by Eve Langlais
“Have you been staring at me all night?” she asked jokingly.
“Yes.”
She arched a brow. “How come?”
“I find you attractive and I enjoy looking at you.”
He spoke softly, probably so as not to disturb the children, but his words were unmistakable. Unprepared for such a blunt answer, Caitlin tried to change the subject. Nervousness had her picking a topic at random.
“So, um, where’s Cole’s mom?”
As soon as the words left her lips, she cringed. Could she have chosen a more awkward topic?
Fortunately, Winter didn’t seem perturbed. “She’s likely still living in Appomattox.”
Curious, Caitlin gathered up one of the furs and crawled over to sit beside Winter.
“Why is she there and not with the two of you?”
Winter was quiet for a moment, and Caitlin thought he might not answer her. She regretted prying, almost as much as she regretted getting closer to him. The man smelled sinfully good.
He was watching the fire as he began to speak. “I was young when I met Laura. She didn’t know what I was and I wasn’t interested in telling her. I had never wanted a mate or cubs. I had just wanted to live a normal life.”
Winter told her how he’d become an apprentice to Laura’s father, the town mechanic. Winter proposed to her in the first year and they were married and living together by the second. It was funny to think of a man like Winter blending into human society and being a mechanic, no less.
“I wasn’t happy,” he said. “I missed the mountains and hiding what I was became increasingly difficult. When Laura became pregnant, I was almost relieved. It would be impossible raising a cub around humans. We’d have to leave Appomattox and head back to the mountains.”
“But Laura didn’t want to go?” Caitlin surmised.
Winter gave a dry laugh. “When I told her what I was, I had to beg her not to have an abortion. Things didn’t get much better from there.”
Caitlin swallowed hard.
He went on to say, “I thought maybe things would change once Cole was born, but they didn’t. She refused to even touch him. He shifted for the first time when he was a month old. After that, I took him and left.”
“I can’t believe she would turn her back on her own son,” Caitlin said, shaking her head. “That’s awful.”
Winter gave her a pointed look. “What would you do, if you had a son that turned into a bear?”
Caitlin glanced over at the children. Sophia had her arms wrapped around Cole’s neck and her head resting on his. They were both snoring, and it was hard to tell which was louder.
“Well, for starters,” she said, “I’d throw away all of my pillows.”
When she looked at him again, Winter was smiling. Faced with such a gorgeous sight, she had to remind herself to breathe. The man was freaking hot.
Permitting her good sense to lapse for a moment, she wondered what it would be like to be with a man like Winter. He eyes lingered on his sensual mouth, even after his smile had faded. The region between her thighs ached, though she had no idea why. Winter hadn’t done anything to suggest that he wanted her, except…
I find you attractive and I enjoy looking at you.
Oh, yeah, he had said that.
She dared a glance up at his eyes, and when she saw them, her toes curled. He was staring at her with stark intensity. His nostrils flared and she wondered if he liked her scent.
When he leaned in close, nervousness got the better of her and she began to babble.
“I can stay up if you want to get some sle–”
Winter pressed his lips to hers, effectively silencing Caitlin. For a moment, she remained still, hardly able to process what was happening. His warm lips kissed her skillfully, undaunted by her lack of response.
When she snapped out of her stupor, Caitlin began kissing him back, meeting his enthusiasm twofold. She let the furs around her drop as her hands reached out to explore his chest. Beneath the layers of pelts were stacks of hard muscle and she boldly ran her hands over them.
As her thumb brushed over his nipple, Winter let out a low growl. Caitlin froze in alarm.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, her cheeks heating. “I don’t know what… I mean, I don’t normally do things like this.”
In response, Winter gave her shoulder a gentle push. She lost her balance and fell back, but managed to brace herself with her elbows. The bear shifter loomed over her, caging her in with his large body.
“Neither do I, and besides, now’s not the time.”
His eyes flickered over to where the children lay sleeping a few feet away. If it were possible, Caitlin’s face became hotter. She’d forgotten all about the kids.
Winter regained her attention as he leaned down to hover his face over hers. Heat seemed to radiate from his body.
“But that doesn’t mean there won’t be time later,” he said.
The sultry tone of his voice made her insides clench. So much about her future was up in the air, but Caitlin did know one thing for certain. She wanted Winter.
Chapter Five
After he carried her back to her fur pallet, Winter told Caitlin that she should try to go back to sleep. He would be waking her at the ‘crack of dawn’. That was why, when he woke her only a short while later, she was confused and disoriented.
“Winter, it’s still dark out,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “Dawn has most certainly not ‘cracked’ yet.”
“Wake the children. Get them ready, quickly and quietly.”
There was urgency in his hushed voice and her eyes sprung open to survey the area. The fire had been stomped out and Winter was in the process of shedding his clothes. Recognizing that he planned on shifting, she set to the task he’d given her.
Caitlin only had to nudge Cole once before he was awake and alert. The cub quickly shifted into his human form and began to dress, not asking for an explanation. Sophia was more of a challenge. She was usually a light sleeper, but tonight she was resting like a bag of bricks. Even once Caitlin had managed to wake her, Sophia was little more than a cranky rag doll, swaying to and fro and refusing to stand up on her own.
Then, the howling began. Briefly, they all went rigid. The haunting sound chilled Caitlin to her bones. Wolves? Or worse… werewolves.
Sophia let out a soft whimper, pulling Caitlin back into reality. No sooner did Winter complete the shift than Caitlin was hauling Sophia onto his back. Cole was able to climb up on his own and Caitlin joined them without hesitation, wrapping one arm around the children and gripping Winter’s fur with her free hand.
Winter set out immediately. Caitlin realized that they’d left not only the furs, but also her purse behind. She was about to ask Winter to turn back, but the howling began again, this time closer than before. Her mouth snapped shut and she tightened her hold on the children.
Predawn light filtered through the naked trees, casting shadows all around them. Winter moved deftly over the harsh terrain of rocks, snow, and ice, his pace never faltering.
Just when Caitlin thought they might have eluded their pursuers, three wolves materialized from the shadows, blocking their path. Winter noticed them a fraction of a second before Caitlin and he came to a hard stop.
With only one hand securing her, the momentum threw Caitlin off balance and she fell, taking the children down with her. For some reason, she didn’t panic when her ass hit the ground. Perhaps she’d been under the assumption that the wolves would keep their distance, maybe even shift and have some long, pedantic conversation with Winter, which of course would give Caitlin ample time to strategize an escape plan.
Caitlin had to learn the hard way that that sort of thing only happened in movies.
Their fall drew Winter’s attention, only for a fraction of a second, but long enough for the wolves to capitalize on his distraction. Two of them lunged for Winter, one latching onto his back and the other going for his throat. The third wolf went straight for the children.<
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Reacting purely on instinct, she threw her body over the children to shield them. She felt a searing her pain in her arm, but didn’t know if it was teeth or claws. A sob tore from her chest, but she refused to let the children go.
Winter let out a loud roar. Caitlin looked up in time to see him lock his powerful jaws around the wolf’s head, sending him flying. The wolf managed to scramble back to his feet, but from the way he hobbled back into the darkness, it was clear that he’d been severely injured.
Caitlin staggered to her feet, ignoring the pain in her arm. With a powerful shake of his body, Winter flung one of the wolves from his back, but the wolf at his neck was more persistent. It took several seconds for Winter to pin the wolf beneath his paws, and by then, the second wolf was returning for more.
Through the trees, Caitlin could see more wolves approaching. The situation was dire, but with the addition of Sophia’s wailing, it took all of Caitlin’s willpower to keep it together. As one of the wolves leapt at them, Caitlin kicked at it with all her might, her booted foot connecting with its head. She managed to stun him long enough for Winter to react. The bear shifter kicked at the wolf with his own hind legs and it was far more effective, as Caitlin could hear the crunching of bone.
The wolf’s ribcage was crushed. She thought the death of one of their pack mates would have incited more violence, but the wolves abruptly halted their assault and retreated to the trees. Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, Caitlin realized they were converging.
Another wolf had joined them, this one far larger than the others. He had a sleek, brown coat and was almost the height of a man. The smaller wolves gathered around him, regarding him expectantly. He was their leader.
As Caitlin said a silent prayer as Winter moved to stand in front of her and the children. Standing up on his hind legs, he let out a thunderous roar. Her heartbeat stuttered. They should be falling to their knees and begging for mercy, not roaring.
To her dismay, Cole squirmed from her grip and shifted, joining his father in roaring at the wolves.
The alpha wolf stood still as a statue, his gaze focused intently on Caitlin. She stared right into his black eyes and issued him the coldest glare she could muster. With her eyes, she conveyed what her trembling lips could not. It was the very same thing Winter was conveying with his blood–curdling roar.
They would fight to the death to protect their family.
Much later, Winter would explain to her that in that moment, the alpha wolf had weighed the pros and cons of attacking them and that he’d almost certainly been aiming to claim Caitlin for himself. In the end, he had most likely decided that she was not worth the trouble of going through Winter, because the next moment, he let out a sharp bark before turning and walking away. The pack soon followed, leaving their fallen pack mate where he lay.
Caitlin mustered just enough strength to herd the distressed children onto Winter’s back. The bear paused only briefly to ensure they were secure, before taking off down the mountain.
Chapter Six
“I smell blood,” Cole said.
The sun had only just risen and Winter was making his way across a shallow river. Caitlin had been flirting with unconsciousness when Cole’s statement sobered her. She remembered the wound she’d received from the wolf.
The dull pain had been little more than a minor annoyance and when she rolled up her sleeve, she could see why. There was a lot of blood, but whatever had punctured her had only done so in two places and the small wounds had already clotted.
“No worries,” she said, giving him a reassuring wink. “It’s just a flesh wound.”
Something else caught her eye, though. There was a large splotch of blood on her pink sweater. Caitlin nudged Sophia forward to get a better look. She didn’t remember getting wounded on the stomach.
Just then, Sophia slumped over. On reflex, Caitlin caught her and pulled Sophia up into her arms. The little girl’s face was pale and her eyes were unfocused.
“Oh my God, oh my God. Winter, stop!”
Without waiting for him to respond, Caitlin climbed down off his back with Sophia cradled in her arms. She dashed through the cold river water and dropped to her knees at the shore, pulling Sophia’s sweater off to inspect the damage.
Along with a smatter of yellowing bruises was a gash in her small back. Caitlin let out a sharp cry when she saw the deep wound.
How had she allowed Sophia to become injured? Even worse, why hadn’t she immediately checked to make sure Sophia was okay after the wolves had left?
Tears clouded her vision as Winter arrived at her side. He had shifted into his human form, not bothering to put on clothes. If the freezing temperature bothered him, he didn’t show it.
“Give me your arm,” he said.
Caitlin was quick to acquiesce, though she didn’t understand what he wanted. With brisk practicality, Winter tore off the sleeve of her sweater and fashioned it into a tourniquet around Sophia’s midsection.
“My cave is still a few hours away,” he said. “Once we’re there, I can suture the wound, but we have to move fast.”
***
Winter’s cave was musty, but otherwise cozy. True to Cole’s words, it did feel very safe, far safer than any house Caitlin had ever been in.
After declaring that he would keep Sophia warm, Cole had shifted into his bear form and cuddled up beside the prone girl, quickly falling asleep. For Caitlin and Winter, there could be no rest until they knew for sure that Sophia would be all right.
Once her wounds had been cleaned and sutured, Winter had started a small fire. He had draped a warm pelt over Caitlin’s shoulders before sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around her waist. Greedily, she leaned against him, drawing on his strength.
Conversation between them was splintered. She could tell that Winter was doing his best to keep her from stressing, but she knew what was on his mind. When she felt composed enough, she finally broached the unspoken subject.
“She’s used to pain. That’s why she didn’t complain about her back and why she didn’t cry when you gave her stitches.”
“The bruises?” he asked.
“They’re from her father. At least, I think they all are.” Caitlin blinked and swiped at her eyes, more angry than upset.
“Is that why you didn’t want to return to Carter County?”
She nodded. “I started noticing the bruises last year. Heather–that’s my sister–she would always make excuses whenever I brought them to her attention. ‘Sophia’s always roughhousing with boys’ and ‘Sophia’s such an active girl’. I believed her because, well, she’s my sister. Her husband, Tommy, liked to drink–everyone in town knew that, but I never thought that Heather would let him hit her, or Sophia.
“When I kept noticing the bruises, I tried asking Sophia. She’d always corroborate whatever Heather said, but I could tell she was lying. I tried pressuring Heather into doing something, but I could tell she was starting to resent me for interfering. I was afraid that if I kept asking questions, she’d stop letting me around Sophia.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?” Winter asked.
“I tried to, but it was a small town. Tommy was a deputy and his father had been the sheriff for over two decades. When I went down to fill out a police report, the deputy literally threw the paper in the trash. He told me I should keep my nose out of other people’s business.”
The memory had Caitlin scowling, but in the end, she’d been angrier with herself than with the police.
“I didn’t know what else to do, so I started offering to babysit Sophia. I figured, if I could just keep her away from home more often than not, I’d be protecting her.”
Caitlin ran a hand through her hair. “It was such dumb logic. Truthfully, I was overwhelmed and I wanted an easy solution. I kept her at my place as much as possible and I had myself convinced that I was doing everything I could…”
She trailed off and when she spoke again, her tone was
laced with bitterness. “Two days ago, she went out to play in the snow. When she came back in, I decided to give her a bath. She always made it a point to dress herself. I’d seen the bruises on her arms, but never the ones on her back… It was horrible, and I knew that I couldn’t turn a blind eye to it anymore.
“I didn’t have a plan. I just packed her up in the car and headed for the nearest town.”
Winter rubbed small circles in her side. “You did the right thing.”
“Yeah, right,” she replied, fresh tears welling up. “All I’ve managed to do is almost get her killed. Repeatedly. Some savior I am.”
Winter bent to kiss the top of her head. “You’ve done all that you can, given the circumstances. I will help you from here.”
Caitlin slumped against him, allowing the tears to fall freely from her eyes. Logic told her that she shouldn’t be so quick to place her and Sophia’s future in the hands of a man she’d just met, but intuition and experience told her that Winter just may be the one person she could depend on.
Chapter Seven
Caitlin heard whispering interlaced with giggles and she knew that something was up. Seconds later, a snowball collided with the back of her head. She turned to scowl at the culprits.
Sophia laughed harder, while Cole stood petrified, his eyes as big as saucers.
“I–I… She told me to do it,” he said, looking aghast. “Please don’t be mad.”
Walking over to crouch in front of the terrified boy, she said, “Are you kidding me? You’re way too cute for me to be mad at you.”
As Cole’s posture slumped with relief, Caitlin smashed a handful of snow into his face.
“But I can still get even.”
While Sophia fell into hysterics, Caitlin pulled Cole in for a hug, softening the blow of her assault. The boy didn’t resist, and in fact, eagerly snuggled into her chest. She held him close, resting her cheek on his head. To say that she was becoming attached to him was an understatement.