Juneau Heat

by Tressie Lockwood

  He waded out into the water, and his ear canals and nostrils closed just as he dove beneath the surface. With powerful strokes, he swam in the murky, freezing depths. His keen sense of smell told him prey swam nearby. He could pick up the scent up to forty miles, but he chose not to hunt today.

  When he came up out of the water, he shook the excess liquid and ice from his fur. He transformed to his human form and stretched his muscles again.

  “Feel better now?”

  Kotori bent to pick up his jeans before answering Birk. “Not in the least.”

  His friend grunted. “I’ve gone over everything a million times. What I thought would happen when we confronted Shiya didn’t.”

  “I still don’t know what you hoped to gain. You kept asking her why she slept with us, but isn’t it more or less the same as why we did with her? She’s hot as hell, and since I lay between her legs, all I can think about is how much more I want. Her flavor, her scent, the way she walks and talks . . .” He shut his eyes and chuffed with the voice of the bear. “Damn it!”

  “None of that matters now,” Birk grumbled. “She’ll leave our little city the second she can arrange a flight out of here, now that she knows her cover’s been blown. And that human with her.” Birk’s nostrils flared, and Kotori figured his friend’s rage boiled to the surface as much as his own.

  “We could kill him,” he suggested.

  Birk eyed him in annoyance. “We’re not killers, despite what they think of us, Kotori.”

  “You can’t tell me you don’t want to claw his throat apart!”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  Kotori sat down on the hard-packed ground and drew his feet close. He didn’t like putting his feet in his socks and boots wet, but he’d neglected to bring a towel with all the distracting thoughts. Still, he wouldn’t have to go far since he had another pair of boots and more socks at the cabin. After the blowup at Shiya’s, he and Birk decided to come out to the lands farther north, where the temperatures dropped well below freezing at night, and patches of snow could be found even in summer. They preferred it that way and often shut out civilization to get a few weeks of peace. When Birk couldn’t come because of work, Kotori traveled to the spot alone. When he couldn’t, his friend enjoyed the solitude.

  “If she leaves Juneau?” Kotori asked, staring out at the water.

  Birk swore and ran his fingers through his hair. “We’ve never been this careless. I was a fool not to see how important she became when I talked to her online.”

  “We always knew when the one came along, she would likely belong to us both. Maybe it’s just lust. After all, we’ve been consumed with it before and did some dumbass things.”

  “When we were boys,” Birk said. “I thought we’d matured enough by now.”

  “Guess not.” Kotori stood up and prepared to return to the cabin. His stomach stirred with hunger, and if he wouldn’t hunt, then he needed to cook the human way.

  “If we get her,” Birk said, “her family will come.”

  “That’s what we want, isn’t it?”

  Birk nodded. “We have to make sure they don’t find us just yet.” He grinned. “More time to have a little fun, don’t you think?”

  Kotori grinned, his mood lightening for the first time in two days—the last time he’d seen Shiya. “Now you’re talking.”

  After they’d had lunch and spent the night at their cabin, Kotori rose in anticipation early in the morning. He gathered up his pack and stuffed it full with supplies he’d brought with him, and a few herbs for his grandmother, chief of which was the devil’s club. Ever since he told her he would not turn Shiya away, they hadn’t spoken much. He knew she would respect him and speak if he insisted, but he wouldn’t push. Let her have her space for now. Eventually, he knew she’d come around, and bringing her back the herbs would go a long way to making that happen.

  The moment Kotori entered Juneau, he knew Shiya was still around. He took care of a bit of personal business first, and then met with Birk after he’d done his.

  “Are we doing this now?” Kotori asked.

  “Not yet. Let’s get a lay of the land first.”

  Kotori understood what Birk meant. They wouldn’t knowingly butt in on another man’s woman, but the animal in both of them felt Shiya belonged to them, and going against instinct proved difficult. Kotori had learned that the hard way a long time ago.

  They traveled to the downtown area in Birk’s SUV, Kotori in the passenger seat with the window partway down. He breathed in the crisp air and knew when they grew closer to her. Birk spotted her first, wandering from shop to shop as if she had no specific direction. No bags hung from her arms, and no purse. He studied her face as they drove by, Birk looking for a parking spot. Confusion, worry, and other emotions flitted for dominance over her beautiful features. Did she wonder if they would return for her, or was her concern about failing her family because she hadn’t gotten them beneath the hunter’s boot, so to speak? Either way, what Kotori desired was to put her over his lap and spank her sexy ass, and then he wanted to fuck her there.

  His cock hardened with those types of thoughts, and he ran a hand over his face. Calm, he needed to be calm to confront her. Birk, the more levelheaded of the two of them, would take the lead, and he could feast his eyes on her and listen.

  “We need to get her soon,” he warned Birk.

  “I know, but not here. Too public. If she’s afraid . . .” Birk frowned. “I hadn’t considered if she doesn’t want to be with us.”

  “We’ve never had to force a woman.”

  “No, but then we’ve never been with a human one either.”

  “Hm.” Kotori had no more patience. He slipped from the vehicle and started walking even while Birk sat double-parked waiting for someone else to pull out of his or her spot. His friend would catch up when he could.

  Kotori met Shiya on Shattuck Way. He figured she was just walking at that point with no particular destination in mind. When she stopped at Gold Town and stared into the window at the display, he moved up beside her and leaned on the wall. “You’re still here.”

  She started and looked up at him. He saw the pain in her gaze, but it disappeared quickly, and she forced a smile. “Yes. How are you?”

  He ignored the question. “So you have a fiancé, yet you slept with us.” Making it sound like a casual question seemed like a crash and burn to him, but she didn’t appear to notice. Her frown, complete with pursed lips, was too cute for him to look away. At that moment, he felt more like the Big Bad Wolf than a bear. Would she run if he told her how much he wanted to taste her? A bit of his desire must have shown in his eyes, because he got a sudden whiff of her pungent cream and almost lost it. He imagined her soaking her panties and himself delving for more with his finger or his mouth while she cried out his name.

  “I’m not engaged.”

  Relief flooded Kotori’s system. “You say that, but he was pretty intense about it—about you.”

  “Believe what you want to believe. At this point, I don’t care.” She waved a hand and turned away, but he snaked a hand out to grab her arm. She winced in pain, and he jerked back.

  “What happened? I didn’t grab you that hard.”

  Her gaze skittered away from his, and he sensed she was about to lie. After a beat, she appeared to change her mind.

  “My brother visited me, acting like a butthead. He’s gone now, so it’s not a big deal.”

  Kotori pushed his hands into his pockets to keep from putting his fist through the wall. As a human, she could not understand the seriousness of what she had just told him. “Listen to me closely, Shiya. If he comes near you again, I will deal with him.”

  “What do you mean ‘deal with him’?”

  “He has no right to touch you—ever again.”

  She studied his face. “You’re different from the way you were when we went on the tram.”

  “I’m the same.”

  “But you’re more intense. I don
’t know how to put my finger on it.”

  She sighed and turned to walk. He fell into step beside her. How could he tell her he’d always been this way, just short of losing control and reaching out for what he wanted? He smiled at her, had conversation with her, but all the time, he wanted to possess her, to fill her with himself. The night they had sex, it took everything inside him not to do all that he’d fantasized about to her. She’s human, he reminded himself. He had grown up with his family, a few shifters but not all. Even the ones who couldn’t change were strong, so he came to the belief that humans were very fragile. Still, Shiya took him and even liked the way he stretched her to fit his cock. Seeing her face that night had sent him close to the edge. Now she thought he was different, because his desire lurked close to the surface, threatening to spill over.

  They ended up at the pub they visited the first night Shiya arrived. Kotori sat on the opposite side of the table from her to keep his hands to himself. He ordered a beer for himself and a hot cocoa for Shiya. They sipped in silence until Birk came. His friend took the seat next to Shiya and ran the back of his hand along her cheek. The move demonstrated possessiveness, and Kotori wished he could be so free to touch without risking so much.

  “So why are you two talking to me after what happened?” she asked. “You know who I am, and Joe tried to kill you—” She gasped. “I can’t believe I didn’t ask about your arm, Kotori. Are you okay?”

  “Is a cut worse than being dead?” He didn’t know where the bitterness came from and put it down to her mentioning the man they had left in her room with her. Kotori didn’t smell the guy’s scent on her, so he was sure nothing had happened between them.

  At his words, Shiya flinched, and Birk glared at him. “Cool it, Kotori. That’s not what we’re here for.”

  Kotori drained his beer and ordered another.

  Shiya took a sip from her mug and set it down with care. Her big brown eyes focused first on Birk and then him. “I guess we’re all here because there’s something between us we haven’t finished exploring. Am I right?”

  Kotori hadn’t begun to get to know her body yet.

  “I guess you can put it that way,” Birk agreed.

  Birk leaned in close to her until his lips came just short of brushing hers. The full, soft lips invited Kotori from across the table. He shifted in his seat, trying to find space in his jeans for his cock.

  From what Kotori could figure out since she’d said her brother visited, he wanted results, and he would not accept that Shiya brought him none. That probably also meant they were close—too close. His and Birk’s idea to get Shiya out of Juneau was a good plan. They would make sure no one followed. The cabin they’d visited the last couple of days wouldn’t work for their purposes. The one no one knew about, far north, into the area few humans ventured, would work better.

  Relief flooded Shiya’s expression, and she smiled. Kotori felt like the sun shined in the restaurant, and he coughed to clear his throat. Birk appeared also to have trouble containing himself. Was she really their . . . No, he couldn’t bring himself to admit it, even in his mind.

  Shiya laid a hand on Birk’s and one on Kotori’s. He turned his palm faceup and laced his fingers with hers. He felt the shiver pass along her arm and stroked a thumb over her skin. The warmth there intrigued him, and he breathed in her scent. Next to her, his friend caught it too. Shiya wanted them. She could not fake it if she tried, but she wasn’t trying to. Her mission included seducing them. Theirs involved enjoying every inch of her incredible body and then waiting for the others to come so they could destroy the hunters. Shiya would not admit to the truth, and they chose not to enlighten her to the fact that her brother and whoever the rest of the hunters were had underestimated the Alaskan shifters. They would not live to regret it.

  “So do we want to use my place?” she offered. “Or one of yours? I think you said you live in the borough, Kotori? No, you said you don’t.” She frowned.

  Birk chuckled. “We’ll handle everything. You be ready for us when we come. We won’t stay at your suite this time. We don’t want to be interrupted.”

  She ducked her head. “I’m so sorry about that.” She glanced at Kotori.

  “I’m fine,” he told her. “Good as new.”

  Her eyes widened. “You don’t heal that fast, do you?”

  Birk stood up, cutting off the conversation. “Why don’t we see you back to your room, and you can get ready or rest. We’ll pick you up later this evening. Sound good?”

  She hesitated, and Kotori almost hoped she would deny her name and pledge to stay with them forever. If she did that, of course, their plans would crumble. He wasn’t willing to give them up just yet. Apparently, neither was she.

  “That sounds great. I’m sure I’ll need a nap with you two. Nine sound good?”

  “Sure,” Birk agreed, and Kotori nodded. “Have dinner because I don’t want to waste a moment eating . . . well . . . depending on what it is.”

  Shiya blushed, and they left the pub to return to Birk’s SUV. Birk dropped Shiya off at her suite, waited until she got inside, and they drove off.

  “So we’re doing this?” Kotori asked him.

  “Yeah, we’re doing it. We need to make preparations.”

  Kotori scratched his chin. Stubble grew already even though he’d shaved that morning. Shiya had noticed when they were out together alone that first time. He wasn’t sure if it turned her off. He would shave again before they picked her up because he didn’t want to irritate her soft skin.

  “I’m wondering how she’ll make the trip,” Birk said, cutting into his thoughts.

  “That’s a five-hour hike,” he agreed.

  Birk drove to the end of the street and turned right. “I need to drop by the hospital. You’re coming with me or what?”

  “Drop me here. I need to pick up a few items and deliver the herbs to my grandmother. What time are we really picking her up?”

  “Six.”

  “Okay, see you at five thirty.”

  “Later.”

  Chapter Eight

  Shiya woke in the lap of luxury, or that’s how it felt buried beneath mounds of warm blankets. Still half asleep, she stretched and yawned with her eyes closed. Rolling to her side, she became aware of something crackling, and her sluggish mind identified it as a fire in a fireplace. The thought of that lulled her, and she smiled, blinking. The room she lay in wasn’t familiar in the least. Where the hell was she, and when did she come here? She sat up and then gasped. The heavy blankets slid down to reveal that she had not a stitch of clothing on.

  “What in the hell is going on?”

  As she climbed from the bed, she scanned the place—rustic decor, including wooden walls, a slanted roof, and sturdy furniture only a man would choose. There were no pictures, and the curtains hanging from the window did nothing for her in their boring forest-green color. Was this a hunting lodge? She wrapped a sheet around herself and ventured farther on bare feet. The bedroom she left led into a larger room, a combo living room / dining room / kitchen. Off the main area, she spotted another bedroom and a bathroom.

  She stood in the center of the floor, trying to remember what happened when she met with Birk and Kotori. They arrived at six rather than nine like they’d said, and she hadn’t done more than shower. Once again, they caught her undressed, and she’d made them wait. While she pulled a comb through her hair and pinned it up, Birk had brought her a glass of wine and told her they’d sip it while they waited. She did and . . .

  Shiya frowned. “Those bastards!”

  She reached up to her hair and found every pin she’d put into it gone. That dang Birk hated her hair being pinned up. She stomped over to the front door, expecting to see a quiet street in Juneau with Roberts Mountain as a backdrop. When she stood in the entry, the sweep of arctic air took her breath away and almost froze her to death with nothing but the sheet as a barrier. Oh, there were mountains, all right, but they were farther away than what she was
used to and in several directions. No street appeared anywhere, and snow covered every inch of ground.

  Shiya slammed the door and scooted back to the fireside. She slid her feet as close to the heat as possible without burning her toes and hugged her arms around herself. Soon she warmed up, but her temper soared.

  A good hour passed before sounds outside the cabin alerted her the men had returned. She’d searched every corner of the small cabin for her clothing and found none, so she’d put on one of the guy’s shirts. Her bare legs stuck out of the bottom since no amount of finagling would help their pants to stay up on her.

  Birk was the first to walk in, stomping snow from his boots. She stalked over to him and blocked his path. “Where the hell am I, and what did you put in my wine?”

  He smiled. “Hello.”

  “Don’t hello me. I want to know what you did. And it looks like we’re in the middle of nowhere. How did I even get here?”

  “I carried you.” Kotori came into the cabin and shut the door behind him. She shifted her glare to him, taking in his words.

  “What do you mean you carried me? Are we close to Juneau?”

  “No.” Kotori pulled the hat off his head, and she noted his wet hair. The man must have wanted to catch his death of cold. He sat down to shed his boots and socks. When he tugged the shirt over his head, she lost track of her thoughts, taking in his bare chest.

  “Is that all you have to say?” she demanded when she pulled herself together.

  “And where are my clothes?”

  Birk scooted up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.