Chapter 17: Hunter

Lottie isn't here. Her sweet scent of gardenia and panic linger, but I don't see her. I follow her scent as it crosses the street to the parking lot and continues. I finally spot Lottie halfway across the small park, heading toward the street that will lead her back to the cabin.

Picking up my pace, I jog until I catch up with her. She's moving fast but not fast enough to escape me.

"Where are you going?"

Lottie jumps at the sound of my voice and halts, not noticing I had approached her.

"Oh. Hunter. Hi. Sorry, I just . . . don't feel well. Thought I would walk it off and head back to the cabin."

I know she's lying. Firstly, because of her scent—it spikes when she lies. Secondly, I know it has to do with hearing her song at karaoke. But I can't tell her that; she doesn't know that I know. Probably doesn't know Ginger knows either. And it seems she would like to remain as anonymous as possible while here. So, I don't try to argue with her excuse.

She starts walking again and I easily keep pace.

"I'll walk you. It's dark out, and you shouldn't be out here alone."

"I thought Snowberry was a safe place?"

I smother a smile at her ferocity. She is a feisty one.

"It is. But it would make me feel better to walk you. It would ease my mind knowing you made it home safe."

She doesn't stop but slows to a normal pace. Her eyes stray to me, and I can see her processing my request. We cross the street, and I don't allow her to get ahead of me.

"I guess that's okay," she finally relents when she realizes I'm not going anywhere but with her.

"Good. I would hate to have not walked you home and found out you got lost in the woods trying to find your way back."

A small smile cracks her worried expression, and she seems to loosen a bit. Her scent shifts back to the gardenia clove I love so much. I take a deep inhale, and the scent calms the beast inside, who is raging to protect Lottie and destroy whatever made her so afraid.

When Lottie doesn't offer any other conversation, I take the hint and walk beside her in comfortable silence. Just being near her and knowing I'm protecting her soothes my soul.

The night has fully set in now, and the sky is a dark, inky color. Stars sparkle overhead, and the waning moon casts a silver light over the dark street.

There are streetlamps in town and some in front of homes, but the rural side streets don't have any manmade lights to illuminate the night. My shifter-enhanced vision is more than enough for me to see every crack and dip in the road. Lottie seems to be having more trouble traversing the uneven pavement and lack of sidewalk. A few times, I reach out to steady her elbow, and the one time I make contact is the most pleasurable moment of the evening.

When we reach the intersection of the road that branches off and leads to my property and the cabin, we have to cross the street. Lottie follows behind me, but the moment the asphalt ends and the dirt and gravel road begins, Lottie trips.

She shrieks and falls onto her hands and knees, cursing under her breath.

"Are you okay?" Reaching down, I try to help her up, avoiding touching as much skin as possible. It's difficult, considering how little her dress really covers.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay. Just tripped in a hole I didn't see."

She stands and tries to put weight on her legs, but one practically buckles under her.

"Ouch, shit."

"What?" I ask, panicked that something is broken.

"I think I twisted my ankle."

My eyesight is enhanced, but I'm no doctor, and I can't tell if there's something wrong with her ankle just by looking.

Lottie tries to walk on it, and again, she crumples, hopping on her opposite foot and reaching out to steady herself against my side.

It's torture to feel such pleasure touching her and guilt for her pain.

"Great. This was such a good day, too. What a crap way to end it. Maybe I could . . ." she trails off, trying to position herself against me so she can hop on one foot.

That is not acceptable.

Crouching down, I scoop Lottie into my arms, cradling her against my chest. The feeling of holding her so close and touching so much of her skin sets my entire body on fire. I make sure to hold her high enough that she won't press against my groin and feel the massive hard-on now testing the limits of my jeans' durability. The material presses hard against my knot, which is already swollen and ready for a good rut.

I smother a curse at the torturous sensations flooding my body.

"You don't have to carry me; I'm sure I could manage to make it back to the cabin. If you just give me an arm to lean on, I'll be fine."

I grunt disapprovingly.

"Not a chance, Lottie. I'm carrying you, and that's final."

My fingers tighten on Lottie's side and thigh where I hold her, allowing for no argument. She doesn't fight. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she draws her chest closer to mine and presses her beautiful breasts into me. I can feel her warmth where we connect; a growling purr emanates from my chest.

"Did you just growl?" Lottie chuckles close to my ear.

"No," I lie because I can't very well admit to my beast liking her close proximity and that the growl was a purr of contentment.

Lottie giggles again, getting comfortable in my hold and settling in my arms like she belongs there.

She does , my inner beast agrees.

Lottie's fingers roam the breadth of my shoulders, tentatively at first but more boldly when I don't stop her. The soft touches both heaven and hell in my current predicament.

"I bet carrying me doesn't even phase you, does it?"

"Not really."

"I haven't seen a gym in town. How do you stay in shape?" she asks, her fingers circling the collar of my shirt, momentarily grazing across the bare skin beneath. My cock pulses in time to her touches, and the light of the waning moon isn't helping the situation.

"I have a home gym, and I like running in the woods around my house."

"I like running. It was the only part of my workout regimen I didn't mind doing. Always felt so freeing." Lottie looks up at me, and I catch her gaze out of the corner of my eye. Her lips are parted, and her tongue pokes out to lick them. "Perhaps we could go running together sometime."

My feet falter under me, and I almost trip and fall on nothing. Running and chasing a female is a primal desire all male shifters possess. Female shifters love to tease and cause chase. To hear Lottie offer to run with me has my inner beast perking up in interest, flashing images of Lottie running through the moonlit trees, stripping her clothing, and laughing with unbridled joy. Of me catching her and pinning her to the moss-covered ground, licking her from nipple to pussy, and making her scream in pleasure before flipping her over and plunging my knot deep inside her.

Fucking hell, this night is going to kill me.

"You okay?" Lottie's concern washes the sharpest of the desires from my mind, but most remain to taunt me as I continue walking. Trying to right myself.

"Yeah, fine, just caught my foot on a root."

I decide I should probably pick up my pace. Every moment she spends in my arms is one more moment for me to fantasize about all that I want to do to her.

We make it back to the cabin, and while still in my arms, Lottie unlocks the door, and I walk us into the cabin. She left a light on in the living room so I can see easily while sitting her down gently on the couch.

"Let's take a look at that ankle." Reaching up, I switch on another light next to the couch and kneel down in front of her.

Her ankle does look swollen but isn't red or purple, so it's nothing major. Still, my instinct demands that I make this better. That I relieve her pain. Removing her shoe and sock as gently as possible, I rest her bare foot on the floor.

"Don't move. There's a first aid kit in the bathroom. I'm sure I have some salve or something we can put on it and then wrap it."

I don't wait for her to agree before I stand and make my way to the cabinet under the bathroom sink and find the first aid kit. I intend to wrap her ankle but plan on using the small bag of fairy dust in my pocket and not some human salve. I can't risk her not healing properly. I'll just have to put my sleight of hand to the test when applying it.

Readying my dust hidden in the palm of my hand and the prop salve, I return to the couch and find Lottie sitting right where I left her.

Kneeling down in front of her once again, I gently lift her injured leg with my free hand. She winces at the movement.

"Sorry," I mutter, hating that she's in pain. That won't be the case for long.

I infuse the fairy dust with my intentions—healing her twisted ankle and removing any swelling—and cup my hand gently around the tender flesh. I take a small dab of the ointment and press it and the dust into her skin, holding it there, waiting for the magic to take hold. When I'm satisfied it has, I quickly wrap the ankle in the athletic bandage I also took from the first aid kit.

The wrap is more to conceal her rapid healing than assist in healing, as she might suspect.

"There. You'll be good as new in the morning. It wasn't even that bad."

Lottie looks down at her ankle regarding the wrap. She shifts it slightly from side to side testing it.

"You're right. It's already feeling better. Thank you."

Her ocean eyes catch on mine, and the desire that I had momentarily forgotten due to tending to her injury returns in full force. I hold perfectly still, fearing moving might cause me to do something I shouldn't. Like, kiss her.

In my current position, kissing her would be easy; she would only need to lean forward a short distance.

"You're welcome." The words come out rugged and hoarse, intense craving thickening my throat.

Lottie scoots to the edge of the couch, and I don't dare move as her face comes way too close to mine. Her unique scent spikes with a surge of heady lust. The hairs on my arms stand on end with her near proximity and that scent. My fingers itch to reach out and claim her.

I dredge up every ounce of self-control I still possess and remain still waiting to see what she does next.

Her eyes fall to my mouth, and I suck in a breath. When my lips part, hers do as well. Her chest rises and falls with her labored breathing.

In a move I wasn't expecting Lottie leans in and places a soft kiss on my cheek. My eyes shut as I experience the purest ecstasy I've ever felt, my body melting and hardening all at once.

I reach up and grip the couch cushions on either side of Lottie, trapping her in the bracket of my arms. My claws are no doubt poking holes in the material.

I couldn't care less about the state of my couch cushions because Lottie didn't pull away after she kissed my cheek. She remains with her cheek almost against mine; all I'd need to do is turn my head for our lips to touch.

Once the thought enters my mind, I can't stop it. My head begins to turn, seeking out her lips, and my brain nearly short-circuits when I feel her lips, soft and willing, make contact with my own. Just a soft brush that quickly becomes more.

Lottie leans into the kiss, pressing firmer against me. My mind blanks, and nothing else exists except for her and this kiss. Her hands grip my shoulders, pulling me closer, and I don't fight it. My inner beast purrs in approval at the turn of events.

I press closer to Lottie, deepening the kiss. Discovering what she likes and giving it to her. When I tilt my head, seeking more, she allows it. When I trace my tongue over her bottom lip, she parts them for me. Allowing me to slip my tongue inside and get my first real taste of her.

I groan at the contact as our tongues press for dominance. I can't stop my body from pressing closer to hers, spreading her knees and closing the distance between us. My hands find their way from the cushion to her hips, gripping tight and pulling her to me. The heat of her core radiates against my lower abdomen, and I groan again.

Lottie lets out a breathy whimper that nearly breaks my fragile control. It does, however, bring me back to my senses. Breaking off our kiss, I breathe heavily, pressing my forehead to hers, inhaling her air, and trying to calm the need to claim and rut her right here and now.

I can't do that. She doesn't know what I am, and what I would do to her would frighten her. Not to mention, human males don't have knots.

She needs to know what I am before I can take this any further. But of course, I can't tell her that either. Not until I know if this pull I feel towards her is real. If it's even possible for a human to be a mate to a shifter. At this point, I don't even fucking care anymore. I consider telling her exactly what I am—risks be damned—before I return to my senses.

Not like this. I can't tell her like this. I have to figure a few things out before I can even consider telling her anything.

"I can't," I manage to get out between breaths.

Lottie flinches, and I hold her tighter before she can pull away. She manages to lean back enough to look me in the eye.

"Not that I don't want to," I clarify before she can jump to any conclusions. "I just can't right now. Not tonight. There are things . . . it's complicated."

Lottie nods, her eyes softening, and the slight frown on her kiss-swollen lips eases.

"I understand complicated."

For a long minute, we remain like this: holding on to one another, not willing to let go just yet. But I have to; if I don't, I never will.

Disconnecting from her, I reluctantly pull farther back and slowly stand. I don't want to leave her; my inner beast certainly doesn't want to leave her.

I take another step away, and my beast threatens to take control and claim his female, the one he believes to be his mate. Fuck I really want to let him. Because he's me, and I'm him. I want to claim her; I want to call her mine and see my mark on her flesh and feel her presence in my soul.

Not yet. Just a little longer, and I'll get answers from Fynn, and then I can make a decision. Just wait a little longer, Nightingale. I'll make you mine; I know I will.

"I should go. I'll check on you tomorrow to make sure that ankle is healing."

I don't wait for a response. If I do, I may never leave, but I do hear her soft, lilting voice as I leave.

"Goodnight, Hunter."

My resolve almost cracks, but I manage to make it outside and into the tree line before I allow the shift to take over.