Reece kept his cool as he let Maddison out of his house, and watched as she disappeared out of sight. It wasn't till he shut the door that he aloud the emotions take over.

  Holly crap! She was human right? Yes, he was sure of it. No way she would have been able to hide an Other's scent from him, for that long, in his own den! No, Maddison had to be human.

  But damn if he hadn't felt the Bond! He knew it was possible with humans of curse, but he never even considered it happening for him with one.

  Go figure that living the last twenty-four years without ever feeling the bond with one of his own kind and some random human shows up at his door and there it was: the Bond.

  He had just begun to get dressed after his shower when he heard the knock at his front door. He wasn't going to answer it at first, knowing it wasn't one of the pack as he would have sensed a pack mate at his door.

  The window set in the door was opaque, so he couldn't see who stood on the other side, but a deep breath told him it was a human woman. Intrigued, he decided it was worth answering to take a peek at least.

  When he opened that door he was immediately stunned. It was true that no one would have called the woman 'beautiful' with her slight stature, average build, sprinkling of freckles and long blonde tangle of curls. Cute, would be a better word, he thought. But her eyes! One green and one blue, they startled him for a moment before he could hide behind his mask of indifference. He could tell that his reaction was one she got often, and she didn't particularly like it.

  He was surprised to learn that she was looking into his rental apartment. He had only just put the sign in the window the day before and had yet to do any other advertisements. Reece figured he should have her look at the place anyway. He hadn't, originally, planed on having a women up there; her sent would attract the pack when any of them came by. Still, he saw no harm showing her around.

  It wasn't till her arm brushed his in the foyer that he felt it. Even for a man who had never once felt the pull of a Bonding Call there was no mistaking this sensation. The instant his arm brushed against hers, even through her jacket, the burn of his flesh and the electricity zapping through his body was clear.

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  He instantly became more aware of her. However, he didn't want to give himself away, so he pushed down any visible alarm and led her up the stairs.

  Reece was very much aware of her eyes on him, the quicker intake of air and the scent of the beginnings of interest. Damn, it was hard not to growl in response.

  When they entered the apartment he told her quickly about the layout and aloud her to wander about. The wolf in him was pleased, seeing her Inspect his domain, and was also acutely aware that she was having a hard time not looking at his bare skin. He decided against donning the shirt. He wasn't an exhibitionist, but he wanted this woman's eyes on him as long as he could manage it.

  She disappeared down the hall and he forced himself to breath. Her scent drew out a tiny rumble from deep in his chest that he was glad her human ears could not pick up.

  Reece was so taken aback by her appearance that he was at a loss for what to do about the women -Maddison. Perhaps he would be smart to scare her off? The house of a werewolf wasn't the safest place for a little human woman. The wolf in him insisted that he could take care of her.

  It didn't take Maddison long to inspect the two rooms down the hall, and when she returned he was sure to present himself as cool and relaxed even if, on the inside, he was a mess of emotions.

  The animal in him swelled with pride and confidence as she praised his domain. She asked about rent. He was originally going to ask for a grand a month, but he now found himself almost desperate to have he stay here. He spouted out that he would be asking for eight hundred.

  She asked about pets and the rules. He hadn't ever planed on having a human renter, but he did his best to make up reasons why there would be a racket down below, from time to time. He couldn't care less about her cat so long as he wasn't the cause of it dying of a heart attack in the future. Cats especially did not like werewolves.

  As they meted out the conditions of this business transaction, Reece could barley contain his pleasure. He managed to slip a compliment in too, but was not rewarded with the reaction he expected. Instead of being pleased and flirty like most women he had come across, she actually seemed to shut down a little. In the end she did joke back, so he held out hope he hadn't messed up too badly.

  Now she would be living above him in his house. There was no denying his wolf's satisfaction about that. Already Reece's wolf was viewing Maddison as it's mate. What a mess he had gotten them both into.