“That jerk could have done it to me.”

“He probably would have if you’d fought him to the point that you annoyed him.”

“Can you do that to me?” She hated to even ask, in case it gave him ideas.

“Rip into your mind and force you completely to my will? I could, but I never would. It destroys a human forever if it’s done by someone ruthless. They’re damaged and there’s no way to fix their minds. They usually commit suicide if the one who controls them dies. They lose the will to live.”

She sealed her lips, appalled.

“I’m going hunting. Stay put and away from the edge. The ground could be unstable.”

“I’m tired. I’m going to sit right here.”

“I’ll return before dark.”

She was tempted to ask him to shift forms in front of her but changed her mind. They would be sleeping together in that hole he dug, which meant very close quarters. She wasn’t sure if seeing him turn into a wolf would terrify her so much she’d be unable to lie next to him.

“Be careful.”

He walked away, quickly out of sight as he disappeared between the trees. She turned her head, gazing at where the ground abruptly ended. Tomorrow morning he wanted to climb down the ravine to get to the other side. Veso was a crazy bastard but he had saved her ass. She couldn’t forget that. He’d also kept his word. He hadn’t left her behind.

“Out of the fire but I’m still in the frying pan,” she mumbled. “I just need to survive.”

Veso refused to go far and kept on alert for any scents that could warn him of an attack. The Vampires who’d stolen him used drugs. It meant their human guards, if they had some, probably had access to them as well. He stopped when he felt safe Glenda couldn’t see him and stripped, carefully placing his clothing off the ground to keep them cleaner. He bent, shifting fast.

He shook his entire body once the transformation completed. Time had rid him of the drugs in his system but his skin felt sensitive.

He caught the scent of a squirrel. It was easy to track it. The creature moved fast and tried to climb a tree but hunger drove him to climb after it, his claws scarring the trunk. The poor thing hadn’t expected something like him to be able to follow, and he probably confused it enough to be able to capture it easier than normally. It died fast, painlessly, and he leapt out of the tree to eat it on the ground.

Glenda would be appalled if she could see him. He tried to imagine what she’d say, and none of it would be good.

He dug and buried the remains of his kill when he finished eating, rubbed his muzzle on the grass to clean off the blood, and returned to his clothes. He shifted back and dressed.

The desire to protect Glenda drove him to nearly run back to their temporary campsite. He refused to allow her to be recaptured. It riled him to the point of wanting to roar when he even imagined that Vampire master getting ahold of her again. She might not be his real mate, but his instincts didn’t seem to care that it was just a trick of being injected with each other’s blood. The feelings were real, despite the logic.

He found her still sitting on the rock but he knew she’d gotten up, since she’d moved over a few feet. He also faintly scented blood. “What did you do while I was gone?”

She turned her head, holding his stare. “I peed. Is that okay? I went behind that tree.” She lifted her arm and jerked her thumb toward one. “Right over there. Did you find something to eat? That was fast.”

“There’s a lot of game in this area since humans aren’t around to overhunt them.” He stomped toward her and sniffed. “You’re bleeding.”

She lifted her hand, showing off a scratch. “I used a tree to brace my weight when I squatted and the bark was rough.”

“God…you’re so human.” How could she get hurt taking a leak?

“What’s your deal with hating my kind?”

He no longer like her thinking that way but couldn’t honestly deny her accusation. “History.”

“What does that mean?”

“Humans have always tried to kill what they don’t understand and can’t control.”

“Is that why nobody knows Werewolves and Vampires are real?”

“Yes. Some would try to become what we are, thinking it would gain them great power. Others would try to capture our kinds and use us for experiments. We live much longer lives.” He drew closer to her. The scent of her bleeding made him semi hard but he tried to ignore the reaction. “Some outright fear us and just want us dead. We’re monsters to them.”

She seemed to mull that over. “I get it.”

That surprised him. “You don’t want to deny it, or maybe argue about what good our blood could do for humans?”

“I watch alien movies. They’re usually gory and always depict aliens being killers. Most Werewolf movies are horror too. That’s probably why humans would want to kill or dissect first, ask questions later. Vampires have been frequently romanticized but after meeting real Vampires, even I want to kill them all.”

“Most of them are pretty bad. They see humans as cattle, the way you humans see actual cows. Food sources.”

“I do love my hamburgers and steak but now I’m feeling guilty.”

He spotted real emotion in her eyes and approached her, taking a seat a foot away on the rock. “You wouldn’t kill it if it begged for its life, would you?”

“No. Of course not. I doubt I could actually kill one, even I was hungry. I buy my meat in packages at the store. I can’t even stand to look at the fish. Some of them have faces. It depresses me.”

She was so tenderhearted. He thought that was cute, but then remembered the animal he’d just eaten. He changed the subject in case she asked what he’d had for dinner, focusing on her hand. The sight of her blood bothered him in more ways than just the thought it might cause her pain.

“Give me your hand.” He held out his own.

“Why?” She peered at him with a frown.

“I can fix it. Infection can easily set in out here. It won’t hurt.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Lick it.”

“Ew”

“Don’t be squeamish, Glenda. Give me your hand.”

“I’ll pass.”

He reached over, curled his fingers around her wrist, and turned to face her more. She wasn’t able to prevent him from lifting her hand to his mouth or sucking on her skin. He stared into her eyes as he cleaned the scratch with his tongue. It clearly horrified her but he didn’t care.