Chapter 4
Murphy’s bear was riding him hard as he raced after Nessa and into the night, her scent so intoxicating he felt drunk off of her nearness. On unsteady legs, he sprinted down his gravel driveway, the world around him a dark blur. His only focus— her.
His mate’s long, teal dyed hair stood out like a beacon in the darkness, beckoning him forward as she raced away.
His mind was hazy, his focus only on the instinct demanding that he hunt her down.
Nothing mattered but reaching her. He needed to catch her, pin her beneath him, and make her his.
His gums ached at the thought, his canines pulsing as they lengthened into the perfect size to bite down into the skin of her slim neck.
He could practically feel that supple flesh parting for him, could almost hear her breathy whimper for more as he finally claimed what was his.
And she was his.
Whatever reservations he’d possessed about keeping his distance were now gone, forced back by the rampant need coursing through his veins. His bear roared triumphantly within his mind, the sound faint through the dense fog clouding his thoughts.
Just one bite and she’d never run away again. One bite and the war within him would be over. His bear would be sated and she’d be his—
Nessa reached her car door right as Murphy caught up to her.
His hands slammed down on the car, bracing on either side of her head, practically denting the metal.
He caged her between him and the vehicle, her back pressed to his front.
She cried out in alarm as his body blanketed hers, and the sound pierced through the haze in his mind, snapping him back to reality.
Fuck! What the hell am I doing?
The small human trembled against him, the sweet scent of berries and vanilla almost completely overshadowed by the raw stench of fear that now permeated the air.
Murphy inhaled swiftly. He felt like he’d just been sucker punched.
He’d done this. He’d terrified his mate after just a few seconds in her presence. Of course, he had. She was human, and her last encounter with a shifter had resulted in her nearly being killed. She was scared. Traumatized. Unused to his world. She didn’t realize Murphy wouldn’t hurt her.
She didn’t know that she was his mate.
He’d been so lost in his own head, in his bear’s needs, that he’d hunted after her like a goddamned animal. His bear growled at him in warning, reminding him that he was an animal, demanding that he take action. That he claim her, here and now.
Saliva pooled in Murphy’s mouth, his eyes tracking over the back of Nessa’s head and down to where her neck was concealed just beyond her heavy curtain of hair. He leaned in, his nose brushing against the thick, silky strands. Inhaling her decadent scent.
Mark her. Bind her to us, his bear commanded.
A carnal hunger clawed at his insides, and his lips curled back into a silent snarl, revealing his elongated fangs. Fangs that he’d soon sink into her sweet, soft flesh—
“M-Murphy,” Nessa whispered, her light, delicate voice trembling with fear.
He stilled. The sound of his name on her lips felt like a bucket of ice water being dunked over his head.
Murphy didn’t want this. He didn’t want a mate. And clearly, Nessa wasn’t interested in this, either. What was she even doing here?
“Murphy, are you okay?” Nessa asked hesitantly, risking a quick look over her shoulder at him. Her chocolate-brown eyes widened, and she looked away, swallowing thickly.
What had she seen just now? A male on the cusp of losing the battle against his beast, or a monster she believed would hurt her?
Shuddering, Murphy took a deep breath as he tried to wrestle control back from his bear. It was difficult. The warmth of her smaller body against his was so enticing that he couldn’t pull away from her, even if he wanted to. And he didn’t want to. Not at all.
When was the last time he’d felt so warm? So at home? That he’d felt anything other than irrationally angry?
Nessa shuffled to the right, the movement barely perceptible, but he noticed it all the same. She was trying to escape him, though she had nowhere to go. His arms held her in close. So close … His bear roared in despair, clawing to break free.
“Don’t move,” Murphy snapped through gritted teeth, dropping his head onto the back of her shoulder as he tried to calm himself down.
He inhaled roughly, fingers biting into the car door as her scent washed over him again, some of her fear dissipating the longer they remained just like this.
Having her this close was torture, but he was afraid that letting her go would send him and his bear into a tailspin.
Vaguely, he heard a scrape of metal, followed by her swift inhale. “Y-You’re denting my car door.”
“I’ll pay to have it fixed,” he answered gruffly, growling low in his throat when she began turning around. “Don’t—”
Nessa ignored him, moving until her front was pressed against his, her soft curves molding against the hard, muscled planes of his own body. She fit perfectly against him, and he couldn’t help but think how she’d feel beneath him.
Lust-filled images Murphy had tried to suppress for weeks came rushing to the surface with a vengeance, and his dick hardened to steel, threatening to burst past the zipper of his slacks.
He kept his head bent, his face now buried in Nessa’s neck as he tried and failed to ignore the desire swirling inside him.
The heavy beat of her pulse called to him, its allure too tempting to resist. His mouth slid over her smooth, tanned skin, and for the first time in weeks, his bear quieted on its own accord.
Murphy curled himself around her slight frame, his hands dropping from the car to around her waist, dragging her more firmly against him.
Her pulse spiked, and she gasped, though he didn’t smell fear.
Instead, her scent deepened, sweetened into a tempting aroma that had precum dripping from his tip.
He needed to taste her, to devour—
Small hands cupped each side of Murphy’s face, pulling him away from that tantalizing neck and preventing him from swiping his tongue over her pulse point. A low, dull rumble of protest began in his chest, though he allowed Nessa to lift his head back enough until their eyes met.
Almond-shaped with long lashes, Nessa’s eyes were such a dark shade of brown they were impossible to look away from.
“Did you just growl at me?” she asked in bewilderment.
Yes.
Murphy cleared his throat, hoping the distraction would help clear his head. “What are you doing here, Nessa?” he countered.
How did she even get here? She’d never been to his home, so not only had someone allowed her onto clan territory, they must have escorted her to him.
Reluctantly, Murphy stood to his full height, craning his head to the left and right as he searched for the one responsible.
No other vehicles aside from her SUV were parked nearby, though.
Nessa dropped her soft, warm hands from his face. The loss was so sudden, his bear shoved its way to the forefront again, snarling in fury as it swiped its claws at Murphy.
Pain sliced through his head once more, and he winced.
Agitation quickly replaced the pain, and he glared down at the pretty little human he’d spent the better part of two months avoiding. “You shouldn’t be here.” His voice cracked through the air like a whip, harsher than he intended. But the firm tone was very necessary.
All of his hard work, his determination to forget that he’d found his mate, his attempts to forget about her … it had all been squandered in a handful of minutes. The first moment he’d seen her, nothing else had mattered.
Son of a bitch.
“I—” Nessa’s words died in her throat, her eyes widening as she stared up at him in confusion. Despite his resolve to forget all about her, his gaze tracked over her, committing every detail to memory.
Her heart-shaped face was smooth, her small, upturned nose contrasting nicely with her full, wide lips; lips the color of muted coral that had his cock pulsing painfully in his slacks.
Her brows were slightly arched and a deep shade of black, making him wonder just how dark her hair was when it wasn’t dyed an outrageous shade of bluish-green.
Would it be solid black, or would there be hints of dark brown enhancing the shade of her skin?
Murphy snagged a lock of her hair between his thumb and index finger, rubbing the thick, silken strands before he could resist the temptation to keep his hands to himself.
“Tank and Hunny came to see me,” Nessa began again, the tip of her pink tongue darting out as she licked her lower lip. “They’re worried about you.”
Murphy’s brows snapped down into a scowl. He should have known it was Hunny who’d led Nessa here. Clearly, she and his brother had been making the rounds, freaking everyone out over his ‘off’ behavior.
But to go to the one female he wanted to avoid and tell her he was struggling?
That was too much. He’d be having a talk with his sister-in-law as soon as possible. Hell, he’d tell his whole damned family to leave him alone.
“I’m fine,” he stated, his words clipped.
Some of the fire returned to Nessa’s eyes at his tone, reminding him of the first time they’d met, and his gut clenched in anticipation.
He hated to admit that he enjoyed her biting comments and her sass.
It had been oddly titillating when she came back at him, and so different from the reverence he’d come to expect from everyone but his younger brothers over the years.
“Yeah, well, I heard you were sick, so …”
“Sick?” What the hell was that supposed to mean? First, his dad told him he was ‘off’ and now she thought he was ill? “I’m not sick.”
“Uh huh.” Nessa smacked her palm aggressively onto his forehead, holding it there. His head snapped back from the force, and his eyes narrowed dangerously as she studied him clinically. “You’re really hot.”
He blinked down at her, surprised by the compliment. “Thank you?”