by Layla Nash
Kira
Kira didn't sleep well, and it wasn't because of rocks. Ethan's question about studying shifters ran through her mind, over and over. She'd almost railed at him for equating shifters to animals, but she bit her tongue just in time. It was an opinion she'd heard often enough, even from fellow researchers, and it set her on edge every time. Shifters were more than animals. They were just people. Special people.
He didn't sound like he meant it, though, and had asked out of curiosity more than anything else. She lay awake and listened to the soft nighttime sounds of the forest, listening for the friendly wolves or any snuffling bears, searching for food. But only Ethan's snoring broke the quiet, and Kira smiled as she rolled over in the sleeping bag. Even through his tent and hers, and a couple feet of space between them, she could hear him snorting and grumbling in his sleep.
It should have been annoying, but some how it reassured Kira. Ethan was close by, he had the rifle, and she had no doubts that he would be the scariest thing on the mountain. Unless she had to shift, and then she'd be the biggest predator around. The jaguar preened at the thought of showing the big man that she could be dangerous, too, but Kira pushed it away. Better he didn't know about the jaguar. Better they enjoyed each other's company on the hike, and that was it.
Kira lost whatever resolve she'd managed to find the next morning when she returned from a trip into the woods to find Ethan just rolling out of bed, half-dressed and sleepy. She stopped short, completely distracted by his bare chest and the droopy sweatpants that revealed the cut of muscle from his hip and abs down to his groin.
Ethan smiled slowly as he caught her watching. "Well, good morning."
Kira's cheeks burned as she tried to look away and he flexed in a deliberate yawn. "Uh, right. Good morning."
He blinked slowly, hitching up his sweatpants but otherwise unconcerned with being half-dressed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Breakfast?"
"Right." Kira cleared her throat and tossed him the toilet paper as she brushed by, trying to focus on getting the stove and everything together. "Did you get the bag?"
"Just on my way," he said, and shoved his feet into his hiking boots before shuffling off in the direction of the bear-bag.
Kira groaned as soon as he was out of earshot, and wanted to crawl back into her sleeping bag. She'd stared at him as if she'd never seen a muscled chest before. And he knew that she'd been struck dumb when she saw him. That was quite a gift for his ego, no doubt.
Kira started rolling up her sleeping bag and mat, then broke down the tent and got ready to pack it away. She needed to focus. They'd reach the first camera that afternoon, and she had a lot of work to do with very little time. Her cheeks were almost back to normal by the time Ethan returned with the bear-bag, though she could feel heat gathering in her face as Ethan remained shirtless and started setting up the stove to make oatmeal.
She felt flustered and off-balance all through breakfast and cleaning up the campsite, and Ethan seemed to enjoy every second of it. Every time he ate a spoonful of oatmeal, his mouth and full lips distracted her, and thoughts of what those lips might feel like against hers nearly sent her into a tailspin. So Kira was glad when they'd finally packed up and started hiking, even though Ethan's fine ass distracted her as he strode ahead.
Neither of them spoke much as they hiked, though Ethan whistled a happy tune as he clambered over a rock-slide and paused to offer Kira a hand up. She took it, not thinking, and the warm rough strength of his fingers tightened around hers and took her breath away. She wanted to hold on to him forever, and the jaguar thought they should pin him down and mark him so no one else got any ideas. Kira cleared her throat as they got to the other side of the pile of rocks, and he still held her hand. As if he didn't want to let go, either.
Kira bit her lower lip without thinking, looking up at him, and his blue gaze caught her. Fire kindled in his eyes, and his attention focused on her mouth until Kira couldn't breathe. He was going to kiss her. She knew it. She'd let him, and then she'd kiss him back, and probably wouldn't be able to stop kissing him. Just as his head dipped and his mouth lowered toward hers, Kira shifted her feet and the rocks moved. She stumbled, caught herself against him, but the moment dissipated.
Ethan helped her back up, then said gruffly, "We're almost to the camera," and he started back down the trail.
Kira covered her face as she followed, wishing she could unroll her sleeping bag and hide inside. Stupid uneven rocks.
He didn't speak again until they reached the blind where the camera was set-up, and even then, it was just to mutter something about putting together lunch while she worked. Kira wanted to say something, to joke around or put him at ease, or maybe even flirt a little. Tease him. But the words stuck in her throat, and when Ethan dropped his pack and started to make peanut butter sandwiches, Kira turned her attention to the camera. She would have another chance to kiss him.
She focused on the equipment, carefully uncovering the camera and removing it from its protective case. She popped out the memory card and put in a new one, did the same with the battery, and checked the small solar panel that recharged the battery. Some of the cables were frayed, so she had to repair those. It took longer than she thought, but when it was finally set, Kira stepped back and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Good work. The camera set-up would be triggered when animals walked past it, and could document the comings and goings of wolverines, wolves, mountain lions, and any other predator who happened by.
Kira tried to smile as she took a sandwich from Ethan. "Thanks."
He nodded, then gestured at her equipment and the memory card. "Did you get anything interesting?"
"Let's see." Kira crouched to dig out a portable photo back-up unit with a screen; as it saved the photos, it displayed them so she could delete or edit them right there. She licked some peanut butter off her hand before inserting the card and clicking the buttons as Ethan watched. Her heart raced under his scrutiny, but as the first few frames displayed on the box, they both watched the screen.
There were a lot of misses, with half a mountain lion or a stray paw, but there were also some amazing photos of wolverines, wolves, and other predators. Kira couldn't keep a stupid smile off her face. She'd have enough data for her research. She could finish her dissertation and publish the results and finally be done with school.
Just as she wanted to proclaim victory, something strange appeared on the screen. She paused the slideshow and went back to what appeared to be a pair of legs. Human legs, in fatigues and hiking boots. "That's weird."
Ethan leaned closer. "What is it?"
"People," Kira said, frowning. The next several frames showed more men, some carrying equipment, passing the camera in daylight. She looked at Ethan, trying not to let fear creep over her. "Why would men be hiking through this part of the park? Isn't this area off-limits?"
"That's what we thought," he said. Ethan rubbed his jaw, frowning at the photos. "When were they taken?"
"Two days ago." Kira flipped through the rest of the photos, but the last one was a close-up of a man, leaning down and looking for something. Maybe looking for the camera. Her stomach clenched. If they saw the flash, maybe they wanted to get rid of any evidence they'd been in the area. But the case around the camera hadn't been tampered with.
"They're probably just hikers," Ethan said. He straightened and seemed to survey the trees around them, perhaps searching for signs of the trespassers, then he faced her with an easy smile. "Nothing to worry about. If you're all done, we can head for the next one."
"Sure." Kira packed everything up, though she kept the viewer out so she could review those damn pictures again. Maybe the men were park rangers, or researchers, or regular campers. They carried some weird equipment, enough that normal hikers wouldn't be burdened with it.
The sky grew dark overhead and Ethan stopped, looking up. Kira almost ran into him, then she blinked and looked around. "What's up?"
"Storm," Ethan said, and h
e sounded grim. "A bad one, I think. We need to take shelter. Now."
"Shelter?" Kira tucked away the viewer and tightened the straps of her pack. "Where?"
He studied the map, then started at a half-jog up the trail. "This way. Fast."
Kira gripped her shoulder-straps and started after him, determined to keep up as the clouds grew darker and more ominous, and the temperature started to drop. It seemed like forever and only a heartbeat before the first lightning struck in the trees to their right and thunder rolled over the mountain.
A wind kicked up and Kira struggled to stay with Ethan, squinting through the dust and dirt that blew up in clouds. He grabbed her hand to help pull her over a mess of fallen logs, and shouted over the wind and thunder. "There's a cave up ahead. We can hunker down there until it blows over."
"Great," Kira managed to say, and she didn't mind at all that he squeezed her hand and held on as the rain started to pour.
It beat down, vicious and cold, and immediately soaked Kira to the skin. She shivered and stumbled, following Ethan, and concentrated on getting to the cave. A strong wind almost knocked her back, and she bent her head to keep moving forward as the rain turned colder still, until freezing pellets bounced off her skin.
"Just a little more," Ethan said, glancing back. "Over the rise, and —"
His foot slid off the side of the trail and he staggered. Ethan cursed and tumbled down a steep hill, and landed hard on his side, his pack smashing against a rock. He lay still and silent. Kira froze, staring at where he'd fallen, then skidded down the embankment as rain continued to churn the dirt into freezing mud. She reached him and tried not to panic, loosening the pack straps across his chest and hips. "Ethan? Can you hear me?"
He groaned, trying to roll to his side. "I'm okay. Just give me a sec."
"The storm is getting worse." Kira helped him stand, then stared at his pack and tried to figure out how the hell she'd carry two packs back up the hill to wherever the cave was. "We have to keep moving."
Ethan shook himself, rubbing the back of his neck, then leaned close so she could hear him through the howling storm. "Can you help me get the pack back on? I don't think I can lift it."
"Of course." Kira heaved the much heavier pack up higher on the embankment, so he could just back up to it without having to swing the pack onto his back, and winced as he pulled the shoulder straps tight with a muffled groan. She held her breath, then reached out to catch his hand. "We can make it."
"We have to," he said, trying to smile.
Kira set her jaw and focused on the trail at the top of the embankment as the sleet turned to snow. They started climbing the embankment, slipping and sliding in the mud and tangled undergrowth as their packs caught in branches and pulled them off-balance. Kira leaned back to give Ethan a hand. They had to make it to the cave, or they'd freeze to death. She could already feel the cold seeping into her bones, the wet clothes and boots a sodden weight that dragged her down and made every step forward a miracle.
They had to make it.
Ethan
Ethan almost shifted when he fell, the bear desperate to get out and protect Kira and himself. He'd smelled other humans along the trails as they hiked, but he hadn't viewed it as a threat until Kira's camera revealed they weren't rangers or normal hikers. Something else was going on in that section of the park, and he needed to be alert and ready to deal with whatever might be going on.
And then he fell on his ass and banged up his shoulders.
Kira shivered and shook by the time they reached the trail, and Ethan wished he could have carried her pack for her, and carried her as well. But they didn't have time for that, not with sleet and snow swirling around them and making the trails even more treacherous. He gritted his teeth and concentrated on where that damn cave was. He'd discovered it on one of his bear travels, roaming around in the forest when the Lodge grew too crowded for him. Thank God he'd found something that would save them.
Kira slowed, her eyes growing unfocused, and he cursed. He caught her hands in his, trying to chafe warm back into them, and shouted through the howling wind, "We're almost there."
She gazed up at him, lips parted, and he couldn't help himself. He kissed her. Held her face in his hands, cold as they were, and pressed his mouth to hers. Kira made a soft sound, a delicate invitation, and Ethan drew her close to his chest. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but those damn packs were in the way. He managed to hold her close, desperate to feel her warmth, and broke the kiss to rest his forehead against hers. He laughed a little, feeling like an idiot. "It took me three tries to kiss you."
"Finally," she said, and touched her lips.
And then her teeth started chattering in the cold, and he dragged her down and off the trail, to where a small shrub concealed the entrance to the cave. Kira stared at him as Ethan moved the branches aside, then nodded for her to go in. She slid in the mud near the rocks, and he caught her, holding her up. He wanted to breathe her in, to stare into her dark eyes for hours, but snowflakes caught in her eyelashes and he knew they were both freezing to death with every passing minute.
The cave wasn't large, just barely enough room for him in grizzly form, so the two of them could fit with a little room left over for the packs. Ethan made sure everything was inside before pulling the branches back across the mouth of the cave, trying to block the precipitation and wind.
He shivered and started pulling off his clothes. "We have to get out of these wet clothes. Quick. It's sapping your body heat."
"You j-just want to see me n-naked," she said, teeth chattering, but it was mostly a joke. Mostly.
And he did. Very much.
Ethan left his sodden clothes near the mouth of the cave and started pulling things out of his pack. The tarp went down first, then the bed rolls, then the sleeping bags. He zipped the bags together until they made a larger bag, with room enough for them both. He focused on getting her warm. That was all that mattered.
She moved slowly, though, fumbling and struggling with her shirt and boot laces and even the button on her hiking pants. Ethan watched her struggle, then cleared his throat. "Can I help?"
Kira held up her hands, shaking uncontrollably, and tried to laugh. "I guess you'd better. I can't get the damn things to cooperate."
"It's okay," he said. He pulled off her boots first, stripping away the wool socks and rubbing her feet, then helped pull her shirt off. He tried not to be distracted by her breasts, hidden behind a sports bra, and managed to get her pants unbuttoned. "I'm happy to help."
"I bet you are," she said, and then laughed. "I can take it from here, thanks."
Ethan retreated, digging to find dry clothes in his pack to help create layers of warmth in the sleeping bag nest, and turned his back so she could finish stripping down. He didn't turn until the sleeping bags rustled and only Kira's nose and hair were visible. She still shivered, but gave him a playful look as Ethan started to climb into the nest next to her.
"It's for warmth," he said, and she laughed again.
Kira shivered and shifted closer to him, turning so he could spoon her, and Ethan grumbled with concern as he wrapped his arms around her and felt how very cold she was. For half a second, he considered shifting and letting her snuggle up to the grizzly. That would keep her warm.
If she didn't run screaming back into the storm when she found herself in a cave with a grizzly bear, that is.
Ethan closed his eyes and held her tighter, trying to bunch the sleeping bag closer around her, and let his forehead rest against her shoulder. "Are you warming up?"
"A little," she said. She still shivered, though, and Ethan worried it might take far too long to get her temperature back to normal. She took a deep breath, and her hands ghosted over his forearm where it rested against her stomach. "How's your shoulder?"
"Sore," he said, though he hadn't really thought about his own bumps and bruises. "But I'll live."
"Good." Kira sighed and wiggled, her feet tangled with his, an
d Ethan tried to think boring thoughts before he embarrassed himself further. She did it again, and a hint of a giggle escaped.
Ethan pushed himself up on one elbow to peer at her, his hand sliding a little lower on her soft stomach. "Are you trying to take advantage of me?"
She eased to her back and looked up at him, her green eyes flashing in the near-total darkness of the cave. Kira touched his cheek, nails running through his four-day beard, and a hint of a smile curved her lips. "Well, it took you three tries to finally kiss me, so I figured you might need a little encouragement to go any further."
He laughed, his palm laying flat on her stomach, and the bear growled with desire. She smelled amazing, fresh and clean like snow. Ethan had to rein in the beast as he leaned down to kiss her again, brushing his lips to hers until she opened for him, invited him in. She made another soft noise, her arms linking around his neck to keep him close, and Ethan groaned as his hand slid over her hip and he discovered the firm butt that had been taunting him the entire hike.
He moved slow, wanting to savor the exploration. And in the dark cave, lit only by the occasional burst of lightning outside, touch was the only way to explore. Ethan ran his fingertips from her clavicle all the way down to her hip and then down her thigh, catching her knee to ease her leg open so his thigh could rest between hers. Kira sighed, kissing him again, and ran her fingers into his hair.
His bear grumbled as Ethan nibbled his way down her neck, licking the last drops of rain from her throat and shoulders and breasts. Kira stretched like a cat, preening as he stroked her stomach, and her eyes glinted in the darkness as she watched him worship her body. Her words were husky, half-hidden by a clap of thunder. "I wasn't sure if you liked me."
"Oh, I like you," Ethan said. He traced shapes around her breasts, trying to see her expression through the dim light. He wanted to move over her, to feel her beneath him, and ached to be closer to her. "I like you very much. I like the way you laugh."