Grayslake: More than Mated: Unbearable Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Kelly Collins Page B

one-and-done, more than a quick lay, and more than he could ever deserve.
    The fight inside continued while his bear broke through his skin, one hair at a time. Eli became taller and broader. He was big enough to intimidate the forest surrounding him. His bear was right, he needed put the past to rest and claim what was his. It took a bit of coaxing to get his bear to retreat, but as soon as the last hair receded, he marched through the front door and up the stairs to take what belonged to him.
    His knock on her door went unanswered. The tension in the air was palpable. His skin prickled with the awareness of her nearness. “Lily?” He turned the knob and found her sitting in a pile of torn clothes. “What the hell?” Eli was at her side in seconds, pulling her into his lap. She collapsed against him, and he took on the weight of her body and her worries. “Julia did this,” he growled. There was no doubt in his mind.
    “Probably.” She picked up pieces of tattered fabric and released it. The scraps fluttered to the floor around them.
    “There’s no probably about it, this has scorned woman written all over it, and it’s my fault.” Eli wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. He smelled the air for fear and frustration, but didn’t scent those emotions. Only the strong essence of resignation floated around her.
    “You can’t punish, what you can’t prove.” She was feeding him his words from earlier.
    “No, but I can call Ty and get him involved.” He moved her around so she was straddling his legs. The position gave him endless ideas—ideas his bear was happy to implement.
    “I don’t want Ty involved. What good would that do?” Lily leaned forward and rested her head on his chest. “I kind of egged her on. I called her a skinny bitch.” She skimmed her fingers over the hills and valleys of his chest; the sensations rippled through his body like a live current. “Julia can’t help herself. She’s a product of her upbringing.”
    “Spoiled Itan’s daughter syndrome?” Sliding his hands through her hair, he felt the rise of his passion, and he was certain she felt it, too. There was no mistaking the thickness in his jeans, or the pulsing against her thigh. Ignoring his desire was difficult but necessary. He needed to get her to safety more than he needed to sink himself between her legs.
    “I understand Julia better than most. I have a controlling father.” She leaned back and played with the collar of his T-shirt. “Her actions are a form of survival.”
    Eli’s head flinched back. Lily was giving Julia a pass. “I know a little about Itan’s daughters.”
    She puckered her lips and tilted her head. “Is that so? Tell me what you know.” Her words were stained with sarcasm. “Educate me.”
    “I dated an Itan’s daughter once. I’ll never do that again.” Lily squirmed in his lap.
    “Why, because she was spoiled?” She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. Her eyes narrowed to his.
    “Yes, and because…I couldn’t compete with her father’s power.” Eli lifted Lily to her feet and stood next to her. “Pack up, you’re not safe here.”
    “What?” She looked around the room. “I can’t leave here. I’m not ready to go home, and I have nowhere else to go. Every hotel within miles is full.”
    Even though Lily sat in a pile of her shredded clothes, there were no tears. Most girls were emotional, but Lily kept her feelings in check. Eli had a feeling she adopted the staid demeanor as a way to survive, but that wasn’t needed any longer. He’d take her home and make her his, and spend the rest of his life making her happy.
    “You’ll stay with me.” He grabbed the trashcan and began throwing the remnants of her clothes away. A lesser woman would have been in hysterics.
    “Stay with you?”
    “Lily, you’ll be safe with me. If I were going to take advantage of you, I would have done it last night. Now, let’s pack.”
    She didn’t question