by C. D. Gorri
Ava
Everything ached. I couldn’t be certain of the location of the pain, my ankle, my hip, or my head—or it was my entire body.
The last thing I remembered was running in the dark.
I jackknifed out of bed, but when a surge of pain shot through my hip and neck, I stopped moving. My vision blurred and pressure built up in my head, forcing me to lie back down. I kept my eyes open as my head spun and slowly the ceiling came into focus.
I stared up at a wooden roof, with a wooden wall to my right. The bed beneath me felt soft and furry.
“How are you feeling?” said someone with a deep baritone.
My arms pebbled at the sound of his voice. I coughed to clear my throat, swallowed hard, and slowly turned my head. I narrowed my eyes at him.
My heart stopped when I saw him; his honed body, his hair cut short and piercing blue eyes. His face was pleasant with a sharp nose, kissable lips and defined jaw. My heart skipped a beat as his dark gaze raked over my body, and my cheeks heated. Flashes of his naked ass as he pumped into that woman heated me from my core. His eyes held a hint of humor, as if knowing I’d just thought about him.
Oh, crap.
He knew I’d watched him having sex, and he saw me touching myself. I’d die from embarrassment if I wasn’t already in so much pain.
“What are you doing here?” he grumbled in that deep baritone that could set women’s panties on fire. He sounded exotic and scary at the same time; a lethal combination for any woman.
“I take pictures… I got lost… and I stumbled upon…” I swallowed hard and blinked slowly. I sounded like a blubbering idiot. I swallowed and tried again. “I’m a photographer and was camping in the area. I lost my way after using the… you know… toilet,” I said, keeping my eyes closed for fear of losing track of my thoughts.
He grunted. I didn’t think he believed me.
Wood creaked. I opened my eyes and glanced in his direction again, and he sat back in the chair. He was naked from the waist up and wore tattered jeans, and no shoes. His body thrummed with power I couldn’t imagine, leaving me wondering if he was a shifter or something else. My insides twisted; I was strangely afraid and aroused at once.
I caught glints of silver in his dark hair, which meant nothing. An old school friend had been grey since she was in her early twenties.
“We couldn’t locate your camp.” His statement a silent question. I didn’t understand what he was alluding to, but I would try to talk my way out of it. I meant no one harm.
I pushed up on my elbows and slowly sat up, leaning my back and head against the wooden wall. My vision tunneled, when I focused again I paid attention to my surroundings. The small room had a bed, a fireplace in one corner, and a small shower/toilet area. Everything made from wood. The bedding was animal fur. It was primitive and beautiful.
I focused my attention on the man again. “I don’t even know where we are. There’s no way I can tell you where my tent is. I camped near the path—”
“The hiking trail?”
I nodded.
“You’re way off course.”
“You’d think.”
A growl escaped his lips.
I shot a frightened glance his way, blinked, and then he stood beside me. I hadn’t heard or seen him move from the creaking chair, yet he now stood awfully close to me; so close I could smell him; musk, soap, and a hint of sweat.
He pointed a finger, inches from my face. “We don’t like wanderers. And I don’t trust you.” He stood taller and his chest heaved; as if controlling his anger. “If it wasn’t for your injuries, I would’ve walked you to the trail myself. But—”
“I’m fine. I’ll just be on my way.” I didn’t want to stay here, anyway. I’d much rather leave. I swung my legs off the bed, and tried to stand. Pain seared through my body causing me to sway.
“Clearly you’re not fine.” He clenched his jaw.
“I’m okay. Do you have a stick I could lean on?” I wanted to get back to my campsite, pack and leave. “I have pain medication in my backpack.”
I felt powerful hands on my shoulders as he pushed me back onto the bed, picked up my legs and gently set them on the bed.
“You can leave when you can stand without swaying. Get some rest. I’ll send someone to give you food.”
His mood confused me, one moment he sounded ready to rip my head off, the next he sounded caring.
“What’s your name?” I asked, but he had already left.
I didn’t know where I was or who they were. I didn’t know anyone even lived in this forest. I’d known about the various shifter territories where the forest split equally for each shifter animal. But this part of the forest was for hikers only. No were-animal lived here. Or so I’d thought.
At least they didn’t hurt me or leave me in the forest to suffer from my injuries. Knowing my luck, I’d probably stay lost.
I eased myself to a seated position to assess what hurt. I stared at my legs; they’d bandaged my right ankle with a type of brown banana leaf. I’d either twisted or broken my ankle; it was swollen and blossomed a lovely shade of purple. I still wore the T-shirt I’d torn and shorts but they were dirty, and on my right hip mud caked. I wiped away the dirt and winced, I must’ve fallen on something hard when I’d hit my head running into something. I felt the large egg-shaped bruise on the right side of my forehead, wincing. Served me right for watching them have sex.
Slowly I swung my legs off the bed and stood, but my weight was too much for my ankle. I wanted to see what I looked like, but the tiny mirror was on the other side of the room. I had nothing to help me cross the room with. I’d look when I got there. For now, I’d have to live with my current state. Nobody cared what I looked like out here, anyway.
I sighed and climbed back onto the bed. I needed at least a day to recover; the bruising to come down and able to stand without the dizziness. It was possible I had a concussion, but unless I saw a doctor, I wouldn’t know.
Chapter Five
Tyler
I pointed at Miles, who ran to assist me.
“I need you to give her food. Some pieces of meat, bread, and water should be fine.”
“Okay, sure. Anything else?”
“Make sure she doesn’t leave. I don’t want her wandering around.”
“Yes, Tyler.” Miles darted in the opposite direction toward the kitchen area.
Ash stood outside his hut with his arms folded, wearing a grim expression. Claw sat near his feet like the sniveling bastard he was. I knew what Ash was going to say. I raised my hand as I approached, and he closed his mouth.
“I know, Father. I shouldn’t have brought her here.”
“Then why did you?”
I didn’t know why I brought her here. She had injured herself. If I had left her where she’d fallen, she would either succumb to her wounds or the wild animals would’ve gotten to her. I didn’t have to bring her here… yet I did.
I glanced over my shoulder at the hut she was in and my saber fought for release. He’d smelled her arousal last night, and he loved her sweet scent. He almost ripped Cheryl to shreds when he smelled the other female. I didn’t even get to finish, and it left me frustrated. But my saber wanted to chase the other woman; he ached to run free now. Easy cat. My beast shuddered beneath my skin. I pushed him down, ensuring I kept in control.
“She injured herself and I couldn’t leave her out there. What if the bears got to her?”
“So, what? We don’t care about humans, Tyler, and you know this,” Ash grumbled.
It was the same conversation Father and I always had. He hated humans, while I encouraged interaction. If we wanted to increase our numbers, we had to look for mates outside the pack. We only had three single females and six single males, and none of the females wanted any of the men as partners. No mate meant no kittens. But the couples weren’t producing offspring either, and nobody knew why. There was one other saber pack, but they were too far and didn’t want to join u
s. Our only viable alternative included human women, but my father didn’t approve. He wanted nothing to do with them. Hence we had a problem nobody could fix, and until then, our pack stayed small.
“Her being here is going to cause trouble within our pack,” Ash stated, bringing me out of my thoughts.
If I smelled her scent, so would the other males. She was human, beautiful, and ripe for the picking. The moon would soon be at its fullest which made our beasts savage animals and having a woman, like her around, resulted in fighting between us. But it spelled trouble for her; she’d have males crashing through the door trying to claim her. The next two days were going to be a nightmare, but Miles and Blaze would help me.
“What are you going to do, Tyler?” He continued like a broken record. As our fearless leader, he hardly had answers.
“This weekend is their busiest, and there’s no way I can take her to her car without being seen. Give her a couple of days to heal, then I’ll escort her to the trail. And I’ll keep the others away.”
“Until then, she stays inside. Miles keeps watch and I don’t want her walking around. And I don’t want her seeing our people.”
I nodded my understanding.
“In the meantime, find her camp and bring her things here. She couldn’t have been too far when she stumbled upon you.” Ash’s lips quirked in amusement. He’d laughed so hard when I’d told him how she saw me. Cheryl wasn’t pleased when I returned with another woman in my arms. She hadn’t spoken to me since last night.
“And take Claw with you.”
I narrowed my eyes at the bastard on the ground and grunted. The best was to ignore him.
“The last thing we need is a rescue party searching the forest for her,” I said, ignoring Ash’s request.
“Exactly.” Ash turned on his heel and entered his hut.
Chapter Six
Tyler
I approached the hut where Miles stood like a security guard; he scowled at nothing with crossed arms over his broad chest.
“Don’t look so serious.” It was hard seeing him as a serious person without a shirt on, torn shorts, and barefoot.
He shook out his arms and shrugged. “Only doing my job,” he said with a lopsided grin.
“Did she eat?”
“She’s busy now.”
I slapped his shoulder and knocked on the door. I didn’t want to intrude if she was in the bathroom.
“Yeah?”
I opened the door slowly. She sat on the bed with her back against the wall; her injured leg straight on the bed while the other tucked beneath her. She had the plate propped on her lap and I’d caught her mid-bite.
I stared at her; long, curly hair the color of chestnuts, porcelain skin youthful and chocolate-colored eyes that glistened in the dim light. She was absolutely breathtaking.
My beast pushed to the front for a taste, and I shoved him back down. Not yet, you animal.
She eyed me suspiciously as she slowly nibbled on the bread. She squeezed her hand around the knife handle, I should’ve told Miles not to give her any cutlery.
“I want to find your campsite and bring your things here. Can you think of any markers?”
She unclenched the knife in her hand, her shoulders dropped slightly and she exhaled.
Did she think I was going to hurt her? I ignored the thought.
She was quiet for a moment, chewed, then finally answered. “I’d hiked about six miles yesterday and came to an area where the ground was flat enough for my tent. I don’t remember any other markers. It’s before the main camp area. Sorry, it’s the first time I’d hiked the route and don’t remember anything else.”
I knew the area she referred to and nodded. “I know the place. You wandered off quite a distance. We’re about two miles from there.”
“Two miles? Jeez, I don’t know how I got so lost. All I did was use the bathroom and then somehow... But how on earth could I have walked two miles. It felt like a short distance.”
I chuckled, remembering the look on her face when I’d caught her gawking at me with her hand in her pants and the other under her shirt. I thought of her sweet arousal as it flooded my senses last night, and I felt my cock grow thinking about her touching herself.
“You stumbled upon me only a mile away,” I grinned.
Her brows furrowed, then her cheeks blossomed a healthy shade of pink when she remembered how we’d first met.
“Oh, my gods.” She buried her face in her hands. “I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean to stare. I hope your girlfriend isn’t angry?” she asked sheepishly.
“No-one is angry, and she’s not my girlfriend.”
“Oh,” she glanced at her hands as she fidgeted with the knife. “My name is Ava.” She proffered her hand. “I would stand but,” — she shrugged, — “you know.”
The moment I touched her hand, my body warmed. “Tyler.”
Chapter Seven
Tyler
I’d told Claw we’d meet him at his hut so he could come with us, but we didn’t. I didn’t want the bastard near my father or me, and I certainly didn’t want to include him in anything I did. Claw was not my brother, no matter how many times Ash said so.
I left Miles to watch over Ava while Blaze and I headed toward her campsite. It would only take us about thirty minutes to get there, so we didn’t think it necessary to shift into our saber beasts. We headed in the direction of the hiking trail we usually avoided.
They had sectioned most of the forest in Sterling Meadow for each of the various were-animals to hunt in. No shifter wanted to get into another’s territory and create an unnecessary war.
When they had driven us from our home, we quietly moved here. We’d heard Sterling Meadow had one of the best Master Vampires and they had formed the Were-Animal Association, WAA, that included all the different were-animals.
We knew our kind would be safe, but remained on high alert. Most had thought our were-animal extinct. We were hunted and killed for our fur and large elongated canines. Although hunting was now outlawed, we didn’t want to chance it.
There were only two clans left; one was west, the other east. The human population had grown and in need of space, and had driven us apart and out of our land.
We didn’t know what would happen if we approached the WAA, or Léon—the Master Vampire. We’d been living undetected on their mountains for two years until last night. We wanted to remain hidden for the safety of our clan, even though we desperately needed females.
“Cheryl’s still pissed at you.” Blaze pushed branches out of his face, the moment he let go they would’ve smacked me in the face if I hadn’t caught them.
“She’ll get over it,” I grumbled.
“You need to choose, Tyler. You’ve gone back to her too many times. You know she wants you.”
“I need to find someone I see myself settling down with, unfortunately she’s not that person. You know how it goes.”
He nodded. “You’re playing with fire, and Cheryl will scratch your eyes out.”
“She can try,” I chuckled nervously. He was probably right, but I couldn’t see myself bonding with her. She was uptight and complained too much. And my father was our clan’s chieftain and I his only son. He’d taken over from his father and they expected I would be next in line. And Cheryl hoped to be my partner. But there was no spark between us. I loved her body, and her mind, but there was no earth shattering moments between us. I needed a little more before I settled with only one person. And, for the most important part, my saber didn’t want her either.
“You know Ash can’t hand his crown over to you unless you’ve found your mate.”
“He will never give up his power.”
Ash had become addicted to his seat at the top, and even if I found someone, he wouldn’t approve of her just so he didn’t have to relinquish his power.
“You know you need to fight him.” Blaze eyed me, his way of hinting what I already knew. His sparkling blue eyes sent at least one fema
le swooning, but they did nothing to me.
“You know I can’t.”
“Because you’ll kill him.”
I swallowed my answer and continued up the mountain. Ash was a pain in everyone’s side, but he was my only family. There’s no way I could fight him—and yes, I would kill him.
“Well, here’s the path.” Blaze broke the awkward silence as we stepped onto the hiking trail.
“She said we’ll be able to see her tent from the path.”
We still had a short distance before we reached the area I thought she had set up camp. The path was void of hikers, and I silently thanked the gods.
In the distance I saw part of an orange tent behind leafy bushes. I pointed. Blaze stepped off the path, and I followed. Her campsite was where she’d said. Blaze dismantled her tent while I packed her belongings in her backpack.
“She really got lost, didn’t she? The moon was bright enough last night for her to see, but she was way off course.” Blaze lightheartedly chuckled.
“I don’t know what she was doing,” I grinned.
“It’s as if she’s meant to find you,” Blaze said and winked when I looked at him.
“I’m all for a voyeur. The kinkier the better, but I doubt she meant to find me. It was just an accident.” I picked up a pen and book, leafed through the pages and realized it was her diary. I slammed it shut and quickly stuffed it into her backpack. The last thing I wanted was her screaming because I’d invaded her privacy. The irony was not lost on me as I smiled at the bag in my hand.
“Here’s her phone,” Blazed said, reading whatever was on the screen. “Christ, someone has been trying to get hold of her.” Blaze removed the portable charger and handed both items to me.
“She doesn’t have a screen lock on her phone?”
“Nope.”
Either she didn’t care who read her messages or she didn’t care for the phone. It wasn’t an expensive phone, but still. Most people locked their phones.
I read all twenty-five text messages; a guy named Derek seemed to pester her. I rolled my eyes. The dude was desperate. “Either Derek is an old flame who can’t get the hint, or they’re together and he wants to see her the weekend.”