by Lucy Farago
Ester shrugged. “I a big girl, but dos rocks were heby and that dust…I hab to sneeze someting awbul.”
Boom, Mia mouthed, using her fingers to mimic an explosion. “I shifted when I realized she was planning to use her body to protect me, figured smaller would help us both.”
“Okay, then. How about we find a large, open clearing, and Ester can tell us her story.” What he wanted to do was talk to Mia about the cave-in. He’d heard her in human form. Mia’s communication ability was limited to animal forms. What did it mean? Had she heard him?
Twenty minutes later, with no trees around for Ester to torch, Mia and Loki had a better understanding of how the Sasquatch came to be their arsonist.
When Ester was Mastermind’s prisoner, she’d used a special collar on her victims to prevent them from shifting to their animals. What the nasty munchkin hadn’t realized was that Ester was born Sasquatch, not human. Mastermind was never able to figure out why or how the collar didn’t work on Ester. When the compound was liberated, and the collars removed, Ester shifted to human form, making it easier to escape.
“Sasquatch are like chameleons, but only when in human form,” Mia explained. “She has the ability to change her skin to blend into her environment. To become invisible like.”
“Huh. Neat trick, and the human sightings of Sasquatch?”
“Mating season,” Ester said.
“Most of them live among humans, and we don’t even know it. But when it’s their time to procreate, they return here for one month. In that time, they can’t shift to human form,” Mia added, touching Ester’s arm, comforting her. “They marry and make babies.”
There was more to this story than either of them had yet to tell him. And he anticipated it was going to be good, good and weird. “So when humans thought they’d seen Bi…a Sasquatch, it was one of you trying to get some?” That was a disturbing thought.
She shrugged again. He suspected the poor shifter spent a lot of her life apologizing. Then Ester opened her mouth, exposing large and scary teeth. Loki held his breath and readied to take himself and Mia out of the line of fire—literally.
Thankfully, she closed it back up. “False alarm,” she said, sounding a little less nasally.
Loki relaxed. “Just turn your head next time.” He had no desire to experience her fireballs again.
Then Ester explained how she’d come to be alone in the Rocky Mountains. How, ten days ago, on her wedding day to her childhood sweetheart, she did something there was no coming back from. She sneezed.
“This is ridiculous on so many levels,” Loki said. It had been raining for the last hour. He was wet, tired of eating protein bars, and desperate to talk to Mia about what had happened in the mining shaft.
“If you’re referring to letting me drive the ATV, you and I are going to have a problem.”
Didn’t they already have a problem? He was canine, she feline, and then there was the whole having-your-brother’s-baby thing.
“Let’s not add murder to the list of things going against us,” she said, poking his ribs with her elbow.
Was she thinking about the obstacles they’d have to overcome?
“We have five days to find Ester’s fiancé,” she said. “Five days to make this right.”
After that he would shift and leave the Rockies, and Ester, behind. “Yes, and why are we getting involved? If Cooper finds out we aren’t bringing her in—”
“Dogs are such whiners. Bring her in for what? Sneezing? Look, Ester agreed to stay in the cave. The worst she can do is give herself a steam bath. Which, in hindsight, would probably do her good. She deserves her happily ever after.”
He wanted to have his happily ever after, but given that would come off as a tad incentive… “How does us finding this guy help her? I mean, she burned him at the altar.” Literally. The woman sneezed and up went his ass. Mortified by what had happened, Ester ran.
“Just shut up and keep a lookout for a pink-bottom Sasquatch.”
He smiled. Women were funny creatures. If that were him giggling through their headpiece, he’d have gotten slapped. But he said nothing and did as instructed. The sooner they found the fiancé, the sooner he and Mia could talk. All day he debated testing his theory, wanting to talk to her telepathically. But, coward that he was, he wasn’t ready to give up hope. So, he kept all communication verbal. For now, he’d enjoy the feel of her settled between his legs, driving one of his babies. It was the little things that kept a man going.
“Given how rare sightings are, what makes you think we’ll find him?”
“Because,” Mia said, “I think he’s looking for her.”
She hit a nasty bump that on any other ATV would’ve bruised his tailbone. Damn, how he loved it when his machines performed. “Ever the romantic?”
“They were about to say their I do’s. Why would an accidentally toasted tail make him fall out of love with her? No, they’re meant to be together.”
She had a point. They had been childhood sweethearts. Was there something Mia could do that would get him to stop loving her? Was there anything insurmountable? Her being pregnant with another man’s child, perhaps? He slid closer to her, wanting her nearer. Technically their mission was over. Soon, they’d be heading back to the plane. Back to the Academy. As what? Lovers? Dare he say it, friends?
“There.” Mia stopped the ATV and jumped off. Brushing a loose strand of hair off her face, she hunched down, pointing to one hell of a large print.
He joined her, and soon they found several Sasquatch prints, all leading west. “Let’s improve our odds at finding him.”
They shifted, and their hunt began. He had to say as much as he’d enjoyed watching a cat shoot up a tree in terror, Mia’s short-tailed ass sashaying through the dense woodland gave him far more pleasure. And when they were done playing matchmaker…I’m going to show you the true meaning of doggy style. She stopped and turned so suddenly he’d nearly plowed into her. She shot him a whisker-twitching glare…but then lifted her paw.
There he was, a couple of miles from where they’d started their search. Alone. Warming his hands by a small campfire. Looking forlorn and pathetic—a beast in love. Mia had called it.
He let Mia do all the talking. The Sasquatch transformed from a pitiful, whimpering mess to a beast who’d just been handed a reprieve from a death sentence. One doing a real good imitation of a hairless-bottom baboon. It was a good thing keeping a straight face was a lot easier as a Siberian.
The lovers were reunited. Thankfully, the pair agreed to stay put until they could shift again. Seeing her fiancé’s reaction, Loki doubted the duo would be bored. He ignored Mia’s smug expression and grabbed her hand, leaving the lovebirds their privacy.
“And they lived happily ever after,” she said outside the cave.
“What about us? Do we get our happy?” It was time to stop and face the truth.
“What does happy mean?”
“It means you with me. And none of this canine-feline garbage. Mia, you must know. Even if you don’t feel it, you must know. I’m bonding with you,” he said, hoping his admitting it would be enough. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”
She shook her head. “No, you just think that…because I’m telepathic.”
“No, Mia. It confused things. I’ll give you that. But I found you when Ester was playing dodge fireball. I knew you were in trouble.”
“We were fighting, and you were worried. Come on, you’re a good tracker, a great tracker. How hard could it have been? Let’s not complicate things with bonds and mating calls. Now, first one on the ATV gets to drive.”
Even unhappy where this was going, he took his time, knowing how much she enjoyed driving. It was hard, but given how perfect she settled between his legs, he had to believe she was just scared. Or was she right? Should he just leave it alone and hope for the best? Yeah, look how well that worked out for him in the past.
Once they reached the lake, her excitement at taking the ATV ov
er the water was worth Loki having added that feature. He loved it when she smiled and even more when it was because of his efforts. But when they boarded the plane, Mia grew quiet.
Thinking it best to give her some time, he called Director Cooper and filled her in. He couldn’t say she was happy about leaving a fire-breathing Sasquatch free to roam in the Rockies, but he’d assured her Ester would be far too busy enjoying her belated honeymoon to be of any real threat.
After securing the floor locks, Loki did another further maintenance check before clearing them for take-off. They took their seats.
“You going to be okay this time?” Mia asked.
“I’m not going to say flying is one of my favorite things, but I’ll be all right.” Somehow knowing she was next to him made it easier.
“May I ask?” Mia donned her headset, staring at him with her beautiful golden eyes.
He knew what she was asking. And for the first time since the crash, he no longer wanted to bury what happened. She may not be his mate, but she was his friend, at least for now.
He proceeded to explain how his mission had taken them over one of the highest and frozen peaks in Afghanistan. When a technical issue caused them to crash, all but three died. Him and two others. His injuries healed long before his two friends, but for their frail human bodies, the nights were cold, and soon frostbite began to set in.
“I had no idea when…or if we’d be rescued. But being surrounded by our dead squadron…frozen, cold eyes demanding to know why them…. Maybe it was my guilt, that I’d make it out no matter what. I don’t know, but I did what I had to do, what I thought would help them survive. I shifted and used my body to keep them warm. And prayed for the best.”
“You broke protocol.” She didn’t have many human friends, but when lives were at stake, would she have done the same?
“They would’ve died. Me, I was built for the cold. You have to understand my squad was all I had. They’d become the family I’d never known. And I thought…well, I was wrong.”
Mia covered her hand with his. He recalled how he’d rejected this same gesture just a short time ago. Now he put his other hand over hers, wishing this would never end but fearing it already had. Perhaps it was his remembering his so-called friends’ cruel rejection triggering his worst fears. Perhaps he’d known they were doomed from the start.
“I guess once they figured out we were being saved, they could afford to lose it on me. They told everyone I was a big dog.”
“They ratted you out?”
“They couldn’t get away from me fast enough.” He laughed. “Joke was on them. Everyone assumed the icy temperatures had made them see things. Luckily, I was already at the end of my tour. I left before they were released from the hospital.”
He clipped his seatbelt shut and flipped the master switch. The engines whirred to life. It was a good sound, a sound he could count on. Engines could be fixed. Relationships?
“I’ve triple checked everything. We’re good to go.” Were they? Good to go?
After they landed, Loki got his answer.
Before they’d even left the airplane hangar, Mia received a text from her brother. The appointment had been made.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” he said, tossing her duffel bag into the car she’d left behind.
“I made a promise, and once I commit, I give it my all.” She knelt on one knee, retying a shoelace that hadn’t come loose. “You should know,” she said, taking her time with the knot. “Cooper knows I’m doing this and has granted me a leave of absence. I’ll be gone for a while.”
So it was going to be like that? Was this about her brother? Or was she running away? “What about us? Can I at least see you?”
“Loki,” she said, finished with her shoelace. “There can’t be an us. I have to be honest. I didn’t bond with you. Even if you actually heard me, I didn’t hear you. I didn’t feel you. And as you know, one person can’t bond. You should be with someone who can bond to you. I love you enough to give you that.”
“Do you? Do you love me?”
“I’m not going to lie and tell you I don’t. But you know now what it’s like to feel that connection. Are you so eager to give up the opportunity to have it again with your true mate?”
Should he argue? Was she wrong? With no other strand to tie the bond, his would eventually break and he’d be free of her. Was that what he wanted? No, he wanted Mia. He didn’t need a mating call to know that. “Mia—”
“No, Loki,” she said firmly. “You’re canine, and I’m feline. That’s not semantics. That’s nature.”
10
Mia stared at the pink hospital gown. In one hour, she might very well be pregnant. It was all so clinical. Although, she supposed, what other way was there to do this? She loved her brother, and while she did this out of love, this was not a child made from love.
The door to the sterile room opened. “Hey, kitten. How ya doing?”
“Josh. Where’s David?”
“As momentous as this occasion is, I didn’t think it was appropriate for him to be around when my sister got knocked up.”
Little did her brother know he wouldn’t be around either. The only stirrups Josh needed to see her in were on a saddle. “Everything set to go?”
“As far as I know. Listen, Mia,” he said, taking one of her hands, a sure sign he was going to get all brotherly on her. “I have to ask. Are you sure about this?”
“I agreed, didn’t I? Sheesh, you’d think you weren’t ready to be a daddy.”
Even though Josh was ten years older, to look at him, one would think he was the younger of the two. She kept waiting for the day he sprouted a gray hair and cracked a wrinkle. But no, Josh insisted on making her look bad.
“I’m ready. But this isn’t like you loaning me your car.”
“Oh no,” she said. “I draw the line there. No one drives Sally but me.” She had no objection to anyone driving her car. It was just a car. But her attempt at humor did the one thing she’d been trying to avoid. It reminded her of Loki.
Josh laughed, that funny chortle only someone who loved him would adore.
“You really need to work on that. You’ll scare the baby with that laughter.”
“David loves the way I laugh. You’re just mean.”
“And David is just being nice.” She shook out the dressing gown, hoping her brother would take the hint and leave. No way was she getting naked in front of him. But no, he kept on talking. He did that, she knew, when he got all nervous.
Once, she’d gotten him to admit she scared him. Given her badassery, she could understand. Josh was an accountant, and the only thing he had to worry about was paper cuts. Still, she did her best to assure him. “Spit it out, Josh, or I’ll kick your ass.” What was a kid sister for, if not to keep you on your toes?
“I’m not afraid of you,” he said. “David will protect me.”
She laughed. He would too. That man would do anything for her brother. “Great, now go find him and let me get changed.” She tried to push her brother out of the room, but he dug his heels in.
“Mia, stop.”
The odd expression on Josh’s face gave her pause. “Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? No. Maybe. Kitten, is there something you’re not telling me?”
Like her heart was breaking for a man she could never have? “No.”
“Are you sure? Because you’re a terrible liar.”
She was a great liar. She’d fooled Loki, hadn’t she? The text, back in the hangar, hadn’t been from her brother. It was from her tailor, telling her the pants were ready for pickup. So afraid of her feelings, she’d chosen to run rather than face them. She hadn’t been wrong. She was feline, he canine. But what scared her most was failure. Failing her dad, her brother, failing Loki. What if it didn’t work out? What if she was no good at being his mate? Hadn’t nature gotten it right? He’d heard the call. Why hadn’t she? It was a sign, wasn’t it? Telling her to run? �
�What exactly am I lying about?”
“You’ve been here three weeks, and all this time, you’ve never mentioned him.”
Him? “What are you talking about?” Josh couldn’t know. She loved her brother, but he wasn’t that astute.
“The wolf sitting in the waiting room downstairs.”
“Wolf?” What the hell…? Not a wolf. “You really need to sharpen your senses if you’re going to raise a kid. That’s a Siberian.”
“Holy shit, really? I’ve never seen one up close. Hot shit, that.”
Yeah, hot shit. What was he doing here? “Did he say what he wanted?”
“He just said he was here for moral support. He asked how you were and if there was anything you needed.”
“How did he know I was here?” She hadn’t exactly told anyone.
“I didn’t ask. I assumed you told him.”
She shook her head. “No. I haven’t talked to him since I’ve been here.”
He gave her that condescending nod he liked to use when she’d fucked up and he had to go all brotherly-love on her. He took a seat in the only chair in the room and looked up at her with his best I’m here for you, just tell me what you did eyes.
“Cut it out. I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m not a kid anymore.” Although part of her hadn’t stopped second-guessing her decision to break it off with Loki.
“No, you’re not. But you have a habit of running away from anything you can’t…master. I wish you’d stop being so afraid of failure.”
“I don’t. I’m not. He’s a Siberian, Josh. A Siberian.” She used that excuse so often she herself was tired of hearing it.
“And? Look, I know you have this weird sense of duty. And I’m ashamed to admit I think I used it against you.”
“You did”—she patted his arm— “but I let you. It’s okay.” He hadn’t made her do anything she didn’t want to.
“Maybe. But if you broke it off with the Siberian because of me, well, that’s just wrong. This can wait. We can keep looking for another surrogate.”