Read Mate Claimed for Free Online

didn’t answer. She was right that here lay the problem. If Eric took Iona to Shiftertown—to keep her safe—her family would suffer repercussions for hiding her all this time. He had ideas on how to get around that, but he’d need Iona’s cooperation.
    But Iona couldn’t deny her Shifter side all her life. The half human, half Shifters Eric had known who’d tried to shut out their Shifter side had died. They’d gone feral and had either been killed by other Shifters or human hunters, or they’d killed themselves.
    Eric couldn’t let that happen to Iona, no matter what he had to do. No matter that he might have to put her in restraints and haul her in, keeping her sequestered in his house while she got used to the idea of being his captive.
    And why did that thought beat excitement through him? Iona in bonds, glaring at him with her beautiful blue eyes…Being Shifter, she’d be able to get out of any mundane restraints, but it would be fun for a while.
    Eric opened the wrapper on her desk and looked at the mess inside. “Is this what you’re eating?”
    “I was.”
    “What did you do, sit on it?”
    Iona slammed the paper back over the sandwich. “Will you go before someone sees you?”
    “Come with me. I’ll buy you lunch.”
    Iona’s eyes flared hunger. That hunger touched Eric like a flame.
    “Can’t. Too busy here, and we’d have to find someplace where no one knew me. Plus, you’re obviously a Shifter.”
    Eric shrugged. “I go where I want.”
    “No, you don’t. Plenty of places don’t allow Shifters.”
    “You allow them.”
    She made a noise of exasperation. “No, I don’t. One just keeps barging in.”
    He held back his laugh. “Why don’t you throw me out, then? You could call your security guards or the police. Why haven’t you?”
    He saw the catch in her breath, the tightening of her eyes. “I can handle you myself.”
    “Sure about that?” Eric leaned to her again.
    “Will you stop smelling me? It’s just weird.”
    “Have you closed yourself off to using your scent-sense? That’s dangerous, love.”
    “I had to. It was driving me crazy.”
    Eric had some sympathy. Scent could be powerful, triggering emotions and sense memory, as well as physical hunger and mating need. The smell of burned matches took him back to the Second World War when he and his sister Cassidy had slunk through the night carrying explosives to sabotage the German army. The smell of strawberries transported him to the happy days when he’d first met Kirsten, his mate, passed long ago now. Iona, untrained and trying to deny her natural instincts, must be going insane.
    “That roast beef smells good, even all squashed, doesn’t it?” Eric asked, glancing at the wrapped sandwich. “If you were in your panther form, you wouldn’t worry. You’d gulp it down and spit out the paper.”
    Iona’s hunger came to him again. “That’s why I have to ignore scents when I’m in my human form. I’d make a complete idiot of myself.”
    “Don’t ignore them. Control it.” Eric spread his hands onthe desk. “Starting now. Use your nose on me and tell me what it tells you.”
    Iona stared at him, her fear as palpable as her hunger. Then she swallowed, her slender throat moving, and she leaned to him.
    Eric held himself still as her nose brushed the line of his hair. His impulse was to grab her, shove the sandwich remains and blueprints from the desk, and lay her across its top, spreading her and letting his body and hers do what both truly wanted. The coupling would be good. Intense. Memorable.
    Instead, he made himself stand still as she roved his face to his neck, breasts lifting as she inhaled.
    “You had eggs for breakfast,” she said. “You’ve been riding around on your motorcycle, farther than just between here and Shiftertown, and you’ve been very close to at least one other Shifter. You were also extremely angry this morning.” Iona lifted her head, puzzlement in her eyes. “Angry about