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  “And what about protecting her against yourself? I have seen the way you looked at her when I examined her progress, and there is a fine line of self-control there.”

  “I can control myself.” He looked offended.

  Lee was watching their interchange with amusement.

  “I know you can control yourself, but can you control her when the heat grows to its peak? She is strong, she is tall and she knows how to knock a man on his ass. Who says she won’t take what she needs while she has you down there?”

  Ozwin crossed his arms over his chest and gave Lee a narrow-eyed gaze that took in her tight dress and every curve under it. “I think I will manage.”

  Dr. Nalura let out a deep sigh. “Yes, Alpha. Well, she has a clean bill of health, and she can go where she wills.”

  “She will go where I will, and for now, I wish her to remain with me.”

  “I will go where I will, and for now, I wish to get some footwear.” Her hackles were up again as they always seemed to be when he gave her an order.

  Lee fought with the idea of having hackles and her changing physiology, but on top of everything that she had been through since joining the Terran Volunteers, it seemed another piece of weirdness that she had to absorb into her life.

  She had always been able to boss folks around at any job she was at. They looked to her for guidance like sheep to a shepherd. That ability to control crowds had extended to her when she was in the waiting room of the Volunteer Centre, where a riot had broken out and folks had tried to push their way into the facility in an effort to be chosen. Lee had stood up, controlled the situation and earned her way into the Alliance with a few quiet sentences.

  Being told what to do had always brought her ire up, and now that she was a Keymin, it was no exception.

  Ozwin grinned every time she snapped at him, and that irritated her even more, which filled his eyes with delight.

  When he didn’t speak, she asked the doctor, “Where can I find a pair of shoes that fit?”

  Nalura grinned and she winked. “Out the doors, turn left, four doors down on the right. Haz will fit you with a pair of boots that should fit.”

  Lee was on her feet and out the door in seconds. Her dress fluttered around her legs as she sprinted out of the medical centre and down the street following the doctor’s directions.

  She skidded into the shop and braced herself in the doorway. The dark-eyed male working on a pair of boots looked up in shock. “Hello? Can I help you?”

  Lee looked at the breadth of his shoulders, the long cascade of his hair and the dreamy dark eyes that were staring at her in shock. “Are you Haz?”

  He swallowed nervously. “I am.”

  She swayed in and took a seat on a nearby stool. “I am looking to get some footwear. Apparently, I am not the standard Keymin size. Can you help me?”

  Amazed at what her body was doing, Lee watched herself lift the skirt to her knees as she kicked her feet slowly.

  Haz swallowed and a bead of sweat worked its way down his forehead. “I believe I can help you, Alpha.”

  She chuckled and was shocked at the sensual tone that crept into her laughter. Teasing a man was not part of her repertoire, but now, it seemed to come naturally.

  Haz cupped her heel gently and measured her foot. He swallowed heavily, and his hand trailed up her ankle, working up her calf.

  “Stop there, Haz. You really don’t want to continue with that hand.” Ozwin’s voice was a low growl.

  Haz jerked back as if stung. “I am sorry, Alpha. I was just…”

  “She is hard to resist, isn’t she?” Ozwin walked up behind her and pressed his hands to her shoulders.

  “I wasn’t doing anything…well, not on purpose.” She shrugged, unrepentant. Having his hands on her was sending a new set of sensations through her.

  Haz quickly busied himself in the back of the shop.

  Ozwin pressed himself to her back and whispered in her ear. “You are a Keymin female now, and that means that you are entering a receptive phase. Your scent is intoxicating and none of the males will be able to refuse you. You have to be careful.”

  She shivered as he spoke in time to his hands caressing her bare biceps. “Receptive?”

  Her low throaty tone drew a harsh breath from Ozwin. “Yes. Whether your mind is on board or not, your body wants a mate, is demanding a mate. You will not go anywhere in this colony without me from now on.”

  She snarled at the command in his tone, and his hand slid into her hair, arching her neck back, exposing it to his mouth.

  He set his teeth on her skin, his canines shifting into points.

  She felt his breath on her neck, the flick of his tongue and the implicit threat in the contact. Lee didn’t care.

  She snarled low in her throat, stiffened her fingers and jabbed them into his abdomen. He released her with a jerk, and she pushed out of his grip, crouching low and letting her displeasure reach her eyes.

  Lee could smell the blood from her throat, but she ignored it. He was going to get more than a mouthful if he came at her again.

  To her shock, she felt her teeth elongate, and she bared them in defiance.

  “Lee, you don’t know what you are doing.”

  She snarled and lunged at him, grinning inwardly as he stepped out of her way, and she made it out the door. Sprinting on her feet suddenly grew easier, and her body kept its balance by leaning her forward. Her hands turned to claws and got into the act as she picked up speed.

  A howl in the distance told her that Ozwin was in pursuit, but she didn’t care. She was heading for the gates of the Keymin settlement.

  The gates swung shut, and she picked up speed, trying to make it through the opening. The clang as they locked made her snarl in disgust as she struck the gates with her feet, turned in the air and raced back toward the clinic.

  The dark hulk of Ozwin’s shifted form was waiting for her. She moved left and he countered her, moved right and he blocked her again.

  Howling in frustration, she attacked him head on. His claw lashed out, knocked her down and then pressed against her neck. Her blood roared in her ears, a struggling pulse that slowed as he increased his pressure. Lee gasped, looked into his cold eyes and let the grey mist claim her.

  Chapter Six

  Ozwin’s rhythmic steps woke her.

  “Ow.”

  “You won’t give in, will you?”

  There was something about the cheer in his tone that shook her.

  Her voice was hoarse. “You don’t have to sound so happy about it.”

  Lee looked around, and there was a crowd of men and women watching as Ozwin carried her back to his home. “Why are they staring?”

  “You are the only snow white shifter they have ever seen.” He smiled down at her. “I have to admit, we were not expecting you to be able to make a complete shift, but you did well. Haz will be gossiping about this in minutes.”

  “How long was I out?”

  “Only a minute. I let you go as soon as you shifted back. Do you understand why I don’t want you running around without me?”

  She shivered. “I wouldn’t have tried to get away if you hadn’t tried to subdue me.”

  “I wouldn’t have tried to subdue you if you hadn’t been seducing Haz.” His tone was most reasonable.

  “I didn’t mean to, it simply seemed like something I had to do.” Her confusion came out in a rush.

  Instincts she never knew she had were alive and well in her body, and it was beginning to wear on her nerves. She hated to be out of control, and this was almost enough to make her burst into tears. Almost.

  Lee leaned her head against his chest and sighed. “I apologize for the trouble.”

  He paused outside his home. Looking down at her, he came to some kind of decision. Ozwin set her on her feet, pulled her against him in full view of the watchers, wove his hand through her hair and kissed her lips with an intensity that she answered with her own hands in his hair and low sigh.<
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  A cheer rose from the crowd, and the noise was enough to break her enjoyment of the contact. She lunged back only to be held by Ozwin’s grip.

  “Oh, no, Badge. You are not going anywhere until I say you may.”

  She immediately started to fight him, and she heard voices calling out to him in encouragement. Lee clawed, twisted, writhed and bit at him, but he managed to pin her arms behind her back and held her tight against him.

  The struggle must have worked on him, because there was a rock-hard column of flesh beneath his clothing, and his gaze narrowed when she squirmed against him. “Let me go.”

  He smiled, showing pointed canines once again. “No. We need you here, and I will keep you chained if I have to.”

  The thought of being bound and at his mercy set off a reaction in her belly, moisture slicked her thighs and her new senses picked up on the increase in her scent. She smelled her own heat and shame flooded her body, rendering her limp in his grip.

  He sighed and stroked a hand up her back, pressing her forehead to his chest. “Don’t fight it, Leeahan. The changes to your body come with certain instincts, and right now, it wants a mate.”

  She whispered into his chest, “I don’t want to impose.”

  He jerked and then started to laugh. “I think this is a conversation best carried on inside.”

  She didn’t say anything, just walked ahead of him into the confines of his home. When the door was closed, she fought the urge to run. Instead, she watched Ozwin warily, trying to figure out what exactly he wanted.

  Ona came in with a cheerful smile, looked at their expressions and retreated back to the kitchen.

  “What is going on, Ozwin?” Going on the attack seemed the best course of action.

  “You are in heat, and I need a mate, Leeahan. It is really that simple.”

  She blinked rapidly. “Don’t you have your pick of Keymin women?”

  “I do, and I don’t want any of them. I need a woman who will not depend on me for her reason to live. In the few days I have known you, you have shown more determination and a complete lack of slack-jawed awe at my presence than any woman in this settlement. I am revelling in your irritation, and I think that we could make a good match.”

  “Not that I have a choice.” It needed to be said.

  He leaned next to the fireplace and shrugged. “Not particularly. Every time you fight, my beast rises to the surface with the urge to subdue you. I am hindered by my instincts as you are by yours.”

  “Your beast?”

  “The part of us that acts on instinct—the fight-or-flight mode that overrides our common sense. It drives us to hunt, to kill and to mate.” His eyes were narrowing again. This gaze glowed white hot as he looked her over.

  “So, if we mate, I can simply get on with my life without this insane urge prodding at me?”

  “And you can stop looking at Haz as if he is edible.” Ozwin scowled at her.

  She blinked and then laughed, “You sound jealous.”

  In an instant, he was on her, his arms wrapping around her, pinning her hands behind her back again.

  He pressed his lips to her neck, and in the privacy of his home, she sighed, surrendering to him. She could fight him again later when the burning between her thighs had been sated.

  She felt him smile against her skin. “Lee, are you not fighting because there are no witnesses?”

  Lee shrugged, “Yes, is that a problem?”

  He backed away from her, bent and flipped her over his shoulder. It was the most trite of caveman manoeuvres, but it worked. Her belly shimmied in excitement, and her hands clenched on the back of his shirt.

  A needy, eager, sex-crazed female was replacing the bossy wench that normally inhabited her skin, and Lee didn’t know which impulse to fight. When Ozwin’s hand slid up the back of her skirt, caressing her thighs, she decided to let the sex-crazed Lee win. After all, she got out so little.

  The moment they walked into his room, she knew. The scent wrapped around her and worked her hormones into a frenzy. This was the home of the Alpha, and she had been invited in.

  Now, she just had to keep her calm and invite him in and this hormonal surge might just fade into an embarrassing memory.

  Chapter Seven

  Ozwin flipped her over his shoulder, and Lee landed on her back in the centre of his bed. Her skirt was rucked up around her thighs, and he was looking at her as if she was a full-course feast and he was a starving man.

  With calm motions, he stripped his clothing away, leaving nothing but bronze skin and rippling muscles. His erection curved in a high arc, a wet bead of pearlescent liquid appeared at the tip as she watched.

  Lee licked her lips out of reflex, and he was on her before her tongue was back in her mouth.

  Ozwin’s lips caressed hers ravenously, coaxing her to open for him. His tongue slipped between her lips, and she moaned at his taste. Her body responded wildly, her hips arching against him and her arms tangling in his hair.

  His kiss went from frenzied to leisurely, and she growled. She wanted more, and she wanted it now.

  Lee used her new strength and her grip on his hair to flip him onto his back, straddling him and rocking her aching entrance against the head of his cock.

  He pulled his head back in surprise, and the grin that he gave her was not a nice grin. She began to suspect that he had been waiting for her move when he reached up, grabbed something at the head of the bed and snapped it on her wrist.

  Lee’s eyes widened in shock. “That is my cuff!”

  “And you are wearing it.” He lifted her off him, flipping her to her back and her other wrist was encased in the other official badge cuff.

  Being confined was a fine fantasy, but her body bucked and struggled as she tried to free herself. Ozwin knelt between her thighs as she fought the unnatural feeling of being restricted and helpless.

  When he was done with watching her struggle and gasp, the Alpha held her down with the weight of his body. “Enough, Leeahan. You are caught.”

  Lee whimpered and showed her sharpened teeth.

  Ozwin caught her neck in his jaws, and his own sharp teeth held her while her mind struggled to subdue her new instincts and old reflexes.

  Lee closed her eyes and took in the feeling of his teeth on her neck, holding but not biting, his weight against her limbs, heavy but not crushing, and the prod of his shaft between her thighs, insistent but not aggressive. Ozwin was taking his time with her, and it was both gratifying and terrifying.

  Her gown was bunched up around her hips, a feeble barrier to the heat of his body.

  Finally, her calm was reclaimed, and she whimpered her acceptance. Ozwin licked at her neck, sending shivers of excitement through her, pebbling her nipples and sensitizing her skin. With her arms linked over her head, her breasts were arched into contact with his chest, and her erect nipples scraped against fabric and his skin.

  When he was done working on the marks he had made on her neck, Ozwin moved down her body. The tearing sound caught her by surprise but sped her pulse into a steady gallop.

  Ozwin’s mouth on her breasts elicited another whimper as her tight nipples were sucked and flicked in turn. Each draw on her breast caused a clench of muscles low in her belly, and she lifted one leg to drape it around his hips in invitation. The scent of her heat filled the room, her body was slicker than she had ever felt it and he was taking his time.

  She wanted to kill him and fuck him at the same time. This was a conflict she had never experienced before.

  Lee whimpered and finally resorted to pleading as Ozwin showed no signs of abandoning his worship of her breasts. “Please, Ozwin. Please.”

  He lazily licked one breast and then the other. “Please what?”

  “Please fuck me.”

  “No.”

  Her voice rose to a shriek. “What?”

  “I am not going to fuck you. I am going to mate with you. Now, ask me again.” He worked his way down to her navel and licked
and blew at her belly.

  Lee gritted her teeth. “Fine, please mate with me.”

  He gnawed gently at her stomach before he slid back up her body to look her in the eye, face to face.

  “I thought you would never ask.” He reached between them and aligned the head of his cock with her slick opening. “Hello, mate.”

  He shifted his hips and thrust deep. Her body fought him, so he reared back and thrust again. Finally, her body realized what was going on, and his entry became even and smooth.

  She arched against him as he withdrew and returned. Lee worked her hips to his, meeting him thrust for thrust. The slide and pull of the sharp head of his cock caressed the inner walls of her channel, and her voice sighed, moaned and whimpered without her willing it to make a single sound.

  Ozwin’s features were fierce, his gaze focussed on her face. She met his gaze and fell into his eyes as her body climbed the plateau to release. He stared into her eyes when she was caught in the storm of fire that started within and spread to both of them.

  His surprise as his body arched into hers, his cries matching hers, caused a ripple of amusement to simmer in Lee’s mind. Fair was fair. If she was his mate, he was hers.

  The bulge of his cock inside her was a surprise. He was wedged firmly into her opening, and she wanted to bite someone in frustration. Giving into her urge, she sank her teeth into his shoulder, listening to his hiss with some satisfaction.

  When she released him, she licked at the wounds. “You didn’t say we would be stuck together.”

  “That has never happened to me before. It is only supposed to happen when…” He trailed off.

  “When what?”

  “When I have found my life mate.”

  She shivered, and his cock jumped inside her, a reflexive kick that reminded her it was there.

  “You don’t get stuck into casual fucks?” she raised her brows. Tugging at the cuffs that bound her.

  “I do not have casual encounters. It is bad for morale if I take favourites.” His words brought to her something that she hadn’t realized—he was just as lonely as she was in his particular way. He actually dealt with it the same way she did, controlling everything and everyone around her.