Gazing in different directions, from her view she could make out the river. If she followed the bubbling water, she could get to the road. Tarvor told her he could find her anywhere, he had her scent. It was no wonder he made a good bounty hunter, he didn’t need leads, he used smell.
The day was brilliant, the colors vibrant and the air intoxicating. Carlin wondered if mating a shifter had caused her own senses to increase. If that was the case... She paused when her heart suddenly skipped a beat. The hair on the nape of her neck stood tall. The pendant on the necklace nestled between her breasts moved as though shivering. That had never happened before. The pendant had warmed a few times when danger was imminent, but the movement increased. The bizarre motion seized her attention. A silent shout to beware.
Carlin could sense she was in danger. Her feet froze. The foliage parted and her breath caught.
“You little bitch,” was snarled. “Just two more steps and you would have walked right into my arms. I’m looking forward to crushing your skinny ass. Hearing your bones crunch will be a delightful sound.”
The Kodiak stretched up onto his hind legs. Mouth open, he swung at her. Carlin ducked, and felt the tug of the few strands of hair the paw collided with. Screaming, she took off. There was no hope she’d ever outrun a bear. Wishing she was a mouse, Carlin raced with her heart hammering.
The ground shattered behind her as Balor barreled toward her. An eagle’s piercing scream rent the air, and Carlin wondered if the majestic bird was part of a search party looking for Balor. She hoped so.
“I know I’m already dead,” Balor roared. “But if I go, you’re going with me, mouse.”
“I’m not a mouse,” Carlin bellowed back.
She skid under a huge log and jumped to her feet. Balor ran right through the obstacle. Splinters of wood went flying. Still he came. A massive claw hooked her pant leg and down Carlin went. She grabbed a rock and smashed Balor in the head. Balor raised an enormous paw. Her arms were up and her hands splayed. The sensation from her pendant became a warm glow and Balor paused.
“What the fuck?” he whispered.
Carlin looked down. Between her breasts, under her shirt, the pendant wasn’t just glowing with warmth, it was a piercing fiery red.
Both Carlin and Balor went flying as Tarvor smashed into the Kodiak’s chest. Carlin rolled to her feet and backed up to press against a tree. Her enraged mate needed no help. Tarvor was shredding Balor to pieces. Carlin covered her mouth as she gagged. The glow of the necklace ceased.
“I’m done with you, you filthy, cantankerous curmudgeon.” Tarvor was bellowing and roaring his rage.
The two came together in a whirlwind of giant claws and fangs. Tarvor split the side of Balor’s head open. Another blow and fangs went flying. Balor was tossed into the air before slamming against a massive tree. He slumped in human form, naked and broken, his gaze settled onto Carlin. His empty eyes lifeless, he slouched to his side. Balor lay dead.
Carlin raced to Tarvor’s side. “I knew he was out there. I sensed him. The intensity overcame me.” Her breathing heavy, she struggled to speak. “But I knew you were coming. Your presence surrounded me before you got here.”
Tarvor shifted to human form and cupped her chin. “We are one. I will always find you.”
“That’s good, because I’m lost out here.”
“You are always found when I’m with you.”
* * * *
Lifting Carlin into his arms, Tarvor carried her to their cave and settled her onto the bed. For a moment he pressed his forehead between her breasts.
“I almost lost you, my mate. The one chosen for me. I’ve never been so scared or so angry in my entire life. I love you,” Tarvor said.
Carlin smiled when he looked up. “I love you too.”
“The shifters know of you, and you have been accepted. No one will touch you.” Tarvor brushed strands of hair from her face. He lifted to lean down and kiss her. Her lips were warm and soft.
There were small scratches where the foliage had tugged at her tender flesh. Tarvor removed her shirt and inspected each wound. Nothing major—she would heal. Her eyes were as bright as the cave’s florescent lights. There was no fear; her strength of character burned strong.
“I’m sorry about Balor and his gang kidnapping you.”
“I’m not. He brought us together. It’s funny, when Balor changed for the first time, when he shifted into a Kodiak, I wasn’t afraid. I should have been terrified. There was something inside me that was mocking him. As if I knew he was big but nothing more.”
Tarvor knew his little mate didn’t have much to fear with him being a short-faced bear. Nothing on the planet scared him, except the thought of losing her.
Her perfect breasts called to his fingers and soon his hands settled on each. He dipped to kiss the hollow at her throat. The chain around her neck was pressed tight to her flesh, but she didn’t utter a complaint.
Carlin placed her hand on the back of his head, burying her fingers in his hair. Tarvor’s lips roamed down her throat to a beautiful, puckered bud demanding his attention. His tongue laved over her precious gift to suck her breast into his mouth. Carlin moaned and gasped when he released her and slowly dragged her jeans over her hips to her thighs then her ankles. He dropped the material on the floor and gripped each ankle.
Exposed before him, her breath came in tiny pants as he moved up between her thighs and lowered. Her lower lips were juicy sweet. He lapped her insides while she wiggled. Her intoxicating taste made him heady with desire. He dipped two fingers deep, wanting her wet and needing to drive her wild.
“Tarvor,” she cried out.
His cock was ready to burst from his jeans, and Tarvor yanked his clothing off. He wasn’t ready to give up his exploration, and he mounted her to press his cock into her mouth. Carlin groaned, then moaned, accepting him. Her inexperience was sweet as she tried to take all of him. She couldn’t. The velvet of her mouth sheathed his flesh as he slowly plunged and retreated. Fine strands of her hair tickled his thigh. Her fingers found his balls, and as she explored without mercy Tarvor wanted to roar but with his mouth on her soft folds he couldn’t. The first of his seed spilled.
He released his demanding mouth from her wet heat. When he pulled away from her lower lips, she whimpered a protest. A small arm tried to wrap around his thigh to capture him and he chuckled. Tarvor turned, effortlessly pulling her up, then skimmed his way up her belly, letting her skin feel the long, hard length of him. As he pushed her back against the pillows she reached for him. Higher he rose while her hands tugged on him, begging for him to fill her. He plunged deep into her heat, and she cried out. Her eyes were wide when she came and Tarvor had only begun.
Savoring her, he pulled back and rocked forward while her legs wrapped around his waist. Her lithe body clung tight as he rolled them over. His hands almost spanning her waist, Tarvor lifted her up and settled her, knees pressed on either side of him, until she found her own pace. He grinned as her breasts barely jiggled as he pumped faster.
Slick and hot, she rode him as though they were one. She was tight but accepted all of him. Her delicate flesh warmed under his hands. Head tossed back, her cry was no match for his roar when he came. She slumped over him, and Tarvor rolled her onto her back.
“Ouch,” she yelped.
Carlin struggled to twist and pulled on the chain at her neck to settle something into her grasp. Tarvor knew she wore a necklace but hadn’t realized there was something dangling from it. His heart skipped a beat when he saw what she wore.
“Where did you get this tooth?”
The tooth was large even with half of it missing. He was surprised he hadn’t noticed it before.
“My father is an archeologist, that’s why he took me all over the world. This is the tooth of an old, short-faced bear. Extinct now, or so I thought. I found it when I was a little girl on one of Daddy’s digs in Europe,” Carlin said as Tarvor fingered the relic. “I got separated from m
y dad. The cave was huge, and I stumbled around for a long time. When I found the tooth it warmed my cold hands. I know this sounds silly, but I think the tooth warned me about the danger I was in and stopped Balor for the few seconds you needed to get to me. It glowed red.”
Worried for a moment, Tarvor lifted the chain over her head, wondering if it was the scent of the bear on the tooth that made him think she was his mate. The idea hurt. He was in love with her and couldn’t bear to think she wasn’t his real mate. But it explained why Balor and the others were confused enough to think her a shifter.
“When a shifter dies he or she normally changes back into human form. But my line doesn’t. We change into shifter form and are transported back in time to when the short-faced bear roamed the earth. There are deep caverns where we are laid to rest. We disappear from the time we are in with the wind that takes us back. Our mate knows the second we die. When our mate passes he or she will find their way back in time as well to lie with their chosen for eternity. There is no love greater, I feel, than my line.”
“How do you know that’s what happens?”
“My great-granddad told me all the old stories. There is a legend that says anyone who discovers a part of our remains and keeps it takes a piece of a loved one’s spirit. You have proven that theory correct. I know who this belonged to. Its pull is too familiar not to know.”
“I stole a piece of a spirit?” Carlin sounded horrified.
Tarvor set the tooth aside and took her hands. He smiled with relief. He could still scent she was his. For a brief, frightening second he thought the coincidence was what brought them together. He should have known how strong his granddad’s love was even from beyond the grave. Granddad wanted Tarvor to have the best. There was no one more perfect than Carlin.
“There is also a legend that says if someone finds a piece of our remains they were chosen by the bear for a loved one, a very dear loved one. You must have caught my granddad’s eye when you found his tooth. He wanted you to have a way to find me. And I should have remembered that red was Granddad’s favorite color. Sometimes shifters and humans have a hard time connecting. But you have proof we are to be together.”
Carlin snuggled into his arms. “So your ancestors knew I was meant for you all along.”
“Yep. At least my granddad did.” Tarvor kissed her forehead.
“Do you think we should give him back his tooth?”
“It was his gift to give.”
“I think you were his gift.”
Tarvor traced her cheek with a finger. “That’s funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
Carlin squealed when he rolled onto her. Tarvor was thinking the best bounty was the one you could keep.
About C. L. Scholey
I love to write about everything and I can’t wait for an idea that grips me and sends me to a new place. Between worlds keeps me busy, that and chasing after my children and grandchildren. Plus one ornery 116 pound mastiff who thinks he’s a lap dog. Welcome to my adventures, and hang on!
C. L. Scholey’s Website:
www.clscholey.com
Reader eMail:
[email protected]
More Beachwalk Press Titles by C. L. Scholey
In His Alien Hands
Lord of the Hunt
by Juliet Cardin
For generations, the men of the Cole family bloodline have turned into wolves. Balen Cole has relentlessly searched for an end to the transformation. He becomes especially desperate when his betrothed arrives earlier than expected, seeking his protection.
Alena Harford had to rush to Balen’s side when another man sought to claim her as his own. Though she has heard the dark rumors about the Cole family, Alena is willing to risk anything to be Balen’s bride. She plays the role of a delicate lady, but she isn’t as helpless as she leads others to believe.
The pair finds love and desire in each other’s arms. But how long can they hope to survive when a vile menace arrives threatening to expose their secrets and endangers their very lives?
Dedication
For Gary.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Pamela, and my amazing publisher, Beachwalk Press.
Chapter 1
Balen followed the tantalizing smell of old, rotting foliage spread across the forest floor. Years of footsteps from forest animals, horses, and men, all lay before him. Every leaf, stick, and stone told a story. A veritable scent smorgasbord.
Twinkling stars and a glowing orb moon lit up the woods, though his enhanced sight needed no aid. This was his land, home to his kind for generations. Miles and miles surrounded Terron Castle, which perched high upon a cliff looking down to the ground below.
A trail wound through the trees, taking him deeper into the thick woods, until it widened and met up with the lone, narrow track upon which horse and coach could fit. An unfamiliar odor invaded his nostrils. The sound of wolves fresh for the hunt urged him onward.
Ahead the flicker of torchlight reflected erratically among the trees. Shouts of men, screams of horses, and a woman, pounded in his ears. The wolves were attacking. Over a dozen of them circling in on their prey who stood terrified and uncertain on the dark road.
“Damn you beasts!” yelled the coachman.
“Spread out,” a rider commanded.
A shot exploded, then three more.
Balen crouched at the edge of the forest, counting the men, following sight of the wolves. Six guardsmen all together. They were outnumbered, but all of them were armed. Another shot blasted and he heard a wolf yelp in agony. The wolves bared their teeth and circled in and out of the trees, taunting the men.
The coach bore the insignia of a falcon with a white rose grasped in its talons. The scent of a lone female reached Balen’s nose.
No!
His muscles flexed in frustration. She should not be here now. It was too early. He hadn’t expected her for another three days.
He threw his head back and howled.
Answering calls soon sounded all around him. With cautious steps he crept forward. Three wolves were close to the men, unwilling to give ground. All the other wolves, hearing the order of their leader, threaded into the woods and away.
A slope allowed one of the remaining animals to leap to the top of the coach. Another jumped up and the first one leaped for the driver’s throat. More shots rang out.
“Don’t fire upon the coach! You’ll kill her!” shouted one of the guards.
They trained their weapons instead upon the wolf struggling on the ground with the driver. The man was dead, his throat ripped out. The wolf lifted its huge, black head and displayed its bloodied fangs.
Caleb, no! You fool!
A succession of shots flew, raining on the bloodied wolf. He soon lay dead beside his kill.
The coach door flung wide and a woman scrambled out. “It’s coming in through the roof!” she cried.
Balen stared upward and saw the other black wolf scratching and gnawing at the thin wood, snapping the ceiling of the coach.
Damn it! Why did they not leave at my command?
The woman reached for an abandoned torch, no longer lit, and flung it wildly around her, desperate to keep the danger away. The flow of her long, blonde hair spread out, whipping around her like the cloak she wore. Her porcelain face glowed beneath the moon, and he caught sight of the fear in her huge, blue eyes.
So beautiful.
He threw his head back and howled again. The spot where he stood was exposed, and a shot fired in his direction. Easily, he dodged the deadly bullet. He lowered his head and growled. The threat of the two wolves was great. Risking himself, Balen ran forward and leaped into the air. Shots flew at him as he smashed into the wolf just as it dove from atop the coach toward the guards. He could imagine the thoughts coursing through the men at the sight of the two wolves, one black as night, the other shimmering silver. They were well matched, both thickly muscled, vicious, angry beasts. What the men didn’t
know was where one fought for blood lust, the other fought for love.
“Stop!” the woman screamed. “The silver wolf, it’s fighting the black. Aim your weapons at that other one.”
Balen knew she meant the lone wolf pacing in and out of the woods. He snarled, and bit and struggled with the black wolf. His teeth gripped the back of its neck, battling for dominance. He had to hurry, he knew there was one more threat on the loose. With no other choice, he spun the wolf over onto its back and clamped down on its throat, closing his eyes and shuddering as he felt its life slip away.
Shouts from the men spurred him into action again. He took in the scene and saw the danger at once. The woman struggled with the last wolf, who had taken advantage of the chaos. It caught the torch she waved and fought her for it. The men yelled and scrambled around, desperate to help, but couldn’t fire their weapons for fear they would hit the lady.
“Let go!” insisted one of the guards.
“If she lets go, it’ll be on her,” another argued.
“It’ll rip her throat out,” said another.
Balen gauged the men.
One of them saw him standing over his bloodied kill and gestured to the others. “Look! He’s killed the other wolf.”
“See the color of him. By God, I’d swear he shimmers like an angel.”
“Maybe he’s here to help?” a young fellow suggested hopefully.
“Back up,” the man who appeared to be in command ordered.
The men obeyed and lowered their weapons a fraction.
Balen took the cue and leaped, teeth bared, at the last wolf. He caught it off-guard, ramming against its shoulder, spinning it around, away from the woman. She backed up, the torch tight in her hands.
This wolf was also black, huge and fierce. Balen wanted no more death, having already fought and killed one of his own. His sharp teeth and iron jaw clamped down on the beast, he used his strength to throw the animal several feet. It landed hard on its side but was up again in an instant, shaking its head. Balen lowered his head and growled as they faced-off.
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