NATURE OF THE B*E*A*S*T* Excerpt!

Would you like to read an exclusive excerpt of NATURE OF THE B*E*A*S*T*? Of course you would. LOL Many people have told me Wade is their favorite out of all of my shifters. Well, he's finally getting his own story. Yay!

Enjoy it!

~*~*~*~

"I'm sorry," he whispered, rubbing Neosporin cream onto her wounds. "I . . . I don't know what I was thinking. I'll . . . take you back. To your boyfriend."

"Wha . . . what about my father?"

Wade glanced into her eyes and a pang of longing struck him so hard, he couldn't breathe. Her gentle gaze pulled at his heartstrings and he couldn't help but think about Noah with Lanie and Rogan with Marlie. He wanted desperately to find a woman for himself, and the way Keira was looking at him made him crave it all the more.

She was soft and gentle. Caring, even. But how could she stare at him in such a way if he'd just abducted her? Even her cheeks were red from the duct tape, and Wade found himself wishing he could kiss all her hurts away. It made him sick to think he'd hurt her. He never thought of himself as a monster. But tonight, he'd proved he was beyond the shadow of a doubt.

"I'll get to Covington another way."

She gasped, but didn't release his eye contact. "You're still planning your revenge?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

"But--"

"Keira, I'm not going to ask you to understand why. Just know that it has to be done."

"Are you going to kill him?" she whispered. A sudden fear crept into her scent and he closed his eyes. Son of a bitch. Was he trembling? It had to be from the day's events. There was no other reason.

"That was my plan, yeah."

"Please. Don't kill him." Her warm hands touched his arm and he flinched. So much so, she pulled away in alarm.

He stared at her incredulously. "If you knew what he's done, you wouldn't ask that of me."

She bit her lip. She was also shaking. "What has he done? You mentioned a compound . . . and a shifter?"

Wade rubbed his eyes and sighed. "It's probably best if you don't know."

Keira watched her fingers as they plucked at the worn carpet lining the truck bed. "It's bad, isn't it?" she asked with a sniffle.

Her scent suddenly turned sad. The shreds of Wade's heart ached inside of him.
"Keira--"

"Just tell me," she said, her eyes shining with moisture.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did."

She gave him a forlorn chuckle, halfway between a sob and a laugh. "Whatever it is, it made you desperate enough to kidnap his daughter."

Wade nodded. "I'm sorry about that," he murmured with his eyes downcast. "When you're on the run, everyone you come in contact with is your enemy. I didn't think twice when I saw you. I acted on my own damned impulse."

"You're on the run?" Keira said with a gasp, covering her mouth. "Are you a criminal?"

He gave her a half-smile. "I'm on the run from your father's goons. And if they catch me, they’re going to mind wipe me again."

"Mind wipe? You mean brainwash you?"

He nodded.

"But that's not possible."

"There are a lot of things in this world that 'aren’t possible', but I see them happening every day. Trust me. It's possible."

"But . . . why would my father--how would my father have access to that kind of . . . thing?"

"I have no idea," Wade said, setting his jaw. "But I aim to find out."

~*~*~*~

~~Becka