Free Enemies in Love [High-Country Shifters 4] by Melody Snow Monroe

him this woman was a witch. “To bed. Excuse me.” He pushed back on his chair and stood. His legs gave way, and he immediately returned to the seat.
    Henla’s hand clamped down on his bicep. “Are you all right?”
    He would not be treated like a weak woman. Drawing on all his strength, he stood again. Concentrating, he placed one foot in front of the other until he was out of their sight. His palms plastered against the wall for support. He made it to his bedroom, closed the door, and then shifted. At least when in animal form, he could be more immune to the only woman who’d ever gotten under his skin.

Chapter Eight
     
    Henla paced the kitchen. “I’m worried.” Jude rubbed her shoulder and the familiar tingles chased one another down her body.
    “He’ll be fine. I know him. He gets this way when he’s healing. Give him two days, and you won’t even know he’d been injured.”
    She was glad that wolves healed as quickly as lions. If the current state of his wounds were any indication, he did. “Do wolves ever come and bother you two?”
    He stepped closer and her pulse raced. “Sometimes, but let’s talk about something more pleasant, like your willingness to stay here for a while. We could really use your expertise in helping us grow food.”
    Her heart plummeted. If he’d stopped after his first comment, she might have given it some thought. She tried to laugh off his statement, but the air got stuck in her throat. “Hoeing and planting two days a week at home are enough for me.”
    He pulled her into a big hug, and she almost gave in. Having someone as wonderful as Jude in her life would be a dream come true, but since Sella moved to Spirit, she and Rein had taken turns running the shoe store. Who would run it if she left?
    She leaned back. “Maybe I should leave. Kranor is getting better.”
    He nuzzled her neck. It was almost as if he could sense her hesitation and wanted to sway her. “Don’t go.” He clasped both of her hands in his and stood back up. “There’s no telling what he’ll do with you gone. He’ll probably go out and try to pick a fight.”
    She laughed. “I might not read minds, but I know you’re fibbing.”
    “Only partially.”
    Okay, that was the truth. Damn . “Two days, you said?”
    He grinned. “Two days, tops. Kranor wants to escort you home. He’ll want to stop by and see Taryn and Kellum anyway and say hi to your mom.”
    Her body stiffened. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea to go underground with thousands of lion shifters roaming about.”
    “Even with you there?”
    She shook her head. “But if my brothers join us, it might be all right. People seeing you all together would know you’re not a threat.”
    “I thought we were heroes.”
    She’d forgotten about that. “That’s true. Okay.” She smiled and the tension in her body disappeared. Sitting around for two days wasn’t her style, and being out of practice like she was, her pussy could only take so much sex. “Do you think you could show me around town?”
    While there were no outward signs of his body tensing, the internal turmoil slammed into her like she’d ran into a wall.
    “You felt that?” His brows pinched.
    He led her backward and she sat on the bench lining the wall. “Yes.” If an animal was injured, she could sense its distress, but with shifters, most of her psychic ability disappeared.
    He swiped a hand over his mouth. “I know this sounds weird, but I’ve never had any female read me like you have. It’s almost like our thoughts are connected.”
    “I know. I swear I hear bits and pieces of your thoughts, too, but I can’t hear sentences. Sometimes it’s like you’re trying to send me words that are in a different language.”
    Heavy footsteps sounded. When she looked up, Kranor was fully dressed. His shoulders were slightly forward, and from the fact he winced every few seconds, he was anything but fine.
    Jude glared at him. Next thing she knew, he went out