Gerri had told him not to worry. She would find his mate for him. He had always known that if anyone could find his female, it would be Gerri. Her talents were off the chart when it came to all things in the dating world.
Marc hopped from his truck, closing in on the location Gerri had given him. His animal pressed against him, knowing what the score was. He wanted to be free to search for his mate. Marc undressed, crammed his clothes into a backpack, and then sucked in a deep breath to surrender control to his animal.
He felt each bone crack and break to reform his shape. His face elongated, and fangs pushed through his gums. He welcomed the brief pain of the shift, knowing that he would soon feel the power of his other half coursing through him.
Once his shift was complete, he chuffed and scratched at the grass beneath his paw.
Finally!his tiger said.
“Go. Find her!”
His beast didn’t waste a second. After snatching his pack in his jaws, his paws raced across the green grass, running fast and hard until his muscles burned from the exertion. His speed was dizzying as he traversed the hills around the lake, searching for his mate. Once he caught her scent, he sped off in her direction, still unsure as to how he wanted to approach her.
Instead of charging in and scaring her, Marc slowed his pace, wanting to get a glimpse of the woman Gerri assumed to be his mate. He crouched, hiding behind a patch of brush and trees, hoping to remain unseen for the time being. The fact that she was in her human form was probably the only reason she couldn’t scent him yet.
The sun peeked through the clouds, highlighting the red streaks in her otherwise dark wavy hair. The crimson highlights looked like flames swirling in the light breeze. Her upturned face sought out the lone ray of sun that had pushed through the darkened sky. A small smile spread across her face.
“Beautiful,”he said to his beast.
Mine!his beast replied.
He knew the single word to be true the second it passed through his mind. Gerri had been correct. The beauty was, indeed, his mate.
Her stunning golden eyes caught his attention when her head whipped in his direction. Had he not been crouched already, the full range of her beauty might have very well knocked him to his knees. She was unlike any creature he had ever seen. Her beauty … unmatched by anyone to have walked the earth before her. With long hair flowing nearly to her curvy waist, and legs that seemed to go on forever, Marc wanted to worship the ground she walked on.
When she turned and he got a full-on view of that perfect ass … he swore his heart stopped beating. It took every ounce of willpower in his body to keep from charging and pouncing on her. He wanted to feel every one of those luscious curves of hers under him as he pounded into her and made her moan his name.
He watched her every move as she spun on her heel and headed back to her truck. Lifting the truck’s bed cover, she pulled out a long rectangular case. She stepped back to survey the area before opening the case and pulling out what looked like a tent.
He was not only surprised but also quite impressed when it came to her efficiency at her task. She worked quickly to set up her little campsite and build a fire. Once she was done putting everything out, she grabbed two chairs from the bed of her truck and set them in front of the fire. She grabbed a beer from the cooler and kicked back in the lounge chair.
“Are you going to keep hiding behind those bushes all day, or are you going to join me?” Her angelic voice carried on the wind to his ears, sending a shock through his system.
Without making the decision to go to her, his feet moved of their own volition.
THREE
ALLIE
Allie took a few sips of her beer, waiting for the voyeur to make his way across the hillside. In his animal form, he was magnificent … one of the largest males of her species she had seen in a long time. He wasn’t someone she knew. She was positive about that. She would have easily remembered a male his size.
And those markings of his … well, they were something else altogether. Deep, dark orange with jet-black stripes that were perfectly symmetrical covered his body. His striking green eyes captured and held her attention far longer than they should have.
If he looked this damn good in animal form, she couldn’t wait to see what he looked like in his human form. She shivered at the thought.
“So you’re the one who’s been watching me?” Allie asked as the tiger sauntered closer to her. He was easily twice her size. Maybe she should have been worried about the stranger being so near to her, but she wasn’t. There was no menace coming from him, and she knew why. It had taken her a hot minute to realize whatitwas.
Mine!her beast shouted in her mind.
“Mmm-hmm.” Allie chewed on her bottom lip, watching very closely as he began his shift from animal to human. The tiny hairs on her arms stood on end as she felt his magic swirling around them.
“Holy shit!”she said to her tiger, sucking in a deep breath. He was easily every inch of six and a half feet with thighs the size of damn tree trunks. Her eyes nearly got stuck on the junk hanging between his legs. Being naked after shifting had its advantages.
She had to tear her glance away and move farther up his body.
Each muscle seemed to flex at the same time as he closed the last bit of distance between them. His close-cropped dark hair framed his chiseled face. His lips were full and puffy and made for kissing. And that sexy grin of his. Fuck! Her panties would have slid right off her body if she hadn't been sitting.
“I thought I’d been stealthier than that.” He glanced away and down at the ground, having the good graces to at least seem embarrassed about his stalkerish behavior.