“What?” Turner glanced around at the assembling crowd behind him. “What did I do? You’re gonna arrest me for taking my own money and moving north?”
He was impressively stupid for being the smarter of the two brothers.
“No,” Henry continued, “we’re going to arrest you for dealing drugs and selling them all over the country.”
Turner looked confused. Genuinely confused. “Why the hell do you care? Drugs are a human problem. Not a shifter problem. As long as I stay out of the radar of humans, I’m clean. I’ve broken no laws.”
“That’s where you’re mistaken, Turner,” George responded. “Drugs are a problem for everyone, shifters included. The Arcadian Council doesn’t want to see them on the market for any reason.”
“But who the fuck cares? It’s not like my clients are shifters. I sell my shit fair and square to the dumbest of the human population. I’m actually doing the shifter world a favor.”
His logic was astounding.
An SUV pulled up behind them. Nuria glanced back to find two more men getting out. Both were members of the council. “Turner, you’re under arrest,” the taller one stated. “If you’ll come with us…” He waved a hand toward the black Rover with the tinted windows.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Turner said, rolling his neck. “You gonna at least read me my rights? Do I get a phone call?”
George chuckled, a rare sound coming from a council member. “You’re right about one thing. We don’t operate by the same laws as the humans. We handle our own problems among ourselves. And today, you’re going down. Now get in the SUV and take a nice long ride to the Northwest Territories. You’ll have plenty of time to sober up on the way.
“The human population won’t even know the trouble we went to ridding the world of vermin like you.”
A confused Turner nearly stumbled his way toward the second vehicle. There wasn’t much use in resisting. At least he had the sense to realize that. He was severely outnumbered and high.
Henry spoke again as Turner was about to get in the back seat of the SUV. “Say hello to your brother for me. It was a pleasure talking to him yesterday.”
“My brother was sent north too?”
“Of course. Arson will do that.”
“Fuck. That dick.”
One of the newly arrived council members set a hand on Turner’s head and shoved him into the car. Before long, both other men were in the front seat speeding away.
George snarled in disgust. “I’d have made him run alongside the vehicle. I don’t envy Lawrence and Charles having to ride with that filth.”
Henry laughed. “He was too high to keep up for even a mile. He’d have collapsed.”
Nuria was once again shocked by the comedic routine coming from the council members, but then again, how often did they encounter a criminal as stupid as Turner Garsea?
Chapter Thirteen
It was late afternoon when Austin opened the front door of his house and ushered Nuria inside. George had dropped them off and pulled away from the curb to take the others home also. “By the way, my mom says several people worked on your house today. It’s not bad. They’ll have it back in selling condition in a few days.”
Nuria shrugged out of her coat and then rubbed her temples as she flopped down on the couch.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Overwhelmed. When I came to town three days ago, I didn’t intend to encounter a single soul. I had no interest in anything except selling the property and slipping back out of Silvertip without detection.”
Austin tried not to take offense at her declaration. He lowered himself onto the sofa next to her, not touching her. “You didn’t honestly expect no one to notice you, did you?”
She sighed, turning her head to face him. “Not really. It was wishful thinking.”
“Why? Why avoid me?”
“Honestly, I figured you would have bound yourself to some lucky woman by now, and I didn’t want to run into you or hear about it.”
He watched as she twisted her fingers in her lap, nervous tension filling the air. “You realize that never could have happened, right?”
She shrugged. “I’ve learned to avoid the word never. It can bite you in the ass.” When she reached for his hand and threaded her fingers with his, a piece of his soul left his body to mingle with hers. It was another breakthrough in a long line of breakthroughs.
She continued, “I was resigned to a solitary life. It would have killed me to see you with a family. Happy.” She squeezed his hand. “I know that sounds mean, but I couldn’t face it.”
“I can understand. I always wondered who you were bound to. It never occurred to me that you might still be available.”
She cocked her head to one side. “It drives me crazy that you had so little faith in me that you thought I would fuck your brother and then take off in the night and find some other man to bind myself to for life.”
“I know.” There was no sense in adding another apology. He would tell her often, but dozens of times a day was overkill. Instead, he leaned closer and brushed her hair off her face. The fact that she didn’t pull away or flinch meant the world to him. Headway.
Her expression was serious. “We’re at a crossroads.”
“Yes.”
“Technically, I should go back to my home, finish packing my stuff, and carry on with my goals. I had plans.”
“Technically, you didn’t plan to run into me, you didn’t expect me to be available, and you certainly couldn’t have predicted we would find ourselves still drawn to each other.”
“Truths.” She smiled. More headway.
A few moments passed in silence, and then he whispered, “Stay.”
She closed her eyes. “I can’t make that promise yet, Austin.”
The knot that never left his throat tightened. What if he lost her?
She suddenly jerked her hand from his and pressed on her knees to push to standing. “I need to shift. I feel claustrophobic. I need to run.”
He stood next to her. “Okay. Please let me go with you.”
She eyed him suspiciously as she made her way toward the sliding glass door behind his kitchen table. “I don’t think that will help. I need space. I need time to think.”
“I need to know you’re safe. I won’t bother you, but it’s going to be dark soon, and I’ll worry the entire time if you’re out there alone.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
Thank God. He grabbed her coat and handed it to her while he shrugged back into his.
She slid her arms into the sleeves. “Don’t think I’ll need a coat. Not planning to spend more than ten seconds in human form. Just long enough to make it to the tree line.”
“Just in case. If you get somewhere and decide to shift back, at least you won’t freeze to death.”
She zipped up the front, obviously humoring him with her lips pursed and her gaze anywhere but on him.
He opened the sliding door and tipped his head back as he stepped outside. No one was in the vicinity, human or shifter. It was safe to transform without being spotted.
Without a word, Nuria stepped past him, tipped her head back, inhaled long and slow, and then let the change wash over her as he watched. It was a beautiful sight seeing her shift. Her brown curls fell around her face for a moment as she lowered onto all fours, but the locks were quickly replaced by a soft brown fur as her body transformed, almost shimmering from her human state to her grizzly one.
She was magnificent, and for a moment he stood transfixed, taking in her beauty. Amazing.
When she bolted off the back deck and traipsed toward the trees, he shook himself out of his mental stupor and let his grizzly take over. Seconds later, he trotted after her, keeping his distance but not letting her get too far ahead.
Even though Wade was in custody and now Turner had followed suit, Austin still felt a niggling in his spine that something was off. He was still worried about the threatening phone calls. If a bunch
of drug addicts thought Rawling Orson stole money from Wade Garsea, there was no telling what they would do for revenge.
She headed straight up the mountain behind his house without pausing. Her pace was brisk. He felt her tension ebbing as she bounded over limbs and fallen branches. It hadn’t snowed significantly in the lower elevations for over a week, but as she climbed, she encountered more and more white patches covering the ground.
Austin kept his distance, remaining several yards behind her to give her the space he’d promised. He also didn’t attempt to delve into her mind. She deserved the solitude. He wouldn’t deny her that no matter how badly he’d like to be closer to her, mentally and physically.
She needed to sort herself out.
He had no choice but to wait and let her have her space. He hoped like hell she wouldn’t decide it was better to leave him, but it was her choice.
Her gait slowed as she hit a steeper section of mountain where more snow-covered leaves and rocks prevented a direct path. He slowed to accommodate her. She didn’t stop until she reached a stream, and then she leaned over the clear flowing water and took a long drink.
As he watched, she settled on a patch of ground next to the bank, rolling onto her side and stretching. It looked as though she was staring up at the darkening sky. The sun went down early in the winter months. The stars were already twinkling, and the moon cast a beam of light over her fur.
Austin settled on his haunches several yards away, inhaling the clean, crisp night air. Silvertip was a small town without much in the way of industry, but the air was still clearer up in the mountains.
“Thank you.” She didn’t move or glance his way, but she communicated with him at least.
“You’re welcome.” Did she realize he would do anything for her? Anything.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had the freedom to run without worry of being discovered. It’s refreshing.”
“You can do so anytime you want here. That’s the beauty of living in the mountains surrounded largely by shifters where we can roam up the side of a mountain into territory humans have never explored.”
“Yeah, I missed this. With the exception of you, I’d say this freedom was the biggest thing I missed for the last fifteen years. It’s okay living among humans. I don’t mind. But eventually loneliness sets in. They say a person can feel lonely even in a crowded room, and that is so true.”
He didn’t respond. She was right. And his chest hurt for the years she’d spent feeling that way. If he had his way, she would never be alone again. He would always be with her, available and open to any communication no matter where he was or what time she reached out to him.
When she flopped onto her back, presumably scratching an itch or just enjoying the freedom to do so, he smiled inside. God, she was gorgeous. Both as a human and a bear.
She rolled onto her feet again. Shocking him, she shifted into her human form and sat on the cold ground, knees bent, arms wrapped around them. “Sit with me,” she whispered into the evening air.
He might have heard her words, or perhaps he only felt them in his mind. Either way, he wandered slowly closer and allowed the change to wash over him until he sat two feet from her in the same position. “It’s damn cold out here, baby.” Thank goodness he’d talked her into at least wearing a coat. As grizzly shifters, their temperature ran slightly higher than regular humans, and they could tolerate lower temperatures in general, but this high in the mountains it was fucking cold even for a bear shifter.
“I know. It feels good for a minute, though. Like I’m alive again for the first time in years. I feel a weight has been lifted just knowing Wade and Turner are in custody of the Arcadian Council, and your family is being so kind to me helping get my house back in shape.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better. And my family isn’t doing anything they wouldn’t do for anyone in need.” He’d do anything for her. He just didn’t know what she needed from him, and he didn’t want to pressure her. He wasn’t sure she knew, either.
“Your parents are amazing people.”
“They always enjoyed having you around when we were kids.”
She dipped her head and set her chin on her knees. “I remember eating dinner with your family.”
He could sense her smile as visions of good times went through her mind. Hopefully times when Antoine hadn’t been around. By the time Antoine was fifteen, he spent most of his time elsewhere with friends. He’d already been a loose cannon, unpredictable. Too bad he never got caught doing anything downright illegal. It would have saved a lot of people a ton of heartache.
Austin wondered how many people might come forward in the coming months or years to tell a story of how their lives were affected by his fucked-up brother. A shudder wracked his body.
Nuria shivered. “We should get back. I just wanted…” Her voice trailed off. “I wanted a moment of normal,” she finished silently.
“Anytime.”
As she rose onto her knees and shifted back, he did the same at her side.
They jogged back at a more leisurely pace than the one they’d used to race up the mountain. Austin remained several yards behind Nuria all the way to the property line. He was impressed by how well she knew the way back. It was dark, and she was out of practice shifting and tracking. Nevertheless, she managed to retrace her steps and didn’t stop until she reached the tree line.
She was breathing heavily as she shifted back to human form and then snuggled deeper into the oversized coat of his she wore. She turned to face him with a smile as they stepped into the clearing behind his home. “Thank you. That felt amazing. I know I ran last night too, but this was calmer. Freeing.”
“You’re welcome.” When they reached the deck, he opened the sliding glass door to let them in and then shut it behind them.
“You know what I would love?” she asked. Her cheeks were red from the run and the cold, but her eyes were sparkling with more life than he’d seen in them since her arrival.
“What?” He shrugged out of his coat and draped it over a kitchen chair on top of the one she’d just done the same with.
“A long bath and a beer.”
“That can be arranged.” He headed for the fridge, wiping his hands on his thighs at the thought of her lying naked in his bathtub, because that was where his mind went immediately.
After he twisted the top off an IPA, he held it out to her. Their fingers touched.
She flinched. For once, he knew it wasn’t out of aggravation but honest shock at their connection. The intensity of feeling that transferred from her to him and vice versa at that simple touch was stunning. “Wow,” she whispered.
“Yeah.” Why now? Why all the sudden were they in a new place? As if they’d stepped out of chapter two and into a new section of a mysterious book. He could sense an abrupt shift in the air. Something huge was about to change.
His hand shook around the second beer he’d grabbed for himself, and he turned away from Nuria to lead her down the hall. “I’ll make sure there are fresh towels,” he mumbled.
She followed him, saying nothing.
His heart pounded as he opened the linen closet in the bathroom and grabbed her a towel. He set it on the vanity and spun around to find her leaning against the wall next to the door. “Thanks,” she whispered, not meeting his gaze.
What the hell was going on?
He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he needed to get out of the bathroom and give her space. Or maybe he needed the space himself to think. “Okay, then.” He rushed past her, shutting the door behind him and then leaning against the outside of it.
He breathed heavier than he had while they’d been on their run up the mountain. Every inhale drew in more of her scent. Her pheromones permeated the house. There was no way to escape them.
What changed?
He pushed off the door and wandered aimlessly from the room, hoping the space would clear his mind.
It didn’t work.
He
tried to block her, ignore the pull. That didn’t work, either.
Finding himself once again in the kitchen, he grabbed a second beer for himself, took a long swig, and set the bottle on the counter. He leaned against the edge of the sink, staring out into the night, seeing nothing.
His mind would focus on nothing but Nuria. Her scent. Silky brown locks of hair that hung in long ringlets around her face. Green eyes that bore into him with their intensity. The smoothness of her skin.
Fuck.
How was this going to work? How was he supposed to sleep in the same house as her without binding himself to her?
Instinctively, he knew she was experiencing the same thing as him. It began the same moment, when their fingers touched. As if Fate were a real thing and She’d had enough. She was putting her foot down and taking charge.
He closed his eyes, smiling around the absurdity of that idea. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. He gripped the edge of the marble counter and held his breath for several heartbeats.
“Austin.”
He spun around so fast, he nearly lost his footing.
There she was, standing in the entrance to the hallway, gripping a towel around her body. Her hair was pulled back from her face for the first time since she’d returned. A messy bun she’d bunched on top of her head to keep it from getting wet. It reminded him of how she always wore it when they were teenagers.
She looked younger.
Her skin was pink and damp from the warm bath. How long had he been standing in the kitchen?
She gripped the front of the white towel between her breasts so tight her knuckles were white. Her toes curled under.
“How…” he cleared his throat, “how was your bath?”
“Lonely.”
That one word made him jerk his gaze from her feet to her face. “Maybe we should sleep in separate rooms,” he suggested. How the fuck was he going to sleep tonight?
“Maybe we should stop pretending we can prevent this thing between us from happening and just do it.”
He flinched. Had he heard her right?
“Baby…”
“Make love to me, Austin. I want you to.”
Grizzly Beginning (Arcadian Bears Book 2) Page 13