Page 98 of Anders
Tall, lithe, with hair the color of midnight pulled back in a severe braid that emphasized the harsh planes of her face.Her movements were fluid, economical, those of a trained fighter.
Her eyes flashed when she realized she’d been caught, her body—in human form, like Conall’s—instantly moving into a combat-ready stance.
Identify yourself,Conall demanded, his voice a low growl that echoed slightly against the rock face behind him.
Her lips curled back just enough to reveal the edge of elongated canines—not fully shifted, but not fully human either.
That’s rich, coming from a Stewart twin.Her voice was smoke and whiskey, rough around the edges yet oddly compelling.
The fact that she knew him—or at least knew of him—sent a fresh surge of adrenaline through Conall’s system.
Not a random intruder, then.Someone with specific knowledge of the Sunburst Pack.
She took a step closer, and Conall’s gaze flickered over her form, taking in her lithe, athletic build.
Her body was a weapon—toned thighs, flat stomach marked with a thin silvery scar just below her navel, shoulders squared with confidence despite her nakedness.Her black hair, wild and untamed, fell past her shoulders in waves that caught the dying light, framing high cheekbones and a defiant jaw.
Conall felt his body respond, a hot flush of unwanted desire flooding his system, his cock jerking upright.
His wolf stirred beneath his skin, recognizing something his human mind wasn’t ready to accept.
He shifted his stance, trying to disguise the physical evidence of his reaction, wishing for the loose fit of his patrol clothes.
A faint smirk played at the corner of her mouth, telling him she’d noticed.The knowledge only intensified the heat crawling up his neck, joining the anger already pulsing through his veins.
How dare his body betray him like this?She was an intruder, a threat—and yet his treacherous eyes kept wandering to the curve of her hip, the lean strength of her thighs, the small, perfect scar that marked her right collarbone like an invitation to touch.
Who are you?he growled again, forcing gruffness into his voice to cover the unwelcome huskiness that threatened to emerge.And why are you in Sunburst territory?
She took another step closer, and her scent wafted over him—mountain snow mingled with wild honey and something darker, muskier, that spoke of high-altitude forests where wolves ran free beneath star-swept skies.A perfume that stood in stark contrast to the dry desert air around them.
And…somehow familiar.
Something electric sparked between them in that moment.
More than tension.More than threat.
The air between them seemed to crackle with it, making the fine hairs on his arms stand on end.
Their eyes locked, and Conall felt it—the mate bond.
A force of nature that cared nothing for their mutual hostility.
The recognition slammed through his blood like a flash flood, washing away rational thought.
She felt it too; he could tell by the way her pupils dilated, the subtle catch in her breath.
Her expression shifted from contempt to outright loathing.
Oh, fuck no,she snarled, the sound more wolf than human.Absolutely not.
She attacked—a feint to his left followed by a powerful strike aimed at his throat.Conall blocked instinctively, the impact jarring up his forearm as he twisted away from her second attack.
She took that opportunity to run, moving like liquid shadow across the desert terrain, her form shifting between human and wolf with practiced ease.
Conall pursued, matching her agility, his fury building as she systematically damaged security markers along her escape route.
Each sensor she destroyed flared briefly with a small electronic pulse before going dark, leaving holes in the protective network Anders had so carefully constructed.
