Little girl dreams.

Rag doll tea parties. Bows and Braids. Toy cars. Building blocks. Teddy Bears. They all played a part in her memories of her childhood. Her toys, her brother, and Uberto.

Her dolls had long ago been put away. Her hair styled in variations of the ‘Victory Rolls’ like the popular World War II style or a high ponytail that matched her clothing style. Her building blocks had actually been her brother’s, purloined and placed in her room when he’d left them alone for too long, and later in her life given to her cousin after her sister had turned up her nose at the toys.

She still had teddy bears, only in this part of her life they had fangs that could kill and a body that could shift from human to animal and back again. Much more interesting than the ones with button eyes and a body stuffed with cotton.

But, they were also the bane of her existence as well.

Sitting upon her bed, Emiliana couldn’t help but swallow an aching sob of grief. She’d managed to listen to Uberto recount what happened at the meeting without any tears. She’d barely kept her form, but it was easier for her to control anger than it was to control pain and disappointment.

Betrayal left her raw and aching deep inside her chest.

She’d told her father about sending Uberto away. She had told him years ago while it was happening, because she’d trusted him. And now, it felt as if he’d turned her own confidence against her.

The anger stole her breath, her grief nearly stole her reason.

How could her father, the man she’d loved and best for most of her life, have decided to even entertain the idea of sending her away? Whether it was in the best interests of their valley mattered little to her. She had been brought up to respect her elders and give of her time and talents to others in need, but this was her life.

Her heart.

She may have sent Uberto away so very long ago, but it was never truly her intention to be separated from him for the rest of her life.

It just happened that the longer he was away, the harder it was for her to bridge the gap between them, and then she’d almost lost sight of the idea all together. Her father may have wanted to force the issue with her, to use who she was for his own benefit.

And now, instead of forcing them even farther apart with his interference, Emiliana felt as though she had woken up from a long disturbing dream to realize that the answer was right in front of her.

Or rather, the answer was in her kitchen if her ears weren’t playing tricks on her.

When Emiliana entered the kitchen, she stopped short. Uberto was standing at the stove stirring something in a pot.

Wow. If it wasn’t the cut of his jeans, it was the way the molded to his body. Add to that the way he looked standing at the stove, she laughed silently to herself.

When he’d first returned, she’d been content with replaying the same argument again and again, but it had done nothing to prove that she was a mature woman deserving of her father’s approval.

And yet, like so many things in her life, it’s time had come and gone. For a moment she wondered if there was a box big enough to set aside the follies of youth and pride. Not likely, but she still needed to let them go and move forward

Her eyes traveled down once more over the muscular curve of his backside and the length of his strong legs, and down to, yes, his bare feet.

It was a tight smile that tugged at her lips.

And arousal that made her skin feel too tight.

And the heat between her legs that had her leaning against the doorframe with a sigh.

“Enjoying the view, Ana?”

She had to work to take in a breath past the lump in her throat. For one moment she considered giving him a throw away answer. Old habits didn’t just die hard, some of them were sunk into her skin like claws. And yet, here he was, standing in front of her. Hers for the taking.

And she wondered, What am I running from?

“I like the view,” she told him the truth and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip for a quick bite. The pain was just enough to brighten her eyes. “Maybe I don’t just want to look.”

His hand slowed and then stopped as he tapped the long-handled wooden spoon on the side of pot and laid it on the side. With a quick twist of his wrist, he turned the burner off before he looked at her over his shoulder, his eyes bright for a moment before they shifted to black.

She felt the change in herself as well. Her bear wanted a look at his and she couldn’t blame her. Uberto was gorgeous. Just the thought of his mouth on her was enough to send her up in flames.

His technique had only become better over the years and the thought, the idea of just how he’d acquired his new ‘skills’ had her growling as she felt the painful prick of her fangs slice through her gums.

She saw the look of confusion on his face, but she couldn’t help the jealousy that ran through her veins, racing with the feelings of lust and need.

“Ana?” His voice was softer, cautious. She knew why.

As a shifter, she was dangerous even when she wasn’t angry. One didn’t underestimate the power of a bear and want to keep living.

“Just, give me a second.”

She turned away from him and faced the length of the hallway, taking in one gasping breath after another.

“Hey.”

His hands on her hips sent chills through her body and she tensed, making her choke on a breath.

“Ana, tell me. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head. “It’s just hard to realize that I’ve wasted so much time just to prove that I was right, that what I felt wasn’t just the fear of the young girl that I was.”

He didn’t argue, he didn’t push, he just held her hips and waited for her to speak. He had changed. And she’d almost missed knowing him, again.

She felt one of his hands move from her hip and slide over her belly. She moaned into his touch, felt her body tremble with the gentle caress of his palm. And when he reached her hip his fingers bit into her flesh. It didn’t feel like pain. It felt secure. It felt like possession.

And heaven help her, she wanted possession.

He turned her to face him and before he could do anything she had her hands up and cradling his face.

She saw a hint of shock in his eyes, but when she pressed her lips to his he didn’t tense up, he melted into their kiss. The hands he had on her hips, pushed back and down until he cradled her ass in his palms.

There was no missing the hard press of his erection against her belly.

She pulled away just long enough to smile at him in satisfaction. “I think you have something I need, ‘Berto.”

He curled his body to hers and she let out a sigh as his erection nudged her.

“Yes, that.” She moaned and pressed her hips against his. She was satisfied when she heard his growl echo in the hallway.

“Tell me, Ana.” His voice was almost a whisper, his breath fanning the hair at her temple. “Tell me how to make you happy.”

“I need you, ‘Berto.” She shook her head and spat the words out. She didn’t like feeling this way. She didn’t want to ache for him. She didn’t want to need his hands on her, his mouth on her, and to feel him moving inside of her. “I don’t want to need you,” she finished her thought through clenched teeth, “but I do.”

The grin that spread over his lips was sexy as hell. The dark glint of his bear in his eyes had her soaking wet and hungry.

Uberto licked his lips in a slow deliberate swipe as he devoured her with his gaze. “Then we’re even,” he said as he pressed her hips tighter to his own, “because I need you, Ana. You’re the other piece of my soul, the one I’ve been missing for years, just out of my reach.”

“And now?” She couldn’t resist moving against him, putting pressure against his thickness for her pleasure as much as his.

“Now? I have you in my hands and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you go.”

She sighed at the sentiment. It was hard to believe that they just might be on the same page for once.

But at that moment, she just didn’t want to think about it anymore. She didn’t want to fight it anymore.

“Then take me to your room, Uberto.”

“Our room, Ana.”

He pressed his fingertips into her curves and she gasped, bringing his gaze squarely onto her lips.

“Yes, our room,” she agreed with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, “take me there and show me how much you need me.”

He pressed his lips to hers and nibbled at the fullness of her bottom lip. When she pulled away, his teeth still had a hold on her lip until he let it go with a pop.

“And then,” she looked at him with heat sizzling through her body, “I’m going to show you how much I need you.”

A moment later, her feet were off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his body, hooking her ankles together behind his back. The shift in position rocked his cock against her at just the right angle.

Her head fell back on a moan and his curse was music to her ears.

“Wait for me, mia anima. I want to be inside you.”

She sank down against him as her eyes met his. “You’re always inside me.”

As she watched, his eyes went midnight dark and another thrill passed through her. His lip twitched up to reveal the sharp point of a fang.

“Oh, I’m going to be inside you, Ana.”

And then he was moving down the hall, holding her tightly against him, devouring her lips as they went.