The Sweetest Mercy (Sexy Shifter Shorts) Read Online Free PDF Page A

nothing to catch her and claim her once again.
    Not gonna happen .
    He’d been weak before. A near century of celibacy might not have been a good idea. Because all it had taken to bring him to his knees was the scent of that female and her voice, thick with desire. Fuck me hard . Carter shivered at the memory. The way her pussy clung to him as he pumped into her. Gods, what was wrong with him? Thinking about what had just happened with the sultry female wasn’t going to do anything for his control.
    Kiera had obviously paid attention to his words and stayed downwind. Try as he might, he couldn’t find her scent, and so he took off toward the east, certain she’d head toward Logan’s compound in search of Erica. As he followed the trail, Carter realized that even though he hadn’t allowed his lion to take control he was still, in fact, chasing her. He changed his course, heading north-east in an effort to head her off at the top of the summit. The brush was thicker here, and the trees closer together, but Carter negotiated the terrain with ease. Even with her head start and the rougher route to travel, he was still faster than she would be and he was confident he’d make it to the summit a good five minutes before she did.
    The ground gave way under Carter’s next step, followed by the sound of metal grating on metal. A sharp pain bit into his calf and he tripped, tumbling face-first to the ground. His apparent immobilization was the least of his concerns as a white hot pain shot up his leg like flames licking at his skin. Lights swam at the periphery of his vision and for a second, Carter worried that he might pass out. Weak and shaky, he pushed himself over on his back and hauled himself up to a sitting position. That motherfucker, Reece, had set the area with booby traps and Carter had been fortunate enough to step right in the center of a nasty jaw trap. The sharp teeth bit into his flesh, which wouldn’t have been quite so disconcerting if the teeth hadn’t been coated in silver.
    Too weak to shift, he tried to pull the trap free. The teeth scraped bone and Carter shouted a string of profanity—curses against Reece and his entire family line—that should have alerted half of Montana to his location. Not that Carter gave a shit about being found. If Reece was in the area, it would take his attention away from searching for Kiera and she’d be able to put distance between them. If she stayed east, she’d eventually find Logan’s compound and her sister. Carter’s beast let out an enraged snarl in his mind, railing against its helplessness. Because that’s what they were. Dead in the fucking water. The silver had weakened him to the point that he couldn’t budge the trap free. He was no good to Kiera or anyone else at this point.
    Whether Reece found him first or vice-versa, Carter would use every last store of energy to take the son of a bitch out. And then he’d beg Logan for the privilege of killing the bastard if that’s what it took.

    Kiera stopped dead in her tracks. Though she was scared shitless, her mind hadn’t been so clear in days. And she was certain that the tortured shouts she heard from over the next ridge belonged to Carter. Slowing her pace, Kiera continued on the path, but her mind returned to those pained shouts. Maybe he’d slipped and impaled himself on a branch. Or it could be that the oh-so-tough mountain lion had crossed a bear or a wolf and had his ass handed to him by a bigger, tougher animal. She thought of his muscular body motionless on the ground. That smooth flesh torn by powerful claws and gushing blood.
    Her step faltered. She’d made assumptions about Carter’s intentions but he’d never tried to hurt her. Reece, that slimy son of a bitch, hadn’t hesitated to cut her, make her bleed. When she didn’t cooperate, he backhanded her. And the bastard hadn’t even flinched. Even when she’d commanded Carter to take her hard and not hold back he’d been gentle with