Chapter 300 Chapter 300
Deacon paused to scent the air. The animals hadn’t left the land, just moved to the areas with the denser growth to shelter from the winter. He’d have to move the traps to different locations to try to catch them in the new paths they’d use.
His animal was not happy today, even being out. He’d had to reign him in about ten times so far when he’d picked up Giana’s foxes’ scent. He wanted to follow it back to her and that, Deacon had adamantly reminded him was not going to happen.
He turned and started an easy run back toward his home. With his long legs, even a slow run was too fast. Every second he was near her it became harder to resist touching her, kissing her...
He growled low, thoughts like that were not helping.
For the past day and a half Gia’s fox, even without shifting had been giving off pheromones like crazy. It was like a drug to his animal—he couldn’t get enough of it. Unfortunately, it also meant that Gia knew they were mates. So far, she hadn’t brought it up or pushed trying to get closer to him. Which was good. He turned to go the longer route. If it was so good, why was it annoying the hell out of him more? He didn’t want her to be mated to him. Without warning, his animal stopped suddenly, it took a moment for Deacon to realize that despite getting exercise, his thoughts were being shared with him. The creature wasn’t happy with the idea that Deacon didn’t want to be mated to Gia.
Snarling at nothing, he forced him to start moving again. Of course, Deacon wanted her, but sometimes what you wanted and what was able to be were two different things.
He needed to reach out to Calum, and get things going again soon. Lasting years without tracking her down he could do just fine, but when she was ten feet from him—he wasn’t going to last much longer.
Forcing his mind to pay attention to what was around him, he checked the trees to see if there were any birds in the area. There was a chill in the air today, with that smell of winter and what they didn’t need was a big storm to roll in and to get stuck here. It had happened only once before. Getting snowed in with Gia was not an option, he’d push the truck through it if he had to.
When he’d stalled as long as he could, he turned to go back. There was enough wood left to split that it would occupy and distract him for the rest of the day, hopefully.
When he heard a screech, he cleared the last hill that led down to his cabin. It was Giana. Something was wrong, she was frightened. Pouring on the speed, he darted around trees in his path. He should shift. The thought was replaced with panic, but if the threat was serious, what was he going to do buck ass naked? There was no choice, he had to stay in this form, whether man or beast was the cause of her fear, he could deal with them in this form, at least until he got to his guns.
As he reached the house, he slowed down so he could assess what was happening before running into whatever situation was on the other side of it.
“I am not scared of you,” Giana said with a venomous tone. “Just stay away from me and get out of here.”
Deacon had to keep a lid on his animal, it wanted to rush in and save their mate. He glanced at the truck, getting there and getting a gun was going to take some fast moves. He heard the door of the porch close. They were inside his home.
Giana screeched again and he bolted around the house, then came to a sliding stop as she spun around inside the porch swinging her hoodie in the air. What the hell. He stood there as she opened the door held it with her foot and swatted the air with her shirt again. A bat came out the door and circled up toward the trees.
A bat. She was screeching over a bat, no intruders.
“Get out of here, you’re not welcome here.” She called to it, then huffed out a breath and stood there in the open door. “Snakes and frogs, even bugs I can do, but I can not do flying rodents.” She was brushing at her hair with her hand.
If it were possible to laugh while in animal form, he would have. She had no problem with any part of his home and the situation but was so indignant over the bat that it struck him funny.
“Oh no, you don’t.” She ducked down as the bat swooped in her direction. It flew right back into the porch. “Dammit.” She growled and then stepped out of the door and closed it, standing on the outside. “Now what?” Hands-on hips she turned and looked around then froze.
Deacon realized she’d spotted him. He was so caught up in watching her that, he forgot what form he was in.
“What...Deacon?”
Shit. Shit. Shit. Too late now. This would cement things for her with this mating issue. Still, he didn’t think he could see fear or abhorrence on her face when it was directed at him.
“It is you.”
He stared at the ground and watched her feet bring her closer. He couldn’t see that look on her face. He wouldn’t survive it.
“Look at you.”
That part was different, it was usually what are you? Yeah, he needed to go shift back and face the questions in a form he could answer with.
“You’re beautiful.” She said breathlessly.
Huh—what? He jerked his head up to see she was only a few feet from him.
She rolled her eyes, “not beautiful like pretty, more of an amazing kind of beautiful.” She moved closer.
His animal chose now to assert his control and Deacon couldn’t have gotten his feet to move for anything.
“You take after your mother’s clan, right?” She smiled at him, a soft look in her eyes, “I just assumed you were a fox, but you are so much more than that.” She came right over to him and ran her hand softly down the dark red mane that ran from the back of his head to behind his front legs. “So soft.” She put her other hand on him and rubbed along his shoulder to his chest, “and you’re so tall.”
Deacon couldn’t move, he was barely able to breathe. No one had ever touched him in this form, in fact, they usually ran from him.
She leaned down, “I can’t believe your eyes don’t change, the color,” she clarified, “you’re amazing,” she whispered.
He didn’t know if it was him or his creatures doing, but he lifted his chin and licked along her throat. When the taste of her hit his tongue, he reared back from her and took off in the direction of his clothes. That was insane. What had just happened? And why—what in hell had possessed him to lick her?