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)
He looked at her, putting all the pleading he could in his eyes, begging her to understand and not to leave him.
“Oh my God—he’s biting you! Quick—do something!” the other female exclaimed, sounding upset.
“We muzzt get the knock—out gazz!” the insect said—its buzzing voice also sounded upset.
But thank goodness, his mate understood.
“Wait—he’s not hurting me,” she said quickly. “He’s not biting down—he just doesn’t want me to go.”
“Well from here it looks like he’s trying to bite your hand off!” the other woman still sounded worried.
“Not at all. He’s just afraid I’ll leave him.”
His mate stroked his ears with her other hand, the one he wasn’t holding captive, and looked into his eyes.
“Look, baby—I like you too. But I can’t stay here,” she said softly.
Brux whined sadly.
Don’t you understand? I can’t stay here either! I belong with you—take me with you!
His mate was still looking in his eyes and he could see the understanding in their warm, brown depths. She was so beautiful it made him ache to look at her—so curvy and full—figured with long hair done in many tiny braids and creamy brown skin—which he was being very, very careful not to hurt.
But would she understand his message? Would she leave him here…or take him with her?
Please…oh please, oh please, oh please! he thought, staring into her eyes. He wished for the first time in months that he was able to speak again—that he could take his other form. But he had been without a mate to tether his consciousness in his humanoid form for too long. It would take time to get back what he had lost.
“You two go on,” his mate said to the insect and the other woman. “I’m going to stay here.”
“Kiera, no! We can’t just leave you here with a wolf biting your arm!” her friend exclaimed.
“I told you, he’s not biting me—he’s just keeping me with him.” She stroked his ears again which felt wonderful—they were so sensitive, and her touch was kind and gentle. She looked up at the insect being. “Is he spoken for? Has anyone else come to adopt him?”
“Well, no. We are not even zzure what manner of creature he izz other than the fact that he izz a predator,” the insect said.
“Then I want him,” his mate said.
Brux’s heart leaped and he whined with excitement.
Yes, yes—take me with you! Let me go wherever you go—I don’t care where it is as long as you’re there!
“You…want him? Are you zzertain?” the insect asked.
Her friend was more practical.
“Kiera, are you serious? You want to bring home a horse—sized wolf with you? You don’t even know what he eats or what his real temperament is. What if he goes crazy and rips your throat out?”
“He would never,” was his mate’s confident reply. “I want him—he needs me.”
“Well…you have been approved by our committee to take care of any of our animalzz and you do have a nice large zzanctuary,” the insect buzzed. “I zzuppose he would have plenty of room to run and exerzize.”
“Good—then I want him,” his mate—whose name appeared to be “Kiera” said firmly.
“Well, I don’t see how you’re going to get him home if he won’t even let go of your arm,” her friend pointed out.
“Let me talk to him,” Kiera said. She stroked Brux’s fur and looked into his eyes. “Listen, boy, I know you want to come home with me and believe me—I want the same thing. But first I need to finish this tour of the ship and get some other animals I have to take back to my shuttle. Once I do that, I promise—I promise—I’ll come back for you. So can you let me go for now?”
Brux looked at her for a long moment. Her scent spoke of truth—she wasn’t lying or hiding anything. She really was going to come back for him. He could wait a little while for his mate to finish her errands—he knew she would bring him home with her.
Carefully, he opened his jaws and released his arm.
“Oh my God,” the friend said faintly. “How in the world…? Did he really understand you?”
“He seems to.” His mate smiled and ruffled his fur again before withdrawing her arms. “You stay right here,” she told him. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
Brux found it difficult to suppress the worried whine that rose in his throat when he saw her walking away with her friend and the insect. But he knew she’d been telling him the truth—she would come back for him and then they would be together forever.
5
KIERA
“I don’t get it—how did you get him to understand?” Iyanna was still looking at her like she’d grown a second head. “I mean, you never told me you were a damn wolf whisperer!”
“I’m not—I haven’t actually worked with wolves before—though we had some red wolves that are native to Florida in the Lowry Park Zoo,” Kiera said distractedly.