by Ann Gimpel
Her brows drew together. “What kind of question is that? Of course he hunts. Most men do.”
Jed shook his head again. “Not that kind of hunter.” He sucked in a breath. “You’re an attractive woman, Alice. Didn’t you ever wonder why he never so much as kissed you?”
How can he know that? A chill marched up her spine.
“I know that,” he said without missing a beat, “because I know what he is.”
The chill deepened into a shudder. “Y-you can read my mind?”
“Yes. That and other things. Brent Hunts shifters. He traded a normal life for one of celibacy and obedience. It’s why he’s never touched you.”
She sat in her chair, stunned. Puzzle pieces clicked into place. The odd telephone calls where Brent would race out the door, leaving a half-touched supper. His reluctance to allow her into his life in more than a peripheral fashion. His encouragement for her to find someone who was free. She’d never understood why he wasn’t, until now. “Oh.” She took a shallow breath. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
“He couldn’t. Secrecy was part of his vows.” The hand over hers tightened. She thought about pushing it away but didn’t. His skin felt good next to hers, warm and comforting.
“How do you know these things?” Alice wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“I’ll tell you, but first, I want you to tell me about you.”
“Huh?”
“Tell me about who you are, Alice. Your family. What’s important to you?”
“Why?”
“Because I’m interested.”
She bit her lip. “You can read my mind. Doesn’t that mean you can just go in and get whatever information you want?”
“It doesn’t work like that. Come on, Alice. Don’t make this hard. Look at me.”
She lifted her gaze to his. Yearning blazed hot in the depths of his blue eyes. It didn’t make sense. Her eyes narrowed. “You couldn’t possibly be that interested. You don’t have any idea who I am.”
He smiled. It lit his face from the inside out. “Ah, but you’re wrong, sweetheart. Go ahead, tell me about you.”
Alice nodded to herself. Her story was simple enough. It wouldn’t take long. “My parents died when I was sixteen. Dad got the flu; Mom had cancer. Within six months of one another they were just gone. I didn’t have any brothers or sisters. Aunts and uncles were clear across the country. They offered to take me, but I didn’t want to leave California. I kept living in the same house and finished high school. Dad had a small life-insurance policy. I waited tables at the local diner. Between the two, I had enough money to get by.”
She sucked the inside of her cheeks, surprised that the familiar pain when she talked about her parents wasn’t as unbearable as it had been in years past. “I, um, got some help from one of mother’s brothers so I could go to college. Finished in three years with a degree in civil engineering.” She snorted. “It took me another year to land a job. Guess I should have picked a more feminine field, like teaching or nursing.
“Anyway, that’s about it. I still live in my parents’ house. Don’t date much.” Alice glanced at her body. “I think I scare men away. I’m an engineer who likes mountain climbing. That usually describes men. Plus, I’m ungodly tall.” She shrugged.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
Was that what I was doing? She smiled shyly. “You’re welcome.”
“You asked how I knew what Brent was.” Jed took a deep breath. His forehead furrowed as if he were in pain. “It’s because I’m a shifter. My other form is a wolf.” He released her hand, watching her intently. Flecks of gold dusted his blue irises; they gave his eyes an ethereal aspect.
Alice’s heart thudded dully. She tried to feel frightened, but the most she could gin up was a crippling sadness. She’d started to care about Jed, but under the circumstances… Alice pushed her chair back. She didn’t know much about shifters other than they were bad people who stole children and ate them—
Jed’s fist banged down on the table. “We do no such thing,” he growled.
“Of course you’d say that.” She got to her feet. “You said I could leave. I’ll just collect my rucksack and—”
“Five more minutes, and you can make that decision.” He shut his eyes. When he opened them, his gaze zeroed in on her face. “Would you sit back down, or shall I stand.”
“Maybe you should stand.” Her voice shook. She backed away.
He got to his feet. “I can’t use magic to calm you like I did last night. If you decide to stay with me, it must be of your own free will.”
“I’m exercising my free will. I want to leave. You promised.” She took a few more steps toward the door. Her heart constricted as if putting distance between herself and Jed were the wrong thing to do. Confusion joined the welter of unpleasant emotions buffeting her.
“Please, Alice, give me a little more time before you make that decision. I’ve been alone for centuries—”
“H-how old are you?”
“Eight hundred sixty-seven years.”
The breath whooshed out of her. Alice grabbed the back of a nearby chair for support. Her eyes widened. Her breath came fast. The implications of what he’d just said were staggering. She was in the presence of a living, breathing legend. A magical creature who’d been alive during the Crusades. “Jesus.” She gasped and forced herself to move beyond her horror about him being a shifter. “How long will you live?”
A corner of his mouth twisted wryly. “Not forever but many more hundreds of years. We used to be free to roam and shift. Not anymore. Our numbers are dwindling. Once, human women vied with one another for the privilege of making love with us. It gave them status and power. Now we’re shunned. Worse, we have to run free in our animal forms to spur the mating urge. Since most of us spend nearly all our time in our human skins, we’re dying out.” He sucked in a breath. “I’m in these mountains because our four clans held a gathering to strategize—”
“Are all of you wolves?”
“No. The four clans are bears, mountain lions, wolves, and coyotes. There are bird clans, too, but they’re separate from us.” The corners of his eyes crinkled with what might have been amusement. “If you keep interrupting me, I’ll need more than five minutes.”
Something softened inside her, maybe her compassion for underdogs. “Take all the time you need,” she murmured. “I won’t leave until you tell me you’re done.”
“I’m hoping you won’t leave at all.”
“I have to. My life—”
He shook his head. “Let me finish. I didn’t mean never leaving this cabin. I meant never leaving me. I’ve told you about the gathering. I spent a day in my other form. When we headed down the mountain, we smelled your friend.” Jed hesitated. “I’m certain he smelled us. That’s how they track us.”
“Are you sure you didn’t murder him?” She set her lips in a straight line. “After all, if he’d kill you—”
Jed closed the distance between them. He reached a finger and tilted her chin so she had to meet his gaze. “My lieutenants wanted to kill him. I admit, so did I, but we didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“All it would have done was bring the authorities here in droves.” He shook his head, nostrils flaring. “No, it was better to get him as far from us as we could.”
Alice swallowed hard and tried to come to terms with Jed’s reasoning. In her world murder was always wrong, not a bargaining chip to gain advantage. Maybe I’d feel differently if I were hunted like Jed and his kin. “Okay, what does this have to do with me?”
“I’m getting to that. I have access to my wolf senses when I’m human. They’re not quite as strong, but they’re much more acute than human perceptions. I smelled you as you descended the mountain. Your scent activated my mating urge.” His hands settled on her shoulders. The energy from his body made her belly flutter oddly. Her nipples hardened into peaks. She sucked in a nervous breath.
“I knew you were the woman for m
e practically before I laid eyes on you.”
“How?”
His blue gaze bored into her. “You’ve thought it odd you’re so attracted to me. Don’t bother denying it. I’ve seen it in your mind.”
“So?” Alice felt oddly defensive, but it didn’t put a dent in her arousal. “I-it’s just because I’ve never—”
He laid a finger over her lips. “It’s because of the shifter mate bond.”
She wrenched away from him; her breath came in little panting gasps. Confusion, fear, and lust lent a fine edge to her hyped-up emotions. “What’s that?”
He licked his lips and Alice realized he was almost as anxious as her. “It’s an almost irresistible urge to merge our lives—body and soul—forever.”
Her mind reeled. Questions buffeted her from all sides; she didn’t know what to ask first. “This mate-bond thing, does it happen often?”
He shook his head and smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, it’s quite rare and very special. It will open us to one another in a way few ever experience.”
The breath whooshed out of her. Alice felt frozen in place. Things like this only happened in stories, never to real people.
He cocked his head to one side. “No more questions? You’re looking a little shell-shocked, sweetheart, which isn’t surprising. Let me help. There are things you have to know before you make love with me.”
Her mouth was dry. The few inches separating their bodies crackled with tension. “Not that I’m planning to make love with you, but what are they?” She tried to take a step back. He dropped his hands onto her shoulders again and held her in place.
“Shifter magic comes through the mate bond and our semen. Your lifespan will increase. You will become more sensitive to what’s in other people’s minds. Your body will become stronger.” He took a breath. “And the mate bond will link us. I feel it more intensely than you now, but that will change once I’ve shared your body.”
Alice tried to wriggle free. Her emotions buffeted her from all sides like a meteor storm.
“There’s one more thing.”
“Isn’t what you’ve told me enough?”
“Like I said, one more thing. Once we’ve made love, you won’t be able to get me out of your mind. The desire you feel now will pale in comparison to what you’ll feel once we’ve mated. The same is true for me.”
Alice ducked from beneath his hands. “I have to think, and I can’t do that when you’re so close.” She glanced at him. His brows were drawn together. His red-gold hair shimmered, framing his handsome face. Longing shone from his eyes, but he gave her space.
“Surely you have questions,” he prodded. “I’m probably damn near as nervous as you. I’m sure I’ve skipped over some important parts.”
Alice was almost as aroused as she’d been the previous night. It was all she could do not to rub her thighs together. Her swollen labia pressed against the crotch of her trousers and her panties were drenched. What am I thinking? I need to tell him thank you very much, I’ll keep your secret, and now I’m leaving. She opened her mouth, but what came out was, “What happens after we make love?” Alice shook her head. “Uh, what I meant to say was if we make love, what comes next.”
“It’s considerably more than just making love. Shifter love bonds are permanent. Once I take you, you’ll be mine forever.”
“Mine as in married?” Her voice squeaked. She coughed, walked back to the table, and took another slug of coffee. “Crap. I’m forgetting every manner I ever knew.”
His eyes glowed tenderly. “Yes, mine as in married. You can keep as much or as little as you want of your current life. I have no objection to you working—”
“I certainly hope not.” She settled her hands on her hips. “After all, it’s 1936. Women do hold jobs.”
“Does this mean”—it was his turn to look flustered. The incredible planes of his face radiated hope and love—“you’re actually considering my offer?”
“Well,” Alice ignored the inner voice screaming at her to leave now while she still could, “I’m not getting any younger. No one’s ever asked me to marry them before. I’ve never been with a man and I like the idea of living longer and being even stronger than I am. Those are all plusses.”
“There are cons.”
She nodded. “Would I be Hunted right along with you?”
“I don’t think so, but there aren’t any guarantees. So far they haven’t targeted our mates. Only us and our male children.”
“Why the males?”
“They grow up to be shifters. Female children will share your magic.”
“Can I have a few minutes to think about all this?”
“Yes, but you can’t leave without making a decision. If you walk away from me, I will do something so you have no memory of me. It’s safer for both of us that way.”
Alice paced from one end of the cabin to the other. Her head was full; so was her heart. To finally find a man who wanted her… And what an incredible man. She felt his heat all the way across the cabin. I want him. More than I’ve ever wanted anything.
Never mind that. Once I do this, it’s permanent. Surely there are things I need to know before I leap into the unknown. She took a steadying breath and then another. “Where would we live?”
“Wherever you want. I really do hold a day job with Paramount, but I don’t need to work. When you live as long as I have, money’s not a problem.”
Her eyes flooded with sudden tears. Alice wiped them away. She walked to him. “Would you come mountain climbing with me?”
Jed threw back his head and laughed. “If that’s what makes you happy, of course. So long as you didn’t mind if I were a wolf from time to time.”
Leave, leave, leave, her inner maven shrieked.
Oh shut up.
“I’ve always done the right thing, all my life, and made responsible decisions, so this is hard for me—”
“Please, Alice. I’m sorry, I know I interrupted, but I’ll love you and take care of you. You’ll never want for anything, ever.”
“How could you love me already?”
He grinned. “With the mate bond, it would be impossible for me not to love you, sweetheart. Shifters are special to Gaia, goddess of the Earth. She takes care of her own. The mate bond was her gift to us to ensure we were always happy and would never die out.”
Her heart, a carefully tended wasteland, broke wide open. She shoved aside not knowing him very well, certainly not well enough to love. Maybe for once, I’ll just trust the process and not analyze it to death. She smiled at him. “It feels sort of like stepping off the edge of the world, but I accept.”
Chapter 5
“You what?” Jed was stunned. He’d been certain she’d tell him thanks, but no thanks, and walk out the cabin door. Relief, gratitude, and love vied for ascendency. His cock sprang to attention as if to say it could do those other emotions one better by adding lust to the equation.
“I said, I accept.” She grinned back at him. “I’m an engineer, sweetie. We weigh the alternatives and make our choices. You just made me the best offer I’ve had in a long time. Now could we work on ridding me of my virginity?”
“I think that could be arranged.” He opened his arms. She nestled close, all warmth and curves. Jed knew he should disclose the truth about Bron and Terin, but decided it could wait until he’d kicked her sensual side wide open. It wasn’t as if she had to accept all three of them right away. They all lived so long, the process could unfold in its own time. Besides the mate bond would take care of any lingering doubts she might have and join her to his lieutenants, just as it did to him.
Her arms tightened around his back. He felt her nipples harden where they pushed against his chest. He bent his head and kissed her. His teeth nipped her lower lip; she opened her mouth under his. He sank his tongue inside, and she sucked hungrily. She straddled his leg with both of hers and pressed herself against him.
He broke their kiss and smoothed strands of midnight-dark
hair away from her face. Her face was flushed, lips parted. He smelled her arousal, and it made him so hot it was all he could do not to rip her clothes off, bend her over the sofa, and plumb her from behind. Plenty of time for that. I need to woo her, make her crazy with wanting me so it won’t hurt as much when I rupture her maidenhead.
Jed took her hand and tugged gently. “Back to bed, sweetheart. I want to worship your body. It’ll be easier if we’re both comfortable.”
She extricated her hand and walked ahead of him. When she got to the curtain, she shoved it aside and draped it over a hook. Next she tugged the drapes open as wide as they’d go. “That’s better.” She turned to him. “I’ve never seen a naked man before. I wanted enough light to appreciate you.”
He quirked a brow. “Hope you’re not disappointed. Now I’m truly fetching in my wolf form—”
She swatted his arm and then glanced at her feet. “Need to get my shoes off. All you have on is slippers.” Alice knelt and unlaced her stiff mountaineering boots. He helped her upright and she stepped out of them. She dropped her gaze. Color stained her cheeks and she sucked in an audible breath. She reached for the bottom edge of her top and yanked it over her head, tossed her shoulders back, and looked right at him. Her green eyes were defiant and burning with lust.
He swallowed hard, stunned by her beauty. Her breasts were amazing. Full and firm, they were tipped with generous brown nipples. He reached toward one and circled it with a finger, then bent and kissed it, flicking the sensitive tissue with his tongue while he suckled. It stiffened instantly. He sucked harder and was rewarded when she moaned and buried her hands in his hair.
Jed had planned to undress her slowly. It didn’t seem either of them would have the patience. She straddled his leg again and rubbed herself against him. Her breath quickened. Reluctantly, he let go of her nipple and straightened.
Alice made a grab for him. “Hey! Come back here. I don’t want you to stop.”
“I’m not stopping, but we need to get rid of the rest of these clothes.” He flicked at the bulge of his erection. “I’m not very comfortable, and I’ll bet you’re so wet your panties are sticking to you.”