Free Ella and the Beast (More Than Human Book 1) by S.E. Smith Page B

tree and stepped into the forest. Her eyes locked with a pair of fierce brown ones.
    “What are you doing here?” She hissed under her breath. “Do you have any idea what would happen to you if the others knew you were here?”
    Ella’s words died in a startled gasp when she felt herself being pulled into a pair of strong arms. The cry on her lips was captured by the hot mouth that covered hers. A shudder ran through both of them. Her fingers tightened on the tight muscles under the thick sweater. She could feel the furious tension pulsing through Ty’s powerful body and knew in that moment that this man was nothing like Mitchell or any of the other men she had ever met.

Chapter 10
     
    Ty’s gaze narrowed on the two figures sitting across from each other. He unashamedly listened to their conversation. It hadn’t been that difficult tracking Ella after she had left his campsite earlier. In fact, he was the one to scare the pheasants that she had killed. His appreciation for her skills as a hunter soared when he had seen her reach for the sling hanging from her waist and quickly downed two of the birds.
    He had watched her earlier with the knife and knew that she was skilled with it as well. Afraid he would frighten her, he had stayed quiet. Something also warned him that she would not be happy that he was tracking her. He couldn’t help it, he had to know where she was going and his curiosity as a researcher just made it worse.
    Ella’s small village came as a surprise to him. It was nothing like what he read about in the history books. Humans had existed in small villages similar to the shifters during the early periods. It was one of the reasons it had been so easy for the shifters to kill them.
    He had watched from the shadows as she moved through the village. Shortly after she arrived, a group of hunters had returned. He had watched in fascination as they were greeted with enthusiasm for their bounty and then quickly set to work cleaning and dressing the deer with primitive tools.
    His gaze had followed Ella as she quickly did the same to the two pheasants that she killed. She carefully gathered all the feathers in a large woven basket. She laughed and chatted with several of the children that watched her with curiosity before they lost interest and ran over to the other hunters.
    From where he crouched, he could see the beginnings of the lodgings they were constructing in the trees. He was surprised to see most of the construction appeared to be done by the older women of the tribe. Ella lived slightly apart from the others. She quickly started a fire and soon had one of the pheasants roasting over a low bed of coals.
    He frowned when he saw a male walking toward her. The frown darkened when he heard the man ask if he could join Ella for dinner. His bear, who had been curious before, was now on edge. Ty could feel the hair on his nape standing up.
    Ty and his bear had both willed the man not to return, but he did. He began to relax while he listened to their conversation. A delighted grin curved his lips when Ella stood up to the male and told him that she thought of him as a brother, not a mate. It took everything inside him not to get up and do a jig of triumph. That delight evaporated when the male kissed Ella.
    He hadn’t planned on letting her know he was there, but the low growl of displeasure had escaped him before he could smother it. He slowly rose when he had seen Ella turn and glance at the woods. She heard, or felt, his presence. Their gazes locked; his with a furious need to possess, while her eyes were wide with shock and dismay. He silently moved further into the shadows, his jaw tight with determination while she glanced warily around her before stepping into the woods.
    “What are you doing here?” Ella hissed under her breath in dismay. “Do you have any idea what would happen to you if the others knew you were here?”
    The moment she was close enough to him, Ty reached out and swept her