Hunting Season: Werewolf Bodyguard Romance (Guarded by the Shifter Book 1) by Kate Rudolph (new reading TXT) 📗

The other healed over bite burned at the thought, but it didn't hurt. It was a reassurance that Owen was there, a steady presence she could always count on.

Em nodded at him and then gave Stasia a hug. It was a relief to know her sister didn't hesitate to get close to her even though she could turn into a furry monster at any moment. Stasia flashed back to an hour before when she'd been taming her own monster and Owen's bite tingled again. Maybe their family didn't have a healthy sense of survival, after all.

"I love you," said Em, hugging her again. "And you better call me. Werewolf or not. That shit is cool. I want to know more." She gave Stasia a kiss on the cheek and took off.

Stasia sank down onto the bed and let out a breath. Maybe the werewolf shit was cool from the outside, but she was exhausted. "I'm ready to go home. Take me?"

The look Owen gave her was too serious for the moment and his word felt like a vow. "Anywhere."

Leaving the safe house didn't take long. Andre was nowhere to be found and Vega made himself scarce. None of the rest of the pack asked Stasia any probing questions, though she did see Gibson give Owen a significant look. She decided to ask about that later; for now, she just wanted to be gone.

Owen brought the car around and she climbed in to the front seat. The traffic gods blessed them and getting back to her place didn't take too long. But once the car was parked they didn't get out.

Stasia wasn't sure what to do. Momentum had pushed her this far, but now she had actual choices to make. Choices about Owen and her and what they really meant to one another.

Owen's stuff was inside, so he had to go in to at least get that, but he wasn't her bodyguard anymore. She was supposed to be safe. Whatever bad guys were after her were supposed to be taken care of.

She wasn't sure that she had the full story, but she didn't think that her brother or her father would purposely put her in peril. Use her as bait? Maybe, but even if they were doing that, they would warn her.

Right?

That was something she shouldn't dwell on.

"I can stay," Owen offered as he looked over at her, one hand on the steering wheel, one on the console between them.

"As my bodyguard or my boyfriend?" After the nights they'd spent together and all that they shared, it felt a little strange to ask, but she needed to be sure. Owen had made his declarations, and they sure as hell liked each other. Their chemistry was off the charts.

Owen leaned across the car and gave her a searing kiss. When he pulled back he was grinning. "Does that answer your question?"

She couldn't help but touch her fingers to her lips. "It's been a long time since I've had a boyfriend. None of them have been like you. And I don't think I've ever dated a werewolf. I'm not really good at the dating thing." It was probably a little late to warn him about her less than stellar dating record. But it only seemed fair.

"I can be a lot more than your boyfriend," Owen said, undeterred by her warning. "I want to keep you forever."

Her heart leapt, but she wasn't surprised. Everything between them was so intense. Maybe it would be good to test out what it was like to be with him without werewolf bullshit or kidnappers threatening them every minute.

But still Stasia had to tease him a little.

"So we have sex a few times and suddenly I'm your fated mate?" she asked with a grin. The weight of the last week was lifting off of her and she could imagine what it would be like to just be with Owen.

But Owen froze where he sat, eyes wide. "What did you say?" he asked carefully.

That wasn't the reaction she was expecting. "Isn't that what all of these stories say? You're a werewolf. Silver hurts you. Of course you have a fated mate. But I don't belong to you." She wanted to be absolutely clear on that point. "No matter what I said in the heat of the moment. I'm not about to be a little woman. Got that?"

Owen gave a shell-shocked nod, and then he leaned in again and kissed her, and this time it was even more passionate than the last.

"Fated mate. I like the sound of that." He grinned.

They went inside but they didn't make it very far before Owen scooped her up off of her feet and charged up the stairs to her bedroom, slamming the door behind them.

Chapter Thirty-One

Apprehension had been growing within Owen for a few hours. Stasia was safely upstairs asleep, but he was doing a final check to make sure all of the doors were locked and that the security system was engaged. It was near midnight and he wished the security team was still outside.

Was this the kind of fear that came from loving someone? Was he always going to worry that someone might come for his mate?

Or would he be better once he was convinced that the kidnappers who had wanted her really were gone?

He would ask Stasia if he could talk to her father and brother the next day. Perhaps AR or Armand Selby could give him some insight into what was going on. He wasn't going to let anyone come for Stasia again.

The security system was engaged, the doors and windows were locked, and there wasn't much more Owen could do to make sure they were safe. He considered taking a walk around the building to look for anyone suspicious but decided that was a step too far.

He wasn't that paranoid.. But maybe he should have been.

He heard something plonk against the