by Nikki Winter
Every so often she still saw their faces, the ones who’d been all too ready to mount her head on a wall. And then Cree shoved those thoughts aside, determined to forget.
Cree grinned and finally answered Fallon’s query about her fear. “Shitless.”
“You could always do a naked walk through and give people that disturbing, blood thirsty, challenging stare.”
Her brows drew downwards.
“That’s it!” The alpha snapped her fingers. “That’s the one!”
Her eyes narrowed.
Fallon’s smile was all teeth.
Shaking her head, she took a step back and prepared to attempt something that had become taxing and difficult.
“Wait!” Fallon said.
Cree stopped.
Her friend sucked in a deep breath and took off her ball-cap. “I have a better idea. One that’ll be a lot less risky.” Then she began to strip…
***
Fallon Wilder had done some strange things in the name of love. Strange, strange things. It seemed as though today would be no different and she couldn’t find it within herself to be particularly upset about that because this was Cree and Cree was special. The woman in question had launched herself talons first at a polar bear in a supermarket once because he’d pointed out that a jersey Fallon had been wearing looked like it needed to be retired or burned. To anyone else this would constitute as psychotic, unreasonable behavior yet to Fallon, it constituted as loyalty. Of course she’d had to pry Cree off the poor male, after all five minutes of the raucous laughter she’d enjoyed at his expense, but she could appreciate the sentiment behind the act. There were very few people in this world like Cree and not even an identical clone made through dark magic could replace her.
Therefore, she could take that “I want you to be the one to put me down” bullshit and shove it because Fallon wasn’t listening. And everyone knew that when a canine was determined to hear only what they wanted, things went badly.
She’d sweep the earth like the gods before she let what happened to Cree years ago happen again. Why? Because the other woman took up a place in her heart that could only be trumped by the love she had for her mate and once you found a bond that strong—a connection with another being—you didn’t simply allow it to fall because they had the preconceived notion that their genetic anomaly would someday drive them insane. The first person to object to that reasoning would be the first person to see something Fallon hadn’t unleashed in months: her rage.
Cree, who was walking beside her, sighed and pointed out, “Your ears are back and your tail is sticking up harder than Anoki’s cock when he catches his own reflection. Whatever plans of death and dismemberment you’re currently contemplating, stop.”
Fallon relaxed, only marginally, bumping Cree’s thigh with her shoulder.
In response, her friend scratched her behind the ear. “I love you but you can’t raze the world for me.”
She barked.
“Bullshit,” Cree argued. “I am not a good reason to go on a killing spree.”
Stopping, Fallon turned her fully shifted form and looked up at the other woman. She sat back on her haunches and simply stared.
“Don’t give me that,” her friend snapped.
Fallon tilted her head.
“I don’t care if I’d do it for you, it’s not the same and you know it!”
She lowered her muzzle.
Cree shifted from one foot to the other, her gaze on everything but Fallon. “This is ridiculous. I’m not giving you permission to start tearing out throats on my behalf…again.”
Och! Of course she’d bring that up! One incident where Fallon had to demonstrate why her pack mates were not to be fucked with, and no one let her forget it!
Snarling a little, Fallon got to her paws and began walking in another direction.
“Where are you going?!” Cree called out.
She didn’t stop.
“Don’t you want your clothes back?!”
Nope. Not stopping.
“These jeans are too big for me! My ass isn’t as big as yours!”
That made her stop. Fallon angled back towards her friend.
As if to demonstrate, Cree put her hands in the pockets of Fallon’s jeans and tugged about while wiggling. “Maybe if I had the ten extra pounds you have right about—oh I’m kidding. You know I’m kidding! Fallon, don’t you dare! If I try to run in these I will fall.”
That’s exactly what Fallon was hoping for when she charged her.
Laughing, Cree spun around towards lodge grounds and took off. “Goddammit Fal!”
Yeah, there would be no giving this up. Ever.
***
“Must you do your dejected shoulder hunching on my front porch?”
Maddox looked up at his older brother as Ransom settled down on the step above him. Being that both were rather wide, sitting next to each other would result in damages to Fallon’s customized layout of the pair’s cabin. The last time this happened, she’d put Ransom out and he’d decided that Maddox would be the one to accommodate his homeless state. It had not ended well and both still had the scars to prove it.
“What better place to go than the home where dejection sprouts like little daisies in the spring? Where claims such as ‘Just give me ten more minutes, I promise you’ll enjoy it next time’ regularly echo through the hallways?” Maddox asked.
Ransom snorted, took a sip from his coffee mug and replied, “Shut up before I smash this across your head.”
Maddox tucked in his lips and leaned backwards, taking in the mountain side scenery.
“Why are you doing your dejected shoulder hunching on my porch to begin with?”
He could’ve told his brother it was because he was pretty sure that he was in love and the recipient of said affection wouldn’t even let him hold her hand. He could’ve told him that the look in Cree’s eyes this morning had alarmed him on a deeper level, had made his bear anxious. He could’ve told him that all the emotions he’d experienced since meeting her were about to start spilling over the brim of his threshold any day now. He could’ve said all of this but instead Maddox gravitated towards his guard, his iron gate and the one thing that shielded his emotions—his humor.
He sighed and replied, “I proposed to Fallon again but apparently putting the ring around my di—ow, can’t breathe…can’t breathe…” He slapped at his brother’s hand until it released his throat.
Calmly, Ransom brought his mug up and sipped from it again. “You were saying?”
He rubbed his neck. “Er…it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood?”
“It most certainly is…except for the fact that Fallon just ran past, chasing Cree.”
Maddox looked up and sure enough, Cree was holding onto the sides of her jeans—wasn’t she wearing something different this morning?—as she sprinted past several ambling pack mates with Fallon right on her heels…nipping at them.
“Do we ask or ignore?” he queried.
Ransom casually leaned back onto his elbows. “We ignore until someone starts to bleed.”
“Is that really a healthy viewpoint?”
“With these two? Yes.”
They watched the pair shoot around buildings and employees. At one point Makya Redwolf—one of Fallon’s betas—opened his front door, stepped out, stared and then went back inside without a word. Minutes later he returned and in his hand, he held a spray bottle.
“So this is about to get incredibly interesting,” Ransom stated.
“Indeed it is.”
The brothers watched as the male wolf slowly walked down his porch, waited until the females got close enough and then began to fire off sprays from the bottle until he got their attention.
“What did I say about early morning violence?” Makya demanded.
“But—” Cree started.
He raised a hand and she stopped. Makya then turned his gaze to Fallon who actually looked contrite. Without another word he pointed towards th
e very porch Ransom and Maddox sat on. Fallon’s shoulders hunched before she got to her feet and trotted towards them.
For Cree, Makya pointed the other way and she pouted. She didn’t object as she walked in the direction he’d gestured to.
The male wolf stood in that same spot for a bit, arms akimbo. Once he was convinced that there would be no more shenanigans, he exhaled and disappeared into his cabin; spray bottle included.
“I kind of wish it would’ve been Anoki,” Ransom said as Fallon got closer.
“God,” Maddox breathed. “The utter amount of pain he would’ve experienced from even attempting that.”
“It would’ve done our hearts well, little brother.”
“So very well. The only reason he gets away with it is because they respect him. Anoki however…”
Fallon reached them and sat back, panting.
“You!” Ransom pointed to his mate and then the front door. “Inside. Shower. We’re going to look at rings, possible planners and venues today.”
Her ears flattened and she growled, backing away.
“Fallon. Wilder.” Maddox’s brother didn’t bother to raise his voice but the command there even slapped across him.
The she-wolf flinched and then with resignation, took a leap over both bears and pushed into the front door.
“And would you please wear something that doesn’t have blood stains on it? A dress and stilettos girl you shall never be. I accept this—find it sexy even—but I need decency, woman!” Ransom called behind her.
In response she slammed the door and Maddox would swear he heard pounding on it from the other side.
Ransom sighed.
“Yup…a really beautiful day in the neighborhood,” Maddox murmured, receiving no objections.
Three
“If you all would just follow me to the left, you’ll find the bike station open and fully ready for use. We have an array of sizes, as we understand that some may need something a bit…sturdier than others,” Cree gave a pointed look to a polar and listened to the laughter that followed. With the most charming smile she could muster, she gestured to the rows of bike racks. “By all means, get whatever you feel suits you.”
Her bike was already a few feet away; tires and brakes checked to make sure everything was in working order. Cree’s activity sheet this week consisted of kayaking, mountain biking and rock climbing for the lodge. Being that athleticism and durability were needed for all three, none of the males had chosen to take them. Anoki, Makya and Cade—Fallon’s trusty assistant—were a bit too bulky and didn’t have the ability Cree had to tap into more than one source of energy so she did what they couldn’t. With all honesty, she enjoyed it. The burnout that would follow later would be enough to get her to sleep tonight. She knew from experience that the best way to quiet the beasts was to exhaust them or at least exhaust as many of them as she could.
Standing back, Cree watched the adults choose what they were most comfortable with but her eyes landed on one individual in particular; one that was not supposed to be there! She growled a bit and weaved through the throng of mountain bikers until she reached the tall, wide, muscular back in her vantage point.
As if sensing her before she could start bellowing, he stiffened and turned around, blinking wickedly long lashes down at her in the most innocent of stares. “Uh…”
“What are you doing, Maddox?”
His mouth twisted. “What am I doing?”
“Yes,” Cree hissed. “What are you doing?”
He folded his arms across a chest—that was all too visible through the soft gray tank he was wearing—and shrugged casually. “Riding the bike trail.”
“Riding the bike trail?”
“Yes,” Maddox answered. “Riding the bike trail.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
Her eye twitched. “Why are you riding the bike trail?”
“Why am I riding the bike trail?”
Oh for fuck’s sake! “Maddox…”
His face finally melted into a lazy grin, a dimple in his scruffy cheek breaking free. “You stopped the pattern, beautiful. I wanted to see how long we could keep up the circle of words.”
She exhaled. “Maddox, go away.”
The grizzly shook his head, wavy strands of silver tipped hair swaying slightly. “Nah.”
“Nah?”
Leaning down until they were almost nose to nose, he stared her in the eye and said, “Nah.”
She was going to hurt him. She was going to hurt him bad.
“It’s a beautiful day, I’ve nothing better to do,” he continued, giving another nonchalant roll of his shoulders. “And I’d like to spend my time participating in something other than fantasizing about whether or not I can make you howl in a little position I like to call the lotus flower bomb special.”
Cree swallowed. “You—”
“Ms. Chayton?”
Her shoulders tensed and she faced the small group of bikers who were all staring at her expectantly. Tucking in her lips, she took a step back from Maddox.
“If you irritate me,” she warned through clenched teeth. “I will push you down the side of a mountain and watch you die a tragic yet amusing death.”
“I can’t be any more irritating than those biking shorts,” he retorted. “Which, by the way, your ass looks incredible in. It’s a lot like watching two halves of a peach fight one another for dominance under fabric. Quite entertaining and if I may admit, it makes me just a little hungry.”
With a snarl, Cree turned on her heel and marched away from him, pretending as though the small growl he released didn’t feel like an actual caress. Unfortunately, she was lying to herself. It very well did. And that was the problem with Maddox wasn’t it? He didn’t, by any means, help to suppress her abilities. He simply made them much more acute and this was the reason she had to stay away from him; far, far away. Not an easy feat when he was at the end of the line of mountain bikers, the smell of lemongrass slapping Cree in the face repeatedly.
Goddammit!
You could end all of this easily enough…
The purred thought sent the front wheel of her cycle wobbling. No. No. No! She wouldn’t be ending anything!
So…you like the attention?
Cree bit her bottom lip and cast a quick glance backwards. Sure enough, Bamse had his eyes focused solely on her. With a sharp intake of breath, she picked up the speed on her bike, driving herself and everyone behind her just that much harder, as if she could outrun the emotion welling in her chest. She was pathetic. All this time resisting him and she couldn’t handle one little bike ride?
Yes you can. Simply make the overgrown bastard wish he’d found somewhere else to lumber about. Tire him out and then escape!
Her mouth curved just at the edges, a mischievous grin forming. That’s exactly what she’d do…
***
She had to know resistance was futile; ridiculous even. The fact that she was so determined to put Maddox in a locked box was adorable. Cree truly didn’t understand did she? He was a grizzly; one of the mightiest mammals walking the earth. The sheer determination his species carried, while hunting prey, couldn’t be diminished. She could snap, snarl, and threaten his life as much as she wanted but clearly she wasn’t grasping that he was going nowhere. Maddox would not be moved. He wanted her, he would have her and she’d realize that she’d wasted too much time in the last year denying what was so obvious—they fit.
Cree with her clear derision for all who breathed her air and Maddox with his charm, impeccable taste and superior genetics. Who could refuse what was obviously set up by the fates? Apparently his pretty little shifter, who kept glancing back at him through every mile they’d done on the trail.
She was attempting to exhaust him. Wasn’t that cute? Obviously she didn’t know about his athletic history of track, football and rafting. Maddox had the endurance of a toddler on a maple syrup and gummy worm diet. It would be a while before he crashed. And yet,
there she was, pushing and pushing.
Smiling, Maddox sped past other bikers, hearing their grumbles as he reached Cree. He kept time with her paddling, leering at the way her thighs tensed with every push of her legs. She smelled wonderful…but different. His brows drew downwards. Her scent had been ever changing over the last few weeks. From soft notes of lavender and rain to sharp robust punches of Japanese cherry blossoms and sea salt. It wasn’t produced from a bottle but wafted off of her skin just the same. Strange. He may have been imagining it but Cree’s lithe form also seemed to be going through a few changes. Her shoulders were a bit stronger as were her thighs. Her height hadn’t altered but her muscle mass had. Her hair remained the same thick waves of jet black but he could spot strands of color beginning to weave in and out.
When she looked over and caught his gaze, her eyes weren’t topaz but a discernable gold. She blinked and it was gone as though never there. He briefly questioned if he’d ever even seen it at all.
“As wonderful as the view of you from behind is,” he said, his mouth in a crooked grin. “Don’t you think you’re being a bit extreme?”
Her lips parted as though she wanted to respond but she shook her head and faced forward, attempting to outride him. Completely up for the challenge, Maddox kept up with her every move. She twisted and he followed. She dipped and he swayed along. She jumped a small jutting rock and while laughing, he copied her.
She was growling under her breath but he was too busy watching her mouth to really care about what she was saying. God, that mouth. He’d go to war with heaven for a taste of it. He’d shave himself bald just for one brush of his lips across her own. And for the chance to see those same sumptuous lips wrapped around his co—
“Maddox, watch out!”
Cree’s shout caught his attention but it was too late. He rode headlong into a tree. As his front wheel hit the trunk, sending his back tire lifting from the ground, Maddox wondered if the concussion he was about to most assuredly suffer would be worth it for an opportunity to have Cree give him mouth to mouth. His helmeted head rammed into the hardwood and everything went black.