by Eliza Gayle
"Hey, big guy. Can you try and shift back for us? You're scaring everyone. Especially Marcy."
Niki was standing over him now also covered in blood. What the hell had happened?
"Marcy, you need to let him know you're not hurt. He's got to hear the actual words. It's the only way he'll feel it's safe to turn back."
Niki moved away and Marcy came back into his narrow field of vision. "Bhric, you've been shot. I need you to do that changey thing again so I can try and stop the bleeding."
"What about you? What happened?" His words were still garbled.
"I'm fine," she said. "I wasn't hurt. Now do what I ask or I'm going to have Niki kick your ass."
"Bossy," he choked. "You know I like it."
The pain of his bones transforming as the beast let go made him clamp his lips shut to hold back a moan.
"I need more towels," she yelled, pressing hard into his abdomen. "Can you turn to your side? I need to see if there's an exit wound."
With some effort he managed to move enough for her to get a good look. He didn't bother telling her that the pain from that felt like fire burning him from the inside out.
"It went clean through. Thank God."
When she got him returned to his back, he grasped her arm and stopped her movement. "Marcy, if you're not hurt, who's blood is all over you and why?"
She looked down, hesitating for a few seconds. "A lot of this is yours."
He smirked, knowing full well that was not all his. "Tell me what happened," he demanded.
"Look who's being bossy now."
When he didn't smile her shoulders sagged and her head dropped, probably to hide the tears he'd already caught shimmering in her eyes.
"Fine. No this is not all your blood. When you were about to rip that dude's throat out one of the other men raised his gun to shoot you. So I did the only thing I could think of and I grabbed the dead guy's rifle and shot the other one. I took a life. Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm supposed to help save people. Not kill them. I guess I could go to jail now."
"Not gonna happen. This is shifter business. No one else will ever know."
She frowned. "That doesn't make me feel any better. I'm not sure if I will ever sleep again without seeing all of this."
Bhric squeezed his eyes. He was all of this. He lived in this world and it wasn't easy all the time. There was violence. "I told you that you wouldn't like my secrets. Now whether you like them or not, you have them. I'm an unidentified beast who takes pleasure in a good kill."
He finally opened his eyes to find her staring at him with an expression he couldn't read. It unnerved him.
"Marcy?"
"Hmm?"
"Tag. You're it."
20
Marcy stood at the window overlooking her latest infant patient, his tiny body fighting to survive. She'd returned to her job two weeks ago. While it had been hard to leave Bhric, it had turned out she did need the space.
Once she and Simon got him stable, the events of the last few months crashed in on her. Her mind shut down and she couldn't stay and deal with the remaining chaos.
She also didn't take the promotion and move to Memphis. Instead, she'd turned in her resignation, which was the real reason she'd stayed away from Bhric this long.
She didn't believe in burning bridges. She never knew when she might need this hospital or her job as a nurse. Although she already had a new one waiting for her.
Simon had come to see her. He'd looked up her credentials and had been impressed with her interest in genetics research. He had a special project he thought she might be interested in. The details of the project had to wait until she'd taken the job, but he promised she wouldn't be disappointed.
She left the nursery area and headed back to the room that housed the lab. Since she mostly worked night shifts, she had access to this room without the interference of the staff.
She took a seat behind her preferred scope, glancing longingly at the half eaten piece of cake from her going away party that she did not need. Too bad. She lifted the fork and took another bite, savoring the thick, sweet icing she loved. Maybe a little sugar rush would get her through the last of her shift without shedding any more tears. Saying goodbye was so much harder than she expected.
She washed the cake down with a swig of strong, black coffee and looked at the results she'd been testing for the last two hours. Unbeknownst to Bhric, she'd taken some of his blood when he was at the hospital. Sienna had volunteered hers too, but it had not been that helpful.
No, her breakthrough didn't come from Sienna or her unborn baby. Instead it came from the mixture of her own blood and Bhric’s. This discovery had opened her mind to the power of this mating thing everyone kept talking about.
It wasn't just some fantasy, she could prove it had scientific evidence to back it up. And as soon as she returned to Deals Gap tomorrow morning she would get to share her findings with Simon.
"I hope whatever it is you're looking at, it's good stuff."
Marcy whirled in her chair and came face to face with Bhric. He stood leaning against the door jam of the lab looking as cool and intimidating as ever.
Gorgeous too.
He looked back to normal in faded jeans that hugged his muscular legs. The soft looking grey flannel shirt with a few buttons undone at the top makes her want to reach for him—to feel the warm heat of his skin under her fingertips. God, he made it impossible for her to think straight around him.
She was relieved to see he looked no worse for the wear after being shot too. It didn't matter that she checked up on him often or that Simon assured her shifters healed much quicker than humans. Until right this moment, laying eyes on him, she'd worried.
"What are you doing here?" she blurted. She had not told him she was returning to Deals Gap tomorrow. She hadn't been kidding that she needed that time apart to get right with everything she'd learned and everything she'd done. Shooting that man, even in defense of Bhric, had changed her.
Now, she was ready to look forward. Take a chance on a beast of a man who made her stomach flutter every time he walked in a room.
"Got tired of waiting, baby." He sauntered towards her, his hands shoved in his pockets the only sign he might be nervous too.
"I told you I need some time. I had to clear my head and they needed me back at the hospital."
"Any more headaches since you've been back?" He moved into her space and tucked his finger under her chin so that he could lift her face to his.
"A few. Nothing I couldn't handle. I think the worst of it might be over." Her heart beat faster with him being this close, reminding her how much she'd missed him. All day and night the longing ached inside her and she didn't think that had anything to do with chemistry.
"You think so?"
She nodded as his thumb caressed over her bottom lip, sending tingles shooting along her spine.
"I can't stop thinking about you," he admitted. "The horror of that last day is eating at me. It makes me sick you had to see me like that. That can't be your last memory of me. It just can't."
He leaned down and crashed his lips into hers. When her mouth parted on a moan, he took advantage and plunged inside. It happened so fast his tongue took over her whole world before she could think to do anything else.
Who was she kidding? She didn't want anything to stop. This was the stuff her dreams were made of. Dark, urgent kisses full of need and desire. Instead of stopping, her body went the opposite direction, aching for so much more.
When he shifted his stance, the bulge in his pants hit her in exactly the right spot. She moaned again, savoring his tongue and thinking only about how badly she wanted him inside her again.
Marcy bucked her hips adding more friction to their connection, which resulted in Bhric grabbing her ass hard and lifting her off the ground. To her shock and delight her first orgasm jumped up and slammed into her unexpectedly, sending her mind and body flying over the edge.
As she slowly came ba
ck down, she savored the fact that Bhric still kissed her. These were the slow drugging kind though and they were dragging her back under with a fierce desire for more.
Suddenly he pulled back, breaking the kiss. "We probably shouldn't do this here—again."
She pulled him back to her mouth and kissed him hard. "Don't you dare. I could care less if anyone walks in, even though they won't. What are they going to do, fire me?" she laughed, knowing she sounded almost drunk from her orgasm or maybe just the fact they were finally together again. "They can't because I already quit. Today is my last day."
He reared back, pain stamped across his face. "What? You quit?" He dropped his hands from her shoulders and took a step away from her. "You took the job in Memphis."
Her heart squeezed at the emotion in his statement. If ever there was a sign she'd made the right decision, it was right there standing in front of her with his heart on his sleeve.
She shook her head. "No, I didn't. I don't want to go to Memphis anymore."
His face darkened. "Then where are you going?"
She took a deep breath, knowing that her planning without him constituted a big risk. If he'd changed his mind or she'd been wrong about him..."
"I took a new job near Deals Gap."
His eyes narrowed. "There are no hospitals near Deals Gap. We're in the middle of nowhere by design."
She laughed. "You look so suspicious."
"Cautious. There's a difference."
That just made her giggle. "Okay. Okay. Simon offered me a research position in his clinic and I took it. Apparently, since that whole big blow out at Galen's house he's brought his research back to the clinic. Not that I totally get what was going on in the first place. He has a nice facility. So I'm really excited about helping him with the shifter fertility issues. I've even started doing some research on my own."
"You've been to Simon's clinic?"
She cringed. His question implied that she'd driven into their territory and purposely not gone to see him.
"I have. He's been helping me come to terms with what I did."
Bhric pressed into her body again until she was tight against the lab table behind her. "You only did what you had to. And you saved my life doing it. I'm sure that asshole wasn't aiming at my side."
She took a deep breath. "I know that. But I was still having nightmares. I needed to talk about it."
He started to pull away and she grabbed him by the shoulders to try and stop him. "Please don't. I didn't go to him to hurt you. I went to him so I could move past it and get back to you. And I couldn't exactly go to anyone here. How would I explain it? Besides, I was going to tell you tomorrow. When I arrived on your doorstep asking for a place to stay. Dark Moon is part boarding house right?"
He growled, pushing deeper against her. "You don't seriously think I would have shown you to a room that wasn't mine, did you?"
She smiled, a wave of relief washing over her. "I didn't want to assume."
"What about the beast? I scared you. The fear in your eyes almost killed me. I can't guarantee you'll never see him again. He's a necessary evil."
She touched his face. "Why do you call that part of you a beast?"
"Because when he has control he can be savage and ruthless. He's dangerous. Bloodthirsty."
"And you're not? I've seen you both ways, Bhric. I've seen what you're capable of. Not once did you try to hurt someone you loved. That day you were provoked and under the influence of a mating instinct. You would have done anything and everything to protect us. Especially me."
A low growl emanated from him as his muscles tensed against her.
"It's not that simple, Marcy. The beast can be cruel and crude. He savors violence."
She shrugged. "Don't try to scare me now. I've already witnessed it. Yes, your animal DNA is intense. But so is your love. That's right, you are a man who loves fiercely and without remorse. You are a man who will break all the rules to make others safe and protected." She leaned in closer so that her lips were almost touching his ear. "You are the man, the creature, the animal or hell, if you insist, the beast that I love."
He pulled back and caught her gaze, a slow grin spreading across his face. "You love me despite all the vio—"
"Stop. Don't even say it. Just listen okay? I know your head is thick, but I have faith in you." She bit at her lips to keep from laughing. "I never say anything I don't mean." She saw his eyes light up the moment he realized she'd used his own words against him. "Love doesn't come with conditions or qualifiers. We both had secrets, but no more. And now I love a beast. There, I said it. Now kiss me again before I go insane."
In a flash, his hands were in her hair and he pulled her in for a hard kiss. She opened to him, more than eager to feel his tongue sliding against hers.
Choosing to show him the depth of her feelings instead of any more talk she shifted her lips and slowly ground against him. His hands tightened on her skin and she inwardly smiled as she felt a familiar spell wrap around them.
BHRIC
Damn, she tasted so good he felt his control slipping once again. That seemed to be a habit whenever he got his hands and mouth on her.
He wanted to take his time and cherish this moment, but he'd been without her for too long. Plus, his brain didn't work so good with her grinding on him. The only thing that registered now was the fact that he needed to taste all of her this time.
He reached down and ripped at the little string that held her hospital scrubs around her waist, and plunged his fingers beneath her panties and into her channel.
Hot and so wet. Holy hell, his head was going to explode. Or maybe his dick. He'd thought it had been bad when he'd made her come earlier. That was nothing compared to this.
Marcy gripped his shoulders so tight her nails poked at his skin through his shirt, while her hips jerked against his hand.
"Oh God, Bhric. That feels so good."
"I had to feel you again, baby. You have no idea how much I've missed you." He also wanted to watch her come again. And again. And again. There would never be enough, of that he was certain.
He jerked free and pulled away from her, leaving her gasping on the edge of the table.
"What are you doing?"
"Locking the door. You might not care if someone walks in, but I don't want that shit in the back of my mind this time."
At the door, he checked the locks and the blinds. When he turned around she still stood exactly as he'd left her. "Strip for me baby."
He watched her comply with relish. First the shapeless scrub shirt and white lacy bra were removed to reveal fantastic tits he wanted to bury his face in. Then she stepped out of the rest and stood naked and trembling in front of him.
"Why are you shaking?" he asked. She had the most amazing body and he couldn't wait to devour it.
"I don't know. Nervous I guess."
Bhric tugged at the fastening of his jeans and unzipped them to free himself. He then pulled out his cock and stroked it from bottom to tip. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. He liked that look on her.
"You have nothing to be nervous about. I would never hurt you."
"I know," she gasped, her chest heaving.
Apparently she enjoyed him touching himself. It certainly felt good after the torturous wait he'd put his body through, but this was nothing compared to what she would feel like wrapped around him.
Hot and wet.
Hell, as much as he loved this game, he had no control left for it. For two weeks he'd thought of little else other than the flushed beauty of her aroused skin, or the scent of desire that had flowed from her. Giving her space and not seeing her that entire time had driven him insane.
Today he'd reached his breaking point. The constant need to mate with her had grown since—he thought about everything. The first night they'd met, the weeks he'd watched her, the weeks since then. And his thoughts always came back to one night in particular.
That night in the hospital when she'd turned to h
im in a very dark hour. The love and sacrifice she gave to her patients floored him. That was the night he'd fallen in love with her.
She'd made him really understand what it meant to be selfless. She thought he was some kind of hero, but she was the real hero in this scenario. She'd proven that yet again by taking a job with Simon because she wanted to help shifters solve one of their longest running issues.
They weren't apart anymore and this had to happen right now. In two quick strides he had Marcy in his arms. He grabbed one thigh and wrapped it around his waist and the other he spread with his hips. Unable to bear the separation a second longer, he pushed his more than ready cock inside her.
Her eyes opened wide, the tiny flecks of gold amidst the brown coming alive. She was alive. In this moment, they both were.
"Oh yes, Bhric." She clawed at his shoulders. "You can't imagine how much I have missed you."
"Wanna bet?" Those were the only two words he could get out before his ability to talk ceased. He had his mate in his arms, surrounding him and that meant only one thing. He had to bite her.
He buried his face in her throat where he scraped his teeth across her vulnerable skin. That earned him a squeeze from her internal muscles that nearly made him blind.
The scorching heat that gripped him was like nothing he'd experienced before her. No wonder he'd obsessed about her after that first night. She was that damned good.
Bhric lifted his hips and powered into her, working a fast, hard rhythm that pretty much guaranteed he wouldn't last. But he couldn't stop. His body had a mind of his own as he continued to lick and nip at the skin of her throat.
"Do it," she said. "I need it too."
He reared back to meet her gaze, his head full of questions.
"If you stop now, I will for certain murder you in your sleep," she threatened.
He forced himself to move albeit slowly, unwilling to do anything that would limit her happiness.
"I want to bite you," he growled the words, unable to hide the rough and desperate tones of his voice. "I have to mark you. It's a mate thing for me. But it's permanent. You won't be able to change your mind about me."