Grayslake: Creed's Claim Read online

  He shrugged. “You were Mark’s sister. Off limits.”

  “Fucking stupid me and your honor code!” She swore. “Didn’t you ever think to ask me what I wanted. All these years… I’d never have left if I thought…”

  She bit her lip looking away. Surging upward, Creed caught her around the nape with a big hand. “What do you mean, you wouldn’t have left? Left Lizard Lick for the city, you mean?”

  She nodded, meeting his eyes. “After Mark, I didn’t want to be here. Everyone told me it was best to make a clean break… But if you’d have asked me, I’d have stayed. But I didn’t think you saw me that way. I thought you just saw me as Mark’s irritating kid sister. A brat.”

  He chuckled, thumb stroking her neck softly as he sat up with her in his arms, cradling her smaller body with his. “You are a brat. But no, I never saw you as a kid.”

  “Creed?” she asked, hands splayed out over his chest, her gaze intent on him.

  “Yes, love?”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be ill or something?”

  He blinked, then looked down at himself. Shit, she was right. He felt better than he had in years.

  “See? See! It wasn’t Carve!” Harrison all but screamed, his face pale as he gestured at Creed. “How could he be on his feet if it was Carve? He’d be deader than a dodo!”

  His voice brought Creed back to the matter at hand and he rolled to his feet, levelling a murderous expression on Harrison. Urging Kait out of harm’s way, he stalked toward the guy, only stopping to slide a sideways glance at Dean.

  “He’s mine.”

  The Itan shrugged and spread his arms. “He attacked while your back was turned. He’s all yours.”

  The Itan turned away. Lilly looked Harrison up and down before nodding curtly. “May your soul be welcomed with loving arms.”

  “What?” Harrison babbled as the two bears walked to the edge of the pit and hauled themselves out, Dean boosting Kait up to Lilly. “No, no, no…you can’t leave me here with him. It wasn’t Carvix. It was horse sedative mixed with rat poison. Just something to slow you down.”

  Was it fuck. He didn’t trust a word that came out this lying little asshole’s mouth.

  “Makes no difference,” he growled, and anger boiled within him. This piece of shit had tried to end him. Why didn’t matter. How, or the fact that it hadn’t worked, didn’t matter. What mattered was that he hadn’t managed it…

  Creed grinned nastily.

  “You’ve had your fun. Now it’s my turn.”

  The change ripped over him in less than a heartbeat. Fire raced through him, his body contorting as it snapped from one shape to another. Within an instant, he went from a six-foot two-hundred-pound guy to over four hundred pounds of pissed off werebear as he advanced on the terrified Harrison.

  “Please, no, don’t hurt me…” the smaller man whimpered, eyes wide and no hint of his bear in them at all. Obviously the creature had decided it wanted no part of the retribution that was coming Harrison’s way.

  Creed roared, jaws wide, and swiped. His massive paw cut the air, lethal claws heading for Harrison’s face. At the last minute he pulled the blow, parting the skin almost delicately. Surgically. Something deep inside told him that, with whatever the little bastard had used on him still in his system, the claw marks would scar. They’d always be there for everyone to see. For everyone to know that Harrison had tried and failed. That he’d been found wanting and begged for his life.

  Standing, Creed folded his bear easily back within himself. “Fuck off, Harrison, and remember today. Remember you owe me your life.”

  “Yes, Enforcer. Thank you.” Head bowed, Harrison scuttled away, getting out of the pit as fast as his legs would carry him. Creed watched him go and then looked around the clan lining the edges of the pit, making sure to meet the eye of each and every one of Anderson’s little supporters.

  “Anyone else?” he demanded, throwing his arms out wide in challenge.

  There was shuffling of feet but no one answered. No one was willing to step into the pit with a bear as big as he’d proven himself to be.

  A hard look on his face, he swept a final bow and turned to stalk toward the side of the pit, his movements filled with the power of his bear just under his skin. There was no difficulty. No pain. He and the creature were finally one.

  Looking up for a second, he met Kait’s eyes and smiled. Now he knew why he’d never been able to shift properly.

  He’d been missing a part of himself.

  He’d needed her… the other half of his soul.

  Now he had her, she had him, and their happily ever after was just about to begin.

  THE END

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  About the Author

  Mina Carter is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of romance in many genres. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter, and a bossy cat.

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