Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
She lay still in the darkness, her heart gradually beginning to slow as the heat from her strange dream started to ebb. She was trying to sleep but the dream wouldn’t leave her.
But that’s all it was–just a dream, she told herself firmly. A crazy, too—vivid dream brought on by having a huge, warm, furry body pressed up against her in bed. That was all–nothing more.
Still, she couldn’t deny that it had felt astonishingly real.
She could still feel the phantom brush of furred arms around her…could still remember the deep, rumbling voice whispering in her ear and the hot, rough tongue licking at her throat. She was still tingling all over—especially between her legs—and that was more than a little embarrassing.
Buck shifted behind her and let out a soft, sleepy whuff. One big paw was still resting possessively on her hip, and she had a sudden, absurd thought that if she turned over, she would find not a wolf at all but a huge, furry man with golden eyes and a wicked mouth.
Get a grip, girl, she scolded herself silently. You’re losing it, Kiera.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. Buck was just a wolf. A very large, very smart, very strange alien wolf, perhaps, but still just an animal. He was warm and comforting and he smelled ridiculously good, but that didn’t mean she ought to be having erotic dreams about furry men in the middle of the night.
She sighed and let herself sink back into the soft support of the living mattress. At last, she finally drifted off again…
And that was when a loud pounding shook the front door of her home-dome.
13
KIERA
WHAM—WHAM—WHAM!!!
Kiera jerked awake so hard her whole body jumped.
Beside her, Buck was up and on his feet at once, a low growl rumbling from his deep chest.
“Oh my God,” she gasped, sitting bolt upright. “Who the hell could that be?”
WHAM—WHAM—WHAM!!!
The pounding came again—loud, angry, and insistent. It echoed through the rounded walls of the dome and made her heart leap into her throat.
For one awful second, she thought something had gone wrong with one of the enclosures—one of the predators had gotten out somehow or one of the work—bots had malfunctioned and had gone berserk.
But then the pounding came a third time–WHAM—WHAM—WHAM!!! accompanied by a muffled curse from outside.
Kiera frowned. That voice was human—or at least humanoid.
Buck’s growl deepened. The thick fur along his shoulders was standing up and in the dim light from the hallway glows, Kiera could see his lips peeling back from long, sharp, white teeth.
“Easy, boy,” she whispered automatically, though her own pulse was racing now. “Take it easy.”
WHAM—WHAM—WHAM!!!
The pounding came again.
Kiera frowned.
“All right, that’s enough of that,” she muttered.
Pushing the coverlet aside, she slid out of bed, shivering a little as the cooler air of the room hit her bare legs. She was still wearing her oversized t—shirt, and she was glad she hadn’t decided to sleep nude.
Buck jumped off the bed at once, pacing close beside her as she hurried barefoot down the curving hallway toward the front of the dome. The big wolf’s body was tense and alert, every line of him saying danger!
Honestly, Kiera felt it too. No one should be knocking at her door in the middle of the night. What the hell was happening? If there had been an accident or problem with someone she loved back on Earth, Commander Rarev or Iyanna would have bespoken her with a Think-Me. They wouldn’t come pounding on her door at three o’clock in the morning or whatever ungodly hour it was.
She reached the front door and paused in front of the silver panel, keeping well back from it. The Monstrum security doors were strong—strong enough to withstand a battering from most of the creatures in the sanctuary if one somehow got loose.
Still, her skin prickled uneasily as what sounded like a heavy fist slammed against it.
“Who’s there?” she called, her voice coming out angry because being scared did that to her.
“’S me—Higgs!” a deep masculine voice snarled, words slurring.
Kiera’s stomach dropped. Of course it was Higgs. Who else would come pounding on her door in the middle of the night like some kind of drunken lunatic?
Buck’s growl turned into a deeper, more dangerous rumble. He pressed close to her leg, near enough that she could feel the heat rolling off his massive body.
The sound of his growl was oddly comforting.
If he tries to hurt you, I’ll fuck him up! it said.
Which was exactly the kind of backup Kiera needed.
“What do you want? It’s the middle of the night!” she exclaimed, still shouting through the door.
“Wanna come in. You never gave me a chance. You an’ me, we’re the only ones around on this gods—forsaken moon–we oughta be together! Lemme in and I’ll show you how a real man treats a lady!” Higgs slurs.