“Then what, you live in my closet for the rest of our lives?”
“You can move to Grizzly Hollows; I have a restaurant there. They know me.”
“You want me to leave my life behind and come hide out with you?” She sounded upset. “If that’s what I wanted then I would have moved to Peru with my parents.”
“Hey. I’m not asking you to do anything.”
She sighed heavily, and then slumped forward. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have picked a fight with you like that. It’s all happened so fast, and at the worst time. If I win this case, I have the chance to move on and get a better job with a bigger law firm. I do not want to be working for Mr. Harrington, my boss, for the rest of my life. I have no idea what he’s up to, but he’s not the person I want to be working for.”
“I understand I have just walked into your life, with no warning.”
“Artem, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. But this case, it’s bothering me.” She looked up at the clock. “Which reminds me, I have to get ready.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I’m meeting the sheriff, there’s something I have to show him.”
“The sheriff?” Artem suddenly realized that although she might be single, Elina might have been dating before he came here, before he turned up on her doorstep unannounced.
“Yes. At eight. I have some time to kill. So why don’t we take my car and go for a run first? I can drive up to the mountains. No one will see you.”
He nodded his head. “I would enjoy that immensely.”
“Good.” She appeared more relaxed and they finished eating. They made small talk and skirted around anything to do with her case or her meeting with the sheriff, but he was determined to learn exactly what was going on between them. He only hoped it was not going to leave him as brokenhearted as Vadik.
Impossible, his bear said. She is our mate, and she feels the attraction as strongly as we do.
But what can I offer her other than a life hidden away?
Your love and loyalty, his bear answered.
Artem only hoped it would be enough.
Chapter Ten – Elina
She had been horrible to him, and she was trying to understand why. All she could come up with was her fear that everything was starting to unravel, and she didn’t want Artem to walk out of her life as suddenly as he had walked into it.
“Have you lived here all of your life?” he asked, looking out of the window as they drove.
“Yes. I was born in a house down that street,” she said, pointing down a wide road that was lined with cherry trees. “I remember the cherry blossom in the spring. I used to think it was snow in the summer time. And you?”
“A small village called Multa, near the Altai Mountains. We were very poor, but happy. I loved to range through the forests as a bear with my brothers.”
“It’s what I love about living here.” She looked across to him. “What’s Grizzly Hollows like?”
“Similar to your town. They have been very welcoming to us.”
“I’m sorry if I was mean about Vadik,” she said as they drove through town. She could see Artem looking around; he was nervous for sure. “Are the men who are after you very bad?”
“Yes.” He sighed and tried to relax. “If they truly are still after us.”
“I would say maybe it’s time you found out, but I know it’s not that easy.”
“Not at all.” He smiled. “Enough about our past. What about our future? And I do not mean where we live and what jobs we do. If we could be anything, what would it be?”
“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head as if with a sense of freedom. “I always thought my life would be here, that I would work for Mr. Harrington and run in the mountains with my children one day.” She risked a sidelong glance at him. “But this case with Jim has made me question that. I thought a move to the city would be the thing for me. But my tiger hates the thought.”
“Tiger!”
“Yes. Oh, of course, we have not been properly introduced. What are you?”
“I am a bear, and many of the shifters in Grizzly Hollows are bears, so I just assumed you would be too.”
“Then you assume too much.” She grinned. “I am a ferocious tigress, so watch out.”
“I can’t wait,” he said, and he slid his hand across the small space between them and squeezed her thigh, making a warm fuzzy feeling spread out through her whole body.
“Good, because we are here.” She parked the car where she had left it this morning, and got out. Artem followed, stretching, giving her a chance to admire his toned body before he took a deep breath.
“I’ve missed the mountains and I’ve only been gone for two days,” he said. “Ready?”
“Yes, although we have to go down into the trees over there to shift.”
“Then let’s go.” He took her hand, as they walked along the path, and then as it widened, he draped his arm over her shoulder, holding her close to him.
She pressed herself into him, liking the feel of his body against hers. If only they were out here on an evening stroll, like two lovers. She sighed, and he kissed the top of her head.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “And I wish we were just two normal people. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not just you. It’s me too. I’m coming out here to meet up with the sheriff so I can show him the evidence I found in a case where I have no idea who the bad guy is. The more I believe that Jim is innocent, the more I understand that the best way to prove that is to figure out who is guilty. Which means looking at all the people in town differently.”
“Ahh, so we have a case to solve. It’s been a while since I have had to deal with anything above a meal served cold or the daily accounts of the restaurant.”
“My world might suit you, then.” She looked up at the sky, as the sun began to set over the mountains and a buzzard circled high above them, its call haunting the growing twilight.
“We will make this work, Elina. We have to.”
“I know. But one puzzle at a time, right?”
They had reached the trees, but rather than letting her go, he pulled her towards him and kissed her fiercely. “After you have seen your sheriff, you can explain it all to me and I’ll help you puzzle it out. A fresh pair of eyes and ears might give you a breakthrough. Plus, I have no bias towards the people you know.”
“You mean you might put the puzzle together differently and end up with Jim as the true culprit after all?”
“Perhaps. But let’s run now. Let me see this tigress of yours.” He stepped back, his eyes full of lust as he looked at her.
“OK. We have half an hour to run, and then I have to head back here and meet the sheriff.”
“Ladies first.”
She stood before him, her eyes fixed on his as her tiger was unleashed. For one second she disappeared from this world and the air around her shimmered, and then she returned, four massive paws on the ground, and a tail that swished with impatience. Her orange and black coat was soft and shiny, and her teeth long and sharp.
He watched, and then came towards her, his hand outstretched as if to pet her like a cat. She nuzzled his palm, and then began to purr as he stroked her, sending shivers along her spine and right down into her paws. But then she pushed him away and roared with impatience, not caring in this moment if anyone heard her. She wanted her mate by her side, she wanted to run with him, and roll in the dirt with him, for this part of each of them to feel the bond that existed between them fully.
Artem grinned. “There, there, kitty.”
She showed him how long her teeth were, as she grimaced at him, and he laughed, before shifting into his very impressive bear. Artem was a little different to the grizzlies she normally met, and she could only think it was down to him being from another part of the world; just as his human features were different, so were those of his bear. His head was broader, his fur dark brown with hints of violet, which th
e sun caught and made him look as if he was glowing.
With one last look at him, and knowing they did not have a lot of time before her rendezvous with the sheriff, she took off along the trail, not heading to the rocky canyon, but instead heading up through the trees, dodging in and out of them, with her big lumbering bear mate following as closely as he could.
The bear was no match for her tiger, and she had to slow her pace a little so she didn’t lose him as she twisted and turned beneath the trees, leaping over fallen logs and brushing through the undergrowth. Then she burst out onto the open mountainside and stopped, waiting for him.
Soon he was by her side, his big, bulky body pressed against hers. She turned and licked him, and he rubbed his head against her shoulder. They looked down over the mountain slope below them and then up at the stars as they began to appear. It was a magical night, and she hoped it was the first of many they would share. One thing she did decide in that moment, and it wasn’t just down to her tiger’s influence: she could not live in the city. Her home, whether here or in Grizzly Hollows, was with Artem, in the mountains. It was where she belonged.
Nipping his shoulder, she leaped off into the gathering twilight, and he followed, an avalanche of small rocks skittering down the mountainside as he lumbered after her. They drank from a pool of ice-cold water, and lay on the grass side by side, before she got up and nudged him, making it clear he needed to stay out of the way while she met with the sheriff.
He nodded, and she hoped she could trust him.
Back down to the belt of trees she went, feeling the loss of his presence keenly. How quickly she had gotten used to having him around. But her thoughts were soon sharply focused on her case, as the silhouette of Alain appeared. He was standing on a high rock, looking down on her as she neared the trees.
For the first time, she wondered how much Alain knew. Did he have any idea who might be responsible for the arson attack if it wasn’t Jim? Was he covering up for someone? Had she made a mistake in coming here alone with him?
It wouldn’t be too hard for her to disappear here among the high canyons and dense forest, never to be seen again. A mountain accident, they would call it. And who would not believe a sheriff?
Chapter Eleven – Artem
Artem sat still and watched her leave, but a sense of uneasiness settled over him. He should be by her side, that was where a mate belonged. It was his job, his duty to watch her back. However, he had promised he would stay out of the way.
Well, he would. He would stay just enough out of her way so she wouldn’t notice him. Standing up, he shook the dirt from his coat and ran after her, following her scent on the air easily. He kept taking in deep breaths and letting the scent of her tigress wash over his taste buds. How he wanted to taste her, to lick her, and let her know how much he wanted her.
That would have to wait. He had to focus on the task in front of him. Stopping, he watched as she met up with a wolf, and he had to control his urge to rush in between them and crush his rival with his massive bear paws. He took a deep breath and let it out. The wolf wasn’t his rival: Elina would be true to him; she was his mate, and no one else’s.
Watching, keeping himself hidden from view, he saw them head off towards a hidden canyon. Elina’s tiger kept turning around to look behind her, and he wondered if she could sense him there … or if she was hoping he was there. Was she in danger?
He slowly made his way down into the trees, and then joined the trail his mate had taken. He kept out of sight, using his sense of smell to follow her, even when the trail petered out.
Once inside the canyon, the going became harder. He had to weave in and out of rocks and boulders, which was probably a lot easier for a tiger and a wolf. His bear body was not built for this. More than once he had to pause and reassess his route. It was then that he looked behind him and saw a figure in the distance, going the other way. A human figure.
Looking towards where his mate had gone, and back behind him, he knew he had a choice to make. The needs of his mate won and he made his way after her, now at an increased speed. His fear for her safety was overwhelming; his relief when he saw her standing in her human form talking to a man, who he presumed was the sheriff, even more so.
“They were here,” she said. “This is where I saw the gas cans. I swear, Alain.”
“Well, they are not here now. I hope this isn’t some kind of ruse to get me to believe that Jim is innocent.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I do that? I’m not stupid enough to think that you would simply take my word for it.”
“If we were mates, I would,” Alain said, and Artem’s fur bristled. She was his, no one else’s, and no other shifter could think of owning her now. She was his. Mind, body, and soul. He prepared to attack, to defend his mate’s honor.
“Well, we’re not. So get on and do your detective work. You can see the brushwood has been pulled back away.”
The sheriff bent down and examined the ground, putting his hand in something and then sniffing his fingers. “Gasoline, all right. But why here? I thought the cans would have gone up in the fire.”
Elina moved forward and crouched down beside him, the lack of light making it hard to see what was happening, and then a flashlight was switched on, illuminating the faces of the two people before him. His mate looked more beautiful than ever, her hair falling around her shoulders, which she pushed back out of the way, and he could see the way she bit her bottom lip as she thought through the scene before her.
“The cans were empty. My guess is that someone stored them here, and then perhaps siphoned it off into different containers so no one would guess what was in them.”
“There certainly is a lot of it spilt on the ground. But who?” Alain asked, straightening up.
Artem thought for a moment, and the silhouette of the figure disappearing into the distance came to him. The person who was responsible for the arson attack was no doubt getting away. He had to show himself. But this man before him was an officer of the law: what if there was a warrant out for his arrest? This might blow his cover once and for all. But his mate needed the information.
Artem stepped forward, and the sheriff turned around, his stance defensive when he saw the bear.
“It’s all right,” Elina said. “He’s with me. Artem, I told you to stay out of this.”
Artem needed to speak to her, so he shifted into his human form and stood in the shadows as much as possible to keep his features hidden.
“I know,” Artem said. “But I wanted to know if you needed protecting.”
“From Alain?” She half turned, and he could see from her expression he wasn’t too off target with his suspicions. “I think I’m safe.”
“You are, Elina. You’ve known me long enough to trust me, I hope.”
“But someone set fire to the school, and if it wasn’t Jim, and I am now sure it wasn’t, then how was I to know you weren’t protecting someone?”
“Because this badge is important to me. I take my job very seriously. Too seriously.” Alain came over to stand next to Elina.
“Then you might want to know that I saw someone exiting the canyon.”
“Who?” Elina asked. “Sorry, of course you wouldn’t know who it was.”
“No. But if we hurry, we might catch them.”
“Did you see if they were carrying anything?” Elina asked. “There were some gas cans here yesterday, and now they’ve gone.”
“I couldn’t see. But he was moving fast.”
“Then let’s go catch him,” Elina said, and shifted into her tiger before he had a chance to agree.
Chapter Twelve – Elina
They were close to finding out who was behind the arson attacks; she knew they were. How much of a head start the culprit had now, she couldn’t tell, but anyone carrying those gas cans would have to move slower than a tiger, and would make some noise.
Moving as quietly as she could, she headed back along the rocks, her eyes focused on the
thin sliver of light that showed where the end of the canyon was. She was halfway along when she heard the bear call. Stopping suddenly, the dirt spraying up from her paws as she skidded to a halt, she looked back along the canyon, to see Artem standing on a big boulder. There was no sign of Alain.
Her mate called to her again, and she looked wistfully at the entrance to the canyon before turning to propel herself back towards him. She tried to quell the anger inside her as she ran. What was wrong? And where was Alain?
When she reached Artem, he had already shifted back into human form and was standing next to the sheriff, and the gas cans.
“How did they get there?” she asked. “Wait, there’s only two.”
“You’re sure there were three?” Alain asked.
“Positive.”
“I guess whoever Artem saw dumped them. He probably wasn’t expecting to see anyone else here. Or they just got too heavy.”
“So it’s a shifter?” Elina asked.
“Why would you think that?” Alain asked.
“You said he wasn’t expecting to see anyone, and that is why he dumped them. But any normal person would have seen a wolf and a tiger, and a bear. It would have frightened them to death.”
“Maybe, but I can’t just jump to conclusions. I have to have proof,” Alain said.
“Let’s track whoever it is,” Artem said. “I think this proves your Jim isn’t guilty. And if we get into town and someone is shouting about seeing a tiger in the company of a wolf up here, we’ll know who it is.”
“I have to bag this as evidence,” Alain said, taking gloves out of his pocket. “At least, I need to carry them to my truck. I can’t risk leaving them here and them going walkabout again. When I get there, I’ll check my radio for news on any tiger sightings.”
“We’ll try to track him,” Elina said.
“Don’t do anything foolish,” Alain warned.
“Of course not,” Elina said as she shifted into her tiger and set off down the canyon, this time moving more slowly so as to not miss anything, or anyone. The comforting presence of Artem helped, but the realization that not only was there an arsonist on the loose, but that person was a shifter, and also willing to let Jim take the blame for the fire. Her blood, or at least her tiger’s blood, was boiling.
Her Russian Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Dating Agency Romance (Fated and Mated Book 3) Page 5