by Lauren Wood
Natalie awoke the next morning with a renewed sense of energy. She’d slept for ten solid hours, and even though her stomach rumbled, she had a feeling today was going to go her way. She took advantage of the hot shower and was delighted to discover that a motel included a continental breakfast. Avoiding the curious gaze of some of the other guests, she lined her purse with muffins and biscuits before scarfing down some cardboard eggs and slightly chewy pancakes. It was the best meal she’d had in days.
“It’s going to be cold tonight. Past freezing. Winter is coming early this year,” one guest remarked.
Natalie quietly groaned. Past freezing? On foot, she’d never make it to the city before nightfall. If she didn’t find a new change of clothes, she’d freeze to death.
With a sigh, she found a payphone just outside the hotel and dropped a few coins in it. She was both grateful and surprised to the find the relic still worked. Punching in the numbers she knew by heart, she felt anxiety tighten in her chest as she waited.
“Natalie?”
Natalie exhaled a sigh of relief to hear her old boss’s voice. “Terry. I was afraid you wouldn’t pick up if you didn’t recognize the number.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting for days to hear from you. What the hell is going on? Paul came by here yesterday looking for you. He was outraged when I told him that you’d quit unexpectedly. I thought he was going to shift right then and there.”
Terry owned the small boutique where Natalie used to work. She’d lost her mother not that long ago, and he was the closest thing to family she had left. She felt the tears burn behind her eyes as she heard the worry in his voice.
“Do you know if Paul is still in town?” she gripped the phone tightly as she looked around.
“Susan just called me this morning. Apparently he’d been to your old place, so he’s definitely still in town. She said he trashed it. Natalie, you’re clearly in trouble. Let me help you.”
“I’m fine, Terry, but I’m not going to be able to come back. Paul is dangerous. I wish I had seen it before. He’s obsessive and controlling and abusive. I need to be as far away from his possible when the full moon rises.”
“Abusive? Natalie, we’ve got to call the police!”
Natalie shook her head before realizing that Terry couldn’t see her. “The packs police their own. You know that. The police aren’t going to do anything. No one is going to take the side of a human. Listen, I can’t tell you where I am or where I’m going. It’s not safe for you. But I’m going to be okay.”
“Natalie,” he moaned. “At least let me send you some money.”
As much as she needed the money, she couldn’t risk it. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to be fine. I still have some cash on me.”
“Well what the hell did you take from him?”
“What?” Natalie’s eyebrows knitted together. “I didn’t take anything, Terry. Trust me, I don’t want anything from him.”
“He thinks you took something, darling. He kept screaming about you being a little thief.”
“Well, he’s a notorious liar. I didn’t take anything. Listen, Terry, I need to get going. I’ll call you in a few days, okay?”
She heard him protest, but she hung up the phone gently. She knew that Terry would protect her, but if Paul was having one of his delusions again, there was no telling what he would do to the people she loved.
Wrapping her arms tighter around her body for warmth, she began the long walk across the town.
Chapter Two
The last employee left hours ago, but Jackson was not ready to go home. So he brewed himself a pot of coffee in the back and settled down at his desk in hopes to getting some more work done.
He’d taken care of the weekly inventory last night, but he really wanted to revamp their emails. Micah was not very technological, and he was perfectly happy just slapping some text in the body of an email and calling it a newsletter.
Jackson wanted to add a bit more finesse to it. He practiced with a few templates before he found one that was both sporty and simple.
He smelled her before he heard her.
Feminine. Scared. Desperate. He stilled at his desk and held his breath. The door closing should not have been audible, but his hearing had always been excellent. Reaching over for his mouse, he brought up one of the security cameras that covered the floor below him. Sure enough, he saw a shadow moving quietly through the store. She made a beeline for the jackets, and he watched as she glanced around furtively before slipping one on.
She was careful to keep her face away from the camera, and she had a hat pulled low over to cover her face. He grimaced before switching off the camera.
Female or not, no one stole from him.
Careful not to make any noises, he crept out of the office and slid down the hallway. By the time he made it to the showroom, she was making her way to the door. In an instant, he was on her.
Her scream pierced the air, and she immediately swung her fist around. He caught it easily and tackled her to the floor. As he straddled her body and pinned her arms over her head, the attraction was instant.
Dark hair. Big blue eyes full of anger and fear. Sensual lips that begged for him to kiss her. He could feel her shifting her hips beneath him, and he nearly groaned when he got a good look at her body.
Full breasts, round hips. She was curvy in all the right places.
“Let me go,” she demanded as she tried to twist out from under him. Afraid that she might feel his growing erection, he let her slide out from under him. She tried to bolt when she got to her feet, but he easily grabbed her arms.
“I don’t think so,” he murmured.
Her breath was uneven as she stared at him. “Please. All I took was the jacket. I’ll give it back. Just don’t call the police.”
A growl from deep within his chest escaped him, and suddenly, she stopped fighting. “Bear,” she breathed. “Of course. You fucking shifters are everywhere.”
He raised his eyebrows. How she could already tell that he was a shifter was beyond him, but he could see the hate seething beneath the surface. It wasn’t rare to find a human that disliked his kind, but for some reason, it surprised him that she would hate him.
But he didn’t even know her.
“I am not going to call the police,” he said succinctly. “And you have the very fact that I’m a bear shifter to thank for that. Because my dear, we police our own.”
Her fear spiked, and she suddenly went wild. She kicked and pulled, bit and clawed, but he kept her in his iron grip. Hauling her to the back, he pulled her into the office and practically threw her in the chair. She readjusted herself and glared at him.
“You damn shifters are all the same,” she muttered. “Bully other people around until you get what you want.”
He laughed. “Sweetheart, I caught you stealing from me. You do realize that the only person in the wrong here is you.”
“If you’re not going to call the police, what are you going to do?” she asked as she eyed him.
He leaned against the doorframe. Normally, he would have called the police. Technically, the store was not on pack territory, and so the police had jurisdiction here. But there was something about her that made him hesitate.
“Why were you scared?”
“Because a shifter jumped me in the dark,” she muttered. “And you may not know this, but I am not a shifter. So that was a bit terrifying.”
“No. You were scared before you came into the store. Why?”
“How do you know that?”
He took a deep whiff. “I could smell your fear.”
“I was afraid of getting caught.”
He heard the lie as clear as day. He regarded her closely. She’d both eaten and bathed recently, but he could see the circles under her eyes. Moving quickly, he snagged the purse that she had resting by the chair. Her eyes lit up with anger, and she tried to grab it first, but he was much faster.
“That’s mine,”
she hissed.
“And the jacket that you’re wearing is mine,” he said easily.
“Yours.” She rolled her eyes. “Please. This jacket belongs to whatever rich asshole owns this store. Me taking it isn’t hurting you in the least.”
He smiled slowly. “As a matter of fact, you’re right. It doesn’t hurt me in the least. But I do happen to be the rich asshole that co-owns this store, and you are stealing from me.”
She stilled as she stared at him. No doubt she was noticing his expensive suit for the first time. “Jackson Steward,” he said with a smile. Pulling out her wallet, he glanced at her identification. “And you are Natalie Mackleroy.”
Keeping an eye on her, he pulled out his cellphone.
“Brent Jenson.”
“Brent, it’s Jackson. I have a name I’d like you to run.”
He heard a chair scoot back as Brent moved to his computer. “Shoot.”
“Natalie Mackleroy. Glen Side, California. Twenty-eight years old.”
Once again, he felt her levels of fear spike. He swept his eyes up and saw that she was gripping her chair so hard that her knuckles were turning white.
“Got it. Actually, there’s not much to get. She’s human, and she has a clean record. She doesn’t even have a parking ticket. She works at a clothing boutique called Chaos Closet. Actually, there is something interesting here.”
Jackson kept his eyes on the beauty. “What?”
“Apparently her landlord called the police. Someone by the name of Paul Teller broke into her apartment and turned it upside down. Oh man. He’s a bear shifter.”
“Thanks, Brent.”
“Sure thing. Is there anything else I need to do? Want me to try to locate her? I have a cellphone number. I could track the signal.”
“That won’t be necessary. She’s in my office. I caught her stealing a jacket.” Jackson hung up and eyed her. “Care to tell me why a bear shifter is looking for you?”
* * *
In any other circumstances, Natalie would be in heaven. Jackson Steward was by far the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on. He had these almost supernatural grey eyes and dark curly locks that begged to be touched. Combine that with his stunning body and chiseled jaw, he was the man of her dreams.
Except that right now, he was the man of her nightmares.
Her intuition kicked it. She could tell that he didn’t intend to harm her, but of course, she hadn’t sensed any malice in Paul either. So clearly, when it came to men, her own judgment was crap.
And of course he was bear shifter. She’d seen it as soon as the moon lit up his face. The strength and beauty was barely confined just under his skin. The full moon was tomorrow, and clearly, his bear was ready to play.
Why couldn’t he have been a vampire? Or a cat shifter? Or a wolf shifter? None of them would have cared about Paul. But Jackson clearly wasn’t going to let her go until she told him the truth.
But that didn’t mean she had to tell him the entire truth. She didn’t know what his friend over the phone had told him, but she wasn’t about to let him put a kink into her plans.
“Paul is my ex-boyfriend. He didn’t take the breakup well,” she muttered.
He raised his eyebrows. “Paul’s pack allows him to mate with whomever he wanted?”
“Date, yes. Marry, no. There was no future with us.” No matter how badly she wished it were true.
He nodded his head. “That doesn’t explain why he tossed your stuff. Or why you’re afraid of him. If anything, he should have been happy to see you go. Sometimes it’s difficult to release yourself of some human mistresses.”
She rolled her eyes. “Rich playboy has found himself too many clingy women, huh?”
Jackson stiffened. “Why are you so far away from your home?”
“Visiting family,” she said automatically. “Actually, if you give me a ride to the city limits, you can have your jacket back, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Sure.” He straightened. “Give me the address. I’ll drop you off tonight. It should only take about thirty minutes.”
She eyed him carefully. He was giving in a little too easily. “I don’t know you, so I’m not comfortable giving you the address. I’ve already had enough issues with stalker bear shifters. You understand, right?”
“Natalie,” he said softly. She shivered. His voice curled around her seductively. “What is the address of your family?”
She lowered her eyes. “Okay fine,” she grumbled. “I’m not visiting relatives. I just wanted to explore the city. So the nearest hotel would be great. In the city, I mean. I need to get to the city before tomorrow night.”
“Before the full moon?”
She nodded.
“You think you can hide in the city? There will be too many different smells and sounds for him to detect you? It’s a smart move, but there’s just one problem with that.”
“What’s that?”
He smiled. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Chapter Three
Jackson made her keep the jacket. He could tell that she was freezing, and he didn’t have the heart to take it away from her. She glared at him the entire time he drove home, but he ignored her. Her essence soothed him, and he found it dangerous to even look at her. Until he knew for certain what was going on, he needed to stay far away from Natalie.
Brent met him at the entrance. The black iron gates that separated the housing development from the rest of the territory swung open immediately. Jackson rolled down the window, and Brent leaned in.
“Bring a guest?” Brent asked as he eyed Natalie.
“I want to keep her close until I know what’s going on,” Jackson said quietly.
Brent nodded. “I did a bit more digging into Paul’s pack.” He handed him a file. “Let me know if you want me to pursue it any further. Also, while you were gone, de’Massier called. There are a few more amendments to the treaty that they want Micah to look over.”
Jackson sighed. “Did Micah call?”
Brent nodded. “They are still on schedule. Want me to let him know about the amendments?”
“No. That man deserves to enjoy the rest of his break. Email me the changes, and I’ll look them over. Does de’Massier know that Micah is still out?”
“Yes. I told him that it might still be a few days until we have all the signatures. Do you want me to prepare a room for her?”
“I already called Lynette. She has the guest apartment already set up.” He turned his head to stare at her. “Make sure whoever is on duty tonight keeps an eye on her. She’s not to leave the territory.”
“You’ve got it, boss,” Brent said easily. Jackson rolled his eyes and pulled away. Micah, Brent, and Jackson were all best friends growing up, and while Micah was technically the most powerful of the three, they all considered each other on equal grounds. Micah and Jackson were groomed into their position from birth, but they had all agreed that they did nothing without Brent. It made for an easygoing relationship, and the whole pack benefitted.
Natalie made a disgruntled sound next to him, and he rolled up his window and drove until he got to the condos in the back. He and Micah had possession of the two penthouse condos, and Brent’s condo actually took up the whole floor underneath. As they pulled into the parking, Natalie whistled low under her breath. “My local pack didn’t have this kind of set up.”
“Micah is the alpha shifter. He and I co-own G&S Industries. It’s a multi-billion dollar company now, so we make sure that everyone in our pack is well taken care of. Every kid gets work experience at the company, and if they keep their nose out of trouble and get good grades, we’ll fund their entire college tuition. We take care of our own here.”
He watched her shift uncomfortably. He got the idea that Natalie was used to taking care of herself. It was clear that nobody had looked out for her for a long time. “How did you know I was a shifter?”
She looked out the window and avoided his gaze. “I saw your e
yes change.”
“Lies. I didn’t even begin to partially shift. Even if I had, you would never have known which animal. How did you know I was a bear?”
“I dated one. I recognized your scent.”
Jackson turned off the car and knocked his head back against the headrest. “You’re still lying to me. And that’s fine. You don’t have any reason to trust me. But it’s clear that you’re in trouble, and I’d like to help you.”
She snorted. “Sure, you want to help the woman you caught stealing from your store. I’ve got new for you. The real world doesn’t work that way. Everyone wants something from someone. So you just tell me what you want from me, and we’ll be on our way.”
“The truth,” he said softly. “I’d like the truth.”
She continued to stare out the window. With a sigh, he opened his car door and came around to open hers. “Come on. I’ve got a room for you tonight.”
She glared at him. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “You’ll get your own room. I may not know much about you, but I can tell you’re dangerous.”
As she got out of the car, she brushed up against him. He nearly groaned in frustration. Not only was she dangerous, but she also sparked a violent chain reaction in him that, if he wasn’t careful, would only end up with them tangled in the sheets.
* * *
Alone in the expansive condo, Natalie paced. Mixed emotions twisted inside of her. Logic told her that she was prisoner of the pack, but her empathy power wrapped her in feelings of safety.
Stealing the jacket was a stupid idea. She saw that now. What were the chances that she’d be caught by a bear shifter? But she’d been freezing, and she knew she’d never make it to the city without the extra layer of clothing. She’d waited outside the door for the last employee to leave, and she knew she had a chance when she didn’t see them activating the alarm. It was a simple enough to pick the lock.
Obviously, she’d chosen the wrong store to rob. A lump formed in the back of her throat, and Natalie fought to keep her panic from rising. Bear shifters were loyal to each other. Jackson was probably calling Paul right now to tell him where she was. She’d be dead by morning.