anything you do to me will affect
my mother? She's dead, asshole! She died last year. She no longer
cares."
A slap, the sound of hand meeting flesh, echoed in the cavernous space,
then a man's voice. "Watch your mouth. I love your mother, carried a
torch for her all these years. She doesn't deserve a daughter like you,
who would tell such lies. When you're gone, she will come back to me.
Without your poisonous little words corrupting her thoughts, she will
be mine."
Talia laughed, her voice cracking slightly. "Fuck you! You can say
hello when you join her in the grave."
Seething with rage, Scott chanced a glimpse through the broken
window at the rear of the building. The space was open, with only a
small enclosed room near the front door. He could see clearly where
Deluca had Talia tied to a chair in the center of the floor.
Scott watched Deluca straddle her, sitting on her lap with his hands
fondling her body - his body, only Scott could touch his mate like that
-pushing down the cups of her bra to expose her breasts. Talia turned
her head, exposing the reddened cheek blazened with a fresh handprint.
Deluca grunted, fondling her exposed nipples, "I've wanted to taste
these for a long time."
Scott suppressed a snarl as his canines descended ready to rip this
fucker's throat out. Shaking with the effort, he forced himself to slow
stealthy movement, opening the door as quietly as he could and snuck
inside.
Talia swallowed bile as she gagged when Deluca's fetid mouth

suctioned around her nipple. Movement towards the back of the shed,
behind the creep on her lap, caught her eye, causing her heart to race.
"You like that, huh, whore?" Deluca sneered at her, feeling her
accelerated heartbeat.
Talia stared back into his face. "You're so fucking dead," she grinned,
head-butting him in the nose. Deluca fell back, howling in pain as
blood spurted from his broken nose.
A shadow loomed above him. "What the. .?" He didn't get the chance to
finish his exclamation as a huge paw, larger than his head, swiped
across his chest.
The bear reared onto his hind legs, standing close to fourteen feet tall. It
roared a challenge as Deluca rolled away from the swipe.
He was quick. He'd honed his reflexes for four years. He'd been caught
once by the flames and had vowed never to be caught again. So, he
trained. That training now served him well as he narrowly avoided
another sweep of the massive claws.
Talia managed to stand. Deluca had tied her hands together around the
back of the chair, but he hadn't tied her to it. She disengaged her arms
from over the back of the chair and proceeded to step through them,
bringing her hands in front of her. Now able to see what she was doing,
she brought the rope to her teeth and began working the knots loose, all
the while trying to keep a safe distance from the duck-and-roll flight of
Deluca happening around her.
Deluca couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the massive creature
pursuing him around the warehouse. He wasn't about to disregard what
he saw. The rips in his shirt and the thin lines of blood across his chest
were enough to tell him to run now and ask questions later.
He spotted his supplies bag placed neatly against the wall of the
enclosed office at the front of the building. With a burst of speed, he
pumped his legs making a bee-line for the bag and its contents.
Scott crashed into the wall of the office, partially breaking through the
plaster sheeting, swiping at Deluca's heels as he dived for the bag.
Deluca rolled as he hit the ground, pulling a handgun from the bag,
pointing it at the bear's head.

Talia screamed. In desperation, she threw the only thing she could get
her hands on, the folding metal chair. It fell well short of Deluca,
clattering to the floor before sliding to a stop. But it was the momentary
distraction Scott needed as Deluca's eyes flicked towards the projectile.
Scott launched, wrapping his massive jaws around Deluca's arm. The
jaws crunched down, slowly applying more pressure until, with a
squeal, he dropped the handgun. A huge paw rested on his chest,
pinning him to the floor.
Talia retrieved her phone from Deluca's bag, dialing emergency
services. He'd stashed it there once he'd discovered she had it.
"The police are on their way," she announced quietly.
Deluca's undamaged hand slid unseen into his pocket, to reappear with
a small squeeze bottle of clear liquid. Flipping open the lid with his
thumb, he squirted the contents directly into the bear's eyes.
Scott lurched backwards howling in pain. The sound was not quite
animal, not quite human; an eerie, disturbing noise. He pushed off
Deluca's chest in an effort to get away from the stinging, burning
liquid, the force of his retreat crushing the pinned man's ribs, one
piercing his lung.
In an effort to disable his foe and bring about the means of his escape,
Deluca had signed his own death warrant. He was screwed. His
breathing wheezed painfully in shorter and sharper breaths as his lung
collapsed.
Pouring the remaining liquid from the squeeze bottle over himself, he
reached into his pocket and brought out a zippo lighter. Flipping back
the metal cap he stared at Talia then the bear.
"I always said I ' d go out in a blaze of glory. Never thought it would be
so literal," he wheezed. The flame struck with one flick of his thumb
and he dropped the lighter. With a whoosh that sucked air into the
flames, the accelerant and his clothing caught fire.
As he began to scream, he glared at Talia, "See you in hell, bitch! "
Talia turned away, putting her hands over her ears. There was nothing
she could do. The warehouse contained nothing with which to
extinguish the fire. Her main concern now had to be Scott.
Returned to his human form, his eyes were swollen and red from

the flammable liquid Deluca had squirted in his face. If she didn't wash
it out quickly his eyes could be damaged permanently, even blinded.
Spying a sink in the closed off room, she tried the door. It was locked.
With a hard kick the doorjamb shattered. She dragged Scott in with her,
hoping there was still water in the pipes. Deluca had already
established there was no power to the building when they'd first
arrived. If the owners had been as diligent with the water and had it
turned off too, they were screwed.
A wall-mounted hot water urn was above the sink. She flicked the tap.
Cold water ran out. With no power, there was no fear of the water being
heated, but she hoped the contents of its reservoir would be enough.
Grabbing Scott by the back of his neck, she forced his head under the
urn's tap. "Turn your head," she commanded.
With his head positioned so the water ran over both eyes, Talia flipped
the tap on letting the water flow. Scott blinked as the cool water ran
over his raw flesh. He tried to wipe his eyes, getting his hand swatted
away for his efforts.
"Talia, your mother... I ' m sorry," Scott said, remembering what Talia
had told Deluca.
"Shhhh... I lied. She's happily married and living in Victoria. Now, stop
moving."
In the distance sirens sounded. Talia looked at Scott suddenly realizing
he was buck naked.
"Are your clothes by the back door?" she asked. Scott nodded.
"Stay under that water. I'll be back." She raced to gather his clothes and
help him dress before the authorities arrived.
Police descended on the warehouse, followed quickly by two
ambulance crews.
Loading Scott into the ambulance, the ambulance officers continued to
flush his eyes with sterile eye wash. Talia clambered into the back,
refusing to ride in the other vehicle.
When quizzed about her relationship to Scott, she said, "He's my fiancé
and I won't leave his side."
Scott's hand crept out from beneath the blanket and wrapped

around hers.

Chapter 81
It had taken three months - and three months to build a house on the
coast, from design to hand-over was quite an accomplishment - but the
house was finally finished.
Scott and Talia stood on the driveway as the last of their new furniture
was carried into the house. Blake and Kaycee were inside unpacking
boxes and helping the couple set up their new home.
Kaycee towed Blake by the shirt as she strode towards Scott and Talia,
a big smile on her face. "Well, we've made a start for you, now it's up to
you to make it your own."
Talia drew Kaycee into a big hug. "Thanks, Kace. Love you."
"Love you. Oh, I left you a little present in the bedroom."
Talia supressed a groan.
Scott and Blake shook hands then Blake laughed, drawing Scott into a
back-slapping embrace. "Left you something upstairs, bro," he
whispered. Scott cringed at the thought.
As Kaycee and Blake drove away, waving to the new homeowners,
Blake called out the car window, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Unlikely," Scott retorted. Blake's cackle echoed down the street as the
car disappeared around the corner.
Scott turned to Talia. Her eyes were big, lit with excitement. Scooping
her into his arms, she let out a little squeal.
He carried her over the threshold and straight up the stairs towards their
new bedroom - their bedroom in their house. Talia shivered at the
thought. Tonight it became official, irrefutable. Tonight Scott would
finally claim her.
"Kaycee's left us a gift," she murmured apologetically.
"So did Blake," said Scott. Talia shuddered to think what that might be.
Scott opened the bedroom door and placed Talia's feet back on the

floor. The room was elegantly appointed with cushions and throw rugs;
Kaycee's handiwork. She spotted the satin sheets. They were going to
b e . .. interesting.
Moving towards the bed she spied a thin, delicate piece of lace on the
coverlet. There was a note attached. 'Love, Kace.'
Scott took the lacy nightdress from Talia and cast it over his shoulder.
"You're not going to need that. I have more than enough unwrapping to
do as it is." To demonstrate he slowly pulled Talia's tee-shirt over her
head.
Scott noticed another card on the nightstand beside the bed as he turned
to toss the tee on the chair in the corner. This card said,
'Love, Blake.'
The card hung from a string draped over a large bottle of personal
lubricant, next to a stack of silver foil squares. Talia grabbed the
leaning tower of condoms, tossing them away.
"We're not going to need them," she kissed Scott's neck, "ever. again."
Scott reached for the lube. Talia stayed his hand. "We might need that.
There are still a few things we haven't tried."
He groaned against her mouth as his cock flinched, a half dozen
different possibilities flitting through his mind.
He threw back the covers on the bed, lifting Talia then tossing her onto
the sheets. She slid across the slippery surface. As Scott undid her
zipper and slowly pulled her jeans down over her hips, she had to brace
her feet against him or she would have slipped straight off the side of
the bed. These sheets might be fun for tonight, but tomorrow they go.
She sat up, taking hold of the front of Scott's shirt. "My turn."
With deliberate slowness she undid each button, knowing if she gave
into temptation she would rip the shirt from his glorious body, so eager
was she to be claimed. Talia remembered their first time together, when
she'd thought about tearing his shirt away, not sure then if there

would be a next time. Now she knew they would have the rest of their
lives.
Scott shrugged out of the item, letting it fall to the floor. Talia moved
her attention to his jeans. Released from its confines, Scott's hard cock
sprang free as jeans and underwear were pushed below his knees. She
wrapped her long fingers around the thick base of his member as she
ran her tongue around the bulbous crown. Slowly she pushed down,
making her lips flow over the ridges and bumps of his engorged shaft,
taking it into her mouth as far as she could. Drawing back up, her
tongue flicking along his length, she then sank down again, sucking
him hard as Scott moaned his pleasure.
"I wanted to go down on you, first," he gasped, between long sucking
strokes. "Enough, my turn."
Gently pushing Talia back, he removed his throbbing member from her
mouth, watching as her soft lips came together to kiss the tip.
She tasted the salty fluid that leaked from his slit onto her lips, running
her tongue over them. That; his cum, was going to be inside her soon.
She shivered in anticipation.
Stepping out of his clothing gathered around his ankles, Scott pulled
down her panties, flinging them aside as he pushed her gently back on
the silky bedlinen. He kneeled between her knees, pushing them apart.
Kissing his way up her thighs, he placed her legs on his shoulders,
spreading her further. The soft lips of her pussy were already starting to
swell, the inside edges glistening.
Leaning forward, he breathed in her arousal, letting his tongue glide
over the folds. The next sweep pushed between them tasting her
wetness. Talia gasped as his tongue once again teased her entrance. He
pushed his tongue deeper, feeling her inner muscles pulse around him.
Talia groaned; her breathing rapid-fire. When his tongue flickered over
her clit she nearly exploded. She was so close already.
Scott felt her readiness ramp up as her arousal coated his tongue,
dripping from her opening. He brought his hand up to her pussy,
running two fingers through the wetness of her slit. Moving his tongue
in circles around her clit then sucking hard, he thrust inside her,
working his

fingers in and out.
Talia arched against his mouth, her pleasure button swollen and
elongated, pulsing against his tongue as she clamped around his
thrusting fingers.
The sensation grew, waves washing over her as her body collapsed
inwards in an orgasm that brought stars before her eyes. Her inner
muscles milked his fingers as the pulses continued to cascade over her.
Talia cried out her pleasure, gripping Scott's hair in tight fists.
He moaned against her throbbing nub, "I've got to take you."
"Make me yours, Scott," Talia begged.
"I want you against the wall, but I ' m not going to finish there," he
growled. Talia liked this wild, demanding, animal side to Scott's
nature. Her excitement built, flowing from between her thighs as her
pulse raced.
Removing shaking legs from his shoulders, Scott kissed his way up her
stomach. He licked and nibbled her erect nipples, tasting one and then
the other before moving up her neck. Talia sighed. He nipped her chin
and claimed her mouth in a long hard kiss. Their tongues collided. She
could taste herself there. She thrust into his mouth, wanting more.
Drawing Talia to him, Scott lifted her off the bed. He carried her to an
adjacent wall, pinning her against it with his bulk. Talia wrapped her
legs around his waist feeling his erect and rock hard shaft brush against
her sex. She desperately wanted to guide him in, to feel him sink his
unsheathed length into her.
Scott held her ass, squeezing and kneading its luscious firmness as he
kissed her hard against the wall, body pressed to every part of hers. His
fingertips brushed against her opening.
"You're so wet." Sinking his fingers into her, she moaned, grinding
against him.
"Fuck me, Scott. Please."
Scott growled in need. He lifted her slightly, positioning her dripping
wet opening over the head of his cock. It spread her lower lips apart,
stretching her open slowly with its girth. Keeping his hold on her ass
for guidance but releasing her weight, he let gravity take over and Talia
sank down over his cock. They groaned in unison as a shudder

went through her. He was inside her, nothing between them. Nothing to
stop him from claiming her.
She pushed up, feeling his cock slide almost all the way out before she
sank down again, clenching her legs around his waist, forcing his entire
length into her.
Scott pressed Talia into the wall, taking over the motion as he thrust
inside her in earnest. He could feel her internal walls starting to pulse
again, building towards another climax. He thrust again and again,
taking her hard.
She cried out, screaming for more.
Scott's balls tightened as Talia rode each thrust, pushing down,
ensuring he hit hard against her inner walls. He wasn't going to last
much longer like this and up against the wall was not where he wanted
to complete his claim on her.
On his next inward stroke he stilled, holding Talia tight on him, and
stepped away from the wall. Talia remained wrapped around his waist
and his cock as he walked her back across the room. She blinked at him
in surprise, her pussy throbbing and clutching at his length so deep
inside her.
"I want to claim you in our bed," he said, kissing her as he lowered her
onto the sheets. He was reluctant to pull out of her, but he wanted to
give Talia more. This was her night as much as his. "Turn over, on your
knees. I want you to come, again."
Talia rolled over onto her hands and knees and Scott pulled her back to
the edge of the bed. Reaching around, leaning over her back, Scott
began to massage her clit as she moaned and bucked against his hand.
He worked the little bud with his fingertips until he could feel the
trembling of her limbs as her orgasm built. The beast within him
rippled close to the surface, his need for her something primal.
Rubbing the tip of his cock along her opening as he continued his
circular motions on her clit, he pushed into her warm, wet channel
feeling its walls envelop him. He plunged into her depths hard, working
her clit faster. He pulled back and thrust again as he felt her crest,
muscles contracting, calling out his name.
He thrust hard and fast, fingers biting into her hips, continuing her

climax as long as he could. He was so close to exploding he pulled out
suddenly, resting his head on her back. His balls ached and his cock
throbbed, bobbing up and down.
Talia was gasping, limbs weak and quaking from the power of the
climax she had just experienced. She couldn't work out what was
happening. She felt empty.
"Roll over. I need to look in your eyes when I claim you." Scott's voice
was rough with desire and restraint.
Talia lay back and opened her legs for Scott, welcoming his thick
presence inside her body. She was ready to be claimed, ready to claim
him as her only love and mate.
He thrust home with a grunt of satisfaction as she wrapped her legs
around his waist and raised her hips to meet him. Their bodies slapped
together as they became one.
Scott leaned down kissing her, tasting her soft lips, her tongue. He
would never grow tired of savouring her essence. He would love her
forever.
He took one of Talia's hands from his back and guided it between their
bodies. Placing her fingers beneath his he rubbed her engorged clit in
small slow circles. "Keep going," he urged her.
Talia began to massage the bud, feeling the response of her body. She
gasped as she raced towards another orgasm. Scott pumped his cock
into her willing pussy as it clenched again around him. He pummelled
her hard as she arched her back screaming for more.
As she collapsed, shouting his name, muscles gripping tightly, milking
his length, he howled his own release deep inside her. His seed spilled
in great gushing spurts, filling her eager cavity.
Heat grew and spread from deep inside her until it encompassed them
both in light and warmth. Talia felt their spirits meld, becoming
inseparable. They were finally one.
Scott growled softly into her neck as the feeling of warmth slowly
dissipated. He rode out the last of her aftershocks, not wanting to leave
her body.
Talia sighed, kissing his cheeks, his forehead, his eyes and then his
mouth. She rocked gently beneath him, prolonging the experience.

"Claim me again," she whispered. Instantly, he was hard, growing
inside her tight pussy. Talia groaned in pleasure as he moved inside
her.
Scott looked down at the woman he claimed as his. The woman he
loved.
"Forever," he agreed. "I will claim you, forever."
THE END