Therian Prize: 5 (Therian Heat) Read Online Free Page A

face as Enya stood and released the hand-held showerhead from its bracket. Even covered in dirt and who knew what else, Heather was beautiful. Her reddish-gold hair tangled about her face and shoulders, one perfect spiral trailing down between her breasts. He only allowed himself a glimpse at those gentle mounds before he dragged his gaze back to her face.
    His interaction with Heather was minimal but she’d always fascinated him. Unlike most wolf females, she was spirited and independent. Landon, her middle brother, insisted that she was more like her father than any of Nate’s sons. Jake wasn’t sure that was a good thing—Nate Fitzroy was a ruthless prick—but it piqued Jake’s interest either way.
    Enya rinsed away the worst of the grime then turned off the sprayer. “She’s exhausted and her energy levels are dangerously low.”
    “Can you feed her?” Everyone in Jake’s bloodline could pass energy to others but Enya could deliver the most concentrated stream. Besides, to help feed Heather, Jake would have to touch her and he’d rather keep his distance while she was naked.
    “I’ll try, but I doubt it will be enough. She became your responsibility as soon as you brought her inside. This isn’t going to fall on me.”
    “Understood. Just see if you can bring her back to consciousness. We need to understand her situation before we make decisions about her.”
    Enya laughed. “Little late for that. Besides, there is no ‘we’ in this. I’ll do my best to wake her up then you get her out of here.” Without waiting for his agreement, she turned back to the tub and placed her hands on Heather’s shoulders.
     
    Heather stirred restlessly beneath the hot palms burning into her shoulders. Energy flowed into her body, saturating her cells and sizzling through her bloodstream. Water lapped at her legs and she rested back against something smooth and cool. Her mind was muddled and every muscle in her body felt limp and useless.
    “Where am I?” she whispered without opening her eyes.
    “Aspen. How did you get here? Is someone chasing you?”
    The female voice was unfamiliar so she forced her eyes to open. Light stabbed into her brain, making her shudder and moan.
    “Get the light. She’s trying to open her eyes.”
    The light seeping in through Heather’s eyelids dimmed, so she slowly tried again. She was lying in a bathtub and a woman knelt on the floor beside her. The woman moved her hands to the edge of the tub, silently waiting for Heather to speak. With the light off, she could keep her eyes open, but now the woman’s face was shadowed.
    “Are you injured or just exhausted?” The woman finally spoke again after a long, tense silence.
    Terrified and desperate to avoid the hunters, Heather had run until her legs gave out and she’d had no choice but to rest. “I feel much better now. Thank you for the energy.”
    The woman chuckled. “She’s all yours. I have no use for wolves.” She pushed to her feet and walked out of the bathroom, brushing past a man Heather hadn’t noticed before.
    Light from the hall illuminated one side of his face and outlined his muscular body. Jake Parlain. Holy shit, she’d run to Jake for help? She must have been out of her mind. There was no way he would stick his neck out for a wolf. No cat would.
    “Why don’t you finish cleaning up then put on this robe? Now that you’re feeling better, you can explain what brought you here.” He placed the bathrobe beside the tub and slipped from the room, leaving the door ajar so she wasn’t in complete darkness.
    The details of her situation came crashing down on her. She was naked and in the bathtub of a tiger-shifter. Her father had encouraged the hunters to run her down and rape her. Several of the bastards had spent the past seven or eight hours trying to do exactly that. After utter desperation triggered her shift, she’d run and run until she was too exhausted to move then she’d hid until she recovered enough