by Susan Bliler
***
Maia watched Carter rush from the barn and wondered if the man was going to hyperventilate. She couldn’t help but wonder if his reaction was a result of the fact that she was human. It had to be. Why else would a lethal mountain lion shifter be having a panic attack just by being in her presence? For a second she almost felt sorry for herself, but that quickly shifted into pity for him. Humans had wrecked his world, and now here she was forcing him to face his demons . . . but she wasn’t a demon. And he needed to realize that while there were bad people in the world, not all people were the same.
Lost in her thoughts of Carter and why he was the way he was, she worked absentmindedly on examining each dog. She needed to know what type of medication Dr. McAvoy had prescribed, so she rooted around the barn until she remembered the feed stall. Stepping into it, she was impressed with how clean and organized it was. Four large plastic garbage cans with lids were slid under a counter. Pulling one out and popping the lid revealed dog food. Above the counter were shelves built into the wall that housed everything from flea and tick shampoo and nail clippers to bags of tennis balls and large Kongs for stuffing with peanut butter for a sweet treat. She found health records for each dog too and went over them painstakingly. Because there were so many dogs, it took quite a while, but it helped her immensely. Each folder had a picture of the dog, which helped Maia put a name with a face. Carter had rattled off names so quickly that she’d forgotten them, so the pics with the files really helped. After spending an hour and a half reading, Maia finally found the medication from Dr. McAvoy and winced at what she read. The town veterinarian was good with horses but in her opinion had no business treating dogs. His prescription confirmed it.
Going out to her own supplies, she found the medicine she needed for the sickest dogs. Satisfied that her meds wouldn’t interact with any Dr. McAvoy had given the animals, she made quick work of administering the shots. After, she washed out all eighteen water bowls and gave the dogs fresh water. She really needed to get the dogs moved around but was afraid to do so without Carter or someone there to help her. What she could do without any help was muck out the four empty stalls on the opposite end of the barn and get them prepared. If it was okay with Carter, it’s where she’d move Chance and the other three dogs who were worse than the rest. Some of the dogs were fine, and Maia wanted to keep it that way. The best way to make that happen was to put the sick animals in quarantine.
Heaving a tired sigh, she rubbed at her sore neck and made her way to the stalls. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 2
Sitting at the dinner table with the rest of his pride, Carter was more snarly than usual. He knew it had everything to do with the tiny woman out in his barn.
Rall broke the silence by asking, “Should we invite her in? Maybe she’s hungry.”
Carter shot the kid a dark look. Okay, kid was stretching it. Rall was twenty-eight, but still the youngest of the four brothers seated at the table.
“O-kay,” Rall mouthed and then quietly whispered, “be a jerk then.” He dipped his eyes back to his plate of food and dug in.
Carter slid his eyes from Rall to Deacon, who was staring at him intently. Deacon didn’t talk much—hell, he hardly ever talked at all—but the guys usually knew what he was thinking. Right now, though, Carter couldn’t help but wonder if Deacon also thought he was being a jerk.
“I’ll take her out a plate,” Zander drawled.
It had Carter’s hackles up in an instant. He didn’t want the shameless flirt out there harassing Maia. “No one is feeding the human,” he snarled.
Zander’s eyes narrowed on his Apex while a wry grin twisted his lips. “Are we supposed to stay away from her because she’s a human or because you want her for yourself?”
“Don’t be fucking ridiculous,” Carter snapped. “She’s a fucking human!”
“She’s pretty,” Rall mumbled.
Deacon grunted his agreement.
It was Zander, though, who wouldn’t let it go. “So, boss, if she’s not for you, does that mean that I can . . .”
His words cut off as Carter shot up out of his seat so fast that his chair crashed backward. His hands slamming down on the table had plates and silverware rattling. Leaning onto his arms, eyes blown out with his lion, he boomed, “No!” Jerking back, he stalked out of the kitchen, hackles rising at Zander’s quietly muttered, “Didn’t think so.”
Carter slammed out of the house. His legs were on autopilot and carried him straight toward the barn. Ears straining the closer he got, he was surprised at the lack of noise. Granted, it was late, and Maia had been at it for . . . Glancing down at his watch, he grimaced to realize she’d been working nonstop for the past eight hours. Carter had stuck close to the house after warning his men about Maia’s presence, which meant he knew for a fact that she hadn’t left the barn once. Now, guilt bit hard as he wondered if she’d eaten or taken any break at all.
Slowing his pace, he lightened his footsteps so he could catch her unaware. Stepping into the barn, he found his dogs lined up in their pens. Maia’s table was still set up in the middle of the floor, but she was nowhere to be seen. Inching around her truck that was still backed into the cavernous space, Carter lifted his head. Glancing toward the bathroom, he listened for any sounds coming from within, but there were none.
Stepping deeper into the barn, he slammed to a halt when he saw a form crumpled up on the ground in front of Chance’s stall.
It was Maia! At first, Carter was worried, but as he took in her slow and steady breathing, his panic faded. She’d pulled down a saddle and was sleeping up against it with her legs tucked up tightly beneath the dusty saddle blanket she was using to stay warm. It was then that Carter realized his breath was coming out in puffs that marked the drastic dip in temperature. As a shifter, he didn’t really notice shit like that because it didn’t bother him. But Maia was human, and he could tell by her shivering that she was freezing.
Fuck!
Eyes going to Chance, he noted how the dog sat with his head up tall, arms stretched out in front of him with one paw crossed over the other like he was keeping guard over Maia as she slept. But that wasn’t all. Chance’s eyes looked clearer and he was wearing that open-mouthed, tongue-lolling-out grin that told Carter the dog was feeling better than he had in weeks. In fact, walking down the line of stalls, Carter could scent the change in his animals. It was overwhelming after weeks of them being ill. The sickness in his dogs had lessened dramatically in the mere eight hours since Maia had arrived.
Glancing back at her, he frowned hard wondering what she could have done that Doc McAvoy hadn’t. Didn’t matter now, he supposed. Reaching down, he petted the dog closest to him, making sure to scrub behind the animal’s pricked ears. Staring at his dogs, Carter had to admit that he was impressed.
Crossing back to Maia, he passed a cursory glance over the lowered tailgate of her truck. There was an open backpack there, and beside it was a full bottle of water, a banana, and a still wrapped and untouched sandwich. She hadn’t eaten. And like the crack of a whip, his guilt lashed at him with wicked force. Clenching his jaw as he stared at her food and then down at her, he stifled a snarl as he reluctantly bent and scooped her up into his arms. She wasn’t sleeping on the floor of his barn; it just wasn’t happening. He was an asshole, but he wasn’t a fucking asshole.
Stalking toward the house, Carter steeled himself for the bashing he knew was going to come. Mere minutes ago, he’d declared that no one would be feeding the human, and here he was, carrying her up to bed. His brothers were about to have a heyday. Maia distracted him from the thoughts, though, when she snuggled up against his chest. Her cold nose pressed against his throat as she sucked in a shuddering breath and shivered before relaxing against him.
Carter hadn’t held a woman in a long fucking time, and he’d never even touched a human female. Taking in Maia’s slight weight and her delicate scent, he was surprised at how similar and yet different she
was from female shifters. Wearing a long-sleeve flannel shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves, he’d forgotten his coat in the house. His skin wasn’t touching hers anywhere, but she still felt . . . different. It was like there was an undercurrent of electricity beneath her worn jeans and faded Carhartt coat. He attributed it to his animal and his dislike of humans. Even hating humans, Maia seemed more feminine to him than a shifter female. It took him a minute to realize it was because there wasn’t an animal alert and waiting just beneath her skin. She was more vulnerable than a shifter, and passed out like she was left her as defenseless as a lamb, which only served to kick up his protective instincts. He tried to shove that shit down because he didn’t want to feel protective of Maia. He didn’t want to feel anything where she was concerned. Ignoring his instincts was hard to do, though, with her breath fanning his neck and her body settled perfectly in his arms.
Climbing the steps up to the house, he shot a dark look at Rall when he rushed out of the house to hold the door open. Rall knew better than to rib Carter, but Carter was shocked when he walked into the foyer and found Deacon and Zander waiting. Neither man said anything as Carter carried Maia toward the stairs.
It was Zander who broke the quiet to whisper, “Deacon, go ready a guest room.”
With a silent nod, Deacon rushed quietly up the stairs ahead of Carter, who didn’t slow.
“Poor thing is wiped out,” Zander muttered down on the landing.
Carter didn’t miss the note of censure in Zander’s tone.
“Yeah,” Rall agreed. “She’s been busting her ass all day. We shoulda fed her.”
Rall, too, sounded unimpressed with Carter’s treatment of Maia. Honestly, it shocked the shit out of him. He’d expected his brothers to give him shit for bringing the human inside after all his years of raging about how the species should be wiped out. Their sincere concern was . . . well, it was a relief because he didn’t like having to explain himself. He appreciated that they understood that Maia had done them all a huge favor. She’d earned a modicum of respect. His brothers realizing it would save him the headache of fending off their jokes.
Upstairs, Carter approached the guestroom just as Deacon stepped out. Eyes snagging on Carter’s, Deacon made a hand gesture like he was shoveling food into his mouth with an invisible utensil.
“Yeah,” Carter spoke quietly. “We’ll leave it on the nightstand in case she wakes hungry.”
Flashing a big grin, Deacon nodded and rushed back downstairs to make Maia a plate.
Stopping just in the doorway, Carter turned his head and watched Deacon hurry away. Brows spearing down, he felt his chest squeeze with some foreign emotion. Deacon hadn’t smiled in so damn long that Carter had almost forgotten what happy looked like on his brother. Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, Carter tore his gaze from the now-empty hall and carried Maia into the guest room. Settling her on the bed, he stood and was just going to leave when he looked down and saw her muddy boots. Hmph! She wore Vasque hiking boots. The same brand he and the boys liked to wear daily. Bending, Carter unlaced one boot and then the other before sliding them off her tiny feet, telling himself it was so she wouldn’t muddy the bed, rather than for comfort.
Setting her boots on the floor under the bed, he stood and noted her coat. It was zipped up and looked uncomfortable as hell. Carhartt coats were warm, but they were also thick and stiff, not meant for sleeping in. Unzipping her coat, he rolled her a little to get one arm out before he did the same thing on the other side.
Damn, this woman’s a heavy sleeper.
He had Maia in a sitting position, her chest pressed to his as he pulled the coat out from under her, when Maia suddenly gasped and tried to jerk back. Wild eyes searched the room before they landed on Carter and finally focused.
“What . . . what are you doing?” she panted.
Pulling the coat out from beneath her, Carter released her and straightened. Standing, he took her coat as he took a few steps back from the bed. “Taking your coat off. It’s late.”
Maia glanced around the room. The high and tight ponytail she’d been sporting when she’d arrived was now hanging loose at the back of her neck. Strands of hazel and blond hair had escaped and hung loosely around her face, a face that still looked confused.
“Where am I?” she asked.
Carter glanced around the room, trying to see it through her eyes. “Guest room.” Annoyed at wondering if she approved of the room, he turned to leave, but the sound of the bed creaking had him looking over his shoulder.
“I can’t stay in the house.” Maia bent over and felt around blindly for her boots. “Concolors don’t like humans.”
She was right.
Carter watched her fingers graze her boots before she bent over further and pulled them out from under the bed. She stuffed one foot into a boot and was doing the same with the other, but her movements were stiff like her muscles ached.
“I’ll sleep in my truck.”
Inexplicable irritation filled him. “You’re not sleeping outside.” He knew he should have been more chivalrous. He knew he should have sounded more grateful, but his words came out more like a command than anything else. It had Maia stilling just before she lifted her chin and shot him a mutinous look.
“Look,” he tried again, turning to stare down at her from his towering height, “Major sent you to do us a favor, which you did. I’m not shitting on that by making you sleep outside.”
There was a flash of fire in her light green eyes before Maia abandoned her boots. “Major didn’t send me to do anything,” she fumed. “I volunteered!” Shoving up off the bed all the fight left her the second she was standing. In an instant, her face blanked and went deathly pale. Maia swayed on her feet and reached out for something to steady herself, but Carter was already to her.
His hands were on her waist, and his tone softened with genuine concern as he breathed, “Easy.”
Lowering her back to the bed, he was surprised she let him do it. Her eyes were unfocused again, and it had his nostrils flaring as he scented her, looking for any reason or telltale sign of illness. When he found none, he asked, “What do you need?”
It took Maia a moment to speak, but finally she choked out, “Blood sugar’s low.”
Fuck! Releasing her, he shot to his feet and turned so quickly he almost collided with Deacon.
Using his shifter speed, Deacon spun the tray he was carrying out of the way just in time to keep Carter from crashing into it.
Eyes snapping down, Carter snatched the tray from Deacon’s hands and then was kneeling in front of Maia. “Here!”
Maia’s shaky hand reached for the can of Coke on the tray.
Carter barked, “Deacon!”
But Deacon was already kneeling beside Carter, taking the tray from his hands so Carter could grab the can of Coke. Popping it open, he lifted it to Maia’s lips and held it so she could drink. Her trembling hand lifted and covered his as she took a healthy swallow. That electricity he kept thinking was coursing just beneath the surface was back again. It felt like a steady humming that was passing from her hand to his, but it was super faint.
Carter kept the can to Maia’s lips. She swallowed some more and then shoved the can away before pressing the back of her hand to her lips and pinching her eyes tightly.
“You okay?” he asked.
Maia simply nodded.
“You sick? Should I call Major?”
Shaking her head, Maia slowly blinked her eyes open. A delicate huff left her before the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. “I get too busy and forget to eat sometimes.”
That just pissed him off, and before he could control himself, he was raging, “Are you shitting me, lady?” Slamming the half-empty can of Coke onto the tray Deacon still held, Carter shot to his feet. Pissed, he paced in front of Maia, trying to control his temper. He failed.
“We’ve got a barely existent alliance with the bears of the Major Clan. You volunteering to come over here and then d
ying under my watch is gonna fuck that up.” He stopped pacing to frown down at her. “Do you get that?”
She looked repentant and opened her mouth, but he didn’t want to hear it.
“I can’t babysit you! I’ve got enough shit to do around here. So if you can’t manage to keep yourself alive while you’re in my territory, then you can pack up your shit and leave at first light!”
Turning, he ignored Deacon’s harsh look and stormed out of the room. The second he hit the hall, that suffocating feeling of guilt was back. Fuck, he hated the feeling. He felt it too much and too often. As the eldest of the Concolor brothers and the Apex of their pride, there was a lot of weight on his shoulders. He was always working, always worrying, and always making mistakes it seemed, which meant he was as familiar with guilt as he was the back of his hand. The shit was suffocating and had him tugging at the collar of the white T-shirt he wore beneath his button-up Wrangler. His long legs ate up the carpet as he hurried away from the guest room. At the end of the hall, Zander and Rall stood leaning against the wall. Not in the mood for their shit, Carter fumed, “She sleeps inside and eats every damn morsel on that plate, and if she can’t do that, then one of you can drive her back to bear territory right fucking now!”
Carter’s booted feet pounding down the stairs filled the silence behind him as he headed for the door. He needed to shift, he needed to run. He needed to get the hell away from the human who was messing with his head.
Chapter 3
Maia woke early the next morning. The bed in guest room was too soft, and too warm, and made rolling out of it, pre-dawn, extremely difficult, but she was a woman on a mission. She needed to get out and check on the dogs, so she snuck in a quick, quiet-as-possible shower and redressed in the clothes she’d had on. In the guest en suite, she found an unwrapped toothbrush in the vanity drawer along with some toothpaste. After brushing her teeth, she braided her hair into a damp twist before tiptoeing out of the guest room, rather pleased with herself to find the house completely quiet. She made it down the hall and reached the bottom of the stairs without creaking a single floorboard. Proud of herself, she steered herself toward the front door, when a deep voice bellowed, “Get in here and eat!”