Hunted Intensity

by Rebecca Airies

  Her heart lurched and she struggled to get up, move something, but the best she could do was scrabble across the ground in an awkward crawl. Dizziness and disorientation washed over her. She heard footsteps walking away from her and then felt a flare of pain in her side as she flipped onto her back.

  She blinked and a dark-haired man with a patchy beard swam into focus. He gripped her hair and she winced as he hauled her into a sitting position.

  “He’s right. We could have gotten a good price for you.” The man’s eyes roved down her body.

  She saw movement behind him a moment before she saw a hand grip his chin and one come around his neck. Her eyes widened as she heard a dull snap. The hands released the man and pushed him to the side. She looked up at Tyson. He stepped over the man and lifted her to her feet.

  “Are you all right?” His hand cupped the side of her face and his eyes bored into hers, but even as he asked the question he was lifting her and carrying her into the trees.

  She swallowed and tried moving. The disorientation was lessening a little, but her head was throbbing. The movement wasn’t helping much, but she knew they couldn’t stay in the open.

  “I’ll be all right when the headache goes away,” she said with a small smile. She hoped it reassured him.

  His jaw was set and his frown was fierce. He looked more formidable than she’d ever seen him. This man looked like a warrior. The Tyson she knew was more likely to drag her into the bushes for a quick romp than take someone down.

  “You shouldn’t have left the cabin without taking your animal.” He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. When he was apparently satisfied that she was telling the truth, he lowered his hand and stepped back. “Stay here. I’ll take care of the other man.”

  She leaned against a tree and watched as he went back toward the cabin. She couldn’t see what happened and that was good. She didn’t want to know what he did. Seeing that man’s eyes widen as Tyson gripped his chin would probably stay with her for the rest of her life. A deep growl reached her. She heard a short shout and then there was silence. Not even a bird chirped. She waited tensely.

  It seemed like forever before Tyson reappeared with Mirlu trotting at his side. Mirlu treated Tyson like an old friend. That really surprised and confused her. She hadn’t ever heard him even growl at Tyson, not even that first night when he’d picked her up and carried her back to his pallet.

  Tyson was fastening a sword belt at his waist. He must have taken it from the man who’d hit her, because she hadn’t seen a weapon on the other one. His eyes locked on her as he walked over to her.

  “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” His hand cupped the side of her cheek.

  “I’ll be fine. You can’t stay here. They were looking for you, Tyson.” She slowly straightened away from the tree.

  “We can’t stay here. Those two probably aren’t alone. They wouldn’t come after me with only two men.” He put a hand at the small of her back as they made their way back to the cabin.

  She tried to avoid looking at the body on the ground, but the one in the doorway was impossible to avoid seeing. She swallowed at the sight of the blood and torn clothes.

  “Your pet got to him before I did.” Tyson hurried her past the body. “Gather your things. I’ll get some supplies and see what else I can find to wear in there. We need to move.”

  She frowned at him as she realized that he thought she was going with him. “Tyson, I need to return home now. You seem to remember everything and you must see the truth.”

  “I see you’re dallying. We don’t have time to discuss whatever delusions you believe I’ve been under. You’re coming with me. Pack your bag, now.” His voice was hard and uncompromising. He released her and began walking to the storage closet.

  “I’m not who you think I am. I don’t belong with you. I need to get home.” She put her hands on her hips and simply stood there.

  He spun and strode back to her. “You’re my mate. I knew that before I even met you. I don’t think you’re another woman or whatever you’ve been telling yourself these past few days. You’re coming with me.”

  “You don’t know me.” She exhaled heavily. “You’d never even seen me until you stumbled into the cabin during the storm.”

  “I know you’re my mate. It’s not something a Santir can mistake. Now get packed.” He cupped her chin and looked into her eyes, finally nodding before once again walking to the storage closet.

  “I liked you better when you were drugged,” she called after him, but did go to her bag.

  Not because he’d told her to do it, but because she’d need her clothes on the way home. She might have to leave with him, but he was only one man. He couldn’t watch her all the time.

  He laughed and disappeared into the storage room as she began stuffing her clothing into the bag.

  * * * * *

  Tyson glanced over at Tori. Her black hair was pulled back in a braid. He knew it was practical for travel through the forest, but he’d love to see it hanging down her back. Her pale, creamy skin contrasted beautifully with both the dark mane of her hair and the darkness of her clothes. The brown shirt and black pants were suited to travel. He was happy she knew enough to dress properly for the journey even if she wasn’t quite willing to go along.

  She was still furious, but she hadn’t tried to run yet. He fully expected her to try. She hadn’t said much since he’d led her out of the cabin, but he could almost see the ideas churning in her mind. Her eyes flashed with anger and the only time she seemed to calm was when she stroked a hand over the head of the canil pacing by her side.

  He didn’t like the fact that being with him put her in danger, but she’d be in danger even traveling to her home, wherever that was. These men wouldn’t hesitate to take or kill a lone woman. He wasn’t about to risk her being hurt. If he was with her, he could protect her, but that wasn’t the only reason he wanted her with him. He admitted that not losing track of her would have been one of his reasons to keep her close regardless of the danger.

  She hadn’t told him anything about where they were or where her home was after he’d refused to let her walk away from him. Without her help, he didn’t know which direction would lead him back to the city. The journey here was a vague, fragmented memory and at times almost seemed like a dream. He couldn’t be sure which direction he’d taken.

  The rain had washed away all trace of his trail so merely following that was out of the question. The pack would be looking for him, but they wouldn’t expect him to leave the city without telling someone. Normally, he wouldn’t have. With the drug’s effects, he’d thought of nothing except finding his mate once he’d picked up Tori’s scent.

  He couldn’t remember how he’d gotten drugged or leaving the city. The memory of that whole day was hazy. It was frustrating. If he had some idea of when he was drugged, he’d have some clue of where to begin the search for the source. He knew the Ardin wouldn’t forget about the drugging once they learned about it. They’d want to find the people behind it and put a stop to the danger.

  He’d managed to get a few clothes from the storage closet for himself as well as food and bedding. Now he just had to find a point of reference and begin the journey back to the city. From what little he remembered, he hadn’t traveled more than a day. He should be able to see the buildings once they were clear of the tree line. Here the trees grew so tightly together that only small patches of light filtered through the leaves even at midday. He knew if he could get to a high point and see a sign of the small city, he’d be able to get them there. On the positive side, heading to a higher point would take them away from the men searching for him. The only drawback was that it would also delay them getting to safety.

  “Why are you doing this? Why are you dragging me with you?” She slashed a glare at him as she walked beside him.

  “I told you. You’re my mate.” He smiled.

  She still didn’t believe him. He knew that. She probably wouldn’t understan
d what he meant until the transformation was completed and she could sense what he did. She was probably already feeling the pull to get closer to him. He could see the conflict in her eyes sometimes and hoped that that was more than sex and male Santir scent. The bond between mates would be forming even before she became fully Santir.

  “We’ll get back to that, and no way am I agreeing to any of that, but since you seem to remember so much now and be so clearheaded, why are they hunting you? You who said you would never bring danger to me. What do they want?” The question sounded as if it came through gritted teeth and she didn’t look like she was ready to soften and listen to reason anytime soon.

  “Well, I can’t be sure since the first time I saw any of them was this morning when they threatened you. They’re in the slave trade, but I don’t know if it was for the arenas, a sex slave or slave labor.” He kept his voice even, but that barb about not bringing danger to her had hit. If he’d been capable of clear thinking he wouldn’t have gone near her when he was being followed, but the way that drug had tapped into his instincts had blinded him to the danger. “And agree or disagree, it doesn’t change the facts.”

  “We had sex. That doesn’t mean we have to be together. I’d hoped that when you were finally free from that drug you’d see that.” She sighed and tugged backward. He kept his grip around her wrist loose but didn’t let her slip free from his hold.

  “We had sex because you were my mate, not the other way around. Even if we’d met in the city, I would have stopped you from leaving me.” He wasn’t going to lie to her about it. “The drug did nothing but lessen my resistance to my instincts. Normally, I could have given you a little time to adjust.”

  “Time to adjust.” She shook her head. “How am I supposed to believe things would be different if you hadn’t been drugged when you won’t even let me go home now?”

  “They would have killed you. Not because they thought you lied to them, but simply because they didn’t want anything to connect them to my disappearance. Do you honestly believe the others searching for me will be any different?” His voice lowered and he couldn’t keep the impatience out of it. She was so focused on leaving that she refused to see the danger she could face in the forest.

  She went quiet and didn’t look at him. He knew she wasn’t thinking that he was right. She was looking for ways to get away from him. He’d have to watch her. The forest was large and the moist ground muffled even careless steps.

  Chapter Five

  When they stopped for the night and set up camp, he kept a discreet eye on her, but he didn’t shadow her. They had about half a day’s walk to the tree line and he’d rather she realized tonight that he wasn’t going to let her go than have to chase her down tomorrow.

  He constructed a lean-to from branches and spread their pallet. When he looked up after spreading their blankets, she was gone. He hadn’t heard her leave, but the fact that she’d run didn’t surprise him. He dropped the blanket and went after her. He went to the spot where he’d last seen her and followed her trail and scent from there. Even among the sharp smell of sap and the damp rich smell of the earth, he could pick her fragrance out from them easily. Her scent was still fresh so he knew she hadn’t left too long ago.

  He followed her along a game trail, quickly gaining ground. She was headed straight down the mountain. He shook his head. If he didn’t catch up to her, she’d find some kind of trouble. He just hoped they could avoid running into any of the other people hunting for him. He hadn’t been sure that anyone was actually after him when he’d started to regain the ability to think past being with Tori. He’d been drugged, true, but he’d left the city. It wouldn’t have been strange if the person who’d drugged him had moved on to another target. He’d thought he’d been a random target. Of course, now he realized the choice wasn’t bad luck.

  Rounding a bend in the trail, he saw her hurrying down the path. He rushed forward. She must have heard him as he neared her, because she looked over her shoulder and tried to dive out of his grasp. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. She drew in a sharp breath and her heels struck his shins, but the leather of the boots he’d found in the storage area of that cabin blunted the blows.

  “Did you think I would let you get away from me so easily?” He whispered the words against her ear even though he knew it would infuriate her.

  A frustrated sound burst from her throat. “I thought that if I just disappeared you’d finally see the truth. I’m not your mate.”

  He put her on the ground but took hold of her wrist and walked around her. He could feel the frown on his lips, but he was too busy trying to resist the urge to push her up against a tree and prove to her that they were mates in every sense of the word. She kept pushing and denying. While he understood that she really knew nothing of the Santir or even shapeshifters, it still sent his instincts roaring to life. She was his mate and part of him demanded that she know that with the most basic of her.

  He took a deep breath and kept his other hand hanging free at his side when he wanted to put it on her shoulder or better yet haul her into his arms. “We’ll talk about why I’m your mate later and why you think I’m not. Right now, we’re going back up the trail to our camp. We’ll have to eat some of our provisions tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll gather berries if we find them and we might try fishing in that river, but I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  Her eyes narrowed and he heard her teeth grate together. “Our supplies aren’t going to last very long.”

  “I don’t think we’re that far from the city, but don’t worry. Tomorrow, we’ll have fish.” He wasn’t worried about starving. He could hunt even if he did have to keep her near him. There were fish in that river.

  She sighed and pushed against his chest. “Let’s go then. It’s getting dark.”

  “We’d already be comfortable if you hadn’t run. I might have even tried to scout around for something a little more appetizing if I didn’t know you’d take off at the slightest chance.” He kept hold of her hand as he began leading her back up the trail.

  “Don’t sound as if it’s such a surprise. You know that I want to go home.” She walked with him but her steps lagged.

  “We’ll talk about this later.” He refused to get into an argument with her while they were walking.

  Overall, this hadn’t gone too badly. He’d managed to catch her without scaring her and he’d kept control over his animal side even when she started denying they were mates. Above all else now, he didn’t want her afraid of him.

  When they reached the camp she walked over and sat on the blanket. She folded her legs and her fingers rubbed lightly at her temples. “Explain this to me better. I’m probably not going to agree with you and I will most likely still want to go home, but I need to understand. Why do you think I’m your mate? How could you know before you met me?”

  Tyson sat down near her but didn’t touch her. He realized she needed a little space to think. Passing her some jerky and some of the dried fruit he’d found in the storeroom, he started chewing a piece of the dried meat.

  “You know I’m not human, Tori. You’ve known that from the first. When I caught your scent in the market, I knew you were the one woman meant to be my mate.” Part of him was still in awe of that. He’d been searching for so long that it almost seemed like a dream.

  “How can you know from just my scent? It doesn’t make any sense. I could be the biggest liar on three worlds or a thief just as likely to slip a knife into your back as take your coin for all you knew.” She looked at him and he could see the confusion on her face. She really wanted to understand.

  “I can’t give you a list of reasons, which is what you’re looking for. My tiron recognized you as its mate. No one else will do and I wasn’t about to let you disappear. With the effects of the drug, that sentiment was even more forceful.” He shook his head and took a deep breath. He wished he could satisfy all her doubts now, but he didn’t know exactly how it worked, m
erely that his beast had found its match.

  “I’m not a Santir. I’m not a shapeshifter. How can I be mate to you if we’re not even the same type of being?” She bit her lip and he saw her frown.

  “Not every woman who’s mate to a Santir was born a shapeshifter. You’ll become a shapeshifter, Tori.” Tyson edged closer to her.

  He wanted to pick her up and hold her, but she was sitting so stiffly that he knew she’d begin panicking and fighting if he tried. He missed the easy relaxed way she’d been before she’d realized that he intended to keep her with him and that it wasn’t the drugs driving him to be closer to her.

  Her eyes widened and she drew in a sharp breath. Her hand moved up to her shoulder. He knew she was making the connection, but he didn’t know if he should say anything specific about it right now. She already seemed a little pressured and he knew she had cause. He didn’t want to panic her any more.

  “Have you begun the change in me?” She swallowed loudly and her hand fell to her lap.

  “It was begun that first night when I bit you. I would have liked to wait, but with the drug, I couldn’t stop myself.” He grimaced. That was the one thing he’d change out of all of this. If possible, he’d give her time and before the bite she’d know what was going to happen.

  “Damn you!” She launched herself at him and her fist slammed into his jaw before he even realized her confusion had turned to fury. “How am I supposed to go back to my life when you realize this is all a mistake now?”

  He blinked away the spots in front of his eyes as he tried to catch her arms. A little stunned, he tried not to let her get in another punch. She’d really gotten in a good blow with that swing. He caught one hand and caged the other between them by pulling her against him and into his lap. For a moment, he simply held her as he took in a few deep breaths and tried to let her calm down a little. He needed a few moments as well. Her aggression had triggered a response in him, but the only thing violent about it was the strength of his arousal. When she squirmed and tried to get off his lap, he knew she’d noticed the ridge of his cock pressing into her hip.