by Vivian Arend
“Have fun!”
There was something freeing about swinging the axe, forcing the few remaining struts on the one side to bend enough she could reach the outer layer. After spreading what was left of a rotting blanket over the glass shards, she shoved the far-left section of the storm shutters away, the loud screech of metal on metal ringing through the room.
The bright morning sunshine matched her mood as she dropped both her discovery and the axe to the outside ground, crawled up on the window ledge, and wiggled her way out.
Intense satisfaction sparkled like tiny bubbles inside. She didn’t want to shout, she was too full of pride and happiness. Instead, she grabbed her supplies and walked cautiously around the perimeter of the building. On the off-chance there was someone hiding in the area, she wasn’t going to walk into another trap.
Nothing but fresh air, the gentle noises of the tundra, and after her second corner, the front door with a deadbolt lock hanging from it.
She emptied her hands and knocked.
Shaun’s soft response came from just on the other side of the door. “I knew you’d do it.”
That he was already there, waiting for her, was huge. The impulse to burst out with a confession of love was so strong—but she still wanted to wait. “Thank you. Now, I need to get you out. Let me try this. Careful, it could get noisy.”
She swung at the lock, the first couple blows going off-angle and accomplishing not much more than making her ears ring. Then she turned the axe around, using the blunt backside of the head, and the metal twisted.
“It’s working, Shaun.”
“Woohoo, break me outta here, love.”
Another half-dozen blows were all it took. The lock fell into two pieces with a satisfying crash. She opened the bolt and drew it back. The door swung open, and she found herself lifted high into the air, spun in circles as Shaun squeezed her tight.
Then his lips were on hers and they were kissing. Mouths locked together, tongues tangling. She clutched his broad shoulders and smiled against him.
They drew apart, both grinning like fools.
“Well, so much for being trapped.” Shaun examined her carefully, his fingers skimming over her. “You okay? Nothing happen when you screamed? No cuts, no…”
“I’m fine. But thank you for asking.”
She cuddled to his side as he twisted to take in their surroundings. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about getting shot or beat on again. Man, they did abandon us.”
“Probably figured I’d be trapped and why bother to stick around.” Indignation rose. “I wish I could give them a piece of my mind. If they’d been wolves…”
Shaun hugged her again. “I’m pretty sure that’s why they were bears. You and I together can do a lot of damage to another pair of wolves, just by how strong we are. But all the hierarchy power in the world doesn’t work against different breeds of shifter.”
Under her ear, his heart pulsed with steady beat. “I’m ready to go home.”
He lifted her chin, smiling even as he shared the bad news. “Sorry, but that’s going to take a bit of work. The markings on the station give me a rough idea of where we are. I know from my days plotting trips up to Old Crow we’ve got a ways to hoof it. Still, in wolf we can do it. You okay with that?”
Gem batted her lashes at him. “You don’t want to call for a ride?”
Shaun raised a brow, and she snuck out from under his arm, grabbed her discovery and held it out to him. “Of course, I’m not positive this works, but I’m pretty sure I saw a flashlight in the prison room, that will have batteries. Plus, there were a lot of other wires and things in the room I broke out of. I figured a smart guy like you would totally be able to make this work.”
Shaun accepted the box from her, delight on his face. “You found a bloody ham radio.”
“Is that what this is?”
He nodded. “Damn, you scored big. Come on, I think we should order in room service with this thing. You want anchovies on the pizza?”
They moved back into the station. Gem buzzed with excitement to have been able to play a vital role in saving not only herself, but him. They worked together well as a team. And as he pulled apart the flashlight and twisted wires, Gem watched her mate, content to be at his side.
15
Waiting for the rescue team to reach them took less time than Shaun expected. Then again, he should have been suspicious when he used the ham radio and discovered word of their kidnapping was already common knowledge, at least in the wolf-shifter world.
When the first person out of the chopper was Caroline, Shaun wasn’t surprised. She was Evan’s assistant after all. But the tall, slender man who crawled out after her made his fur stand on end.
Gem squealed. She raced forward and threw herself at the man Shaun assumed was her father. Oh boy. On a scale of one to ten, running away was looking like a twenty-seven. The stern look the dude tossed his direction was pretty damn clear in showing what the old man thought of his baby girl’s choice of companions.
Good thing Gem’s mate selection wasn’t up to her father. Shaun smiled broadly.
Caroline made her way to his side. The most extraordinary colours decorated her face. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked.
She tossed him a grin. “Have you seen your face in a mirror lately?”
Oh, right. “There were three of them. They caught me from behind. They used laser beams and rancid pudding.”
“You forget to duck?”
He couldn’t get over her bruises. “I’m serious, Caroline. Has the world gone mad?” He sniffed. “Holy shit, you’ve been fucking around with Evan.”
She was laughing too hard to be offended. “No, the world isn’t mad. Or no madder than usual. Yes, Evan and I are seeing each other. Get over it. I’m here to escort Mr. Jacobs ‘to the rescue’ since he refused to remain behind. Evan is already working on getting a bead on the guys who jumped you—thanks for the note to start looking in Chicken. The bear shifters we talked to in Dawson were outraged that any of them would stoop to kidnapping—we have their full co-operation as well. Anyone laying a hand on Gem in the future will be given clan discipline, which I hear is actually tougher than what wolves hand out. Go figure.”
Shaun blinked hard. “Can you repeat that last part?”
She frowned. “Which part?”
“I kinda got stuck when you said you and Evan are seeing each other. What the fuck is he thinking?”
He didn’t see the blow coming, and by some freaky circumstance, she slammed him right on the most tender section of his ribs, and he folded like a card table. The ground hadn’t gotten any softer since the last time he smacked into it. He rolled to stare up at her, the bright sky haloed around her pretty blonde head.
“Dude. I speak wolf.” Her sweet smile belied the steel in her tone. “You know the rules. I’m with Evan. Next time you bitch at me, I kick you in the nuts. I would imagine you’d like to keep them intact, having found your mate and all.”
He accepted her outstretched hand and crawled to his feet. “Yup, got it. Congrats, etc. etc. Good to know. The chicks hanging all over him were driving the old guy a little insane.”
She muttered something that sounded like “you’re telling me” as she gestured him forward to where Gem stood speaking with her father.
The props on the chopper turned slowly, the sound barely disturbing the air. It was quiet enough that the lecture Mr. Jacobs delivered carried on the breeze far too easily. Gem waited in front of him, hands tucked in front of her, the rest of her body rigid and erect as if she wore a corset and had a book balanced on her head.
Shaun cleared his throat. Their gazes swung his direction. He wiggled his fingers. “Ho.”
Gem bit her lip, fighting back a smile.
Shaun stepped forward, hand held out to her dad. Only one way through and that was full-speed ahead. “Mr. Jacobs. Great to finally meet you. Thanks for coming to escort us home.”
“And you
are…?” The long, slow perusal up and down was followed by sudden comprehension. “Oh yes, the guide. Good to meet you as well.”
Then he turned his back and attempted to steer Gem toward the chopper.
Shaun tapped him on the shoulder. “Sir?”
Mr. Jacobs paused. “What? Oh…of course.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a wallet, grabbed a couple bills and pressed them into Shaun’s hand. “Here you go.”
Shaun closed his hand around the man’s fingers. “Sir. No. You need to listen for a minute.”
“Shaun, allow me.” Gem’s sweet voice snuck into his ears and tickled him into submission. He let go and raised his hands in surrender. If she wanted to do this, he’d let her.
Then she slipped under his arm and cuddled in close, and Mr. Jacobs’ jaw dropped.
“Daddy, I’d like you to meet Shaun Stevens. Yes, he’s my guide, but he’s also my mate.”
Wind swept over the North Pole and rattled in his future father-in-law’s open mouth. “Mate?”
She nodded.
Jacobs raised his head and narrowed his eyes. “Is this some kind of post-traumatic induced psychoses? Because I would understand—”
“Use your nose, dude,” Shaun blurted out. Oops. Forgot the polite bit. “Sir.”
There was no denying the dismay on the old man’s face this time. “Well, damn.”
“Daddy!” Gem stood to one side.
“Well, darling, it’s a little unexpected. Why didn’t you tell me?” He peered at them. “You aren’t marked. Why aren’t you marked if you’re mates?”
She wrinkled her nose and shifted uneasily on her feet. “It’s…complicated.”
Shaun snorted—he simply couldn’t stop it. Complicated? That was one way to describe their relationship.
Caroline stepped forward. “If I could make a suggestion, we should move this to the chopper. We need to get back to Dawson and the rest of the search crew.”
Gem shook her head. “I don’t want to go back to Dawson.”
She didn’t? Shaun waited with bated breath to see what was next on the agenda.
Gem faced her father. “Thank you for coming and getting us.” She turned to include Caroline in the conversation. “We really appreciate it. And I do hope there’s a group going after the kidnappers. But what Shaun and I need is a ride back to his helicopter, or better yet to somewhere close to our abandoned campsite.”
Caroline nodded slowly. “I believe we can arrange that. I’ll have to double-check with the pilot.”
She took off toward the helicopter.
“What you doing, love?” Shaun smoothed a hand down her back and she melted against him. She was perfect there, and it was so right to hold her in his arms. There was another option—and while it wasn’t what he wanted, he had to offer her the choice. “I can go get the chopper if you want to go back to Dawson with your father.”
“I think that’s for the best,” Jacobs interjected. “We can meet in Whitehorse and discuss the rest of—”
“No.” Gem stared at her father. “Did you not hear what I just said?”
“Darling, you’ve had a traumatic experience.”
“Darn tootin’, I have.”
Shaun fought to hide his grin as her father’s eyes widened. “Gem!”
“Daddy, Shaun and I need to go back to retrieve the equipment we abandoned. I have my research notes to gather. If you’d like to wait for us in Whitehorse, you’re welcome to— Evan Stone seems to be a very accommodating Alpha. But I, and my mate, have some other business to attend to first. I hope you understand.”
Shaun was so proud he wanted to howl. Instead, he kept rubbing her back, letting her know he was there if she needed him.
Mr. Jacobs folded his arms across his chest. “I see. That’s the way it’s going to be, is it?”
Gem nodded curtly, then softened. “Thank you for coming. I love you, Daddy.”
How could any male resist when she pulled that sweet, innocent face on him?
“I love you too, pumpkin.” Jacobs stared at Shaun for a moment. “You. We’ll be having a long talk the next time we meet, young man.”
Shaun resisted temptation. Oh, the things he could say right now. “Looking forward to it, sir.”
Crossing the short distance to the helicopter and finding places for everyone was bizarre in its normality. Anticlimactic even, like they were out for a sightseeing tour.
The chopper was full and noisy, jammed in with the pilot, this weird dude in a suit, Gem’s father, Caroline and him and Gem. But the way his mate curled against his body, and settled his hand over her warm belly made the discomfort of being squeezed into one seat more than tolerable.
If he could just figure out what the hell was going on.
He really could nab the chopper on his own. She could spend some time with her father, have a hot bath and return to civilization. Of course, the chances of her deciding to stay with him in the north grew dimmer by the minute.
Their entire relationship had been a comedy of errors, and it was only by sheer chance that the kidnapping hadn’t turned out any more violent and bloody. The north hadn’t shown itself in the best light.
Gem, however, had shone like a diamond. It was clear his fragile princess had a rock-solid core, and a lot more inside her head than he’d given her credit for at the start. And a lot more than her father understood.
They were dropped off an appropriate distance from the tent. Caroline tapped him on the shoulder as Gem said her goodbyes to her father.
“I can make sure he stays distracted for a while, or send him home. Which do you prefer?”
Shaun sighed. He knew what he wanted, but Gem hadn’t said a word. If she decided to return south, she should travel with her father. Safety in numbers and all that. “Distract him. We’ll only be four, five days, at the most. The herd should be gone by then, and we’ll grab our stuff and return.”
She nodded. “For what it’s worth, I hope she stays.”
“Me too.” Very, very much.
Gem ran, working her shorter legs hard to keep up with Shaun. She liked that he didn’t slow down for her anymore, that he pushed on and found a comfortable tempo to run. She was able to maintain the pace better now than when she’d started this adventure.
That’s what she needed to let him know. While seeing her father had brought up some doubts and concerns, it had also made one truth that much clearer. She and Shaun belonged together. Figuring out where to live was the least of their worries.
If her daddy had any idea of taking her back south against her will? There would be none of that. Plus, the one detail she and Shaun needed to complete? It was going to happen soon.
Her wolf shivered with anticipation.
They slowed as they reached the outskirts of their campsite, her heart pounding from the exertion and from the thrill of her secret plans. She tossed back her head and breathed deeply. The caribou were still in the area, their scent strong in her nostrils, but not as strong as she anticipated.
Ahead of her, Shaun had shifted back to human. She joined him, checking the landscape from their lookout perch.
He pointed to the side. “There. The caribou have already changed location. Not much, but enough we can get at our things.”
She squeezed him briefly before they shifted and returned to the tent.
They made quick work of packing, silent for the most part, talking as they gathered the scattered objects. Even a single night later, the animals and winds had begun to take their human possessions back to the wild. Gem smiled as she examined the chewed toe of a sock, the fabric shredded to fuzz, some no doubt stolen away for a nest or a burrow. She carefully pulled the rest of the sock apart and deposited the scraps into the scoop of a hollow at the edge of a bush. One of the small creatures of the tundra would find the supplies soon enough.
Pulling her hiking boots back on was painful, yet not as bad as she expected. The happiness she experienced every time they bumped elbows or rocked into each
other in the tent…there was no containing how much she truly enjoyed being with him now.
They hit the path, and once they’d walked far enough their voices wouldn’t disturb anything, conversation began again.
“I’m sorry if I blew it with your father.”
Gem laughed. “He should be apologizing to you. And to me. That wasn’t what I expect of him.”
“Really?”
Well… “Okay, yes, he’s very decisive about what he wants for me, but I didn’t think he’d question if we really were mates.”
Shaun fell silent. She understood his reticence. There wasn’t much he could say. While neither of them had ever denied their mating, they hadn’t been shouting it out to the world either, had they? She hadn’t marked him, she hadn’t confirmed they would stay together.
A string of swear words bubbled inside, wanting very badly to escape. Northern air getting to her again, or simply what really needed to be said.
Gem paced closer to Shaun, to make sure he heard her question. “We going to camp one night on the way back?”
“I think so. You good to hike for a little longer tomorrow?”
Definitely, since she had plans for tonight. “That’s fine.”
They fell silent, the rhythm of hiking smooth and almost hypnotic as his feet hit the path ahead of her again and again. Thoughts raced through her mind in an endless loop.
North, south, north, south.
She had no idea, no way to know which was better. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had to be by his side.
They set up the tent again, got a pot of water going. Shaun sat across from her as she leaned away from lighting the stove, the most peculiar expression on his face.
“What?”
“You look… No, it’s silly.”
Gem knelt back and planted her fists on her hips. “What?”
“You look good.”
Lot of work for a little compliment, but she’d take it. “Thank you.”
He didn’t stop staring. And she couldn’t stop staring back. Her wolf bumped her, hard. Really hard, and she swallowed with need.
Screw supper, she wanted her mate.