Shrugging out of his ridiculously heavy pack, he fell to his knees beside the woman. No longer did he even notice her nakedness; he only had eyes for the extent of her wound. At least he didn’t have to guess how far the injury went; he could see it in its entirety.
Placing one hand on her head and another on the worst part of the gash, Evan closed his eyes and concentrated, ignoring the warmth of the blood. His promise to leave his world behind would have to wait until after he saved this woman. The idea of walking away never even crossed his mind.
Breathing deeply, Evan allowed his thoughts to flow down into the earth. Like a long-lost love, the elemy practically leaped to his request. He had thought the call would be more problematic here, but it felt exactly the same, alluring in its peacefulness.
He didn’t have time to contemplate the nuances; he simply followed the flow of raw energy until he felt the colors of the woman’s life-line. For only a fraction of a second, Evan wondered at the uniqueness of its pattern, unlike anything he had ever experienced before, but he’d have to examine it later. Pressing into her colorful, swirling mass of energy, he followed it back to the earth’s surface and into the woman’s body.
Unexpectedly, he felt another presence with him. How she had managed to sneak into this private energy flow was beyond his comprehension, but he felt her power like waves crashing against a cliff during a storm. He could use the assistance and would take it wherever he could find it.
Healing had never been his forte, but he could at least mend her enough to keep her alive. His mind pulled the healing energy to the torn cells in her body and knitted them back together. An experienced healer could have done a better job, faster too, but he worked methodically on the damaged area. As if his helper realized what he was doing, she began to take the lead. Together, they not only stemmed the flow of blood, but they also sealed up her flesh until only a thin red line showed on her dark skin.
The woman stirred under his hands. Evan had to finish before she realized what he had done. Nobody could know his secret. His mind raced back down her life-line until he found his point of entry. Leaving her beautiful colors behind almost felt like tearing a chunk out of his heart. He still felt another presence next to him.
He turned to investigate and came face-to-face with the white wolf. She was huge, larger than any wild dog he’d seen before. But her golden eyes conveyed only gratitude. With a nod of her head, she turned and walked away from him, disappearing into a mist of nothingness.
Evan had no idea what was happening, but he couldn’t stay in the earth. Using more effort than ever, Evan’s mind clawed its way back to his body. Sense returned, and he opened his eyes to see the woman’s golden gaze staring up at him—the wolf’s eyes, predatory and calculating. He struggled to make sense of anything and blurted the first thing that came to mind, “Where are your clothes?”
To her credit, she didn’t blush or even attempt to cover herself. Instead, her hand reached over to her side until her fingers encountered the slight indention. “How did you heal me?”
Evan’s head started shaking, his tongue ready to deny the truth, but the words wouldn’t come out as he wanted. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Here, let’s get you something to wear. I realize it’s warm out, but I seriously doubt you make a habit of being a nudist.” He pulled his pack over and began unzipping it. A chuckle escaped his lips, and he added, “Or maybe you do. Who knows in these parts? I’ve seen some pretty strange things over the past couple of days, and I wouldn’t discount anything.”
Evan knew he was babbling, but he couldn’t seem to stop. He yanked on the first piece of fabric his fingers encountered, dislodging nearly all of the contents of his bag in an explosion of energy. What was happening to him? He hadn’t been this nervous around a girl since the second grade.
He flung the blanket toward her and kept his hands and eyes busy locating and returning his camping gear to the pack. Even his mind was trying to play tricks on him—trying to convince him that this gorgeous, tiny woman had been that enormous wolf. How could he jump to such a ludicrous conclusion on so little evidence? Besides, it couldn’t be real. People did not turn into animals.
Evan’s hand paused over where the compass lay on the leaves. What if it were true? After all, he’d used the earth’s energy to heal her wound. Was it such a stretch to think that maybe she’d discovered a way to use that same energy to shift into the form of a wolf?
Maybe. His gaze flicked over to her as she arranged the blanket around her torso. But he’d seen the wolf on the ground; that’s what drew him to her in the first place. He witnessed her change, and he’d healed her. It appeared they were at an impasse. They both had secrets, but could he trust her to keep his?
Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Something about this man pulled at her, yet she couldn’t explain it. She’d never felt this pull, even with her husband, and she had always felt like he was her soul mate. Rather than embarrass him with her nakedness, she wrapped the blanket around her torso. Her eyes kept shifting over to him, her attention arrested by the elegance of his hands.
His movements held the same grace as the werewolves in her pack, yet, he didn’t have the same familiar energy surrounding him. That was it! He had energy surrounding him that ordinary people didn’t possess. Maybe that was the draw she felt—almost a magnetic personality.
Tucking the blanket under her arm, her fingers once again touched the thread of injury on her side. Something strange had happened. This man might have even witnessed her transition from her wolf to her human form. If that were the case, then she’d have to decide what she was going to do with him.
Her pack couldn’t afford to have loose ends telling stories. Even though every fiber of her being was screaming for her to hurry home, she had to take every precaution to protect her people. She’d have to be careful with her questions, but she’d get the answers she needed. She hadn’t been married to the pack’s Alpha without learning a few tricks of interrogation.
Avoiding his awkward question about her clothes, she deflected to resume an offensive angle of attack. “What’s your name?”
He didn’t look up but continued to search the ground for his belongings. “Evan. And you?”
“What’s your last name?”
“I don’t have one. It’s not something my people do very often.” Evan zipped up the pack and finally turned to face Marika.
His gaze pierced through to her soul. She couldn’t look away even if she wanted to. Where had he learned that technique? Only Alphas could master that skill—and none even came close to how powerfully Evan held her attention. Marika swallowed hard against her suddenly dry throat. “That’s unusual. What would be a reason for someone to have a last name?”
“Only people of importance or their friends. Are you going to tell me your name or what happened to your clothes? Are you lost out here like me? I thought I heard some vehicles leaving a little bit ago; was someone trying to hurt you?” Evan scooted closer, his hand hovering close, but not quite touching her skin.
Marika’s mind raced through the myriad of questions she had at his latest revelations. Where did he come from? She’d never heard of a group of people not having last names. Was he part of some obscure cult?
Shaking her head, she had to make up her mind quickly. Either she could run away from Evan, shift into her wolf, and get to her village, or she could bring Evan with her. Inwardly, she cringed at the idea of bringing a stranger into their community. Nobody ever did that—it was an unspoken rule for protecting their privacy.
What choice did she have? Until she knew what he’d learned about her, she couldn’t risk letting him go. The Klikitat pack needed to question him before he started telling the world what he’d witnessed.
She ground her teeth in frustration, only then realizing she no longer had her car key. Her eyes widened as she patted the ground around her, searching vainly for the missing key. Even Evan’s questions about her s
udden shift in mood couldn’t penetrate her panic.
Only when Evan’s hand clasped around her wrist and the electricity shot through her body, did she forget about her problem. Truthfully, she could hardly remember why she felt panicked in the first place. Her gaze shifted to where their flesh touched one another, drawn to the point of contact as if her life depended on it.
Unexpectedly, Evan withdrew his hand. “I’m sorry if I startled you. I’ll help you find whatever you lost, but first, you have to tell me what it is.”
Almost feeling compelled to answer, she blurted, “My car key.”
His whole face lit up, his eyebrows lifted, and his eyes widened with child-like delight. “You have a car? Where is it?”
Marika’s wrist still tingled as though Evan still touched her. How long would that sensation last? What had he done to her? “Evan, what power do you have?”
He scooted backward as though she had threatened to hurt him. His head shook hard enough to make his hair fly outward. “Power? What are you talking about?”
Marika reached over and rubbed her wrist. His eyes followed her every movement. “I can still feel power coursing through me where you touched me. Listen, Evan, whatever secret you have, you can trust me to keep it to myself.”
Indecision warred across his features. If the situation weren’t quite so dire, then Marika might have found it amusing. Clearly, he didn’t want to answer that question, so she changed tactics. “Where are you from, Evan?”
“I come from a place called Tuala. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it. Nobody ever has.” His eyes unfocused for a few seconds as if contemplating whether or not to say more. “Look, I don’t think your key is here. When was the last time you remember having it?”
Marika felt another spike of power emanating from Evan. Had he just used whatever magic he had to search for her key? Then it hit her—she had forgotten to put the key in her mouth. With the danger the men posed, she’d shifted, and the key must still be where she started.
“You’re right. I know just where it is. Do you want to walk with me?” Marika pushed the blanket out of her way, exposing her leg up to mid-thigh. A smile played at the edge of her lips as she caught Evan swiftly glancing away. At least he had manners.
“Sure.” He scrambled effortlessly to his feet and offered her his hand.
Marika only hesitated for a second. Would she feel anything differently if she initiated the contact? Had it simply been her imagination? Reaching up, she curled her fingers around his palm. Instantly, her skin tingled. She felt him flinch, but his grip remained firm. So, it wasn’t her imagination. This unusual occurrence would bear some scrutiny.
She led the way through the trees. Her passage was silent while Evan’s feet seemed to snap every branch along the way. Whatever his secret was, it didn’t include stealth. Every wolf within a mile would hear his clumsy passage.
Unerringly, Marika found the tree where she’d shifted. Only a few seconds later, her gaze spotted the silver key resting on a bed of leaves. She scooped it up and decided what she’d do with Evan—she’d bring him back to her village. Twirling around, she opened her mouth to tell him as much when she saw him bending over to pick up something.
Holding out a scrap of her uniform, Evan asked, “Was this your clothing?” His eyes sought hers, confusion evident with how the fabric had shredded into tiny bits.
Marika’s eyes flicked from the fabric to Evan. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip. How could she explain this to him in any way that would make sense? “You seemed pretty handy about healing my wound. Why don’t you use that same power to mend my uniform?
That appeared to catch him off-guard. His eyebrow raised at the same time his fingers curled around to hold the shred tightly in his fist. “What if I could? Would that alarm you?”
“No. I’d be grateful not to have to tell my boss that I’d ruined another uniform.” Marika’s hand rested against her hip. “Are you going to try?”
A simple nod answered her question. “Turn around.”
Curiosity rippled through her. She wanted to see his power in action, but she didn’t have time to argue. She faced the tree and immediately felt an electric power surge around her. Just like standing near a lightning bolt, the hair on her arms and neck stood on end, but she resisted the urge to rub it back in place. Almost as soon as it began, it abruptly ended.
“You can look now.”
Marika turned faster than any ordinary human ever could. She forgot to adjust her werewolf reflexes to human standards in her rush to see what he’d done. Evan held out her uniform, perfect in every way; even the coffee stains had disappeared. Seeing his magic displayed so brazenly, she immediately wondered what else he could do.
Reaching out, she took the dress from him. As soon as he let go, the fabric felt perfectly normal. She chuckled at the idea that it would fall apart when he stopped touching it. She dropped the blanket so she could pull the dress over her head.
Evan whirled around. “Geez! Give a guy a little warning!”
Marika noticed the flushed skin on the back of his neck. She could also smell his embarrassment. “Sorry. I’m just excited to have my uniform back.” She settled the fabric around her hips and fastened the three buttons on the front. “I’m dressed. You can turn around now. That’s a pretty handy skill you have. Do you think you could fix my car with it?” Marika grinned, mostly joking.
“Probably.”
Marika’s eyes widened. “Really? That would be amazing. I’m already running late.”
“Lead the way, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Chapter Four
Chapter Four
With a grunt, Evan pulled on his pack’s strap and slung it over his shoulder. What had possessed him to use his power to fix her dress? He had promised himself not to use any elemy while he was here. Yet, he’d already used the elemy several times since finding her. And now he’d agreed to fix her car—he didn’t know anything about cars.
What was it about her that made him do and say things he didn’t mean? Granted, her exotic beauty distracted him, but that didn’t explain his sudden desire to do everything for her. Heck, he didn’t even know her. He swooped down to grab the blanket before falling in step behind her.
Watching her walk silently across the forest floor in front of him, he realized he’d missed an important detail. “Where are your shoes?”
She shrugged. “They had the same fate as my dress.” Waving her hand, she added, “I suppose they’re back there somewhere.”
“Why didn’t you say anything? I could have gotten them for you. You’re going to hurt your bare feet out here.”
Her laughter rippled through the forest, forcibly reminding him of the wolf’s howl he’d heard earlier. He rushed to walk beside her. “Are you going to tell me about the wolf?”
She stopped short, turned, and grabbed his arm with a grip at odds with her size. “What exactly did you see?” Her gaze held his, yet she seemed undecided about something.
More than anything, Evan wished he could read her mind. Something important was happening, but his manners prevented him from invading her privacy. “Well, a wolf howled, and I thought I’d better change direction to avoid meeting it. It must have been my imagination because I thought I saw a wolf lying on the ground, but when I got closer, I found you. I’m sure I was mistaken, but it was a cool trick.”
She scrutinized him for another second before she dropped her hand. Simultaneously, Evan missed her physical contact and felt as though he’d passed some unknown test. She turned and kept walking to the tree line.
Evan’s eyes lit up as he realized they were finally leaving the forest. Over her shoulder, he saw a paved road and just barely managed to keep his whoop of joy from escaping his lips. Knowing she was leading him to her car was very different than actually knowing he was no longer lost.
Leaving the trees behind, Evan tipped his head back and sighed with relief. Even though he hadn’t made it to the end of the trail, he
’d spent enough time alone to make him not want to repeat the experience any time soon. “Hey, if I fix your car, do you think you could drive me to a town where I can catch a bus?”
Still walking toward a parked vehicle, she turned and nodded. “Sure, as long as you don’t mind taking a small detour. I’m already late picking up my son.”
She had a son? For some reason, this news shocked him. If she had a child, then she’d also have a husband. Not that he should care, but if he were honest with himself, he wanted to get to know her better. “No problem. But, if I’m going to fix your car, then you’re going to have to tell me your name.” Evan stopped at the front of the old, beat-up car.
“Didn’t I already tell you?”
“Nope. You very neatly avoided it by asking me about where I’m from.” Evan leaned his thigh against the car’s hood and folded his arms across his chest. Of course, the stance would have looked more formidable had he not still had the blanket draped in front of him.
She chuckled again, turned, and put the key into the door. Evan thought she was going to avoid him again. She opened the door, reached down, and unlatched the hood. He felt the movement against his leg and jumped back.
She came up beside him. Reaching down, she opened the hood and braced it up. Unexpectedly, she held out her hand in greeting, looking up at him expectantly.
Evan reached for her hand, ready for the electric current to pass between them. He wasn’t disappointed. What was this going on with her? What trouble was he bringing to his life?
“I’m Marika Edgewater. Now that we’ve cleared that up show me what you can do to get this running again.” She pulled her hand away and gestured toward the steaming engine.
Evan’s gaze followed her movement. Seeing the mass of metal and plastic didn’t give him any inspiration. “Um. Maybe this would go better if you told me what went wrong.”
“It overheated.”
Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection Page 110