by Chant, Zoe
“It’s great,” he said. “I’ve never had anything like it before.”
“Not a candy person, then?”
Garrett glanced at her, to find her heated gaze on his face.
“I could be convinced,” he said.
Georgia swallowed audibly, and once again Garrett felt the heat of her body through their clothes, the tug of the mated bond between them.
We do not want to look at a tree! his dragon howled, writhing with frustration. We want to seal our bond with our mate! We want to reveal ourselves in all our glory to her, and show her what it means to be the beloved of a dragon!
At that moment, Garrett would have gladly listened to it. Georgia’s upturned face, her flushed cheeks, her deep brown eyes, the warmth of her breath – all of them were calling to him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to hold himself back.
He was certain Georgia could feel it too. His mind grew hazy.
If you tell her now, she will accept us, his dragon insisted. She can feel it – she can feel our bond. She wants us –
“Hey – hey, what’re you doing?!”
Garrett was shaken from the daze he’d drifted into by the sound of a shout from behind him.
All at once, the haze lifted. He looked around him, all his senses on high alert, his eyes immediately finding the source of the shout.
Even without his shifter senses, it wouldn’t have taken him too long to figure out where the ruckus was coming from. In the next second, he heard the loud, alarmed squeal of a horse, and the pounding of large hooves against the hard-packed snow, and the harsh jangle of bells being violently shaken.
The horse-drawn sleigh.
“Wait here,” he told Georgia quickly, squeezing her arm briefly.
“Garrett? What’s wrong?” she asked him, worry clouding her face.
“Maybe nothing,” he said. “But I need to check. I’ll be back – just stay here.”
The tension he’d sensed in the air earlier had now been ratcheted up by several notches. His dragon was on high alert, extremely sensitive to any danger that could potentially threaten its mate.
Not to mention the other resort guests, Garrett reminded it. Of course, his new-found mate would always be his highest priority, but he had a duty to protect anyone who might need it.
He dashed out from the side street he and Georgia had wandered into on their way to the sixty-foot Christmas tree, and onto the main street. Garrett saw the sleigh right away – but then, he could hardly miss it. The driver was struggling with the reins, trying to restrain the four large horses as they pranced in alarm, raising their massive hooves from the ground before pounding them back down again, jerking at their reins in fear and anger.
Because surrounding them were six men, each of them snarling, holding large sticks, and doing their best to frighten the living daylights out of both driver and horses.
Wolves.
Garrett could sense it at once.
His shifter senses could immediately detect other shifters, even if he couldn’t tell what they shifted into until they did it. But these men were definitely wolves – he could tell by the way they moved, fluid and in perfect harmony with each other. Their pack-like behavior didn’t disappear just because they were in human form right now.
Garrett growled. Why are they here? Or, more importantly, why are they trying to harm the sleigh driver and his horses?
“Hey!” he called out, knowing that the wolves would recognize him as a shifter as soon as they realized he was there. They might not have been able to tell he was a dragon, but they would know that his shifted form was a hundred times stronger than their own.
Sure enough, three of the wolves turned at the sound of his voice, and immediately cowered back in the face of a shifter so much more powerful than them. They didn’t retreat, however – far from it. Instead, they glowered, and Garrett saw the glimmer of yellow in their eyes. They were very close to taking on their shifter forms.
Garrett was surprised – one of the cardinal rules that all shifters could agree on was to never shift in front of humans in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, and only in front of humans they absolutely trusted. Shifting in front of other humans would expose all shifters everywhere to sudden scrutiny, and risk causing hysterical fear among humans. That suited no one, regardless of which side of the law the shifter operated on.
It was clear these particular shifters didn’t care about that, however.
“Stop what you’re doing, now,” Garrett boomed as he approached them. He couldn’t identify himself aloud until he got closer – though he supposed the words Shifter Patrol Corps wouldn’t necessarily mean anything to the humans who were stopped in the street, staring in fear at the horses and the men who were harassing them.
It would mean a lot to the wolves, though, and might even stop them short in their tracks.
Garrett had just decided it was worth the risk when one of the wolves – the largest of the bunch – suddenly snarled, and brought the stick he was carrying down hard on the side of the sleigh, making the reins jump against the backside of the foremost horse. The horse reared up, thinking it was being goaded into a run.
With a loud whinny, it took off, and the other three horses followed their leader, heavy hooves ringing against the ground. The sleigh jerked as it was pulled after them, swaying dangerously as it flew through the street at speed.
Shit, Garrett thought, staring after it. He wanted to go and apprehend the wolves, who, now laughing, were racing away from the scene of chaos they’d caused – but right now, it was more important that he halt the sleigh before either the driver or any of the bystanders were hurt by its flight.
In the end, there wasn’t really a choice. The wolves could wait.
Spurring himself to a speed that a human would never reach, Garrett raced after the sleigh, his feet churning up the snow in his wake. He could see the surprised expressions on the humans’ faces as he raced by them, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now – not when lives were potentially at stake.
Despite the swiftness of the horses, they were pulling a heavy burden and very few animals could outrun a shifter, even in their human form.
He could see the sleigh ahead of him now, careening dangerously down the street. People were jumping out of the way, cries of distress rising. At least the frenzied jingling of the sleigh bells alerted them that it was coming – but the horses were clearly out of control, frightened and frantic. Garrett could see the driver pulling on the reins, trying to slow them, but they were in flight, and couldn’t be controlled. Garrett knew that animals could sense shifters’ animal forms as well, and when confronted by the wolves, the horses would have known only that they were surrounded by dangerous, predatory pack animals.
The sleigh swayed again, almost overturning as it took a sudden, sharp turn, bumping off the road…
… and toward the lake.
Which is full of skaters, Garrett realized with a jolt of horror.
Skaters who might not be able to get out of the way quickly, and who were mostly children.
Putting on a renewed burst of speed, Garrett leapt over a fence with ease, cutting a corner toward the lake. He was so close now he could feel the horses’ fear, see the steam rising from their warm bodies. He passed the sleigh, noting the terrified face of the driver.
Just a little more.
Straining his legs, he forced himself to go faster, and reached out a hand, at last touching the bridle of the foremost horse. His fingertips slipped against the leather, before he finally managed to wrap his fingers around it.
Be calm, he sent to the horses, doing his best to project peace and serenity to them. The wolves are gone. You’re safe now. Slow down.
He pulled gently at the bridle, and felt the horse respond, felt its heart becoming calmer.
Shifters and animals had a great affinity, after all – they could sense each other’s emotions. The wolves had used it to their advantage in frighten
ing them, but Garrett could now use it to calm them.
Come on, that’s it, Garrett thought. No need to run. You’re okay. You’re safe.
At last, he felt the horse slow, moving from a frenzied gallop to a more sedate pace. Finally, it slowed to a trot, though its flanks were shivering, its eyes rolling with fear.
Shh, shh now, Garrett sent to it. It’s okay. Let’s be calm now.
“Thank God.”
Garrett turned at the sound of the driver’s voice, and found him slumped over in his seat, the reins still clutched in his hands, his knuckles white. After a moment, he raised his head to look at Garrett, terror obvious on his face.
“If you hadn’t come along, I don’t know what I would have done,” the man said, raising a hand to cover his face. “They’ve never done that before. They’re the best-behaved horses in my stable – calm and reliable, or else I wouldn’t use them for this kind of work. God. If I lose my contract here, I’m done for.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Garrett said. He could well believe that under normal circumstances, the horses were perfectly behaved. But when confronted by a pack of wolves trying to push them into flight, their reaction was totally reasonable.
“I can’t understand it,” the driver said, shaking his head, before a sudden flash of anger replaced the fear on his face. “Just what the hell were those kids trying to do? Scaring my Bessie like that – threatening her with a stick and terrifying the living daylights out of her! If they’re guests I’ll have them thrown out of here! You saw what happened, didn’t you?”
Garrett nodded. “Yes, I did.”
He’d happily vouch for the man, though he wasn’t sure what he’d say – although, hadn’t Hardwicke said this resort was owned by a shifter? In that case, he’d be able to explain fully what had happened, and why it was so exceptional. The driver shouldn’t lose his contract over it. Garrett hadn’t actually met the owner, but if he proved to be unreasonable, then maybe Garrett could get Hardwicke to –
His thoughts were cut off at the sudden sound of applause.
Surprised, he looked around, only to see a small group of people gathered by the halted sleigh, around where the thick snow had been churned up by its passage toward the lake. Taking a look now, Garrett realized how near a thing it’d been – in another few yards, the horses would have broken through the fence that surrounded the lake and careened out onto the ice.
Resort guests, their facial expressions a mixture of residual fear and relief, were applauding him for stopping the sleigh, he realized, blinking in surprise. He wasn’t used to applause – he usually worked in the shadows, and he was lucky if he got a gruff “Good work” from Hardwicke. Just knowing he’d helped bring criminals to justice was usually enough for him.
Resort staff were rushing over to him now, shock showing plainly on their faces.
“Oh my God,” a blonde woman said as she reached him. “Thank you so much. I swear, that’s never happened before! God, that could have been a disaster.”
“It could have,” Garrett agreed. He shuddered as the thought crossed his mind as to whether the frozen lake could have withstood the weight of four massive horses and a large sleigh. He assumed at this time of year it would have been frozen rock solid to a few feet down at least, but one thing his father had taught him was never to assume anything, and always test these things out beforehand.
“Thank God you were here,” the woman repeated, shaking her head. She looked up at Garrett, and seemed to notice his face for the first time. He could see the mild surprise in her eyes, before she suddenly fixed him with a bright, beaming smile. “What’s your name? You’re a hero – I should take you to meet the owner and see if we can’t give you some kind of reward for your heroism.” She winked at him, her smile growing a little broader, as if to let Garrett know exactly what kind of reward he could claim, if he wanted to.
She was a beautiful woman. Garrett could see that. But her smile left him cold. Now that he’d met Georgia, he had absolutely no interest in anyone else.
“There’s no need for that,” he said. “And my workplace has covered the cost of my stay here. So there’s no need for any reward.”
“I don’t know about that,” the woman cooed. “I’m sure we could think of something…”
“You really couldn’t,” Garrett said firmly. He didn’t want to be rude, but he didn’t want to lead this woman on, either. “I’m fine.”
The woman raised an eyebrow, looking as if she was about to follow up what he’d said with a quip of some kind, when Garrett felt a warm presence by his side.
“He’s really fine,” Georgia said, her tone a little frosty as she rested her hand on his arm.
The blonde woman’s eyes darted between them, before she shook her head, laughing a little. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were taken. It was worth a shot, don’t you think?” She flashed a grin at Georgia. “Congratulations,” she said, good-naturedly. “You got yourself a good one.”
She moved away, going to help the driver down from the sleigh. The poor man looked shaken down to his bones, but he still went to pat each of his horses on the nose in turn, whispering to them soothingly.
Together, Garrett and Georgia moved back, letting the resort staff handle things. Everything as far as the horses were concerned seemed to be under control.
But the wolves…
Garrett had to find them before they disappeared – and find out why the hell they were trying to cause what could have been a deadly accident in the resort.
That wasn’t the only thing, though.
He looked down at Georgia, who was gazing at him with wide brown eyes. He could hear her heart thumping in her chest, see her pulse jumping in her throat.
“That was… a little reckless,” she said, her voice shaking.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “But I had to stop the sleigh – things could have been much worse if I hadn’t.”
Georgia nodded. “I’ve never seen anyone run that fast before.” She paused, biting her lip. “Well. One person. But he’s pretty exceptional.”
A little alarm bell started ringing in the back of Garrett’s mind.
“And you sure did calm those horses down pretty quickly,” Georgia continued. “You must have a real way with animals – just like how Freddy loved you right away, too. Plus, you must be even stronger than you look. Stopping a horse – four horses – going at that speed… well, that’s kind of amazing. I don’t think I know anyone who could do that.” Her eyes darted to his face. “Well. No human, anyway.”
Garrett’s heart leapt into his throat. “What do you mean, Georgia?”
Georgia’s eyes were steady on his face. “What I mean is… well, I guess I better just say it.” She swallowed. “Garrett, are you a shifter?”
Garrett stared at her. She knew about shifters all along? He could have just told her right from the outset about what they were, about what he was?! He was speechless.
“Well, I guess the fact you haven’t just asked me what the hell I’m talking about is my answer,” Georgia said with a shaky laugh.
“How… how do you know about shifters?” he asked, still amazed.
“My best friend’s husband is a shifter,” she said, sounding a little breathless. “She told me – they both did. It got a little hard to hide after a while.” She shrugged. “I didn’t believe it at first, of course, but then I saw him shift. Then it got a little bit harder to deny.”
Garrett could hardly believe his ears. But he had to clarify one thing. “Your friend – when you say her husband is a shifter –”
“I mean, she explained to me a little about their… their bond,” she said, picking her words carefully. “About how she knew he was the one for her from the first moment she met him. I didn’t really understand what she meant back then.” Georgia paused a moment, looking down. Then, she raised her eyes to his face once more, and her gaze seemed to penetrate right down to his very soul. “But I think I’m starting to.”
“Georgia,” Garrett said, hearing his own voice come out in a low rumble. His hand rose seemingly of its own accord, cupping her jaw, his thumb running over her soft cheek. She gasped, her breath leaving her lips as a hot puff of white air. With all his being, he wanted to kiss her – but he still had one more question. “If you knew about shifters, why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Georgia blinked at him, before bursting out into laughter. “What, and ask you out of nowhere if you turned into a lion or a tiger or a bear? You’d think I was completely nuts.”
Touché, Garrett had to admit – and after a moment, he joined her in her laughter.
“There’s so many things I want to tell you – to do with you,” he said, his voice low as they moved farther away from the crowd.
Her eyes flickered down to his lips, her cheeks flushing. He could sense her desire growing within her. But at the same time, he knew that before he could indulge himself in completing their bond, he had responsibilities to fulfil as an agent of the Shifter Patrol Corps.
And if I start kissing her now, I won’t be able to stop, he thought, his thoughts in a whirl. Not until we’ve gone back to the chalet, and sealed our bond.
The sudden image of Georgia, her hair splayed out beneath her, body open to him, her lips parted in a cry of ecstasy flashed through his mind like lightning, and he couldn’t quite hold back his groan as he felt his blood rushing to his groin.
But as much as he wanted to take her in his arms, Garrett knew that by the time he’d finished doing everything he wanted to with Georgia, the wolves would be long gone.
If they aren’t already.
And his instincts, both as a shifter and as a Shifter Patrol Corps agent, were telling him this was something bigger than just a pack of unruly wolves causing trouble.
“God, Georgia, I want you so badly,” he said. “I’ve wanted you since the first moment I laid eyes on you. You have no idea how much. And I swear to you, I’ll explain everything – everything – I know about mated bonds and how they work. But…”
“But first you have to go find out what those jokers were about,” Georgia said. Her voice was husky, but her words were matter of fact. She swallowed. “Were they shifters too?”