by Elle Thorne
Astra’s shoulder rubbed against the man’s huge arm. She cringed and tried to draw away, but if she kept that up, she’d fall off the bench.
Damn him.
She really wanted to tell him to scoot over. But no, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
Astra ignored that his closeness, and how the touch of his body sent a current through hers, even when they were separated by several layers of fabrics—his and her clothing. Dinner would not be fun.
“Pass the bread, please.” Kane’s voice was soft in her ear, as if he were telling her a secret he didn’t want the others to hear.
Astra forced a smile to her lips, reached for the basket and handed it to him, her knuckles white from gripping it so tightly. Kane took it from her, his large fingers closing over hers.
A tiny gasp escaped her as the surge of current that flew through her body culminated between her legs.
God. Damn. Him.
What was that about?
He gave her a sideways glance, as if he knew the effect he’d had on her. That made her hate him even more.
Hate. An odd word. Yes, she hated him. No she didn’t. She couldn’t say what she felt for him. She’d rather feel nothing. She wished he’d never come to Bear Canyon Valley.
That’s how dinner went. Astra couldn’t concentrate on the food. Couldn’t even remember what she’d put on her plate and what she hadn’t. Another reason not to like him. He interfered with the enjoyment of her meal.
“Kelsey’s throwing me a bridal shower,” Chelsea said. “It’s on the eighth. Can you make it?” she asked Astra.
Like I have a social life that would keep me from going? Of course she’d make it. “I’d love to come.” Astra smiled, pretending to pay attention to the others, pretending to ignore the way the man next to her was affecting her.
She didn’t have much to say during the meal, though, and neither did the gorgeous stranger next to her.
Mae and Chelsea held up the conversation, while Grant contributed something every so often. Mostly they talked about preparations for the wedding. Mae was talking about the Bed & Breakfast being a perfect place for Chelsea and Grant’s wedding. Grant said it was up to Chelsea.
Astra wasn’t bored with the conversation; she just couldn’t focus on it. She normally would have paid attention—or tried to, at least, but all she could do now was concentrate on controlling her pulse and her breathing.
She knew shifters had extraordinary senses and was worried he’d be aware of her accelerated heart rate and shallow breathing. She hoped that he wasn’t, but she wasn’t sure. Every time Doc had tried to talk about his shifter senses and his life as a shifter, she’d shut the conversation down because she had no interest in that part of him—the part she hated.
“When is Doc coming back?” Grant asked.
“Probably late tomorrow or the day after,” Astra answered.
Kane shifted, his thigh rubbing against hers, pressing on her leg. She probably couldn’t fit a butter knife between them, that’s how close he was to her. She moved slightly, but her ass was already partially off the bench. Any further movement and she’d land embarrassingly on the same ass that was trying to avoid being near him.
He’d love that. He’d probably laugh at her. She gave him a dirty look.
The only thing was, he was already looking at her. His dark, near-black eyes were hooded in a lazy, bedroom-eyes kind of way. He raised the fork to his mouth, a piece of meat impaled on the tines. He put the fork between his lips, and his teeth closed over it, pulling the meat off the fork in a way that was far too sexual for Astra’s comfort. She looked away immediately, glancing at Mae.
Mae was watching Astra, as if she’d been reading her emotions and thoughts.
Astra looked at her napkin. She’d had enough. She folded the rectangle of linen neatly and tucked it under the rim of her plate.
“I’m done.” God, was she ever. Stick a damned fork in her, she was done. Done, done, done.
And practically panting over this man. Like there weren’t other men in Bear Canyon Valley. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at herself, mostly because she knew many of the men in the valley, and none of them had this effect on her. That made this whole situation doubly irritating. Why did she have to be attracted to the one man she wanted to hate and drive out of town?
As if they’d been waiting for Astra, now everyone else was saying how full they were and they were pushing back from the table, rising to their feet. Kane rose and held out a hand to help her to a stand.
Really? Like we’re friends now or something?
She bit back a response and tried to graciously accept his hand, using his grip to stand quickly, then releasing it as if it were on fire. Which, yeah, it was burning her, but not in that way.
She’d almost come up with a plan to get him out of the valley. She just had a few more final touches to put into thought. Then she could go through the motions and put her plan into play.
Chapter Eight
Astra was up to something.
Of that, Kane was sure. He helped her stand, then he looked at Grant. If he had his own place, Kane would have already left, but he was at Grant’s mercy. He needed to know where this cabin was, and how to get there. Before he could do that, he had to be examined by the hot blonde with an awesome rack and a killer ass who was standing next to him.
Making it all worse, Her Curvy Hotness had a cryptic smile on her face and was not making eye contact with him. Yep, she is definitely up to something. He’d put money down that whatever she was up to would not bode well for him.
“We can use the library.” Grant showed the direction with a nod.
It was a long hall, dimly lit, painted a dark green color. Grant led the way. Kane indicated for Astra to follow Grant. She rewarded him with a dirty look, then quickly made it vanish and replaced it with a stoic expression.
Kane’s reasons for following her were twofold. Sure, he didn’t mind the opportunity to keep a close eye on her, since now he was starting to question her motives, but the other half of him... That half of him wanted to watch her ass as her hips swayed. An ass like that needed to be appreciated. She was definitely the kind of woman that a man wanted to watch coming and going—and coming.
Shit.
There he went again. He licked his lower lip in anticipation of having her check him out—medically, of course. And maybe not medically, as well.
Chelsea and Mae stayed in the kitchen, though Kane knew Mae well enough to know that she wanted to come along.
Grant’s home was like a mansion, but rustic. Actually, it was like an old-world fortress with a new world look, if Kane had to describe it.
A few dozen feet down, several closed doors later, the three of them were in the entryway, beside the giant double doors they’d come in through when he’d first gotten to town. They made a sharp left, past another set of double doors, this time made of glass, and they arrived at a huge library with a roaring fireplace. A dark wood desk dominated the room, rivaled only by the large fireplace tucked into one wall. Grant closed the doors behind them, giving them total privacy.
“So what’s the deal?” Astra jumped right into the subject.
Grant chewed on his lip, worry crossing his face. “We need you to check Kane out.”
“What am I checking him for?” Her demeanor was cool and detached.
“I was attacked by shifters—” Kane started.
Grant went into a coughing spell, interrupting Kane’s statement.
Kane narrowed his eyes at Grant, a question in his expression that he hoped the other man would read. Kane had no idea what to say. It seemed like he set Astra off way too easily.
Astra spun around, pointed a finger at Grant, and then pushed the finger into his chest. “You know damned well how I feel about this.”
“Look,” Kane started. “I don’t have to—it’s fine.”
“No. It’s not fine.” Grant gave Astra a stern look. “Listen. If he’s infected by
a touched shifter, then he’s got to be helped. We need to know that the bite isn’t from a touched one. Period. He cannot die. It will break Mae’s heart. She cares for Kane.”
“Why don’t you tell me how this whole thing works first?” Astra sat on the edge of the desk.
“You mean you don’t know?” Grant’s tone was incredulous. “How can you not know when Doc—hasn’t Doc told you?”
“He tried.” A sheepish grin crossed Astra’s face. “I didn’t want to know.”
“If you didn’t know, then you couldn’t help him if he needed help.”
“Fine, Grant,” she spat. “I’m a shitty daughter, a sucky person. I get it. Okay? I suck.”
Grant put his arms around her.
She sniffled once, then pulled away. The whites of her eyes were red, which made the green that much more vivid.
“Do you know how to kill a shifter?” Grant asked Astra.
Kane thought it best he be silent. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing, or say the right thing at the wrong time, and piss her off again.
“I’m not that insensitive. I did hear him when he told me that.” Astra pouted.
Her full lips looked perfectly kissable to Kane. He turned his gaze away. The last thing he needed to do was pitch a tent right now.
Astra continued, “You separate a shifter from his bear.”
Grant nodded. “But do you know how to do that? How that happens?”
Astra shook her head, then hung it low.
“Couple of ways. Don’t feel bad. I had to explain them to Chelsea, in case... One way—” Grant took a deep breath. “One way to separate a shifter from their bear is to decapitate the shifter. That ends it.” He clapped his hands together as if dusting them off. “The other way is to be bitten by a touched shifter. When a touched one bites a shifter, a battle begins within the shifter to kill the shifter’s bear. By the way, it doesn’t just apply to bears. All shifters are the same.”
“So the kit Doc told me to carry, the one that tests to see if a shifter was bitten by a touched?”
“Do you have a kit?” Grant’s face lit up, hopeful.
“He said I have to carry it in my bag all the time, because he never knew if he would need it.”
“Yes!” Grant exclaimed.
“What happens if it tests positive? Then what?”
Grant frowned. “That’s a different problem altogether. It’s better not to take chances and find out.”
“What if a touched one bites a human?” Astra asked.
Kane found himself admiring her intelligence and curiosity. There was something special about this woman. The way she thought, the reactions she had. She wouldn’t be boring to have around.
“Don’t worry. If a touched one wants to hurt a human, it’s unlikely the human will escape with just a bite. Humans don’t stand a chance against shifters. Any shifter, touched or not, will kill a human if it wants to.”
“I’ll get the test.” Astra opened a black bag and removed what looked like a miniature shaving kit. From it, she set out a slide, a cotton-tipped swab, and a medicine dropper in a black-colored glass container.
As she sorted the equipment, Kane wasn’t sure what he had to do, or what she had to do or where, but figured it would have something to do with his wounds. Kane removed his flannel shirt and pulled the tee over his head.
“Okay, now—” Astra turned around, and froze.
The bottle that was in her hand started to slip out. She fumbled with it.
Grant and Kane both dove for it.
Kane snatched it midair.
Chapter Nine
Astra thought she was going to have a heart attack. She’d dropped the glass bottle.
What the hell!
Who could blame her? She peeked at the man who’d caught it midair.
Kane.
He was shirtless. With dark olive skin, his chest was as broad as a door, sprinkled with hair, all man, all sexy. His pecs looked like they were made of steel, above a set of abs that she wanted to run her tongue over. A treasure trail of hair led from his navel... all the way down to the treasure. She wanted to shake the image out of her head.
Jeez. He’d stunned her so much that she’d dropped the stupid bottle. Why the hell was it glass? Too fragile. She swore under her breath.
Both Grant and Kane looked at her. She knew their bears had heard her, even if a normal human couldn’t have.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, reaching for the bottle, averting her eyes from Kane’s body. “My hands were... moist. Probably sweat.” She tried to talk her way out of how she’d come to drop the bottle, as if the reason wasn’t his muscles, that chest, those abs and arms.
No, it couldn’t be that at all.
A tiny snigger made her look at Kane. Amusement glinted in his eyes, as though he knew he’d affected her.
She snatched the bottle from his grip, ignoring the charge that she felt in her fingertips when her hand touched his.
That’s when she saw.
She gasped.
A brief glance and she’d made a quick assessment. She couldn’t keep herself from continuing to look. His upper chest and shoulders were covered with bite marks and claw marks. Deep ones.
He’d really been attacked, seriously.
“What the hell?” she muttered. “What happened to you?”
“Three very nasty rovers,” Kane said.
Astra looked at Grant for an explanation and at the same time cursed herself for never allowing Doc to tell her about his life and to define all the terms that applied to it. “What are rovers?”
“Rovers,” Grant said. “Shifters who are for hire. Roving. Doing deeds they’re paid to do.”
“Like mercenaries?” Astra frowned, then turned to Kane. “What did you do to deserve having rovers sicced on you?”
Chapter Ten
Kane grimaced, not really wanting to get into it with her. She was too volatile, and too much hinged on his being able to keep the peace around here, at least long enough to get to a cabin, to put some space between him and the rest of the world. Which reminded him...
Kane turned to Grant. “I ran out of hunter’s block. Any chance you know where I can get hold of some? I can pay for it.”
“I’ve got some you can have,” Grant offered.
Relief coursed through Kane. At least that part was covered. “So, back to the test?”
“Hold out your hand.” Astra’s voice was professional. Strictly business.
He did so. She took it, separated his index finger, and using a diabetic type of gun implement, she pricked it. She caught the drop of blood with a tiny glass tube, let the drop fall to a glass slide on the desk, then squirted one drop of whatever was in the black bottle onto his blood.
“What does it do?”
“It’s supposed to bubble. Like when hydrogen peroxide is applied to blood.” Astra shrugged. “If it bubbles, that’s bad.”
No reaction.
Kane let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. For him, the whole ‘touched’ thing was abstract, as if it couldn’t possibly happen to him, until Grant had started talking about it. Then Kane had realized how screwed he’d be if he were infected. He didn’t know the first thing about becoming uninfected. Unless Grant knew. Or knew someone who did.
He blew out a sigh, his chest deflating. He’d gotten lucky. What if... He unclenched the fist he’d made while Grant explained the whole ‘touched’ thing.
“Looks like you’re in the clear,” Astra announced. She packed the testing kit in the little black bag, then threw his clothing at him.
“No physical?” Kane couldn’t help the teasing note his tone took on. Maybe relief did that. Or maybe adrenaline from having been worried and then coming down from that worry.
Astra tossed him a frosty, dirty look. “No.” Her reply was quick and curt. She turned to Grant, waved her hand at Kane. “Now what?” It was clear she was talking about Kane, yet she was acting like he wasn’t even there.
“No, really,” Astra persisted. “What about him, now?”
“He’s staying in the cabin at Northpoint End,” Grant answered.
Kane felt like leaving them alone to have their talk. In fact, that was exactly what he needed to do.
“I’ll go see if Mae and Chelsea need any help.” He took a stride toward the glass double doors.
“No.” Astra’s voice was sharp, loud. “Stay.”
He kept his hand on the door handle, but didn’t turn it. Nor did he turn to face her.
“Please.” Her voice softened.
He took his hand off the knob, then turned around, and looked at her. He’d never seen this softer side of her.
“I’ll give you a ride to the cabin.” She turned to Grant. “I’ll take him to Northpoint End.”
“I don’t think so,” Grant said before Kane could even think of thanking her for the offer.
“Why not?”
“There’s a snowstorm coming. You don’t need to be out there, a woman alone.”
“Then who’s going to go?” She planted her fists on her hips. “Not Mae. And if you go, then Chelsea will be worried all night.”
Grant squinted at her. Kane cocked his head. She made sense when she put it that way, but when he thought of her taking him somewhere—who knew how far away, but it was up a mountain—then driving back alone... That didn’t sit well with Kane.
“I’ll go with you,” Grant said.
“You’re being silly. My place is closer to it than yours.”
Kane felt like he was watching a ping-pong match, trying to keep up with the argument these two were having.
“I’ll look after her,” Kane said, though he could see the flaw in his logic. It was very flawed, because who was going to look after her after she dropped him off? Unless he could talk her into staying until morning.
The bear made a growling sound of approval in his head. Yeah, I bet you do like that.
Grant shook his head, as if he was uncertain. “Let me talk to Mae and Chelsea.” He stepped toward the doorway.