Read NocC 003 - The Ancients 02 - Bonnie Vanak - Mated to the Wolf - Harlequin 2011-11 for Free Online

distracted him from seeing that she’d managed to free her right hand.
    He felt his face burn hotly as she raked her talons across his good cheek. The pain was exquisite, making him double over. Nausea tightened his stomach, but he struggled to keep a grip on her, lassoing both wrists with his left hand.
    Blood from his injuries dripped onto her snarling face as he placed a soothing palm on her forehead. “Easy now, Samantha. Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.”
    Slowly she blinked, the red fading from her eyes. Horror shone there instead as she stared at the furrows on his cheek.
    “Grayson? Oh dear gods, did I do that?”
    Even as she stared, the wounds began to heal, but the pain still heated his body like a white-hot whip. He struggled to take a breath, and then another. He managed a wry smile. “Hell hath no fury like Samantha in demon form.”
    Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but I was so afraid, like the cowboy at the bar, I didn’t want to hurt you…”
    She touched his injured cheek, glimmering light pulsing from her fingers. The pain inside him slowly eased. The relief was so sharp, he hauled in a dizzying breath.
    As the white light faded from her touch, the cruel features faded, replaced by a pretty, heart-shaped face and confused blue eyes. Devoid of strength, Samantha shivered violently.
    “I’m s-so cold.” A wan smile lifted her bluish lips. “You’re n-n-aked. S-silly w-wolf. Got a th-th-hing against real f-fur coats?”
    “That’s my girl,” he said softly.
    He lifted her into her arms and took her inside. Samantha’s teeth chattered as she pressed her face against his bare chest. Her need of him, after the violence of her attack, chipped away at his cold rock of a heart.
    No matter what this girl had done, she deserved a chance. He’d seen inside her, seen what the director had told him. She was capable of good. Capable of love.
    Shuttering his own emotions, he stripped her and tucked her naked into his warm bed. He waved a hand, lighting the dying fire. In the bathroom, he did a quick wash of his face, grimacing at the crusted blood. Then he joined her in bed, pulling her into his arms.
    “Body heat is the best way of warming you,” he said roughly, wrapping himself around her like a snake.
    Samantha buried her face into the crook of his shoulder. Her skin felt like frozen silk as he rubbed her body.
    Flames in the stone hearth crackled as her cool breath feathered against his collarbone. His strokes became slow caresses as he relished her softness. She moaned and cuddled closer, her hands hooking around his neck.
    She lay quietly in his arms, her shivers gradually lessening. Delicate bones felt frail beneath his big hands as he stroked the arch of her spine, the jut of a collarbone. Grayson buried his head in her hair, smelling violets and rain.
    Mindful of his erection, he eased partly away. Samantha nestled closer.
    “May not be a good idea. Certain parts of me aren’t exactly cold right now.”
    “You said you wouldn’t force me and I believe it.”
    The simple trust shattered him. He held her tight; his need for her suddenly overwhelming. The scent of her, the feel of her curves pressed against him made his cock throb and his balls tighten. He hadn’t held a woman like this in a long time. Sex consisted of him bending a woman over, and taking her quickly from behind so she couldn’t see his face. But Samantha raised her head, her gaze lingering on his disfigurement. Grayson tensed, but instead of pity, he saw curiosity and respect.
    “It must have hurt like hell to scar like this.”
    The tenderness in her voice made his chest ache. Needing emotional distance, he shrugged. “I deserved it. I was a bad wolf.”
    “I have a hard time believing that. You have too much goodness in you.” She inched closer, pressed her mouth against the silver line hooking down his chin.
    Shuddering beneath the satin texture of her lips, he stared down at her.