His to Protect: Book 1 in the Bound to Him Series by Sandra Antoni (top rated ebook readers .TXT) 📕

and from press events, galas, interviews, and her concert, but she had been good to work for.

She had been a very humble person, and that made the job even better knowing that we were protecting someone who was having an impact on the world. We didn’t get to protect people like her very often.

Her deposit had cleared a few days ago, and I noticed the final payment was still pending. Opening my spreadsheet, I got to work. Work kept me distracted, and for some reason, I needed the distraction this evening…even if it was the financials.

When I closed my laptop, it was just after 9:00 p.m. A run was just what I needed. Making my way to the patio doors, I slipped out of my clothes, stacking them in a patio chair. Switching to my wolf, I headed towards the mountains.

I never felt more free than when I was in my wolf form. Running through the trees and over creeks, I made my way up the side of the rugged mountain. Suddenly, I came to a fast halt. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and my ears twitched, listening for anything that was off. I knew that I was not alone.

Sniffing the air, I caught a scent that did not belong, and it was human. Humans never traveled this route and usually stuck to the trails. It would not do for a human to catch sight of my wolf. Unfortunately, if he did, I would have to dispose of him. It would be better if I just headed back home. I definitely did not want to kill anyone tonight.

I turned and headed back down the mountain, but it seemed the scent was getting stronger. Whoever this human was, the scent was leading in the direction of my house. There was no way that I could leave it alone now. Maybe whoever it was had already discovered what I was, and that was something that I could not allow.

Following the scent, I made my way in the direction of my house. I rounded a hill, and that’s when I saw her. A woman was sitting on the ground with her back against a tree. She had some kind of cloth wrapped around both of her hands, and I could see blood soaking through her jeans just under her knee. The expression on her face was pain, but that was until she saw me.

Her eyes opened wide in alarm, and she pushed backwards which caused her to cry out and she collapsed onto her back on the ground. Her eyes never left mine, but she froze. I studied her face for a moment and realized that she was beautiful, even with her face contorted in pain.

Her green eyes shone in the moonlight, and her luscious lips were strained with the pain she was in. That made me smile to myself. She looked so damn kissable, even hurt and bleeding. Realizing the direction of my thoughts, I quickly pushed them away. She closed her eyes tightly and turned her head away from me, but she did not move.

Whoever this woman was, she was hurt and obviously afraid. I turned away from her and ran. It only took me about fifteen minutes to get back to my house, and I shifted back to my human form and dressed as quickly as I could. Then I headed back to the mountain.

It took me much longer to reach her on foot than it would have for my wolf, but I could not let her know what I was. When I finally found her again, I could smell the scent of the tears on her face. I felt my wolf shiver as I slowly approached her, calling out so that I did not startle her.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” I asked her once I had her attention. She sniffed then shook her head.

“I was hiking but got caught in a rockslide. I’m…I’m…I’m lost as well. My car is out there somewhere, but once I lost the path, I couldn’t find it again,” she replied in a strained voice.

“Okay, well, I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Ezekiel, but most people just call me Zeke. I know these mountains like the back of my hand. Right now, we need to get you safe and warmed up. Can you walk?” I asked her. She shook her head again, and I knelt down beside her.

“I’m pretty sure my ankle is the size of a cantaloupe right now,” she answered quietly as her big green eyes studied my face. This was going to be difficult.

“All right. I don’t live too far from here, so let’s try and get you there, and then I can take a look at that ankle,” I told her gently.

I reached under her arms and helped her to stand on her good foot. Then I caught the scent of her hair. My heart skipped a beat and my wolf whimpered. Even my cock was affected, and I had to think of something else before I was too uncomfortable to walk. I had never responded to a woman this way and just from her scent. My wolf either. She was human after all.

Picking up her backpack, I threw it over one arm. Then I put her arm around my shoulder and grabbed her tightly around the waist. Looking down at her, I noticed her lip trembling. She was a trooper, and even though I knew that she was in pain, she was trying to hide it.

It was slow moving because of her ankle and because we were going downhill. My wolf was agitated, and I knew it was because of the woman’s scent. However, I had no idea what that meant. It was about forty-five minutes later that she finally pulled me to a stop. Looking down at her, she dropped her head.

“I’m Chelsea, by the way,” she whispered, but I could hear her voice trembling. “I don’t think I can go any