“Who told you that?” he asked, immediately switching from a smile to a frown.
Uh-oh, Kenzie thought. She had obviously just hit some sort of nerve.
“Just one of the guys who helped me load Millie’s dog onto my sled after it died.”
“Well, I don’t like nonsense. And hanging out with people at pubs in the middle of winter tends to involve a whole lot of nonsense. People get a little batshit crazy after two months of darkness and a couple rounds of beer.”
Kenzie laughed. “I’ll give you that. The weather, the darkness, and the people have all been a big adjustment for me. I moved here looking for an adventure, and I got one, that’s for sure. I’m just not sure if it’s exactly the adventure I was looking for.”
“Where did you move from?” he asked.
“Oregon,” Kenzie said. “I got a fellowship from an organization that places professionals in remote Alaskan towns. It covers two years of living and working here. I’ll admit, I wanted to turn around and head right back to Oregon when I first got here. But it’s starting to grow on me. Or maybe I’m just going a little crazy from all the snow and darkness. What about you? I heard you moved here not too long ago. Where’d you come from?”
“Canada,” Ryker said, his voice taking on an oddly defensive tone. “I just needed a change.”
Kenzie nodded. “I totally get that. This has been a big change for me. But it’s pretty incredible the amount of work experience I’ve been able to get out here. Back in Oregon I would have been working as a junior vet at a large clinic or struggling to find customers for my own new clinic. Neither one of those options would have given me even close to the number of opportunities I’ve had to treat animals out here.”
“People say you’re very good at what you do.”
“Thanks,” Kenzie said. She could feel herself blushing. “I try really hard to do my best for every animal. I love animals so much.”
Kenzie saw an unreadable look pass over Ryker’s eyes when she said she loved animals. Was he not an animal person? He didn’t have any pets, as far as she knew. But everyone out here loved animals. It was hard to live in the Arctic wilds and not have an appreciation for wild creatures. Maybe he had lost a pet recently, or something. Kenzie decided to switch gears a little bit.
“Speaking of animals,” she said, and lowered her voice until it was a dramatic whisper, “Did you hear that there have been a few polar bear sightings around town?”
This grabbed Ryker’s attention. He looked at her warily, the violet in his eyes turning deep and dark. “Multiple sightings? How many? Where? By whom?”
Kenzie laughed and held her hands up in surrender as he peppered her with questions. “I’m not sure. I was kind of hoping you would have more details. Millie was the first one to see one. She was out searching for it with her gun the night her dog got attacked by a wolf. People were actually pretty angry when they found out she was hunting down a polar bear. The polar bear population has dropped sharply over the last year, so no one really wants people going around on bear hunts.”
“Why was Millie hunting it down, anyways? Was she worried it was going to attack the village or something? And what kind of gun was she using?”
Kenzie shook her head and smiled. “Man, you’re pretty rapid-fire with the questions when something piques your interest, aren’t you? I don’t know what kind of gun she was using. Some sort of rifle, I guess? And, yes, she’s worried that the bear’s going to attack the village. I guess she heard of another town in Canada where the bears got too bold and started coming into town, running into humans and causing trouble. Millie’s one of those people who watches the news too much and is always afraid that the next big tragedy is imminent. But anyways, then another guy thinks he saw a polar bear when he was out ice fishing the other day.”
“People still ice fish in this darkness?” Ryker asked, seeming surprised. “My buddy Eric ice fishes, but he takes a break during the dead of winter.”
“Yeah, I dunno. I think it’s crazy, too. But some people get big spotlights and go even now, in the middle of all the darkness. This guy thought he saw a polar bear, but he wasn’t sure. Now everyone in town is starting to worry. If there’s a bear, or multiple bears, getting too comfortable around humans, then that could cause some real issues. No one wants to kill a bear. Well, no one except Millie, I guess. But if one gets too tame, it might inevitably lead to a confrontation where the bear has to be gunned down.”
“Hmmm,” Ryker said.
Kenzie took another sip of her beer and waited to see whether he would say anything else. He seemed to be keenly interested in the polar bear sightings. She wondered if he worried about being alone in a cabin way in the outskirts of town. A hungry bear could make quick work of tearing down his cabin’s door. But he didn’t look worried, exactly. Just perplexed. When he didn’t say anything for several moments, she continued talking.
“If there is a polar bear roaming around, I wish I would get a chance to spot him.”
Ryker seemed amused by this. “Do you now?” he asked, his expression lightening as he grinned in her direction. His smile intoxicated her. She found herself wondering if his lips tasted as good as they looked, then forced herself to tear her eyes away from his mouth and focus on his eyes.
“I love polar bears,” she said. “They’ve always been my favorite animal. They’re just so… majestic. And magical. They seem to be on another level from other bears.”
Ryker turned his whole body toward her on the barstool, his eyes suddenly blazing and glowing yellow around the edges again. Kenzie was amazed. How did his eyes do that? It creeped her out a little bit, but it wasn’t unheard of, right?—for people’s eyes to change colors with their emotions. Her response seem to hit some sort of emotional chord with him. He must be a big fan of polar bears, as well. He gazed at her with hungry eyes. Kenzie recognized the look. He found her attractive, and he wanted her. Kenzie felt her pulse quicken. She wanted him, too. It had been so long since she felt a man’s touch, and she had a feeling that she had never felt a man’s touch that was quite like Ryker’s. She had never seen hands like his, so big and strong. She wanted to feel those powerful hands holding her. She wondered if other appendages on his body were as big as his hands, then blushed at the thought. She momentarily let her focus drop to the space between his legs, but quickly forced her gaze to come to eye level with him.
He was watching her intently. He knew that she was scrutinizing his physical features, and he slowly, deliberately returned the favor. He let his eyes slide down her cheeks, onto her neck and around her shoulders. He lingered for several long moments at her breasts, hungrily taking in the view of her ample assets pushing tightly against her sweater. He licked his lips approvingly, and then let his eyes slide down her stomach. He paused at her navel for just a moment, then burned his gaze into the spot between her legs. Kenzie felt herself breathing heavily. He made no apologies for the fact that he was undressing her with his eyes. No attempts to hide it. When he finally let his eyes come back up to meet her eyes, there was no denying the glowing yellow. She should have been freaked out by the strange phenomenon, but somehow it put her at ease. It was as though his eyes were sending out some sort of magnetic signal, drawing her in, asking her to connect her body with his. Kenzie had never felt such a strong connection with anyone. She could feel her whole body growing warm, and tingling with the anticipation of desire.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he said, his voice husky and low. Kenzie blushed and looked down at her hands in her lap. He reached over and took one of her hands in his. His hands felt just as strong and warm as they looked. She gazed up at him from under her eyelashes, willing him to lean in and kiss her. Please, she silently pleaded with him, let me feel your lips on mine.
But in a sudden, startling burst of noise, the front door to the pub flew open. A big, burly man who was just as large as Ryker stormed in and directed his angry glare in Ryker’s direction.
“Ryker, the boss wa
nts to see you. Now!”
Kenzie looked up at Ryker, startled. Ryker’s face went pale, and he looked at Kenzie forlornly.
“I’m so sorry, Doc. I have to go.” He pulled a couple twenties out of his wallet and threw them down on the bar in front of her. “My treat on the drinks.”
Then he hurried out after the angry man at the door, not even stopping to get his parka fully on before stepping out into the frigid Alaskan air. Kenzie sighed as she felt her beating heart slowly return to its normal pace. The delicious, warm tingling that she had felt when Ryker touched her slowly seeped away. So much for finally getting to spend some time with a man. Kenzie took a last swig from her beer mug before getting up to go put on her own parka and head out into the night.
She had lost her desire for another round of drinks.
Chapter Five
Ryker followed Tyler meekly to Neal’s tattoo shop. Ryker tried to think of a way to explain that his sitting with Kenzie at Northwinds Pub was not what it looked like, but it was a lost cause. It was exactly what it looked like. He was smitten with Kenzie. He hadn’t kissed her, but he had been on the verge of it. He knew he was playing with fire, but he felt unable to stop himself. Kenzie had awakened a part of him that he hadn’t known existed. He was experiencing deep feelings that he had never known before.
But Neal would not be impressed with Ryker’s feelings. Ryker sighed. Neal’s stubborn total ban on relationships with a human was going to bring about the end of the Northern Lights Clan. Neal seemed to think that bear mates were going to appear out of nowhere, and provide the cubs that would reestablish the clan. But there were hardly any bears left in the Glacier Point Valley that weren’t Blizzards. Ryker knew that Neal was still grieving deeply over the loss of his father and the rest of the fallen Northern Lights bears. But Neal was an alpha! He needed to step up and lead, not let his grief cloud his judgment. The future of the Northern Lights Clan depended on it.
Ryker took a deep breath and braced himself for the anger that was to come as he walked into the back room of Neal’s shop. Neal was pacing the room, muttering obscenities under his breath. Eric and Alan were in the shop, too, but they were sitting quietly in a far corner, wisely staying out of Neal’s way as much as possible. When Tyler and Ryker walked in, Neal looked up and focused on Ryker. His violet eyes blazed with anger, and he let out a deep roar. Ryker thought Neal was going to morph into a bear right then and there, but he didn’t fully shift—at least not yet. Only Neal’s hands changed, the massive white polar paws and enormous claws stretching menacingly from the end of Neal’s human arms.
“I thought I made myself clear,” Neal yelled, his voice booming with rage. “No human mates.” Neal reached out and slapped Ryker on the side of the head with one of his paws, sending Ryker’s body flying across the room. Ryker crashed into a pile of boxes and tried to regain his breath, which had all left him in one big whoosh with the force of Neal’s blow. Luckily, Neal had only used the palm of his paw and not the claws. Those claws cutting across Ryker’s human face would have left horrendous scars.
“I was just talking to her. Nothing happened,” Ryker protested weakly. Technically, it was true. He hadn’t even kissed her. But he had been about to, and Neal knew it.
“If you were just talking to her, then why are your eyes still glowing yellow?”
Ryker sighed. His attraction to Kenzie was even stronger than he thought, if Neal could still see it in his eyes. Any time a man in the Northern Lights Clan was drawn to a female who was his mate, or who he thought of as a potential mate, that male’s eyes would glow yellow around the edges. The stronger the attraction, the stronger the glow. And Ryker’s eyes lit up with a fury every time he saw Kenzie. Normally, this glowing served as a warning to other bears—she’s mine, so stay away. But in this case, it served as a dead giveaway that Ryker was defying Neal’s orders and spending time with a human female whom he wanted to mate.
“I’m sorry, Neal. I’ll admit, I’m attracted to her. But nothing happened. Nothing will happen. It was just some innocent flirtation.”
“You’re playing with fire, Ryker,” Neal yelled, roaring in anger again. Ryker watched in horror as Neal’s teeth morphed into bear teeth. Ryker knew what was coming. Neal was preparing to punish him. The last time Ryker had seen an alpha punish a bear was when Neal’s father had gone off in a rage on a bear who had carelessly shifted in front of a human, putting their clan at risk of discovery. Ryker trembled at the memory of that beating. When Neal’s father was finished with that bear, he had barely been recognizable. Bloody strips of flesh had hung from his body, and several of his bones had been broken. Ryker had no desire to be on the receiving end of such fury. But if he didn’t find a way to quickly convince Neal to back off, Ryker was going to be spending the next few months holed up in his cabin, nursing his wounds.
“Wait!” Ryker screamed as Neal raised a paw in preparation to slap Ryker again. “Wait! I’m sorry. I know I’ve been getting too close to Kenzie. But don’t punish me. Not now. There have been bear sightings in the area. It’s possible there are Blizzards around, and you can’t afford to be down a bear right now.”
Neal paused and considered this information, holding his paw in midair as he decided whether to slap Ryker or not. After what felt to Ryker like an eternity, Neal lowered his paw. Ryker watched in relief as Neal’s hands and teeth morphed back into human form. Ryker was saved, at least for the moment.
“Bear sightings?” Neal questioned, looking around at the group in the room. “Have any of you shifted recently? Now is not the time to lie to try to avoid a beating. I need to know the truth. Have any of you shifted recently?”
All of the men shook their head no. Neal looked around the room, deliberately looking each one of them in the eyes, trying to determine if anyone was lying. But there was not a hint of deception in anyone’s gaze. None of the Northern Lights Clan had shifted recently.
“Who told you there have been bear sightings?” Neal asked, directing his question to Ryker.
“Kenzie,” Ryker said, cringing as he admitted that he had been talking with Kenzie. But Neal needed to know about the bears. Besides, it’s not like his attraction to Kenzie was some big secret anymore. The cat was out of the bag on that one.
Neal frowned. “What did she say?”
“There have been a few sightings around town. A guy saw one when he was out ice fishing. And Millie, one of the women in town, saw one and supposedly went after it with a gun.”
Neal’s face filled with horror. “Silver bullets?” he asked.
“No. Just a regular old rifle, as far as Kenzie knew.”
Neal nodded, his relief visible. If Millie had been using silver bullets, it would have been obvious that she knew the bear was a shifter and vulnerable to silver. But it seemed she thought it was just a normal polar bear.
“Maybe it wasn’t a shifter,” Eric said. “I’ve heard that the real polars are getting bolder and coming closer to villages lately.”
Neal shook his head. “Unlikely. The real bears only do that when they’re desperate for food. We’re far enough north that the sea ice is still strong, meaning there are still plenty of seals around for the bears to hunt. The sightings were shifters, I’m sure of it.”
The room was quiet, all of the men looked solemnly at Neal and waited for him to assess the situation. Neal rubbed his forehead, and stared up at the ceiling for several moments. Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke.
“It’s possible these sightings are just from a rogue bear who has lost his or her clan in one of the Blizzard raids. But it’s also possible that there are Blizzards nearby. They know that we’re strong, and they know that there are several of us left. I have no doubt that they want to find us and eliminate us. The sickening, total rule they are trying to impose over the Arctic won’t be secure until they get rid of us. I want you to all remain alert. Pay attention to any unusual smells or sounds. And don’t go wandering off alone outside of town. As long as you stay n
ear the humans, the Blizzards are unlikely to attack. They don’t want to set off a human bear hunt any more than we do.”
The men nodded to indicate that they understood. Neal rubbed his forehead one more time, then looked at Ryker and addressed him sharply.
“And, Ryker, you’re saved from a beating for the moment. But only because I can’t afford to be down a man with the potential of a Blizzard attack looming over our heads. But don’t let me catch you talking to Kenzie again. Because if I do, not even the Blizzards can save you from my wrath. By the time I’m done with you, you will wish it had been the Blizzards who got a hold of you, and not me. Do I make myself clear?”
Ryker nodded meekly, and Neal dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
Ryker stumbled out into the cold darkness and started making his way back toward his cabin. There would be no more visits to the pub. He had to let Kenzie go. Waves of sadness crashed over him at the thought, but he had no choice. His alpha had given him a direct order, and he wasn’t going to be foolish enough to test the limits of that order anymore.
Chapter Six
Ryker started walking back and forth between his cabin and work every day, instead of taking his snowmobile. The cold didn’t bother him that much, especially not under his heavy boots and parka. And he needed the time outside to clear his head. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to completely eradicate Kenzie from his thoughts. He kept seeing her in his mind’s eye, laughing at the pub with her sparkling green eyes. He wanted to bring her home and make love to her. He wanted to know what it felt like to give in to the feelings of passion and desire that coursed through his being every time he thought of her.
But unless Neal loosened his stance on human mates, which seemed extremely unlikely, Ryker would never have the chance to be with Kenzie. Ryker couldn’t bear the thought of this, so he tried to drown it out with long walks in the frigid Arctic cold. One night, exactly a week after he had sat in the pub drinking and laughing with Kenzie, Ryker sensed something wrong during his walk home from work. As he neared his cabin, he felt his hair standing on end. He slowed his pace and sniffed the air. “Bear!” he exclaimed, just before the first blow to the back of his head sent him tumbling across the hard packed snow.
BEARing The Frozen Night (Ice Bear Shifters Book 1) Page 3