by Sammie Joyce
“My parents weren’t shifters,” she began, almost unexpectedly. The revelation was somehow deeper than I’d expected. I slowly lowered the bowl and sat back, the food forgotten for the moment.
“They weren’t?”
She shook her long, dark tresses and gave me a wry smile.
“Needless to say, they were terrified of me when I was young. They had no idea what to do with this creature, this…freak.”
I felt my jaw twitch at the categorization.
“Don’t call us that,” I growled almost by rote. Larissa snickered.
“I don’t think we’re freaks,” she sighed, almost rolling her eyes at my reaction. “But my parents sure did.”
I blinked, feeling a wave of compassion rising inside me for this lonely woman.
“How did they cope?”
“They didn’t,” Larissa replied. “They died before the truth ever came to light.”
My brow furrowed.
“What truth was that?”
Larissa sighed as if the words pained her to think.
“I had been switched at birth with a fully human child, a child who had been raised among the shifters until our leader, Flint Locklear, came to right the terrible injustice that had occurred.”
“Oh…” I didn’t know what else to say. I wondered how such a mistake could have been made in the first place but I didn’t want to ask. The story seemed to create enough heartache in Larissa already. My heart fluttered in my chest as I read the misery on her face.
“I was brought back here,” she continued. “Finally free to be who I was among the bears and caribou who raised me. Artemis, the old shaman, took me under his wing and talk me all he knew. He was a mischievous old thing but kind and warm. I wanted so much to be like him and he was eager to teach. Eventually, he passed the torch to me, before he, too, passed on. Now I stay here and tend to the shifters as they need me.”
“It sounds lonely,” I told her softly. Larissa smiled a half-smile and shook her head as she met my eyes.
“I’d never really thought about it,” she replied softly. I heard the implied, “until now” even though the words didn’t leave her lips.
All the previous doubts I’d had before evaporated as I lost myself in her eyes, my soul craving every part of her as the electric current flowed between us. She broke her gaze first and cleared her throat, looking down at her plate.
“So…uh, what are your plans then?” she mumbled, seemingly embarrassed that she had told me so much.
Boldly, I maintained my stare and asked what was front and center on my mind.
“I was thinking that I might stay here for another day or two—just until I can get sorted.”
I didn’t miss the spark of excitement in her face but she managed to keep a stoic expression.
“I don’t see the harm,” she replied. “But you’ll sleep on the couch.”
I swallowed a smile and nodded.
For now, I agreed silently, knowing that arrangement was not going to last. Whatever pretense of modesty Larissa was making, I wasn’t going to force the issue. She was lying to herself if she didn’t think I knew how she felt about me.
We were mates, after all and no amount of acting was going to change that fact.
“Of course,” I replied. “Where else would I sleep?”
Larissa snorted.
“You made yourself quite comfortable in my bed earlier,” she reminded me and I flushed slightly at the reminder.
“True. But rest assured, I won’t ever enter your bed again—until you ask me there.”
The blush on her cheeks was unmistakable and I chuckled, returning to my meal as she did the same.
Our attraction was out there in the open now. It was just a matter of one of us acting upon it.
7
Larissa
I was finding it very hard to sleep, knowing that Ruben was only a few feet down the hall from me. Every part of me wanted to get up, to go and lead him back into my bedroom and invite him into my bed—as he had already suggested I would.
I don’t know what was holding me back exactly. It wasn’t some antiquated sense of modesty, that much I knew. We didn’t adhere to the “norms” of society. We were shifters, animals by nature and free to react to our instincts.
Except that every instinct inside me was yearning to go to him and I was suppressing it.
Perhaps I still wasn’t over the idea that he had entered my house without an invitation. Who did that? Certainly not anyone I knew. But the time we’d spent talking had lowered my wariness about him and I had to admit that I was over the moon to have found him again…or had he found me? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I had my mate back in my sights and I was very grateful.
Sometime during the night, I finally managed to drift off but the unexpected sound of wood creaking outside my bedroom made my eyes open slightly. I knew it was Ruben—I just didn’t know what he was doing there. I wondered if he’d read my innermost desires from the living room, if I hadn’t somehow summoned him in my fitful sleep.
What would I do if he climbed into bed with me? Would I throw him out? Slap his face?
No. I was sure I wouldn’t do either.
I held my breath and waited for him to come over to my side, to utter a word or make a sound but when a moment passed and he didn’t, I slowly parted my lids more, watching him lean against the doorframe.
He’s watching me sleep!
The naked affection in his luminous eyes filled me with a yearning so strong, I felt a physical pang in my gut. I wanted to call out to him but at the same time, I was thrilled to watch him watch me.
The warmth of his stare flowed through me and I inhaled deeply, relishing the headiness that enshrouded me. It wasn’t unlike calling on the spirits for guidance; a floating, lost feeling that had me both there and somewhere else entirely.
And then it was gone.
My eyes opened again and Ruben had disappeared, back to his spot on the sofa where I’d set him up for the night with a pillow and blanket.
Disappointment touched me but it was overcome by something else—a grateful feeling of deep respect for the man.
He was giving me my space, appreciating the boundaries I’d set. I’d lived such a solitary life that the notion of having someone there with me was almost foreign. Ruben seemed to have sensed that and if I’d lusted after him before, I may have loved him now.
A sudden bout of sleepiness overcame me, and for the first time since I’d laid eyes on the handsome bull by the stream, I felt a deep sense of relaxation seep into my bones. I realized what it was as I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
I felt completely safe.
* * *
It was hotter than I’d expected but still a perfect day for planting. I was up early as always but instead of nattering around the cottage, I let Ruben sleep and headed out to work in the garden. It was time for planting anyway and I could sense a storm coming, despite the brightness of the day.
I’d started at dawn but by the time the back door opened and Ruben ambled out, shirtless again, the sun was high in the sky and I was almost ready to take a break.
“Hey,” he called, watching me from the doorway. I sat back on my haunches and grinned at him. I recalled how he’d watched me the very same way the previous night.
“Hey.”
“How did you sleep?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” I laughed. He’d taken the question right out of my mouth.
“It’s very peaceful here,” he replied, stepping down into the yard in bare feet. “It’s easy to sleep well.”
“Beats sleeping in the caves with the shifters in the herd, right?” I chuckled. He shrugged but his smile seemed to fade slightly at the mention.
“Do you need some help?”
I was taken aback by the question, although I’m not sure why. It was the polite thing to do, after all, to ask the host of the house if they need help. As if I was merely a host at a ho
use in which Ruben was staying.
“Uh, sure,” I agreed before I could overthink the offer too much. I handed him a spade and he immediately crouched down beside me to start digging. I’d already pulled up most of the weeds and cultivated the earth, and there were seeds of various kinds to be planted and old, dead roots to be removed. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, slightly impressed at how nimble his hands were. He seemed to have done this before and I found myself very curious about his shifter clan and his life in Canada. I didn’t have much experience outside of Alaska. I knew my group and few others but that was the way I’d always liked it. I’d never really had the opportunity to meet many outsiders.
Unexpectedly, I thought of Emmett Sable and shivered slightly for reasons unknown.
Really, how much do you need to know about the man’s past? If he wants to tell you, he’ll tell you.
He had shut me down fast the previous day when I’d tried to talk to him about his reasons for being here. I remember Artemis telling me that the best way to get to know a being is by listening, not questioning, and it was advice I’d always taken to heart. I wasn’t inherently pushy, after all. If Ruben wanted me to know about him, he’d tell me.
We continued to work side-by-side for over half an hour, neither one of us speaking as the sun climbed higher above us. It was getting too hot to work and finally, I stopped, dropping my shovel to reach for the watering hose.
“Tired?” Ruben asked.
“I’ve been at it since dawn,” I explained. He balked.
“You’ve been up since dawn? Why didn’t you wake me?”
“For what?” I replied, shrugging as I sprayed the fresh seeds and Ruben stood, brushing off his dirty clothes.
“I could have helped you sooner.”
I gave him a confidential grin.
“I’m used to doing this by myself,” I reminded him softly.
“Why would you when you have someone to help?” he insisted. I didn’t reply but I couldn’t hide the look of pleasure that his words gave me from creeping up my face.
“I guess you’re too tired to go for a run?” he asked. I caught the plaintive note in his voice. He was right. I was tired but not too tired for a run. I could think of nothing I wanted to do more than shed my skin and go galloping through the woods with him.
“You guessed wrong,” I laughed, dropping the hose and bolting forward. In seconds, my legs had transformed into long, brown spindles, overtaking the garden in a single bound, my tail purposely swiping him in the face as I took off.
I heard him grunt behind me but I didn’t look back, relishing my head start as I floored it through the woods.
Over the fallen logs and branches I sprinted, hearing the snap of twigs behind me as Ruben gained on my trail but I didn’t slow for a second. I didn’t need to—I knew he would catch me.
All my tiredness was forgotten as I made my way up an incline, headed toward a mushroom patch by rote. In the back of my mind was still my concoctions and the items I’d need for my practice. I stopped near a mossy grove and I heard Ruben skid to a halt behind me. Before he could catch his breath, I shifted back into my human form and began to gather the fungi I needed. Following my lead, he, too, morphed back into his mortal form.
“What are you doing?” he asked and I told him.
“These are for potions?” he asked dubiously.
“Some of them,” I agreed. “Some are used in healing. You’d be amazed how much nature has to offer.”
“I am never amazed at how much nature has to offer,” he replied, sounding slightly irked by the sentiment. “I’m always alarmed at how little of it that there is.”
I gave him a puzzled look, expecting him to elaborate but he didn’t and again seemed to clam up.
He’s got something on his mind, I thought, wondering how to make sense of the little bit of information he’d given me, but there wasn’t enough to work with. Instead I gave him another job.
“See if you can’t find me something to carry what I need. I didn’t think to bring a satchel.”
“That’s because you were too busy cheating with a head start,” he teased, looking around for a sack of sorts. It didn’t take him long to find a discarded button-down shirt and I swallowed a grin.
Davis, I mused, knowing that the endless supply of clothing in the woods had to belong to him. He was the only one I knew who planned ahead that well, especially after being caught shifting back in the fall.
“Will this do?”
“Splendidly,” I agreed, smiling gratefully. I continued my scavenging in the area and then, without warning, I again shifted and bounded off, leaving Ruben to cry out after me.
“NO FAIR!” he yelled and I tittered as I scampered away, knowing that he was right behind me.
* * *
For the rest of the afternoon, we continued on that way. I would stop in places which held the plants or berries I required, becoming human again while Ruben stayed on my heels, helping me where he could and admiring me with covert looks when he thought I wasn’t looking.
When I was sure I had enough for the week, I nodded to him.
“Are you ready to head back? You've only grazed a little all day.”
“Are you cooking?” he asked, his eyes lighting up like wildfire at the notion.
“Unless you know how,” I joked.
“Uh, no. You can do the honors.”
Naked, we remained in our human forms, Ruben carrying Davis’ discarded shirt. Inevitably, we inched closer together until I felt the strong warmth of Ruben’s hand on my hip. I seemed to fit into his arm perfectly, the feeling of his skin against mine electrifying. I don’t even know how we made it back to the cabin but when we did, the final light of the sun was fading over the horizon.
Ruben turned to me, his breath quicker than it had been as he met my eyes.
“Larissa—” he started to say but I didn’t want to talk anymore. I just wanted him to finish what had started between us days ago. We’d waited long enough. It was time to give us both what we so desperately needed—each other.
8
Larissa
I wrapped my arms tightly around Ruben’s neck, drawing him in tightly for a kiss that I wanted more than anything I had ever craved in my existence. He leaned down, fully knocking the breath from my body as our tongues met, sending an entirely new fusion of energy through me.
I was melting and alive, simultaneously falling into him and jumping out of my own skin. Effortlessly, he reached down to cup my buttocks with his hands; the cheeks forming into his hands as well as every other part of me already seemed too.
In seconds, my legs were wrapped around his waist, his lean but toned body backing into the house with me draped over him, our kiss never faltering.
When we parted, it was only for Ruben to lay me tenderly onto the bed, the gleam in his eyes speaking volumes to the way he was feeling.
It was difficult to accept that we had only known one another for such a short time. Our bond already unbreakable, although how I knew that, I couldn’t say. Somehow, I felt like my ancestors had taken over, flowing through me to embrace the primitive act of finding my mate.
And I was savoring every second of it.
I savored the way Ruben’s hair brushed against my goose-fleshed chest, the heat of his lips against my prickled breasts, the heaviness of his breath as he explored every curve of my body.
I arched into him, a low sigh escaping my lips. How long had it been since I’d been this close to anyone so intimately? I couldn’t even remember at that moment—not that I wanted to. I didn’t want to recall a single moment prior to finding myself inside Ruben’s warm embrace.
His kisses grew more urgent, a slight gleam of sweat appearing on his brow as his head dropped lower over my abdomen, my thighs rising to allow him access to my most private places.
And I didn’t just want to give myself to him physically. I wanted him to have all of me. I moaned when he buried himself between my legs, tongu
e working hard but skillfully as he tasted my core. A cry of pleasure escaped me as I realized he was bringing me to my heights already.
I pulled myself up on my arms to watch him in disbelief, my long tresses falling to cover my breasts, but a strong hand came up, forcing me back against the cool sheets. He wanted me to lay back and enjoy the experience and I would be hard pressed to argue with him.
I closed my eyes, cries filling my ears and it took me a minute to realize they were mine and not his. My climax was near but I wanted him inside me. Whatever my desire, Ruben had plans of his own, and he drew me up fully, inhaling me until I was sure I had expelled everything I had inside me, but Ruben had not finished with me.
Suddenly, I was flipped over, Ruben crawling up my back to hug me from behind. I tilted my head back to look at him but before our eyes could meet, his mouth crushed into mine again.
“You are exactly how I imagined you,” he purred, his breath hot against my face as he clung tightly to my waist. I could feel the throb of him against my rear and I began to quiver with excitement.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I first saw you, Larissa,” he went on, his mouth moving to graze my ear and I wasn’t given a chance to tell him that I felt the same way, that I knew we were fated to one another. He was inside me then, stealing my ability to speak as he gripped at my hips and filled me.
I gasped, stunned by the thrust of him but when he paused, thinking he was going to fast, I shook my head vehemently.
“No,” I whispered. “Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.”
My words were the catalyst and the floodgates opened, his movements growing harder and faster until I was clinging to the sheets, whimpering in desire but unable to form words of my own. Over and over, he brought me exactly where he intended until I was sure I was going to faint with pleasure.
Suddenly, abruptly, he jerked, his body spasming against me and with a grunt and sigh, I knew he had finally achieved the level that he’d sent me to over and over.
