Protecting His Wolf: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy with Witches, Werebears, and Werewolves (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 7)
Page 21
Holding her breath in order to distinguish her heartbeat from what she thought was a wild animal, Missy remained still and listened for sounds of movement. Even though she detected nothing, she decided she had enough mushrooms to make the potion for Anna. Careful not to make any noise, Missy rose. While she probably could calm even a mother bear, she didn’t want to test her theory. Turning off her light so as not to attract more attention, she twisted around and headed toward the entrance. In the near dark cave, she stepped on a small rock that shot out to the side, causing the stone to ping against the wall loud enough to reverberate in the quiet cave.
Damn. Her muscles locked and her breath barely eked out.
Move.
Inhaling deeply, her muscles finally engaged. Missy scurried forward with more care this time.
“Don’t leave,” came a deep voice from behind her before she’d had the chance to take ten steps.
Startled, she flicked on the light, and when she spun on her heel, the light landed on the man’s face. What skin she could see, appeared unlined though his beard and dark tangled hair that brushed his broad shoulders implied he might have just shifted. That, or he was some homeless man.
He instantly lifted his hands in front of his face. “Hey.”
She backed up. Missy hadn’t meant to blind him, but he had startled her. She lowered the light to his chest and noticed he wasn’t carrying any weapons. While that was a good thing, the fact he was naked was not.
With effort, she kept the beam above his waist, not wanting to chance glancing at his lower half. Fearing he might do something to her, she continued to move closer to the entrance.
“Where am I?” he asked, his words coming out thick as if he’d just awoken. He reached up and dragged his hand across his neck. His shoulders then slumped.
She’d have thought the answer was obvious: he was in a cave. The confused man stepped forward while she continued her backward movement a bit faster this time, all the while keeping her light on him.
“Wait. Don’t go,” he pleaded. Missy halted but said nothing, her heart pounding too hard. “This is a little bit embarrassing but I need some clothes. If you could find something for me to wear and leave it outside the cave, I’d be eternally grateful.”
Really? Did he think she’d have an extra set of clothes on her? She then recalled a few stories her sister had told her about some embarrassing situations her mate had found himself in after shifting. Perhaps this man was merely desperate and in need of help.
It was decision time.
Trust him or run?
*
Zanedar the Hunter had never met a human who wasn’t a shifter before, which meant one thing: he was on earth. Well damn. As far as he could tell, he had two choices: one was to tell this delicate creature the truth about how he came to be there and chance her running away, and the second was make up a story whereby she might give him some aid. Mentioning he was a shifter was too risky since humans weren’t aware of his kind.
As much as he hated to deceive anyone, he had no weapons and no way to buy anything. Basically, he was at this woman’s mercy. Without her aid, the next twenty-four hours would be harder than they needed to be.
Not wanting to scare her off, Zanedar stepped backward and his right leg buckled. Had he not reached out and grasped the rough cave rock, he might have fallen. Stupid injury. Hibernating must have triggered his bear’s need to conserve energy and had shut down.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice as strong as a steal blade yet as light and sweet as the finest wine.
Truth or lie? “I don’t know exactly. My best friend just died, and I remembered deciding it might be a good idea to get stinking drunk. Apparently, I was mistaken. After that, it’s all a blank.” He waved his hand. “Somehow I ended up in this cave.” He was rather pleased that he’d come up with that story, though much of it was true.
“I’m sorry about your friend.” She continued to edge backward, and he couldn’t let her leave.
“Thank you. I’m Zane…” Telling her he was called Zanedar the Hunter might scare her more than he already had. People from earth had two names. “Zane Hunter.”
Thankfully, she stopped. “I’m Missy Berta.”
He liked the rhythm of the name. He liked a lot more than that about her, but he needed to focus. Finding a way back home was his first priority. “Nice to meet you, Missy Berta. So do you think you can help me get some clothes? I’d hate to have to live in this cave for the rest of my life.” Zane smiled, hoping to disarm her.
She lowered the beam of light so that it lit the dirt at his feet. “I guess I could ask my sister. Her husband might have something you could wear.”
While doubt filled her voice, he was thrilled she considered helping him. He also was pleased she hadn’t said her husband might have something for him, though he wasn’t sure why he should care.
She’s your mate, his still sleepy bear chided.
You’re wrong, though if he were staying, he’d consider enjoying someone as delightful as this woman.
“Zane are you okay?” she asked, sounding worried.
He didn’t need her to doubt his sanity any more than she already had. “Ah, yeah. I’m still trying to get my bearings.”
“I said I could try to get you some clothes.”
Wearing some made for the average man might be difficult. He’d been told most of the men here were smaller than he was, but he couldn’t be too picky. “That would be great.”
“I need to go outside to make the call,” Missy said, her words hesitant, almost as if she was considering running. “The cell reception inside the cave is non-existent.”
He wanted to question her about what she meant by reception, but that might lead to her asking him things he wasn’t ready to discuss. “Okay.”
When his sweet smelling savior turned around and rushed toward the light, he followed her outside, keeping a good distance behind her. All of the women he knew could shift and fight if they were scared, but human women, he was told, had no such skills.
When she finally reached the forested area and turned toward him, he couldn’t help but stare at her beauty. He bet she had skin as soft as a doe’s and her hair? Amazing. It was auburn, as the richest leaves of fall. Missy only came up to his chest, and while she wasn’t slim hipped, he had no doubt he could have picked her up with one arm. Delicate women weren’t something he often saw, but he definitely found her shape highly stimulating.
I wonder why, his snarky bear retorted.
Zane needed his inner bear to go back to sleep. The long rest must have addled his brain.
This intriguing yet feisty woman pulled out something from her bag that was rectangular and small. Keeping her gaze on the item, she ran her finger across the surface and then placed it to her ear.
Her eyes lit up a moment later. “Izzy. I’m glad I got a hold of you. I need a favor,” she said. “I know you’ll think I’m crazy, but as I was picking mushrooms for Anna, I ran into a man in one of the caves on the south side of town who lost his clothes somehow.” She turned her back on him, but her voice still traveled. “I don’t know if he is. No I don’t think that would be a good idea. Just listen. All I need is for you to bring me some of Rye’s old clothes. Or better yet, could you send Rye and maybe even Kalan?” She glanced over her shoulder at him and ran her gaze up and down his body, stopping briefly at his cock. It must have been the lighting under the canopy of trees, but he swore blue sparks shot off her arm. “I’d say he’s six feet eight and quite thick. Thanks.” She lowered her arm and faced him, still holding the odd device in her palm.
“Can you get the clothes?” he asked, needing to take his mind off this alluring creature. His body was slowly waking up, as was his cock.
“Yes. My sister said she was confident she could find something to fit you. It will take her at least half an hour to get here though.” Missy lowered her gaze and sucked in a breath. “Your leg is cut. Do you need help?”
She opened the bag slung over her shoulder, pulled out something, and then immediately stuffed it back inside again. “On second thought, I probably should wait until my sister and her husband arrive.”
Damn. She was afraid, but he had no idea how to let her know he’d never harm her. Zane actually had to work hard not to let his chest cave. To think he’d been so close to having her trust.
“No problem. It doesn’t even hurt.” He’d say anything to keep her there. To show her he was no threat, Zane slid down to the ground to wait for her sister to arrive.
Missy leaned forward, indecision crossing her face. It was if she thought he’d just collapsed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Zanedar needed to keep his lying to a minimum. “I’ll be fine. If you want to wait someplace for your friends to arrive, I’ll just rest here.” Resting was the last thing he needed right now. He certainly wasn’t sleep deprived.
“They’ll find me, but I do need to call another friend. I was here collecting mushrooms for a healing potion for her, and I need to let her know I’ll be delayed.”
Did that mean that Missy was a healer? Collecting herbs, coupled with her nurturing nature implied it. “Go ahead.”
Once more she swiped a finger across the rectangular box, tapped it, and then lifted it to her ear. Zanedar really wanted to understand how she was able to communicate with another person without wires.
“Anna, it’s Missy. How are you feeling?” She nodded and glanced off to the side. It was almost as if she was trying to decide if she should leave. “That’s good. I’m calling because I got a little caught up at the caves, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. Please rest. I’ll see you soon.”
He didn’t think she was sounding any kind of alarm, which was good. He certainly didn’t need her to call the authorities and announce that some giant, hairy, naked man was residing in the town’s caves. His gaze lowered to the torch in her hand. The size and shape wasn’t something he’d seen before. More and more proof was coming his way that his life as he’d known it was about to change.
Between the light emitting device and her fascinating communicator, he needed answers in order to decide his next course of action. Unfortunately, he had to keep his secret a little longer.
Missy leaned against a tree fifteen feet away and studied him. As long as he was in acting mode, he decided to carry his ruse a little further, mostly to see how she’d react. Zane leaned over, rubbed his scalp, and let out a slight groan, acting as though the blow from the fight still affected him. “I think I might have hit my head right before I passed out.”
Missy straightened. “How long were you out for?”
He had no idea. That was the problem. “I’m unsure. Right now, everything is a bit fuzzy. I know this sounds crazy to ask, but what year is it?” She’d used the same crazy comment as an excuse for asking something out of the ordinary, so he thought it might work for him.
“It’s 2017. What year do you think it is?”
Zane’s heart nearly stopped. She had to be wrong, but to question her again would ruin things. “The same year.”
Well damn. His situation was worse than he could have ever imagined.
PACK WARS (Paranormal)
Training Their Mate (book 1)
Claiming Their Mate (book 2)
Rescuing Their Virgin Mate (book 3)
Box Set (books 1-3)
Loving Their Vixen Mate (book 4)
Fighting For Their Mate (book 5)
Enticing Their Mate (book 6)
MONTANA PROMISES (Full length contemporary)
Promises of Mercy (book 1)
Foundations For Three (book 2)
Montana Fire (book 3)
Hart To Hart (book 4)
Burning Seduction (book 5)
Montana Promises Box Set (books 1-3)
ROCK HARD, MONTANA (contemporary novellas)
Montana Desire (book 1)
Awakening Passions (book 2)
HIDDEN HILLS SHIFTERS (Paranormal)
An Unexpected Diversion (book 1) – FREE
Bare Instincts (book 2)
Shifting Destinies (book 3)
Embracing Fate (book 4)
Promises Unbroken (book 5)
SOUTHERN SHIFTERS KINDLE WORLDS
Bear ’N Dirty
WERES & WITCHES OF SILVER LAKE
A Magical Shift (book 1)
Catching Her Bear (book 2)
A Surge of Magic (book 3)
The Bear’s Forbidden Wolf (book 4)
Her Reluctant Bear (book 5)
Freeing His Tiger (book 6)
Protecting His Wolf (book 7)
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