by Meg Ripley
I could hardly swallow. Her voice was sweeter than baby’s breath.
She blushed. “You probably knew my father.”
“Diego, yes. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Her smile faded and the grief became plain. “Thank you. He loved this crew; that’s why I took his place.”
So, I’d be seeing her again. I tried not to be too excited over that. It was a dangerous job, after all, and a flair of protectiveness filled my insides. My inner bear went hog wild, wanting to reach out and grab her, keeping her close and safe. It was an insatiable pull toward her and everything about her.
“I don’t think there’s been a woman on the crew before,” I pointed out.
“Nope.”
The strong pull, though new to me, wasn’t entirely foreign; I’d felt it secondhand when Sawyer had met Madelyn. His feelings for her were so strong, they’d bled through the mental link we share as a clan. I could understand his love for her; the intensity and necessity of it. They’d realized that they were fated to each other, and the idea had fascinated me ever since.
Seeing Valentina and experiencing these strong feelings meant only one thing: I’d found my mate, too, and she was standing right in front of me.
“I think we need more females after seeing you in action,” Miguel said. “Loca.” He shook his head. “She’s more daring and skilled than some of our oldest members.”
“I had the best instructor.” She shrugged. “My dad talked about fire like it was his great love. It gave me a unique appreciation for it.”
“Then we’re glad to have you on the team.” I wanted to say so much more. Wanted to tell her we were meant to be. But that would be coming on a little strong and creepy. Just because I felt it didn’t mean she did.
“Valentina!” We all looked over as Oscar called out to her.
I couldn’t let her go just yet; I didn’t know when I might see her again. Oscar had given me an opportunity, though. When he walked closer, I told him, “I’ll come down to the river tomorrow to bring your paychecks and replenish some supplies.”
“That would be great. Gracias.” He shook my hand again and headed back to his crew, with Miguel and Valentina trailing behind him.
As I watched her walk away, I felt like the next day couldn’t come fast enough. The chances of running into her in such a small village were high.
3
Valentina
The tricky part was not to appear desperate. But in reality, I was freaking out.
I watched the Rio Grande with hawk eyes for any sign of movement. I’d wished I had a better idea of the time, but waiting for him forced me to sit with my thoughts for a while.
Mostly, I thought of him. Elijah. The intense feelings I’d had for him that day had been so strong, I needed to see him again to figure out if it was just the extra rush of adrenaline from the fire. Visions of him kept drifting through my mind. His gorgeous face. His fit body. I was glad he hadn’t been wearing bulky firefighting gear. His Ranger uniform showed off enough of his muscles to give me a clear idea of the masculine frame that lay beneath. And I’d been standing there, sweaty and dirty in that ugly, heavy jacket, with hat head and no makeup.
Of course, that had to be the moment I saw my dream man.
That day, I’d made sure to present myself in a more attractive way, sweeping my hair to the side in a thick, fishtail braid and swiping eyeliner across my lash lines, extending it out to form a slight wing. I’d chosen my favorite jean cut-offs: fitted but not skin-tight, and short, but not obnoxiously so. A close-fitting, V-neck tee, a layered turquoise necklace and lace-up sandals completed the look.
Oscar had seemed impressed by my initiative to sit by the river to wait for Elijah. He hadn’t picked up on the truth of my reasoning, though.
I had a book with me, but I’d read about two pages over the last hour. I kept stopping to look up any time I heard movement in the water. But soon enough, I saw what I’d been waiting for: a small boat in the distance.
I set my book down and walked closer to the river bank, waving so he would see me, and he lifted his hat to me.
He guided the rowboat to where I stood, then climbed out onto the beach. As soon as he stood before me, I met his eyes and I knew. It hadn’t been the adrenaline.
“Nice to see you again,” he said, the corners of his mouth pulling into a slow smile.
“You, too.” A flush of heat crept over my cheeks, and I almost felt guilty that he seemed to think it was chance meeting when I knew I’d made it happen.
I didn’t know what else to say. He shifted from foot to foot, looking as nervous as I felt.
Finally, I cleared my throat. “So, you have some things for us?”
“Oh! Yes, of course.” He chuckled and reached for the sack in the boat, pulling out a thin stack of paychecks and handed them to me. “Oscar had you added to the payroll, so yours is in there, too.”
I’d been so thrilled to be on the crew in the first place, getting paid to do it felt like an extra bonus. Taking my father’s place was my real reward. Being with the crew made me feel closer to him.
“Gracias.” I held the checks awkwardly. “Um, were there supplies or something? I thought Oscar said…”
He dug back into the boat and returned with a box filled with plastic bottles of pills, bandages and many other items I couldn’t see or decipher.
“Medical supplies,” he explained. “Oscar sent a list of what was needed, and this should cover it.”
“Customs didn’t give you trouble with this?” I asked.
“Most of the agents have connections to the village or its surrounding areas. They want to see the people be well; most of them, anyway.”
“Thank you for bringing them. I know most of our people can’t get into the US. I feel lucky to have gotten a passport.”
“You ever been past the river into Big Bend proper?”
“Not yet,” I told him. “My passport only arrived two weeks ago.”
“Well, if you ever want to see the park, I’d love to show you around.”
My heart skipped as my inner bear roared. I caught a whiff of my animal pheromones in the air, but luckily, Elijah was just as nervous and the heady scent of his bear was just as strong.
“That would be nice.”
Dios mío, Valentina, you sound so lame! I groaned inwardly, knowing I needed to get better at talking to guys. What I really wanted to do was flirt; to make him know just how much I was into him. The scent of my bear might have helped, but it wasn’t giving me any better ideas for conversation.
“Anywhere you’d like to see in particular?”
“Hmm,” I chuckled. “All of it? I don’t know. Want to travel the world with me?” I laughed again, hoping to break the tension. What are you doing, girl?!
He didn’t laugh. He stared at me, wide-eyed.
“Uh, we can just start with the park, though.” I felt my face grow hot.
“Right.” He shook his head as if waking himself up. “I’m sorry.” He put his hand to his face and then laughed. When he looked at me, it was with a pleading expression. “I promise I’m usually better at this.”
I let out a breath of relief. “Me, too. What’s wrong with us today?”
“I don’t know. But it seems like our animal sides do.”
“Yeah. It’s a good thing no one else is around.”
“May I be really honest for a minute?” he asked hesitantly.
I nodded, hoping he wasn’t going to tell me I had something in my teeth.
“I don’t want to sound creepy or anything, but I’m attracted to you...in a way like I’ve never been to anyone.”
Well, that was a bit better than finding something in my teeth. I couldn’t believe he’d said it. He was either really blunt and brave or just that honest and comfortable with himself.
“I’m glad you brought that up.” I tried to sound cute about it, but I didn’t want to just say, “Me, too.”
I thought back to a moment
I’d had several years ago. I’d thought of it plenty, but it had never meant as much to me as it did in that moment. I figured the easiest thing to do was tell him the story.
“My grandmother died a few years ago,” I started, “and before she went, she said something to me that I always thought was her dementia speaking. She called me a predestinada, saying I had true love waiting for me. I mean, don’t we all? Or that’s what I used to think, but then I actually felt it, and…”
“It’s like fate brought us together,” he offered. “The wind that started the fire yesterday came out of nowhere. I’d been tracking it all morning, and there was no indication of something moving up from the southwest.”
“Fate sent the mighty wind to spread the fire to our hearts. Maybe she overshot and hit the Giant Cane, too.”
“Feels like maybe she went overboard and it got too hot for us to contain.”
“Either way, there’s an awful lot of whatever it is between us.”
He gave me the most tempting grin I’ve ever seen. “I can’t believe you feel it, too.”
“Fate would be cruel if only one of us was the right one.” I took one step closer to him. “My abuela said it was ‘diamonds in the sky,’ meaning rare and precious. When I asked her about my sisters, she waved them off and said, ‘They will have enough love, but you will have the fire.’ And I guess she was right in more ways than one. Seems almost unfair.”
“Then I reckon we’d better make the most of it.” The intensity of his gaze nearly took my breath away. “Tonight, we can run our bears all over the park.”
Was this really happening? “Sounds amazing.”
“Until tonight, then.” He dipped his hat and stepped backward, turning to walk toward the boat. As he padded off, he looked back at me several times, flashing that wide, Texan grin of his. I couldn’t contain my excitement. He stepped one foot into the boat and pushed himself off, looking back to wave at me—and as he did, he lost his balance.
With a loud splash, he fell into the shallow water. At first, I burst out laughing, but quickly ran over to help him. As he gathered himself, he took off his hat and shook it, revealing the drenched, dark hair underneath.
He brushed his hands down the length of his uniform, trying to wipe some of the water off. “Like I said before, I’m usually better at this.”
I was still laughing, but couldn’t help looking him up and down. The water made his uniform cling to his body and showed off the muscles I’d only seen a hint of yesterday. I silently begged him to take his shirt off.
“Okay, let’s try that again,” he said.
“Wait, wait.” I stopped chuckling long enough to reach up and flick a small twig off his shoulder.
He looked down at me, and I was vividly aware of our closeness. I gulped and met his gaze as he leaned in. My heart raced. I closed my eyes.
And heard Javier’s voice.
4
Elijah
I felt Valentina jump in surprise and my concentration broke when we heard a man call out to us. Instinctively, I turned toward him, and the second I did, I smelled the stench of coyote.
In those parts, coyotes meant bad business. I’d met plenty who were civilized and gave us no trouble, but in that region, where the laws were often enforced only by those corrupted and controlled by gangs, the coyotes were responsible for the majority of the crimes.
I saw Valentina stiffen and that put me on alert even more. She radiated anger, which I didn’t understand, but it ignited my need to protect her. My bear wanted to break free, but I contained it for the time being. I hated that I was wet and looked like a fool, but I’d have to play it off and be cool despite that.
“What do we have here?” Javier sneered, stepping closer.
Valentina said to me quietly through gritted teeth, “I’ll handle this.”
Right. Like I’d let her do that. But I held my tongue. I had to remember we were in her village. She knew the man, obviously. She must’ve had some sort of history with him, whatever it might have been. The “whatever” part plagued me, though. If I found out that he’d ever hurt her, I’d hunt him down and destroy the bastard.
“This is a private meeting. It doesn’t concern you,” she told Javier.
“Oh, honey. Don’t you know that everything in Boquillas concerns me?”
I moved a step to the right, to position myself at an angle to be able to move in quickly if he tried something.
“Well, not this,” she insisted. “And get out of here before the rest of my Demonios shows up to take what’s theirs.”
“Your Demonios?” he scoffed. “They belong to me, just like your father belonged to me. You’re all my little putas.”
That explained the anger, and I felt a surge of my own building quickly. He’d done something to her father. Diego had been a good man. He was a valuable part of the crew and someone they all looked up to. I couldn’t count how many times I heard men claiming he’d helped them or saved them in some way.
I stood taller and took a step forward, so that my foot was now in front of Valentina. Javier looked up at me with a disgusted look. I wasn’t that much taller than him at 6’2”, but it was tall enough. He stepped back.
A group of three men I recognized as Demonios stepped out from the woods and stopped. As soon as they saw Javier, they broke into a run, hands balled into fists, ready to fight.
I held up a hand. “Gentlemen. Javier was just leaving.”
Javier glared at me again and then at Valentina. “You’ve made a mistake joining the Demonios, little lady. You should know it’s not a place for women.”
I took another step closer to him, putting Valentina fully behind me and myself in front of Javier, crossing my arms. He glared again and then turned to the men.
“Hombres!” He held up his arms. “I will have special missions for all of you tomorrow. Come and see me bright and early.” He slapped them each on the shoulder as he walked away.
“Who is he?” I asked Valentina.
“Just a local thug. Don’t worry about him. He thinks he’s a badass because he’s the Alpha of a huge coyote clan, Los Aulladores. But he’s nothing.”
“What trouble has he caused ‘round these parts? I can have Wyatt look into—”
She put a hand to my cheek and all words left my head. “Just think about tonight.” She smiled and in that moment, I could think of nothing else. “I can’t wait.”
“I can’t either.” I took her hand and kissed it before getting into my boat—without falling—and rowing away.
As soon as I set foot on dry land, I pressed the button on my walkie. “Wyatt, I need you to look into someone for me.”
“Wyatt here,” he responded. “What’s the name?”
“Javier. I don’t have a last name but he’s the Alpha of the coyote clan in Boquillas.”
Wyatt whistled. “You got him held somewhere?”
“No. He showed up when I took the paychecks and supplies to the village. I reckon he’s giving some of the Demonios trouble.”
“I’ll see what I can dig up.”
“Be on alert. And make sure Alex and Sawyer and the others know. I want to know if he crosses the border or even attempts it.”
“Copy that. You’ll be the first to know.”
5
Elijah
I stood outside of my house, staring up at the bright, round, full moon. I hadn’t paid much attention to the date. I gulped and undressed, putting my things into a sack I stashed in my shed before shifting and running to our meeting spot.
I’d purposely arrived early to give me time to calm my nerves. It wasn’t working, though, and I found myself pacing as I sniffed the air and listened for sounds.
Finally, I heard her and let out a roar to get her attention. When I picked up on the scent of her bear, I had no doubt it was her; I’d recognize it anywhere. She dashed over and brushed her side against mine, which made the fur on my neck stand at attention.
This was a bad idea. If I wou
ld have known that night was the full moon, I would have planned our date for the next day. I also would have told her to meet me somewhere else, in human form, so that we could talk first. How did I always manage to make things awkward with her? The night would be fraught with stronger emotions because of the moon. As if we needed our attraction to be any stronger. My whole body tingled when I was near her.
I took a few steps east, in the direction we were headed, and when I was sure she was following me, I sped up to a run. She ran easily at my side and was in good shape. Even in bear form she was beautiful, her ebony coat glistening in the moonlight. I had thought running would help disperse some of the energy, but it did nothing to lessen the attraction. The pull that was so strong in human form was even stronger now. And with the full moon? It would be even harder to control myself; to keep myself from claiming her. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted any woman in my life, and every inch of my body knew it.
She brushed against me as we ran, and the movement sent chills through me. I’d been so tangled up in her scent and closeness, that I almost missed our turn. I stopped short, my claws digging into the dirt, and she crashed into me.
We rolled on the ground in a ball, twisted together, laughing in our barky bear laughs before we stood up. I almost hadn’t let her go. It’s only our first date, I reminded myself. Much too soon to be thinking about that. I couldn’t let my mind go there, or I’d risk some highly embarrassing things happening. I wanted to be a gentleman, and bear fur hid nothing that clothing easily covered, if you catch my drift.
The worst part was, as intense as my longing was for her, I could smell that hers was just as strong. If we both wanted each other so badly, what harm could come of that? No, no, don’t think like that!
I stopped in front of the sign that introduced the Lost Mine Trail, wanting her to take note of where we were going. She nodded and we continued on, walking slower now to enjoy the sights. It was one of my favorite trails, and I was thrilled to share it with her.