by S. E. Smith
“I really should go,” Ella murmured, pulling him back to the present. “I have not done much to help my clan the last couple of months. The least I can do is see if I can find some food. Winter is coming and it will be difficult. We brought what we had from our previous site, but it will not be enough, especially if it is a bad winter.”
Ty rose to his feet and stared down at her. The thought of her being out in the deep snows and frigid winters, cold and hungry, did not sit well with him or his bear. The fact that her people had survived for this long was unbelievable.
“I could catch some fish for you,” Ty offered, stepping to the side when she bent and picked up the long lance that she carried.
She looked at him in surprise before a wary expression crossed her face. “I saw you yesterday,” she reluctantly admitted. “You had just caught the fish we ate yesterday.”
“You saw me… And you still came out of the woods?” Ty whistled under his breath. “I’m impressed.”
“Why?” Ella asked in surprise.
“Am I the first shifter you’ve ever seen?” Ty asked in return.
Ella frowned. “Yes, you are the only beast that I have ever met,” she stated, lifting her chin.
“And you saw me in my grizzly form, right?” He persisted.
Her brow creased more as her frown grew. “Yes, you were coming out of the water with a trout in your mouth. You dropped it and then you changed,” she said.
Ty leaned forward and cupped her chin so that she was looking into his eyes. His were warm with pride and a touch of humor while hers were dark with confusion. He ran his thumb along her lower lip, enjoying how she relaxed her pursed lips when he did.
“You didn’t run,” he murmured, stepping closer.
“No,” she responded, raising a hand to press it against his chest. “What are you doing?” She demanded when he leaned closer to her.
“I’m going to see if you are as brave as I know you are. I’m going to kiss you,” he said, waiting for a fraction of a second to see if she would push him away.
His mouth curved upward when she didn’t. He bent and captured her lips in a hot kiss that could have started his campfire without a match. Whether Ella was ready to admit it or not, they made an explosive couple.
His hand slid along her jaw and cupped the back of her neck to hold her still as he deepened the kiss. He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, and her lips parted, allowing him entrance into her mouth. He captured her gasp, taking her breath into his lungs. Deep inside, he could feel his bear’s excitement. He knew that his mate wasn’t immune to him. She had not run. She had faced him. She was proud, brave, and tasted like fresh honey from the honeycomb.
His tongue tangled with hers as they shared heated breaths. A soft groan escaped him when he felt his body grow heavy and hard with need. He wanted her badly. Breaking the kiss, he ran his lips along her jaw.
“St… Stop,” she whispered, when he bent to kiss the thundering pulse along her slender throat. “Stop. Release me.”
A shudder ran through Ty. He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath, even as he continued to press his lips against her silky flesh. He had to think about forcing his fingers open and away from her skin. It took every ounce of his self-discipline to release her and step away.
Drawing in a long, hissing breath, he took several steps back before he exhaled slowly. He forced a wry smile to his lips. When a woman said stop, it meant stop, no matter how much he wanted it to continue.
“I have to tell you, this is about the hardest thing I think I’ve ever had to do,” he finally said.
“What… What is the hardest thing?” Ella asked, staring at him with wide, dazed eyes and beautiful rosy cheeks.
“Forcing myself to stop kissing you,” he replied in a husky voice.
“Oh,” Ella whispered, blinking several times before she shook her head. “You are a very, very strange man."
“I know. You already told me that,” Ty laughed, relaxing. “I’d like for you to stay a little longer. I can answer any questions you have and I would love to ask you a few.”
He didn’t miss the sudden suspicion that came into her eyes. He released a sigh. Earning her trust was going to take a while.
“Like what?” She asked.
“Like, how many humans are in your village?” He replied with a shrug.
“Why do you want to know that?” She demanded, sliding to the side of the boulder to place some distance between them.
Ty ran his hands through his hair and groaned. “You aren’t going to make this easy, are you? How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want to hurt you or the other humans? Hell, I think it is fantastic that you still exist! I did my thesis on humans and let me tell you, it was a learning experience. The last reported human died almost three hundred years ago. It is unbelievable that any survived considering the eradication process.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? The stories of what happened to us have been passed down for centuries about what happened to us,” Ella whispered, pale and shaken. Her voice trembled as she continued. “Your species destroyed our villages! Only a handful of humans were able to escape. Those that were captured were enslaved or worse. You wonder why I don’t trust you? It is because we are a dying species. Why would I help you finish us off?”
Ty felt a sense of remorse at his callousness. It was easy to forget that while he had read about what had happened to the humans, Ella was living with the results. His gaze softened on her pale, distressed expression.
“I’m sorry, Ella. There is nothing I can do to change what happened, but things are different now. What happened back then would no longer happen today. Society has advanced too far to allow it to be legal for humans to be hunted down and murdered,” he assured her, stepping closer only to stop when she moved away from him.
“How do you know? How can you be sure?” Ella asked.
“Our society has changed a lot, Ella. We have laws in place to prevent things like that from happening again. Shifter law is very strict, Ella. It has to be because of the nature of our beasts,” he explained, holding his hand out to her.
“There is only one problem with that theory, Ty,” Ella retorted, shaking her head and moving further away from him.
“What kind of problem?” He asked in frustration.
He saw her expression harden and she lifted her chin in defiance. Once again, he felt a shaft of pride and admiration for her. She was a fighter.
“We are not beasts,” she replied, turning away from him. “Go home and forget you ever saw me, Ty. It would be best for all.”
Ty watched in frustration as Ella strode across to the tree line. In seconds, she had disappeared from sight. He groaned in disappointment. A part of him wanted to chase her down, tie her up, and haul her back to civilization to prove to her that she was wrong; while the saner part of him knew he was walking on a tightrope. There had to be some way to get her to trust him.
With another groan, he turned back toward his tent. Bending down, he felt for the satellite phone he had tucked in the side pocket. He pulled it out and powered it on. He quickly dialed Tracy’s number and waited impatiently for her to answer.
“Do you need me to come save your ass?” Tracy asked in greeting.
“No, I need more time,” Ty replied in a curt voice.
“You found her?”
The sound of Tracy’s surprised tone drew a reluctant smile to his lips. She had always been better in the woods than he had, especially when it came to tracking things. He could almost visualize her mouth hanging open.
“Yeah, I found her, or rather, she found me,” Ty muttered.
“I take it from the not-so-happy sound of your voice that she isn’t hanging all over you the way that women normally do,” Tracy remarked.
“Knock it off, Tracy. It was a phase I went through in college,” Ty growled before he released a sigh. “I’ll send you my coordinates, just in case things don’t go well.”
Ty looked out over the river. “I may have to kidnap her,” he grudgingly admitted. “…If things don’t go well.”
“You might… Are we talking about you running through the woods with a human woman over your shoulder and a bunch of pissed off humans throwing spears and shit at you?” Tracy asked with a growing sense of disbelief in her voice.
“Maybe,” Ty replied with a dry chuckle. “Probably.”
“Aw, shit,” Tracy groaned. “This is going to be another one of those missions.”
“Yep,” Ty said. “Love you, Tracy. Give me a few more days.”
“Three,” Tracy reluctantly agreed. “Three more days, then I’m coming to get your ass, with or without the human.”
“Make it five and it will be with her,” Ty replied, looking back toward the woods. “It will definitely be with Ella – one way or another.”
Chapter 9
“Ella, wait up!” Mitchell called out.
Ella slowly turned to watch as Mitchell strode toward her. Her nervous gaze moved to Jayden who was standing a short distance behind him. She released the breath she was holding when Jayden shook her head and drew a line across her lips.
The people in the village were beginning to clean up from another day of building and gathering. Ella had hunted on her way back to the village. She had startled some pheasants and had been able to kill two, which meant she would have a good dinner tonight. She would save the feathers and bones to use later.
“Hi Mitchell,” Ella greeted, pushing back her hair. “It looks like you had a good hunt today.”
“Yes,” he replied, glancing over his shoulder where several of the men were cleaning a large buck. “I heard you had a good day as well. I thought Thomas told you to take it easy.”
Ella grinned. “I was,” she laughed. “I was exploring near the village and startled a flock of pheasants. I was lucky I had my sling with me. I was able to kill two before they all disappeared. It will be nice to have something to eat tonight.”
The smile died on her lips and she almost groaned out loud when she saw the dark frown on Mitchell’s face. She should have kept her mouth shut, at least on the last part. She could almost see the lecture welling up in Mitchell’s throat.
“Ella…,” Mitchell started to say.
“I know. I didn’t mean it that way. I’ve had plenty to eat. I just meant it will be nice to have a plump, roasted pheasant. It has been a while,” she quickly interjected. “Did you need something else?”
Mitchell shifted uneasily from one foot to the other before he released a loud breath. “Do you mind if I join you for dinner tonight?” He asked.
Ella frowned when she saw the stiffness in his jaw. Something was going on. Her gaze moved over the different faces. Jayden’s father was staring at her with a pointed look – not good. Anna was smiling hopefully at her – really not good. Her gaze moved to the third elder of the village, Bert. He was giving her a tight-lipped frown. She was in deep shit. She reluctantly turned her gaze back to Mitchell.
“Sure, I was just going to drop off a pheasant to Jayden’s mom. Rand and Mallory have been really kind to share their supplies with me,” she said with a weak smile. “Come by in an hour.”
“I’ll see you, then,” he replied with a nod.
Ella bit back a curse as she headed toward Jayden. Her friend was watching Mitchell with an uneasy look. She wondered if Jayden knew what was going on.
“We need to talk,” Ella muttered as she walked up to Jayden and held out the large bird. “This is for your parents.”
Jayden nodded. “I’ll give it to mom and be over in a few minutes,” she replied.
*.*.*
Ella moved restlessly around the small fire pit she had dug out near her tree. She still had a lot to do and if the frigid air descending through the mountains was any indication, she wouldn’t have much time. While every single one of the people living in the village wouldn’t think twice about helping her, she knew that meant they would get further behind on what they needed to do for themselves. She bent to turn the pheasant she had roasting over the coals. Her head lifted when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
“I can’t stay long. I told my mom that I had forgotten to give you the nut flour she had milled yesterday,” Jayden said, holding up a small bag.
“What is going on? The elders are up to something,” Ella hissed.
Jayden nodded. “I heard dad talking to mom last night. They feel we need to do more to expand the clan,” she admitted.
“And you didn’t think to tell me about it this morning? A little warning would have been nice,” Ella snapped.
Jayden glared back at her. “I was more worried about where you were sneaking off to before it was even light out! You were the one who should have given a bit of warning. By the way, did you talk to him again?” She asked, sitting down on the thick log.
Ella released a sigh and nodded. “First, what is going on?” She asked.
“The elders are worried because we are refusing to find a mate among the men,” Jayden replied glumly. “I heard dad tell mom they were going to force the issue. He said, since we aren’t doing anything, they were going to.”
“They cannot force us to mate,” Ella argued, shooting Jayden a fierce glare.
Jayden lifted her hands. “Don’t blame me! I’m just the messenger. If anything, I’m even more screwed than you. It’s my dad who is being difficult,” she retorted before leaning forward and resting her chin on her hand. “I’m ready to wash my hands of the lot of them and strike out on my own. I found a nice cave up near the mountains I could live in.”
A reluctant smile curved Ella’s lips. “Is it big enough for two? I may be joining you,” she said with a sigh.
“Yes,” Jayden muttered glumly, staring into the hot coals. “I mean it, Ella. I’ll leave if dad pushes the issue. I won’t be with someone just to add to the clan.”
“Not to mention that we’ve lived with the guys our entire lives,” Ella added, grimacing when she saw Mitchell heading toward them. “Here he comes. I really hope this isn’t going to be awkward.”
Jayden laughed as she rose to her feet. “Good luck. Something tells me we are all going to need it,” she mumbled before she turned to smile at Mitchell. “Hey, Mitchell.”
“Hello, Jayden,” Mitchell replied with a nod. “Are you having dinner with us?”
“No, I think I’ll go work on my survival pack for the cave,” Jayden replied with a grin. “Have fun!”
“Survival pack? Cave? What cave?” Mitchell asked in confusion.
“It’s just a joke between us,” Ella muttered.
“Oh,” Mitchell said, glancing back at Jayden before turning around and holding up a small clay dish in his hand. “Anna made a wild berry dessert.”
“Great,” Ella mumbled, turning to pull the pheasant off the skewer holding it over the fire. “So, what’s going on?”
Mitchell gave a strained laugh and sat down on the log that Jayden had occupied just minutes before. He set the dessert down next to him and leaned forward. Ella could feel his gaze on her as she cut the hot meat off the bird.
“The elders have been reminding me of my duty as clan leader,” Mitchell muttered in a somber tone.
“We’re a dying species, Mitchell. There is no way we can compete against the Others. It is only a matter of time before they find us,” Ella replied, thinking about the images that Ty had shown her.
“They already did,” he reminded her, reaching for the plate she held out to him. “We are just lucky that the beast who saw you hasn’t come looking for you.”
“Yeah, lucky,” Ella muttered as she sat down across from him and picked at her food. “It still doesn’t change anything. Unless there are other humans out in the world, we can’t continue. The winter… The winter five years ago wiped out almost half of the clan.”
“We can’t give up, Ella,” Mitchell ins
isted, staring at her. “I lost my family, too, but we have to try.”
Ella placed her plate down on the log and stood up. She glared at him for a moment before her gaze swept around the village. Those watching them turned their gazes away when she glared at them. Her lips tightened in rebellion and resolve. Returning her gaze to Mitchell, she shook her head.
“I won’t do it,” she stated in a firm voice. “If you or the elders want to cast me from the village, then do it. I won’t mate with you or any other male simply to keep our race alive. I won’t do that to myself nor to any child that I might have,” she finished in a whisper.
Mitchell stood up and stared down at her. His lips pursed together before he relaxed and waved his hand toward the log with a deep sigh. He sat back down and picked up his plate.
“Sit down and eat. I won’t press you anymore, and this is too good to waste. I agree with you, Ella. Maybe it is time we faced our future, but not tonight. I want to eat, spend some quiet time with someone who isn’t demanding something from me, and enjoy Anna’s awesome dessert,” he declared with a twinkle in his dark eyes.
A reluctant grin pulled at Ella’s lips and she slowly sat down again. Picking up her plate, she stared at Mitchell for several long minutes before she shook her head and refocused on her food. She could feel his gaze on her.
“What are you thinking?” He finally asked in exasperation.
“That if I didn’t think of you more as a brother than as a husband and lover, I might have taken you up on your reluctant offer,” Ella admitted with a slight chuckle.
He pointed his finger at her and shook his head. “It was more of a suggestion than an offer,” he retorted, popping a piece of meat into his mouth. “So, do you need help with your lodging? Winter is coming and you haven’t finished it.”
“I’m good,” Ella replied.
They spent the next hour eating and talking quietly. Several times, Ella felt like she was being watched, but she shrugged it off. Her gaze moved to the shadows of the forest, searching.