Page 9 of Sasquatch's Claiming

He grinned. “Sometimes, but they never leave.”

“Why, do you keep them chained up?”

“No. They have complete freedom. My mother often went back to her hometown. The reason our human brides stay is because we know how to treat them well. Once a Sasquatch falls in love, we can’t live without our mate.”

Her heart skittered and her body froze.

Love?

Mate?

She got up from the bed slowly, wrapping the sheet around her. “Mate?”

Ben nodded, smiling, and a jolt of heat rippled through her as she keenly remembered his mouth on her pussy, licking her and making her come so hard. “I view you as my mate. I have since that day we first met.”

“The day I don’t remember,” she replied sardonically.

“Right,” he groused.

“So why haven’t you claimed me then?”

“Rules. I’m not supposed to be here, but I come here every night to watch over you. You are in danger. I can’t explain how I know, but I just feel it.” He touched his chest. “I feel it here.”

A shiver of dread ran through her, because even though she didn’t really remember Ben, she had always felt that way too. Always in danger. Maybe her parents knew it too.

A memory hit her then of that pub on the night she blacked out.

A cold tentacle reached out and grabbed her by her waist.

“Holy fuck!” she screamed, as the tentacle gripped tighter and she was lifted up in the air.

“Come here, sweets. Let me taste your warm blood,” a hissing voice taunted.

She looked down to see a squid-like man, like something from a horrible sci-fi movie, standing below her. There was a group of other marine-like anthropomorphic beings around, laughing and chortling. They were using her for sport. Thiswas something like out of a nightmare. All she was doing was looking for her friend in this seedy bar when she walked into a back room. It was like she was in another dimension.

“Let her go,” came a demanding growl.

The squid man hissed and let go of her, she screamed as she fell, but was caught in two strong, furry arms.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“It’s okay. You’re safe. I’m Ben.”

“I remember,” Bernadette whispered.

Ben sat up. “What do you remember?”

“You. You saved me. That’s how we met. There was a squid man.”

Ben smiled and scooted to the end of the bed, holding out his large hand. She took it and he pulled her close.

“I did. No woman should be treated that way. As I said, unsavoury monsters exist too.”

“Same with humans.”

Ben kissed her on the top of her head and stood up. “I must leave.”

“Why?” she asked, suddenly panicked he was disappearing forever, and her heart couldn’t handle that thought.