by Vivian Arend
She shifted as he leaned closer, temptation pulling him, her eyes drawing him like a magnet. Closer and closer her mouth came to his as he reached around her body with his hands to caress her back.
A sudden sharp pain shot through his left buttock, shoving him hard into Robyn’s body as they careened backward toward the table.
“What the—?” Keil roared as he grasped Robyn and swung her around to avoid crushing her.
Behind them TJ threw gear left and right as he dug through his pack. His ski poles were tucked under his arm, extended backward, and every move he made shot the pointed tips in their direction.
“You bloody fool!” Keil attempted to grab the moving poles, but they kept dancing out of reach. A sudden extra enthusiastic twist by TJ forced the poles hard toward them.
Keil pushed Robyn to the side as he shouted, “TJ, freeze!”
The solid thunk of the ski tip spearing into the wood table finally pulled TJ away from his rummaging to look closer at them.
Robyn and Keil stood side by side, the ski pole quivering as it jutted into the room from between their hips. TJ’s innocent expression was beyond irritating.
“What?”
“TJ, you’re a menace to everyone around you.” Keil growled as he yanked the offending pole out and held it to his brother.
“How did that get there?”
Keil twisted toward Robyn and, placing a hand on her shoulder, made sure she could see his lips move.
“Is there an appropriate sign to tell my younger brother that he’s a shithead, and if he doesn’t watch it, I’ll tie him to the outhouse with a short leash?”
Robyn made a show of turning to face TJ and shaking her arms. Then she slowly raised her hand and flipped TJ her middle finger.
“Yeah,” Keil said, “I thought that should about cover it.”
They skied single file down to the lake, Robyn following Keil as he broke trail. He insisted on going first and she fought back a laugh. He was very much like her brother, Tad, refusing to let anyone work harder than him.
Still, it gave her time to let her mind wander as she simply followed the ridges he left in the snow. While everything she’d been told this morning seemed to be impossible, the proof of TJ’s change into his wolf form made it clear that this wasn’t some practical joke they were trying to pull.
There was also the matter of her instant attraction to the large male striding in front of her. Robyn lifted her gaze to watch him ski, efficient as he worked to make tracks in the foot of soft snow that lay on the surface of the frozen lake. Something about him fascinated her.
Like a deer in the headlights of a fast-approaching truck, she was waiting for the impact to knock her silly.
The pheromones between the two of them were cooking hot. Before the little ski-pole incident, she thought she was going to end up as a snack. Heck, she’d wanted to be nibbled on. Tingles ran all over her body even thinking about Keil and his touch.
The way she’d been wrapped up around him when she woke this morning, the reaction of his body to her touch. The strange way he was able to comfort her in the middle of the night. The usual repercussions from an earache would have her moving slowly for the whole day, with a nagging headache to boot. One touch of his hand, a little cuddle, and the pain had drained away.
They were like a stick of dynamite and a Bic lighter. Too much more time together and something was going to blow.
She sighed as she wished for the hundredth time that Tad were here to bounce ideas off of.
Her brother. Was he a wolf too? He’d never said anything. If this was news to him, was he going to be surprised.
Of course if he already knew she might have to kill him.
She could already hear him complain about her acting irresponsibly and doing this trip alone. Tad always said she was going to end up meeting some strange wackos in the backcountry.
He probably hadn’t thought she’d meet someone who wanted to turn her into a werewolf.
As they approached the bottom of the pass, Keil stopped and dropped his daypack. Robyn joined him and the two spent a moment enjoying the view, the sunshine on the snow, the mountains rising boldly around them.
Keil nudged her arm, passing his water bottle after taking a long drink. He licked a drop of water left on his lip, and a warm buzz shot through her. There was something erotic about sharing a water bottle that she’d never noticed before in any previous backcountry trip.
She took a sip, very aware of Keil’s eyes watching her mouth, watching her throat move as she swallowed.
She lowered the bottle slowly and smiled at him. This courting business was going to be fun.
“I’ll head uphill. Wait for TJ and make sure he takes a drink. He’s known for getting dehydrated. Okay?” He brushed his fingers over her lips in a gentle caress before turning away.
Robyn stared as Keil traveled smoothly up the hill on an angle, his powerful body setting the difficult trail with seeming ease.
Wow. Mates with Mr. Studmuffin. How did she get so lucky?
Only there was trouble in paradise. Something had happened this morning right before they set out. TJ was upset, and he’d been fine until Keil had cut him off.
Time to find out why.
It took a few minutes for TJ to catch up. She handed him the water bottle, holding it a second longer than necessary to force him to take a close look at her. When she was sure that he was watching, she motioned toward Keil with her head. She tapped her fingers together like they were lips speaking.
TJ bit his lip. “Ah, man, this is unfair. Keil told me to stay quiet. You gotta understand, as a human, he’s my brother and I feel loyalty to him. He’s also the most powerful wolf I know, and it actually hurts to think about disobeying him.”
Robyn pointed to Keil and herself followed by linking her fingers together.
“Yeah, I know you guys are gonna be joined as mates. That means you’re strong enough that it hurts to think about disobeying you too.” He tilted his head to the side and with a pained expression asked, “I don’t suppose I can talk you into letting me off the hook?”
Robyn felt guilty for pushing him, but there was something here that she needed to know.
She spoke out loud. Soft but clear.
“Tell me.”
“Arghhhhh! Damn. Fine, I’ll spill. He didn’t tell you the whole truth about mates. It’s not something you can put off that easy. He’s trying to give you time to adjust to the whole idea of being a wolf and all that. He’s being noble.” TJ stared up the hillside where his brother was making the first switchback. “Keil is going to challenge for the leadership of our pack on Sunday. He’s way stronger than the other guy, and I know Keil can win.
“Only the challenge is in both human and wolf form, and it can get a little messy, especially if either challenger’s wolf isn’t under control.
“The longer you two wait to finish mating, the more distracted his wolf is going to get. I’m not trying to get you into bed with Keil… Well, yeah, I am. The sooner, the better. Because if you don’t get marked and mated before the weekend, His wolf is going to be so agitated that I’m afraid for the outcome of the challenge.”
TJ swung his gaze back to meet hers. “I’m afraid for you too, because it could be dangerous to be around the pack. Since you and Keil kissed and snuggled last night, your wolf has started to rise to the surface, and you’re giving off sex pheromones like crazy. All of the unmated males are going to be real interested. I don’t think Keil’s aware of it because he’s attracted to you already. I feel it, but I know you’re his, and I’m making myself ignore it.”
She nodded her understanding and reached to brush TJ’s cheek in thanks with a quick touch. His eyes closed for a second, then he coughed.
“Um, Robyn? You need to know, wolves are into touchy-feely stuff, and as much as I like you to pet me, you’d better not do that again until after you and Keil get hitched. ’Cause right now I don’t think he could stand to scent you on anyone
, and I’m kinda fond of my balls staying attached to my body.”
He handed back the water bottle and motioned for her to take the lead up the hill.
They climbed, using the long shallow switchbacks Keil had set to make the ascent easier. Robyn glanced over her shoulder to see TJ following behind, slow and steady, his skis skittering off to the side every few steps. He was terribly uncoordinated on two feet.
By the time they reached the top of the pass, she was sweating nicely and feeling a warm glow of satisfaction from the exertion. Keil had pulled out a small cook stove and fired it up to heat water for a drink.
“You’re a good skier, Robyn. Kept the pace nicely.” Keil’s compliment warmed her as she sat facing him, able to look over the mountains that ranged downward to the Pacific Ocean and still see his face. She breathed a relaxed sigh as she let her gaze wander over the sunlit peaks.
A squeeze on her knee brought her attention back to Keil.
“You hungry?”
She nodded and pulled her pack closer to dig out the food she’d brought. She passed him a couple of her homemade granola bars and watched as pleasure bloomed on his face as he bit into them.
“These are delicious. Did you buy them in Whitehorse?”
She shook her head no, then nodded yes while pointing to herself.
“You didn’t buy them, but you got them. Did you make them?”
She nodded.
The admiration in his eyes increased. “Hmmmm. She cooks, too.” He leaned forward slowly and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. They stared at each other for a minute, desire rising between them like a tangible cloud before the boiling water brought Keil back to earth.
“You guys are too fast.” TJ’s red face as he dropped beside Keil made Robyn laugh. “Oh sure, laugh it up at the slowpoke. I’ll have you know that once you can shift to wolf, I’ll be able to beat your butt in a race anytime. Right, Keil?”
Keil handed her a cup of hot, sweet tea. “Other than suggesting you not even think about Robyn’s butt ever again, I will agree that you are very fast as a wolf. Robyn, I know this has been an information overload with everything we’ve thrown at you—”
She waved her hand to cut him off. She deliberately turned her back on him and pointed over the mountains, over the whole panorama until she faced them.
TJ got the message. “She’s right. Shut up for a minute and enjoy the view.”
“I know, but—”
“But nothing. It’s too hard to talk right now. Relax. Or don’t you know how? You need to lighten up a little, bro. It’s not all pack politics, life-and-death situations, Captain Kirk, I mean Keil, to the rescue.”
When TJ finished speaking, Robyn glanced at Keil and nodded. She held her hand to him and he rose to join her. She pulled off her glove to trace her fingers down his cheek before twisting around and settling her back against him as she admired the view.
He was very serious, she realized. He couldn’t be much older than she was, and he was planning on taking on the leadership of a large group of, well, if she guessed right, rather headstrong individuals.
She could help him learn to relax. She stifled a giggle.
His strong arms supported her, coming around her torso and pulling her tight to his rock-solid frame. Too bad winter clothing made everything extra bulky, but she could still appreciate the feel of his firm body.
She turned and slipped her hands behind his neck. As their lips brushed together, she tightened her hold and lifted her feet off the ground to let her full body weight drag at him.
The surprise move worked, and they fell to the snow. Robyn tried to slip away as they hit the ground, but he held her, rolling to end up lying on top and pinning her in place.
“That was sneaky.” Keil stared at her, shifting his hips to let her know she was trapped. “I think you should pay a forfeit for that little trick.” He lowered his head and nuzzled against her neck, and she felt him taking deep breaths. His tongue shot along her bare skin, and she shivered as a wave of desire scurried through her body, over her breasts and settled in her core like a ticking time bomb.
Man, oh man, this guy was potent.
With a final kiss to her neck, he rose from her body and pulled her to her feet.
“It’s getting late, and if we want to get back to the cabin in daylight, we’d better ski. Stay away from the right side on the descent, the snow seems unstable.” Robyn nodded, swallowing hard from the extra moisture in her mouth. Keil traced a finger over her lips and winked at her. “I’ll claim my forfeit back at the cabin.”
The three of them packed up their things, and this time Robyn led the way, skiing down the side of the mountain using telemark turns. She stopped a quarter of the way down and waited for the others to catch up. Keil stopped beside her, TJ farther to the side.
“Nice turns.” Keil said. “Let me go first, I want to watch you from below this time.” He set off, making the lunging motions that cause cross-country skis to turn in the deep snow of the mountainside.
She admired his skill as well. The people that she and Tad skied with in the mountains were all experts, and Keil would fit in just fine.
She caught up with him, and they both turned to watch TJ do his descent.
His bright red jacket looked good, and that was the most positive thing she could say about his technique. TJ didn’t ski, he threw his legs about in a mad scramble like he was wearing rollerblades. Ski poles rotated in the air, snow flew everywhere. Robyn bit her lip to keep from laughing.
Then her breath caught in her throat. The snow slab dropped, and a large crack appeared on the hillside above where TJ headed, too far into the danger zone and completely out of control.
She stared in horror as the side of the mountain behind TJ slid away in an avalanche, pulling his windmilling figure down the slope to the right of them. The ground underfoot shook for a moment, but the snow pack where they stood was solid enough.
Frantically she looked back and forth over the settling powder and clouds of fine snow to try to see any sign of TJ.
Nothing but the disturbed surface of the mountainside greeted their eyes.
Chapter Six
His stomach dropped as the avalanche raced past them. By the time the rumble faded, Keil had his transmitter out and switched to “seek” mode. They didn’t have much time to uncover TJ, but they did have longer than finding a human.
As long as TJ was conscious.
Keil turned to Robyn. She already had her transmitter in her hand. She was pale, and her eyes seemed large enough to overwhelm her face, but she was going through each step methodically. Carefully.
He grabbed her face in his hands, making sure she watched him.
“You know how to use your monitor?”
She nodded.
“Since you can’t hear me if I shout, I want you to look at me every five paces, to be sure you’re aware of any warning I give. Understand?”
Robyn nodded again even as she shuffled away from him. She pointed up the mountain.
“Yes, you go up. If I signal ‘clear’ like this”—Keil slapped his fists together and pointed away with one hand—“I expect you to ski away as fast as you can. Understand?”
Her face grew grim and tight.
“I mean it. If you get caught in another avalanche, I won’t be able to save you both. Remember, TJ’s a werewolf. He’s stronger than a human. He’s going to be all right. Let’s go.”
The two of them skied quickly to the edge of the avalanche field and began a back-and-forth search motion to triangulate TJ’s position. Keil moved cautiously, his attention split between rescuing TJ and the need to keep Robyn safe.
Letting his mate move away from him into the potential danger of another slide physically hurt.
His senses were on high alert. The sun reflecting off the snow seemed blindingly bright. The squeak of their skis on the rough snow surface became reassuring in its consistency. A few steps, a pause to check the monitor, a glance around the mountai
n. A flick of the eyes to reassure himself she was safe, then repeat the series.
The blinking light on his receiver grew stronger, and he turned to follow its direction.
The next time she looked his way, he raised an arm and pointed.
Robyn double-checked her monitor and raised her arm, pointing downhill in a path that bisected across his angle.
They were narrowing the gap.
It was painfully slow work when every nerve in his body screamed for them to hurry before TJ’s air ran out. Keil took a moment to call out. “TJ!” He yelled in the direction he hoped they’d find TJ, but there was no response.
A trickle of sound reached his ears.
A low rumble in the distance.
He lifted his gaze to examine the mountains around them, fearful of what he’d see.
The peak to their left released a cornice of snow, the slide shifting a cloud of powder into the air. Quickly, he estimated the angle of the slide, whether it would reach them, set off another slide on top of them.
The slope of the mountain curved away, and he breathed a sigh of relief as the loose snow slipped behind a distant ridge out of sight and out of range of danger.
He looked up to see Robyn watching intently for his signal. Escape or continue?
He pointed forward. She nodded, trusting his judgment as she resumed her sweeping movements.
Her harsh shout a few moments later made his heart pound. He looked up to see her turning her ski pole into a depth probe. She pushed it through the snow to search for an air pocket or a buried body. He struggled up to her level, whipped off his shovel and prepared to dig.
“TJ, can you hear us?” Keil roared.
A welcomed howl rose to his ears.
He threw up a prayer of thanks as he shoveled, Robyn working at his side. They dug into the hillside from the bottom to take advantage of the slope, trusting there would be less digging at that level.
It seemed an eternity before he held out a hand in warning.
“I don’t want to strike him. Let me dig, you watch for additional slides.”
Keil increased his speed, hearing TJ’s howl grow clearer.