Free Southern Shifters: Finding Luke (Kindle Worlds Novella) by V. Vaughn

there, the better. It’s best I don’t alert any human to my presence as a cougar.
    My feet thud rhythmically on the forest floor and release the familiar earthy scent of fallen leaves and dirt. I inhale it like an elixir. My cat isn’t the only one that misses the wilderness. As a cougar, my senses are even more heightened, and I marvel in my ability to see in the dark as twigs snap and leaves rustle when I pass by them at lightning speed. I really need to shift more often.
    I arrive at Jim’s cabin before I’m barely winded. But my heart races as I approach the door and shift back to my human form.
    The door creaks open, and Jim hands me a shirt. “Hey, he’s in the back. Follow me.”
    I slip my arms into the soft flannel as I walk past a simple room that makes up the living space. We approach what appear to be two bedrooms on the far side of the house, and the overwhelming musk of Luke makes me push past Jim to get to him. Luke is in bear form, and I’m taken aback by his enormous body. He’s asleep on the floor, and I move quietly to his side. Fur is slick with his natural oils and soft in my fingers as I stroke it. Emotions well up in me to make my eyes fill with moisture, and my throat gets thick.
    I speak softly. “You’re magnificent.” A hot tear rolls down my cheek, and I gasp as a sob comes to the surface. I almost lost you.
    I turn to Jim as he speaks from the doorway. “He’s going to be fine, especially now that you’re here.”
    I nod as he steps back and pushes the door closed to give us privacy. Luke groans, and his eyes blink open. He shifts before me, and I try not to show my surprise at the raw red skin left behind from his injuries. Burns must have covered the majority of his body, and his hair is a singed mess. Fortunately, werebear heal as quickly as werecougar, and within a few days, he’ll look good as new.
    Luke is on his knees across from me on mine, and he pulls me against his body in a rib-crushing hug. “Xena.”
    Now my tears won’t stop, and I gaze up at him.
    He takes my face in his hands and sighs. “The last twelve hours have felt like a lifetime without you nearby.”
    I crush his lips with my kiss, and Luke returns it with the same passion. I drink in my mate as if I’m dying of thirst as my hands roam over his body. I’m careful to be gentle because his skin feels unnaturally smooth. The shirt I had on slithers down my back as Luke removes it. If Luke has any pain, he’s not feeling it, and when I get to his cock, I’m sure that was left undamaged. It pulses in my hand as I squeeze, and he breaks away, panting.
    “I need to be inside you.”
    “Yes.” I turn and lower myself on my forearms. He needs to be in control, and I’m happy to let it happen.
    My mate grabs my hips and pulls my bottom up into the air. Luke lowers himself to swipe his tongue along my sensitive slit. I moan at the pleasure it brings.
    “So sweet, Xena.” He licks again, and I arch back as he says, “I’ll never get enough of you.”
    I whimper. “Please, Luke. Fill me.”
    He growls as he slips his fingers into my channel. “I’m tempted to tease you, but I’m too needy for that.”
    “Then do—” I hiss as he thrusts into me, and my core flexes around his shaft as if I can keep him inside me forever. “God, you feel good.”
    Luke groans as he pumps fast. He drives in deep, and the wood floor is hard on my knees as I do my best to brace myself against the force. Our cries are loud, and it’s music to my ears when Luke’s growl comes. He begins to tense for his impending release, and it triggers my orgasm. I tremble as it quakes through me, and Luke roars.
    Bones thud on the floor as we collapse in a heap.
    My mate cradles my breast in his hand as he curls around my back, and his breath is hot on my shoulder as he says, “Now I’m sure I’ll live.”
    I chuckle and twist around to face him. “We’ve got a few more hours for sexual healing.” I raise my eyebrows. “And