by Zoe Chant
The dirt covering Felix was fairly dry, so it didn’t take her long to brush it out of his short hair, even if he did complain every time she had to roughly work out a knot. At last she stood up and grabbed the broom to sweep the mess out the door.
“All right, kittens, bedtime. You can sleep cat-form if you like, but we’ve got to make up your sleeping bags so it looks kosher if someone comes and knocks on the door – hey! Come back here!”
Two dark-brown streaks blurred out the door before she could shut it. Oh, damn, damn, damn. Those stupid kids – what if…
Shifters were secret. That was the number-one rule, the prime directive. You don’t let humans know shifters exist, you don’t let humans know you’re a shifter, and you definitely don’t shift in front of them.
And there were reasons for that. The sort of reasons that made the bottom fall out of Toni’s stomach as she grabbed a flashlight and darted out after the twins.
Thank god we’ve got the last cabin in the row, Toni thought as she stepped under the trees. Leaving the flashlight off, she waited impatiently for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Tiny, reflective eyes caught the crack of light that shone out through their cabin’s curtains. Tiny, reflective eyes … halfway up a tree.
“Come back down here!” Toni hissed. “You know what your mom and dad said! You can’t behave here like you can back home!”
As if. At least with Lexi she knew it was just a matter of waiting. Felix might not be able to shift as tidily as his sister but he was a far more confident climber. She watched as Lexi jumped and scrambled her way to a higher branch. All she had to do was wait, and make sure she was underneath when Lexi decided she wanted to jump down.
“Felix? Felix, I swear, if you get more mud on yourself I will dump you in a tub and scrub you,” she muttered darkly.
There was no response. Toni shut her eyes and concentrated.
Mind-speaking was a strain, but it was a more effective way of getting through kitten-brains than human speech. After a few moments a tiny dark shadow separated itself from the trunk of the tree and clawed at Toni’s knees to be picked up.
“You know that’s not true,” Toni replied firmly. Ellie and Werther were loving, paranoid parents. They’d heard enough stories about shifters going missing to let their kids shift anywhere but the safety of their own home. Toni was already risking sisterly wrath by letting the kids shift in the cabin in the first place, but now…
Toni sighed. “Just jump,” she whispered. “I’ll catch you.”
She held out her arms and grabbed her niece as she flung herself sulkily out of the tree. Both kittens firmly clutched in her arms, she went back to the cabin, carefully closing the door and curtains before Lexi and Felix transformed again.
***
Both of the twins decided to sleep in human form. Toni was not-so-secretly relieved. She tried to call her sister’s cell so the kids could say goodnight to their parents before they went to sleep, but it went straight to voicemail. Toni could feel herself gearing up to admit to her sister that she’d let the twins shift – and go outside! – and in her panic to not talk about that, ended up babbling to the machine about creepy big game hunters. She hung up, feeling like the most irresponsible sister in the world.
Surely she could handle one more night of this. The twins might be kitten-brained, but they weren’t stupid enough to transform while they were on the BMX course tomorrow. She could spend the day relaxing – with Jack…
Visions floated through her mind. Her and Jack, walking through the sun-speckled forest. Eating their lunch by the side of a lake. In her imagination, she didn’t get sweaty in the summer heat, and no ants made their way into the sandwiches. He would be wearing another tight t-shirt, and she would be wearing…
Okay. That could be a problem.
Toni thrust her cell at Felix as she rummaged through her pack. “Try your parents again, will you? And if you can’t get through, leave a message telling them goodnight. I’m sure your mom will get it.”
She waited another moment, frowning down at her selection of shirts, and then raised one warning finger. “I said ‘try your parents,’ not ‘play Angry Birds,’ Felix.”
“Aww…” she heard Felix moan as the tinny music turned off.
All the rummaging in the world wouldn’t change the fact that she had packed for a casual-to-schlubby weekend of camping. There was nothing in Toni’s pack that was even close to what she would normally wear for a – well, it wasn’t a date, precisely. It was a…
…hot man playing her personal bodyguard to apologize for a creepy guy annoying her?
Toni wasn’t sure there was a word for that.
She settled on a light blue wraparound shirt that, if it had seen better days, at least hadn’t seen too many of them. No rips, stains, or – and she wished she could say the same for the cabin floor – muddy pawprints. It would have to do. She paired the shirt with light capris and wound her hair into a bun at the back of her head, and convinced herself she wasn’t entirely dispirited by the result.
“Any luck?” she asked, turning to Felix. He shook his head. “Just going straight to voicemail still? Ugh, so much for Pride Telco’s one-hundred-percent coverage. I’ll text them. At least that might get through.”
Lexi and Felix insisted on adding their own messages, but eventually, all the lights in the cabin were turned off and the kids settled down to sleep. Silence fell across the camping ground.
Toni lay back on her bunk with a sigh of relief. Just as she was closing her eyes, she heard something rustle in the bushes outside. She held her breath, waiting for the noise to come again, but there was nothing.
It must have been the wind, she told herself, and fell peacefully asleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
JACK
Jack wheeled the two mountain bikes to the start of the path where he had agreed to meet Toni. His own bike was a few years old, and had been hardly used during those years. He’d had to dig around in the garage to find it, hidden behind old boxes and building equipment. It had been so long since he’d been in the Silver Forest for any purpose, let alone to use the bike paths, that he’d wondered if it would still be in working condition. But, a few minutes with the tire pump and oil and it had been as good as new.
Well … not quite. Because sitting right next to his bike was Toni’s actually new bike. He had called into town and had it delivered first thing that morning, a top-of-the-line machine that gleamed in the sunlight. Next to it, ‘good as new’ looked more than a bit shabby.
Jack moved the bikes a bit further apart, but the difference between the two rigs was still clear. Toni’s was obviously shop-new.
Too fast, he told himself. She’s going to realize you bought it especially for her. You’re going to scare her off!
He wondered if he should ding the bike up a bit before Toni got here—maybe kick some dust on it to get the shine off. Before he could do any of that, his tiger sat up and purred.
She’s here!
“Toni,” he greeted her, holding out his hand. She took it with a smile and he felt as though a bolt of lightning went straight from his hand to his groin. Take her, his tiger growled. Make her yours!
I’m already worried the bike is going to scare her off, he argued. YOU’RE NOT HELPING.
It wasn’t only his tiger that had reacted to Toni’s presence. He felt an indescribable urge just to touch her, to stay close to her; and the slight furrow between her eyebrows only made his protective instinct stronger.
It was bugging him, that instinct. De Jager hadn’t made any further appearances, and
no one had reported sighting him, so Jack figured he had just been passing through, not staying in the campground after all. And yet his tiger was still on the alert for danger.
It was probably because it had been so long since he shifted, Jack decided. He always got antsy if he had to spend long stretches of time in human form, and the last few months had been so busy with work he hadn’t been able to spend any time in tiger form. This heightened awareness must be a result of his tiger being so eager to be let loose.
Soon, he told it reassuringly. Maybe tonight. Unless…
NOW, his tiger demanded. And that wasn’t all. It insisted that the optimum course of action would be to literally gather Toni and the twins together and growl threateningly at anyone who came near … but even if there was a real threat, that wasn’t the sort of thing you could do as a human. And for Toni, he had to be a human.
Jack motioned toward the bikes. “There’s this one place I really want you to see, but it’s a bit far to walk. I hope you don’t mind riding. I had to guess at the right size bike for you, but I think this one should be fine.” If it isn’t, I’ll get you another one, he did not add.
Toni’s eyes went wide, and Jack readied a handful of sentences, most of which began, Oh this old thing? No, it’s … really old, yep … what a coincidence it’s the right size for you, eh?
On second thought, he threw all of those sentences into his mental trash can.
“I’m…” Toni bit her lower lip. “I’m not a very confident cyclist. I mean, I learned when I was younger, but you’d have to be suicidal to cycle anywhere in my city…” She trailed off as Jack picked up a gleaming helmet – forget-me-not blue, it perfectly matched the bike’s paint job – and brought it over to her.
“You’ll be fine,” he reassured her. “This is the smoothest, flattest path in the park. No jumps, no ravines, just following the river up to the perfect picnic spot.” He saw her eyes flick to the pack he wore on his back. “Best of all, it’s in the opposite direction to where Karen is taking the kids today. So you don’t need to worry about bowling anyone over.”
“Or being bowled over myself, more likely.” Toni bit her bottom lip, still staring nervously at the bikes. Then she squared her shoulders and grinned at Jack. “Or falling off without any help from anyone, but what the hell. Let’s go!”
Toni’s smile sent a shock of heat through Jack’s body. He couldn’t just see Toni’s heady rush of excitement; he could feel it unfurling deep inside himself.
Was this another part of the mate bond? It was as though a tiny, precious part of his mate’s soul was lodged inside him, glowing like a sun in his chest. He could feel they were distinctly hers, separate from his own feelings, but as he focused on them he felt the same excitement fill his own body.
With fingers made clumsy by joy, Jack fitted Toni’s helmet on her head, adjusting the straps so that it fit closely over her tumbling curls.
This close, he could smell her skin under the masking smells of shampoo and deodorant, beneath the florals, a warm, musky scent that went straight to his head. And to other places. Jack stepped back and cleared his throat, hoping she wouldn’t notice the sudden bulge in his trousers.
He held Toni’s bike steady for her as she mounted it – she still hadn’t said anything about how new it looked, so hopefully she hadn’t even noticed – and then they were off, cruising slowly under the dappled shade of the trees.
The path was wide enough for the two of them to ride side-by-side. They rode along in silence, Jack not wanting to disturb Toni’s concentration as she tested out the bike’s gears and brakes. He was still glowing with the discovery of this new side of the mate bond, the deep connection he felt with her. Did she feel it, too?
He couldn’t help glancing sideways at her. Toni was still getting used to the bike … probably because her attention was clearly elsewhere. Jack’s heart raced as he saw her shooting sideways glances back at him. More than once he caught Toni’s eye as their glances intersected and left her blushing.
The path sloped gently down through the forest. The human noise of the camping grounds faded away and was replaced by birdsong and the faint noise of moving water somewhere in the distance.
“Did Lexi and Felix get away okay this morning?” he asked as Toni started to relax on her bike.
“Oh, yes,” Toni replied, wobbling a little. She steadied herself and continued, “I think all the racing around they did yesterday only left them with more energy today. I hope Karen and the coaches will be able to keep up with them.” She sounded as though she had her doubts.
“Karen will be fine,” Jack reassured her. “You know she punched a bear once?”
“No!”
“Well, a papier-mâché bear. It snuck up on her…”
Jack told the story with enough dramatic embellishments that Toni was soon giggling helplessly. He thrilled as her bubbling joy was reflected in his own heart – then felt a sickening swoop of vertigo.
Toni suddenly swerved and fell sideways, just sticking her foot out in time to stop herself falling over. She hopped along for a few feet, then regained her balance.
“Argh! Okay, no more funny stories.” She laughed. “I think I can just handle the bike and talking at the same time, but laughing is a step too far.”
A shadow passed over her face. Jack didn’t need the mate bond to follow the path of her thoughts. Joking was out, so what would they talk about? Something more serious, and what was the first thing that would come to mind?
De Jager.
“Come on,” he said softly. “We’re almost at the picnic spot. I promise, no more jokes.”
Toni swung herself back on to the bike and smiled. “Oh, I don’t know … It makes it more of a challenge, doesn’t it? Like an obstacle course where the obstacles are my own inability to ride in a straight line.”
They carried on down the path, but although she kept up a brave front, Jack could tell that even the thought of de Jager had shaken her. The glow in his heart was dulled, cautious. Afraid.
Jack’s tiger growled in frustration. From its point of view, de Jager was worse than a competitor. He was an enemy who made Jack’s mate feel unsafe. Jack could feel his tiger growing unhappier the longer Jack allowed the enemy to roam free in their territory.
There’s nothing I can do about it, Jack insisted. The man may be a waste of oxygen, but he hadn’t done anything wrong. Even if he turns up again, the most I can do is throw him off my land.
Even thinking the words left a bad taste in Jack’s mouth. He hated that even the thought of de Jager could affect Toni so badly, and that there was nothing he could do about it.
You know what you should do! his tiger roared.
Jack’s hands fumbled on the handlebars, and he looked down to see orange and black fur sprouting from his fingers, claws starting to flex. He hurriedly drew himself consciously back into his human body, focusing on human things: the feel of clothes on his body, his awareness of the careful engineering that went into making the bike ride so smooth, the prospect of unpacking the picnic later—
—Toni—
He shook his head and looked down again. His hands were, well, hands again. He flexed his fingers carefully over the handlebars, adjusting his grip, and glanced guiltily sideways to see if Toni had noticed. She was glaring down at the road in front of them, wobbling slightly, and didn’t appear to have noticed anything out of the ordinary. He gave a quiet sigh of relief.
You’re NOT helping, he growled silently to his tiger.
The last thing he wanted was for Toni to turn around and think he’d been devoured by a mysteriously-appearing big cat. Which – Jack knew his limits when it came to shifting – would probably be wearing the ripped remains of his shorts and t-shirt.
No. Toni had enough on her mind. Today would definitely benefit from a complete absence of mysteriously-appearing, clothes-stealing giant tigers.
CHAPTER FIVE
TONI
Yes, it was a very smooth, gentle
path.
Yes, her bike was perfectly sized for her, with the sort of suspension she wasn’t used to even cars having, let alone bicycles.
Yes, she had discovered that if she just pointed herself in a direction and stared fixedly at, for example, a tree or particularly lovely patch of flowers in a straight line ahead of her, the bike would seemingly automatically head along that trajectory.
But…
Toni hadn’t been exaggerating when she told Jack she wasn’t a confident cyclist. She technically knew how to ride a bike, but it was taking most of her attention just to stay upright and headed in a straight line. Which was a problem, because her mind was constantly, ridiculously, gravitating unstoppably toward the incredibly handsome man riding next to her. Which meant, due to her follow-your-nose cycling style, she kept swooping sideways as though her bike was determined to mash up its wheels and chain with his.
For the eighth time (ninth? She was beginning to lose track) Toni snapped her eyes back on to the track in front of her and tried to steady herself before she careened into Jack.
Just as she had gotten steady again, he called out to her to stop. She pulled on the brakes, wobbled precariously back and forth for a few seconds, and then her weight overbalanced the bike and she began to tip over. She stuck out one foot to land on the dirt path —
—and found herself, for the second time in two days, in Jack Silver’s arms.
“I’ve got you,” he said, in the sort of voice that Toni knew would have caused a collision if she had still been on her bike. She hopped awkwardly on her one grounded foot and swung her other leg over the bike, which Jack grabbed and wheeled to the side of the track. He looked back at her and grinned.
“We’re going to go a bit off-road here. There’s a place I want you to see.”
She rubbed her neck and followed Jack through the trees. Her bike might have had incredible suspension, but what the ride had lacked in bone-cracking jolts, her body had more than made up for in tight muscles.