by Elena Aitken
“Ahh. And being that it’s so far off the road, probably not worth developing into a major tourist site. Gotcha.” Nash picked up one of the sandwiches she’d prepared. “I would say that I’m surprised I’d never heard of it, but I grew up on the other side of the park and our pack didn’t roam around very much.”
She watched him eat for a moment before she asked the question she’d been dying to know the answer to. “So why did you leave? I mean, you told me a little bit about your brother, but—”
The geyser beneath them erupted in a huge spout of water that shot up past their vantage point in a roar, interrupting Kira’s question. Nash slipped his arm around her and squeezed. “That’s pretty amazing,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many times you see it. It truly is a phenomenon.”
She nodded in agreement, her question forgotten for the moment as they watched the show. The water fell and rose, multiple times until finally it splashed to the ground as if someone had suddenly cut off the water supply and just like that, it was over.
“That was incredible.”
“You’re incredible.” Nash turned her easily in his arms and kissed her. His hand cupped her face and held her to him as their tongues clashed together. It only took seconds before he had her entire body on fire. The need she had for him was almost explosive and it threatened to completely consume her every time they touched.
Nash pulled away, ending the kiss. “Are you ready?”
“For what?” All Kira could think about was his mouth on her skin, her hands clawing down his back while he pressed inside her, but the look in his eyes alerted her to something else. “Oh. That.” Her desire faded away, replaced again by apprehension. “But it’s still daylight.”
“You said yourself that we are all alone up here and I think it’ll be good for you to run in the light.” He stood and offered her a hand up. “Besides, I want to see you without the shade of night.”
Kira’s body trembled and she swallowed hard. “Okay,” she said before she could change her mind. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet easily before immediately leading her away from the ledge and toward the protection of the trees.
They didn’t speak while they stripped their clothes off. Kira folded hers into a neat stack; Nash tossed his into a pile next to hers and then they were naked. Any other time, she would have relished the fact that Nash and his lean, muscular, completely perfect body stood only a few feet away from her own nakedness. But she was too focused on what was about to happen.
You can do this, Kira. Just shut off your thoughts. Right. She could do that. She could shift and not think about her brothers or home or anything. Why not? Of course she could do that. She’d just focus on the feeling of being in her bear and running through the woods. And Nash. She could focus on the wolf. She’d never run with a wolf before. Not even close.
Kira nodded and smiled to herself, feeling dramatically better. “Why didn’t I think of that before?” she muttered to herself, feeling foolish for her earlier nerves.
Nash gave her a sidelong glance but thankfully didn’t press her. He knew she was preoccupied with a host of different thoughts. “Ready?”
She nodded.
His mouth slipped into his super sexy signature smile. A flash of desire ripped through her the way it always did, but she didn’t have time to process it because a second later, Nash leapt into the air.
The transformation was dramatic and beautiful as his long, lean body stretched forward into the air. The most magnificent wolf Kira had ever seen hit the ground. He took a few steps upon landing. His black fur, streaked with silver and gray, shimmered in the sun and Kira was thankful for the daylight so she could admire it. She stood for a moment, dumbfounded at the beauty in front of her before his large head swung around. Nash’s familiar gray eyes watched her.
Nash twitched his head, beckoning her. He took a few more steps and turned to wait. And watch.
A shiver ripped through her. Kira closed her eyes, swallowed hard and started to run.
Watching Kira shift into her true form was the sexiest thing Nash had ever seen. She was magnificent in her bear. A beautiful, dark grizzly, she looked incredibly fierce when she hit the ground running.
And she was running. Into the trees and away from him.
Nash chuckled and shook his heavy head before he pursued her.
The shift would be a difficult one for Kira, especially considering it had been so long since the last time she was in her animal form. It would be exhausting and there was no telling how long she’d be able to stay in her bear. Nash wasn’t positive that it was the same as it was for him, but it had to be similar. Shifting was like a muscle. The more you used it, the easier it got. And likewise, if you went too long denying your true self, it took awhile to build up your stamina again.
That being said, Kira didn’t seem to have any trouble at the moment. She was moving quickly, but Nash was strong, too, and caught up with her seconds later.
How does it feel?
As if in response, Kira tipped back her head and let out a mighty roar that shook the earth, before she slowed her pace. Nash slowed with her, and howled his happiness in return because it felt damned good to feel his muscles stretch and pull. But mostly it felt amazing to be side by side with Kira who, after way too long, was embracing her true self. That felt friggin’ fantastic.
Their pace slowed, and finally stopped as they made their way into a clearing where a family of deer enjoyed an evening meal. Their ears flicked toward the two predators, and a flash later they were gone.
Kira sat hard on her haunches and started to laugh. Nash looked from her to where the deer had taken off and, realizing what she was likely laughing at, joined in. There was no doubt that for the deer, seeing a wolf and grizzly together must look like a nightmare come to life.
The laughter quickly faded as he was struck once again by how majestic she was.
He dipped his head and looked away, overwhelmed with feelings he’d never felt before.
Nash.
He’d heard her say his name. But not with her voice. It was different. He’d never been able to communicate in his wolf form before.
Ever.
It was only hearing his name that Nash realized she’d heard him earlier too when he’d wondered how she felt while running.
Damn. What was happening?
He lifted his head and looked into her deep eyes, widened with as much surprise and wonderment as he felt.
Kira.
He had to know, even though he couldn’t properly express what it was.
Slowly, she got to her feet.
Kira walked toward him, so her snout was only inches from his. Everything about the situation was wrong. A wolf and a bear didn’t…they couldn’t…but they did. That was the part that was so crazy to him. The laws of nature, and more importantly of their clans, said they weren’t supposed to be together. They were breaking all the rules. But it didn’t matter. Not even a little. Now that they were each in their true forms, everything was becoming very clear.
Whatever it was that was happening, even if he could put it into words, Nash wouldn’t have to explain anything because it was everything and if she felt it, she’d know.
If she was honest with herself, he knew what she’d say.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Kira nodded.
It scared the hell out of him, because as far as Nash knew, no one in his pack had ever had the experience of finding their true mate. The one that their body yearned for, that they were connected to in a primal way, the one that completed them. Fated. But that’s exactly what he was feeling. And Kira felt it too. The knowledge of that propelled him forward, needing to be closer to her.
He nuzzled into her, inhaling her scent. He needed to be close with her, touching her, because he was terrified that if he wasn’t, whatever was going on with them would disappear and all at once, he wasn’t sure he could survive that.
Chapter Eight
For the
next few weeks, the stress of the start of the season started to slip away. Kira fell into her groove as campsite manager, and even Conner stopped giving her such a hard time. The guests started coming in droves and everyone was busier than ever. But even amid their busy schedules, Kira and Nash found time to spend together. A lot of time.
Something had happened after the first time they shifted together. Kira had concentrated so completely on not trying to reach out to her brother, or utilize any form of twin connection, that she hadn’t thought about any of the other things that could happen when she was in her bear form.
Not that she ever would have considered the idea that she would have such an intense experience with Nash. It was so different than how things were with Kade. As twins, they could sort of feel the other and experience generalized feelings. But with Nash, it was different. It was more acute, more tangible if that was even possible. When Nash’s voice popped into her head as if he was speaking the words himself, she damn near fell over. The craziest part was that instead of freaking her out, it felt perfectly natural. As though she was always meant to be connected with Nash.
And that’s what it was. A connection. Like a strand of thread joining them together. It was both terrifying and incredibly natural all at the same time. Nash felt it too and although they never talked about what had happened, it was as if they’d both come to a mutual agreement that whatever had happened—or more accurately, was happening between them—was exactly what should be.
Every few nights after that, they made a point to sneak off and go for a run. Usually under the pretense of investigating the ongoing mystery of the dead fish even though the truth was, they were too preoccupied with each other to focus on that specific situation. Which had to change, and soon.
Conner had warned her on more than one occasion that he would go to the head office if he had to deal with any more guest complaints, and she had no doubt he’d make good on the threat, which was why Kira had an entirely new plan to catch the culprit who was planting the fish. Because it had to be intentional. There was no other explanation; there were no reports of dead fish anywhere else in the park, so natural causes could be ruled out.
No, it was definitely a person. And tonight she was going to find out who it was. Which was why she hadn’t told anyone what she was doing. Not even Nash. Although she had a feeling he’d figure it out pretty quickly.
Kira and her cabin mates had a rare dinner together earlier in the evening and even rarer, everyone was in a good mood. Even Conner. The whole group was settling in to play a card game and as much as she would have liked to stay and play, Kira faked a sore stomach and begged off. They’d long since given up trying to hide their relationship, so when Nash tried to insist on laying down with her, Kira made a big production of not wanting him to see her with the flu, and she’d more or less slammed the door in his face. She felt bad about lying to him, but she needed everyone to think she was alone in bed.
She’d waited until the house got quiet and the light that came from under her door, went out. Nash had knocked at one point to check on her, but she sent him away with a story about how she’d been vomiting. Finally, after what felt like forever, she stripped her clothes off and snuck out her window, where she shifted quickly into her bear.
It was risky to shift so close to humans. Very risky, but it was important.
She wasn’t about to hang around, though. She took off for the cover of the trees at a blistering pace and made her way across the river, where she could lay down and watch for anything suspicious.
Over the last few weeks, since the very first stakeout that Kira and Nash went on, there had been a handful of more real attempts. Sometimes Sasha joined her, but mostly Nash was her partner. Every time someone went out watching, the dead fish didn’t show up the next day, or like after the first time, they were discovered in a big, stinky pile somewhere else, as if the culprit dumped them when they couldn’t fulfill their task. Obviously, Kira’s theory was that knowing he—or she—was being watched, the fish bandit got spooked when they saw people and fled. By shifting into her bear, she was hoping she’d blend in with the surroundings a little better. She’d kept her plan quiet in case the culprit was among them, not even telling Nash. Not that she thought Nash was involved, but she didn’t want to arouse suspicion in anyone, and it was better if she just kept quiet completely. She definitely had a few ideas who might be behind the problem, but she couldn’t say anything unless she had hard proof.
Which was why she was about to settle in for the night, camouflaged as a slumbering bear.
It was almost funny to Kira how quickly she’d embraced her bear again. There was no doubt in her mind that being with Nash had a lot to do with it.
Being with Nash.
It was still so crazy to think about it that way, but that’s how it was. She was with Nash. A wolf.
She found a tree that would act as good cover and settled down into the earth, her mind still preoccupied with the wolf who had occupied pretty much every waking thought, and sleeping ones too, since they’d met.
The whole thing was so wrong. After all, a bear and a wolf, together? It was unthinkable. It went against everything she’d ever been taught. But the longer Kira spent on her own, away from the thoughts and ideals of her family and clan, the more she realized that maybe her grandfather didn’t know everything about how things were supposed to be. As each day went by and she and Nash spent more and more time getting to know each other, Kira’s heart only felt more full. And wasn’t that the way things were supposed to be?
Besides, it wasn’t as if she was involved with her family anymore anyway.
The thought no longer filled her with sadness the way it had only a few short months ago. She didn’t even have to wonder why that was. Kira no longer felt alone because every fiber in her body thrilled when Nash was around—hell, even if he wasn’t around. She only had to think of him for her body to explode. It was so different from the way things had felt with Ryan. That had just been a mistake.
A colossal mistake.
The night darkened around her; the sounds of the forest changed as the night grew longer. Kira settled her head onto her paws. But she didn’t sleep. Shifting and maintaining her bear form had become much easier, just as it had become much easier not to think about her brother or to reach out using her twin bond when she was in bear form. The first few times, she’d had to concentrate on not thinking about Kade, until it became almost second nature to ignore the urge to try to connect. Almost.
Maybe it was that she was by herself. Or maybe it was that Kira was no longer desperate to connect with Kade. Whatever it was, as she laid under the tree and scanned the riverbank on the other side for signs of any strange activity, a thought began to take shape.
It probably wouldn’t hurt. Even if there’s no change, it won’t matter.
Before she could change her mind or talk herself out of it, Kira closed her eyes and pictured her brother. She didn’t expect anything to happen. Not really. And at first, nothing did. She couldn’t sense him. She could barely remember what he looked like, what he sounded like, what his hug felt like.
And then it happened.
His face. His laugh. His back as he walked away.
The visions smashed through her so hard and so unexpectedly, they took her breath away. She felt as if she were rolling and tumbling down a hill from the force of the sensation. But when she opened her eyes again, she found she hadn’t moved from her spot under the tree.
But it was so real.
Kira’s breath came in pants. She tucked her big head under her arms and forced her breathing to slow. And then it happened.
Kira.
She snapped her head up and scanned her surroundings.
Nothing.
Kira?
It had to be Kade. Or was it Nash reaching out? He might be concerned about her. What if he’d gone to check on her and she wasn’t in her room? That had to be it. The fact that she could connect with Nash in her
bear form had surprised her, certainly, but over the last few weeks, she’d grown used to it. She’d looked forward to it. Connecting with Nash made her feel safe, secure…loved. She couldn’t quite pinpoint her feelings for him, but it was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. That much she knew for certain. And she never wanted it to end.
Kira?
The call of her name hit her again, pulling her from her thoughts. It wasn’t Nash calling her.
It was different. Yet familiar at the same time.
Was she really so tired that she couldn’t distinguish between what it felt like to sense her own twin brother and the wolf she was sleeping with?
The entire thought was ludicrous.
She stood and stretched. She was tired. She was starting to mix up all her feelings, that’s all. She never should have tried to reach out to Kade when she was so tired and feeling so run-down. Besides, she had way too much on her mind to think straight. Nash was probably looking for her and it was time to go.
That’s all it was.
And that’s exactly what she kept telling herself, the stakeout forgotten, until she got back to the cabin and slipped back through the window into her room. She kept telling herself that until she crossed the hall, opened Nash’s door, and slid into bed next to him, where, just as she expected, he was waiting for her.
“Hey.” Nash lifted his arm and Kira scooted in close until she was tucked in tight. “Are you feeling better? I was worried about you.”
She tipped her head up to his, and even in the dim light of the moonlit room, he could see the question in her eyes. “You knew I wasn’t sick?”
He nodded and kissed the top of her head. “I knew you needed some time alone. Besides, do you think that if I really thought you were sick I wouldn’t even bother checking on you? Come on, babe. You should know better than that.”
“What should I know?” Her voice was laced with mischief.
Her hand stroked his bare chest. Nash let out a little moan, because her hot touch on his skin never failed to stir him. Especially when her hand started to slide down his torso the way it was currently doing.
