Free Caged Heat (Black Meadow Pack) by Milly Taiden

warlocks…Other.”
    “Yeah, Ginny always mentioned Others, but she never spoke much about different shifter types. Is it painful to shift into a werewolf?”
    He chewed and frowned as if trying to figure it out. “Not really. Well not for born shifters. We are used to shifting from youth, so it’s never anything painful. The first time it feels more like an exciting new way to look at the world. Your senses are expanded, you have more strength, and you can fight.”
    “Is it true that your natural instinct is to kill when shifted into your animal?” With so many of her family members against shifters, she’d always wondered if what they’d said was true.
    He glanced up from the plate. “Our first instinct is to protect. If that means we need to kill someone who is hurting or trying to hurt a defenseless person or a loved one then that’s what happens. We have gotten into fights with humans before, and they don’t always end up -dead.”
    She nodded, pleased with his answer, and sipped her iced tea. “I’m kind of jealous of you guys. All of you have these badass animals inside, and I am just a human.”
    Riel laughed as if she were being silly. “You’re not just human, you’re special. What you don’t seem to understand is that my wolf is yours to command. Your protection is priority for him and me.”
    She wrinkled her nose in confusion. “I’m not sure what that means.”
    He gave her another one of those hot looks that melted her from the inside and made her forget everything. “It means no one is more important to me than you. I’d give up anything to keep you safe and happy.”
    That was different. “Happy in the sack?”
    “I’d give you all the orgasms in the world to ensure you’re sexually fulfilled. But that’s not what I meant. I would slay dragons for you.”
    She swallowed the knot in her throat. As much as she wanted to tell him the same, she knew it was way too soon.
    After they ate, Sam decided to head home for a shower. Riel made her promise to return when she was done.
    She neared the backdoor and noticed a package sitting on the step. She pursed her lips and stopped a few yards from the door. She’d been at Riel’s house for hours. Curling her hands into fists, she took a couple of slow steps toward the box. Not expecting anything in the mail made her wary. She took another step and heard ringing inside the box. She turned away from the box just as an explosion rocked the backdoor. A car taking off sounded in the distance.
    Propelled by the driving wind of the blast, she landed a few yards away with the backyard awning on top of her. Dizzy and in pain, she tried to move, but the heavy metal pinned her to the ground. Flames ate the plastic sides of the metal awning and crawled toward her. She was going to kill the asshole that did it. She was ready to scream bloody murder over the flames traveling in her direction. A loud growl stopped her in place.
    Stunned, she glanced to her left. Riel rushed toward her. He grabbed the metal and flung it off her with the flick of a wrist. Troy joined him a moment later.
    Troy used a fire extinguisher to fight the flames eating the backdoor of her house. She groaned and winced with each slight move. The ponytail she’d donned after leaving Riel’s house hung in a mess to her side. Riel picked her up in his arms and carried her across his yard to lay her on a lounger.
    “Are you OK? Tell me what hurts.” His gaze roamed her face and body.
    She moved her arms and legs, searching for injuries. “My shoulder hurts like hell and so does my thigh, but other than that I’m fine I think.”
    “Your face is bleeding.” He touched her chin with the tip of a finger. “Stay here. I’m going to help Troy, and then I’ll check out your shoulder.”
    The fire tried to spread over the back of her house. Troy used an extinguisher to fight the bright heat. A few moments later Riel joined him with his water hose. The water quickly drowned out the