by Fox, Piper
Great. I was going to be eaten by a leopard instead of wolves.
I was backed against the rocks now with nowhere to go.
“Please,” I whimpered.
The white leopard growled and hunched over.
I watched, unable to believe my eyes, as the giant beast slowly morphed into a man. It was Batu, standing in the knee-deep snow. Naked and covered in blood.
“Batu!” I shrieked.
“And here I thought you wouldn’t be stupid enough to go out on your own,” He sighed, seemingly undaunted by the cold and his nakedness. “Come on, let’s get you back to the ger.”
I opened and closed my mouth, unable to make a sound. My eyes moved down his muscular body, making heat rise through mine. Not only was he fit as fuck, but his member was on full display and huge.
That wild animal had just turned into Batu. Was I crazy? Maybe I had died. Or maybe I was dreaming.
“I’ll give you a ride,” Batu said. His voice went low and growly. The man shifted back into a snow leopard, and he walked over to me.
I hesitated.
The cat showed his fangs and turned his head, motioning towards his back.
He really wanted me to ride him?
My eyes flicked up to the steep hill which I had already failed once. I took my time reaching out and walking towards the leopard.
The snow leopard, Batu, nodded at me. Somehow his eyes looked the same. His expression was different, not like a bloodthirsty animal, but much more human.
“Ok,” I breathed. “I’ll try not to make this any weirder than it already is.”
I climbed on, surprised at how warm his body was and how soft his fur felt against my skin.
The snow leopard took off running, carrying me up the steep hill and through the maze of rocks. Thanks to his strength, we were back to the ger in no time.
I struggled to hold on, the snow and wind biting at my skin.
Batu halted, throwing me from his back. I was unsure if it was on purpose or not.
I landed in the snow and scrambled to my feet. In any other time, I would have given him a piece of my mind, but considering he’d just saved my life, I bit my tongue.
Batu shifted back into his human form and picked up a pile of clothes from outside the ger. He dressed without saying a word.
“Batu?” I asked.
The Mongolian man said nothing. He opened the tent flap and pointed inside.
I got the hint, lowering my head and going in first.
Was he mad? If he was, how mad was he? Not enough to let me die, anyway.
“Batu?” I tried to speak again. “Uh, I’m sorry I walked off on my own, but,” I lost my words halfway. “How… what was that? How did you do that?”
“Now you know I’m not fully human,” Batu said flatly. “I’m a shifter, just like the wolves that attacked your camp. Lucky for you, I tracked you down before they had their way with you.”
“They were going to eat me,” I said, shuddering.
Batu shook his head. “They wouldn’t,” He said with absolute certainty. “Being captured by the pack would have meant a fate worse than death.” He paused. “Do you know what they’d do to a girl like you? A girl with hair the color of sunshine?”
Alexandra
A shiver took hold of me and left me breathless. A girl didn’t need to think hard to imagine what that meant.
I shrugged off my snowy jacket and mittens.
Batu watched me steadily. “Are you going to ask about the shifting thing or are you too stunned?”
I looked over at him. How could I process what I’d just seen? I knew he transformed in front of my eyes and it was no illusion. I felt his fur and the warmth of his cat body beneath me. It was real, even if I didn’t fully, or even partially, understand it.
“Shifters. Is that what you meant when you said the men who attacked my camp were … wolves?” I asked.
Batu nodded, gravely serious.
I shuffled over to the pile of blankets and plunked down. I wanted to sleep. No. I wanted to wake up. This had to be a dream, right? How else could this be explained?
“There are a lot of mysteries that the average mundane human doesn’t know about,” Batu continued as he made tea. “Most people go their entire lives without knowing there’s another world running parallel to theirs.”
“It’s real, then?” I said. “I’m not crazy?”
“No,” Batu chuckled. “It’s very real.” He turned to me, his eyes hard. “So, promise me you won’t leave the ger again. Right?”
I nodded sheepishly.
Batu went silent as he made tea. It was hard to look at him the same now that I’d seen him naked in knee-deep snow and as a giant wild cat. I knew which one I preferred. The thought that made my cheeks feel warm. I should have known he’d be jacked like that after living in the wilderness alone. Hunting, fishing, and chopping wood sure did wonders for his physique.
I shook myself mentally, so I’d stop fantasizing about him. This was not the time or the place. I needed to focus on getting back to a city so I could let my family know I was alright.
“Search and rescue comes during the day. I suggest you get some sleep so we can scout tomorrow,” Batu said.
“We?” I asked.
“I’m not letting you wander out there alone again,” He said.
I looked down at the tea he pressed into my hands. “Thank you,” I said.
Batu looked at me in silence and shook his head.
I couldn’t read him. It was a strange feeling for me. I was usually a good judge of character. I could read body language like a book, but this guy was something else. Maybe it was because he’d lived in the mountains all alone. Or was it because he was a shifter?
“Hey, Batu,” I said. “How long have you lived up here alone?”
Batu seemed startled by my question. “Long enough,” He said sharply.
I wasn’t given the option of asking a follow-up question.
“Get some rest,” Batu said. “And if you’re not here when I wake up, I’m not coming to look for you.”
I shrank back, nodding. “Don’t worry, I won’t make that mistake again.”
* * *
Batu woke me up at dawn.
The ger smelled like fried meat and tea. The fire was blazing in the cast-iron stove, making the small area even cozier.
My eyes fluttered open at the sound of him scraping a frying pan.
“Wake up, blond princess,” He said.
“I’m awake,” I said groggily.
“Good. We need to get going.”
“Where?”
“If the search and rescue teams are going to find you, we need to make a signal near the camp.”
My stomach turned. “The camp?” I wasn’t prepared to go back there yet. The thought made me sick.
“It’s been two days. Someone is going to look for the tour group soon,” He said. “This isn’t the first time that a group has been lost up in these mountains.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Has anyone else survived?” I asked.
Batu hesitated before answering. “You’re the only one I’ve found alive,” He said. “So, let’s make sure you get home.”
Batu
The sky was clear and blue as it usually was — no sign of snow or storm, perfect for the search and rescue team.
Last night’s footprints were buried with snow. The entire mountain top was pristine, glittering like it was covered in a million white diamonds.
I took a deep breath of the icy air. My home. My den. Everything I needed was right here.
Alex grunted as she left the ger, weighed down by a relatively small pack of supplies.
I turned around and inspected her.
Alex had tied her hair up in a bun and tucked the loose tendrils under a hat. Her clothes were dry again, and she had a bag slung over her shoulder. Her eyes were as bright as the sky and her cheeks were pink. Her health was back now, and nothing could hide her beauty from me. She made
my heart jump like it never had before.
The beast inside of me growled and moved. It responded to her presence, more now than it had when we first met. When I first found her half-dead in the snow, I’d been compelled to save her and protect her. Now that she was healthy again, I thought I would want to abandon her, but my heart would not allow it.
“Ready?” I asked, gruffly. Part of me wondered if I was talking to myself.
“Yes,” She said, adjusting her boots.
I could tell she was nervous; I could smell it on her. She dreaded facing the scene where she had been attacked, and I didn’t blame her. But it had to be done.
“Come on,” I said. “It’s several miles to the site.” We walked in single file down the face of the mountain. I knew the best paths better than I knew my face. We walked in silence, which was preferable for me. Annoyingly, I had to walk much slower than usual because the human’s short stature made the trek through the deep snow much harder.
Every time I turned around, she seemed further behind. Every spark of annoyance I felt was quickly smothered with pity or some other emotion. It was something I was very unfamiliar with. So much so, it confused my heart.
“How much further?” She asked after about an hour.
“Won’t be long now,” I said. I stopped and waited for her to catch up.
Alex was covered in snow and panting as she caught her breath. Suddenly, a heavy whirring sound filled the air. It could only be one thing - a helicopter.
Alex stiffened, looking up to the sky with wide eyes. “What’s that?”
“Search and rescue,” I said. I couldn’t see the chopper, but it sounded very close.
We were in a short canyon, and the towering rocks blocked most of the sky. No one would see us down here, even with the best-trained eyes.
“Come on, we need to get to the open ground,” I said. I grabbed her hand and started running.
“Hold on, I can’t run that fast!” Alex cried, stumbling as she tried to keep up.
“If you want off this mountain, you need to try,” I shouted.
The helicopter was circling nearby; the sound of the blades cutting through the air was echoing against the mountainside and sending snow crashing to the ground in sheets.
“Damn,” I spat as we emerged from the narrow canyon. I pulled a flare from my jacket pocket, scanning the skies.
“They will not see us!” Alex cried. “We’re still too far from the camp.”
The orange helicopter whizzed overhead.
Alex screamed and jumped up and down, trying to get their attention in vain.
I shot the flare above us. The bright red spark went high into the clouds before exploding.
“They have to see that,” I said. “They have to.”
A deep rumbling came from underneath us.
“What was that?” Alex asked.
The helicopter was out of sight and could not be heard.
The rumble came again, shaking beneath our feet.
My heart dropped. I knew what that was.
“Move!” I shouted. “We need to move now!”
I turned around, grabbing her hand, just as a sheet of snow fell off the sound of the mountain.
The sound of the helicopter had triggered a small avalanche. Small, relatively, but more than enough to bury us alive if we didn’t move fast.
Alex, who struggled in the deep snow during the best of times, went into shock when she saw the wave of snow heading towards us.
With a grunt, I hauled her up and threw her over my shoulder, running as fast as I could. I knew a small cave on the outside of the canyon. If we could get there, we had a chance. I ran until my legs burned and I tasted blood at the back of my throat.
This would have been so much easier if I was in my snow leopard form.
Then, just as the wave of snow was gaining on us, I saw the dark hole in the rock’s side. I held Alex close to me and leaped into the cave, rolling through the snow and hitting hard frozen earth.
The roar of the avalanche came over us, and it plunged us into darkness.
Alexandra
My ears were ringing, and I couldn’t see. The heavy sound of the snow was suddenly gone, leaving me in silent darkness.
“Batu?” I groaned.
Silence.
I patted the ground blindly until I found my backpack. The thing that was weighing me down would be my savior. I rummaged through it, completely blind, until I found a lighter. I flicked my thumb against the Zippo lighter and a small spark of light filled the cave.
We were snowed in. The cave’s narrow entrance was packed with snow.
Batu was lying face down on the ground.
“Batu!” I cried, rolling him over.
He was breathing but knocked out.
“Oh geez,” I whispered, I scrambled around using the Zippo for light and put the bag under his head. I grabbed some water from his flask and sprinkled it over his face.
“Batu,” I whispered, spreading water on his forehead. “Batu, wake up!”
The giant man groaned, and his eyes snapped open. He jumped to his feet before stumbling backward.
“Careful!” I gasped as he fell back to his knees. “You hit your head.”
“I’ll be fine,” He replied gruffly. “Just a little avalanche.”
“Just a little avalanche?” I repeated, unable to believe my ears. “Are you crazy? What about the search and rescue?”
Batu frowned. “If that snow reached the camp, then its buried and they won’t find it until summer. Maybe longer.”
I shuddered, thinking of the bodies laying there frozen for months or maybe even years.
“Are you cold?” Batu asked.
I nodded, holding up the Zippo lighter between us.
“Don’t light a fire in here; it will use up all of our oxygen,” Batu said. He turned to the wall of snow that trapped us. “I’m going to have to dig us out.”
He shrugged off his coat and took off his fur hat. The man went right to work, digging at the snow with his hands, starting at the top and moving down.
Every time a tiny stream of light came through, more snow quickly covered it.
“Damn it,” Batu growled.
“How are we going to get out?” I whimpered.
Batu glanced back at me. “We have to dig. Just be patient.”
I crouched down at the back of the cave, holding the lighter between my hands.
Batu shoveled a few more handfuls of snow away before stepping back. “This won’t do,” He growled.
I looked up, noticing a tiny beam of light shining through the top of the snowy wall. It was small, but at least it was enough to give us some fresh air without losing too much heat.
Batu returned to my side, breathing heavily. “Human strength isn’t enough,” He said.
I bit my lower lip, emotions surging through me. We were trapped here because of me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be sorry,” Batu said.
“It’s my fault we’re trapped,” I said.
“It’s not your fault any more than it’s mine,” He replied. “I was the one who found you at the camp. I could have gone on about my business, but I didn’t,” He paused. “I couldn’t.”
My heart jumped up. “Why not?”
“You were alive,” He said. “For the first time, someone had survived a wolf attack. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t help you.”
I inched closer to him, holding the Zippo lighter between us. The tiny fire cast shadows across his face, highlighting his strong jaw.
“Do you regret it now?” I asked.
Batu jerked back. “No, why would I?”
“Because now you’re in danger too,” I whispered.
Batu growled at the back of his throat. His eyes flicked back and forth as if he was trying to find the words to tell me something important.
“Alex,” He said hesitantly. “I believe there was a reason you survived.
There was a reason that I found you.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“The stars aligned to bring you to me,” He continued. “When I’m with you, the animal inside me grows restless with desire. I can’t take it anymore. That was why I wanted to send you back. This feeling is making me weak.”
“Feeling?” I prompted, as my heart skipped. I held my breath.
“It’s going to seem strange to you,” He said. “It’s a shifter thing.”
“It can’t be any weirder than you, transforming into a snow leopard and letting me ride on your back,” I said with a cautious laugh. He was making me nervous now. I knew what he was trying to say, I thought, but now I wasn’t sure.
“Alex, I think you’re my mate,” Batu blurted. He sucked in a breath and looked me in the eye. “I can’t describe the feeling in any other way. When I see you, I feel whole. You make the beast inside me calm and ravenous at the same time. You came into my life for a reason.” He fumbled with his words.
Russian was both of our second languages, and words were failing fast.
I grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him. It was the only way I knew how to express what I was feeling.
Batu kissed me back, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling my body against his. He was hard and warm, even in this freezing cave.
“Batu,” I said as I pulled away. My heart was pounding.
Why was I feeling this way about a man I barely knew? Sure, he was irresistibly handsome. But this kiss woke something new. Something more. Something so intense that all I wanted to do was be with him.
“You’re my mate,” Batu declared, his eyes locking on mine.
And at that moment, I knew it was true.
Was it a crazy idea to fuck in a cave after an avalanche? Probably. Did I care? No.
I didn’t want to admit how much my body was craving him.
How long had it been since I’d given in to my desires? Way too long. That Ph.D. had taken over my life, and now it was time to listen to my heart instead of my head. I came to Mongolia to find myself and reconnect with nature, and that was exactly what I was going to do.