Theirs to Bear: Icy Cap Den #3 (Alaskan Den Men)

by Jennifer Hilt

  “I was trying to lasso a branch above me to crawl out. I didn’t fall over the ledge with rappelling gear.”

  He produced a rope from his backpack. “I thought you were trying to signal, like Batman uses his silhouette in the sky. Only with you, it’s panties.”

  “How’d you know where I was?”

  “I stopped by your place. Gary said you’d gone out alone. I came looking.”

  He fed the rope down with a carabiner clip attached to it. It dangled at my stranded thong. With a few flicks of his wrist, he released the garment from the offending tree branch and reeled it to him. “I knew all that fly fishing would come in handy.”

  “But how did you know where I was?”

  He pocketed my panties as a slow grin spread across his lips. “Wild strawberries don’t come into season until early June. I followed your scent.”

  “You think I smell like strawberries?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s is some powerful sniffer you’ve got there.”

  “I’m an ice bear shifter, remember?”

  “You never let me forget.”

  “Getting you out of there is going to be a bitch with the zero clothing you’re wearing. As it is, I’ll be spending the rest of the afternoon plucking blackberry thorns from your sweet ass.”

  Damn. If that didn’t sound so humiliating, and if I didn’t know that Tristan would never let me forget this, I would have been seriously turned on. Lately my life had become one bad cable movie, something like A Widow Wanders in the Wilderness or Celibate Stylist Scarred by Savage Stems.

  “Hey!” I called. “Will you get me out of here?”

  Tristan said, “I’m checking the rope before I come down.”

  “You don’t need to come down. Just throw me the rope already and pull me up.”

  “I’ll rappel down and we’ll come back up together.”

  Good-bye, last shred of pride.

  Tristan lowered himself over the cliffside.

  I reached toward him. Loose sand below me tumbled.

  “Don’t move.”

  “I’m trying to help.” Being a damsel in distress didn’t come naturally to me. Even as Tristan’s jeans outlined his firm ass, dangling at eye level.

  Some women loved ripped abs, others preferred built biceps. I’m not picky.

  “Ready?”

  “This might be a little late to mention,” I said, “but have you done this lots before?”

  “Never.” I could hear the grin in his voice. He was actually enjoying this.

  Coming alongside, he handed me a bandana from his pocket. “Wrap it around whichever wrist is in worst shape.”

  My heart jackhammered with his proximity.

  Tristan tossed me a pair of work gloves. Producing a pair of small shears from his pocket, he snipped away at the brambles encircling me.

  As much as I hated being snagged, the dropping foliage was making me nervous.

  “I’m going to pass these you to soon so you can work from your side. We’ll secure the rope before cutting away the final layers.”

  “Can’t you pull me out of here?”

  “Patience. Now snip away and I’ll have you out of here in a jiffy.”

  When I was finally free of the brambles, Tristan tied himself chest-to-chest with me. His rock-hard abs felt amazing. He’d kept up with the gym, no doubt about it.

  A thinner but still prickly layer of blackberry thorns pressed into my skin from the other side. The stupid things were painful. They were cutting into Tristan’s shirt too. Fresh bloody streaks smeared his arms.

  “We’re tied pretty tight,” he said. “On the count of three, I’m going to push us away from the cliff. Hang on. One, two, three.”

  I squeezed my arms around his torso, refusing to look down. When Tristan pushed us away from the brambles, I screamed.

  “Climb,” Tristan ordered. “The rope is holding us. Loosen your grip on me; you’re squeezing the breath out of me. I’m no good to either of us unconscious.”

  Dimly I was aware that I was gradually drawing closer to the bluff’s ledge.

  “Careful climbing out. Crawl on your belly so the edge doesn’t collapse.”

  I heaved myself over the top, then slithered away from the edge on my gashed-up belly. I wanted to gasp but it hurt too much. My whole body ached. Jagged welts oozed blood.

  “Slide over.” Tristan huffed. “I’m coming up.” He hauled himself over the ledge. I tried to pull his arms to help, but mine felt like rubber.

  “You OK?” Tristan asked.

  “Outstanding.” I was too sore to move. My heart thumped. Naturally, this was only from the stressful situation I found myself in and nothing to do with Tristan’s proximity.

  “You need to drink some water. Let me help you sit up.”

  I waved at him. “I’ll rest here a minute. Thanks.”

  “I always wanted you on your back.”

  I laughed, glancing over at him. His cuts only made him look more manly and handsome, like he was used to rescuing stylists dangling from cliffsides. “Ouch. That hurt. Don’t make me laugh again.”

  He pulled us both to our feet.

  I was lucky to have him as a friend.

  That should be enough.

  It had to be enough.

  Without warning, he enveloped me in his arms and landed a searing kiss on my lips. He started to pull away, but my hands were in his hair, holding him to me. He parted my lips, slipping his tongue inside.

  A swooping gull startled us apart.

  “I’m not going to apologize,” Tristan said. He ran his hands through his already ruffled hair. “You scared the hell out of me, dangling off that cliff. I thought I’d lost you.”

  “I don’t want to you apologize.” I stepped closer to him, shivering partly from standing around naked in forty-degree weather but also because of him.

  “I thought you only liked me as a friend?”

  “That was eons ago.”

  “But your marriage to Ted—”

  “Over before he died,” I said quickly.

  Tristan’s head pulled back in surprise. My stomach clenched. I knew how close he was to Ted, at one time. They were like brothers. Would Tristan see any chance of “us” as a betrayal to my dead husband?

  “I wish I’d known that . . . earlier.”

  My heart rate accelerated. I tried so hard not to hope. I could never tell him that he was who I wished to be with now.

  Tristan bent his head again to kiss me. My eyelids dropped in anticipation. And then his lips were crushing mine again.

  The guy could kiss. If I’d been wearing panties, they’d have been moist.

  “We need to talk.” Heat poured off this guy as if he was standing next to a bonfire. “After we get you back to town. We wait any longer, Gary’ll send out a search party.” He pulled a blanket from his backpack and handed it to me.

  “You can come over later. Gary won’t mind keeping Leo a while longer.” I wrapped the blanket around me. Never have I been so glad for a piece of cloth. I almost didn’t notice it smelled like wet fur. Almost.

  Tristan ran his thumb over my lower lip. “We will. Tomorrow.”

  “Thanks a lot!” I couldn’t believe he was ending this super-sexy rescue by telling me he’d stop by tomorrow. WTF? The noise of an approaching four-wheeler drowned out my muttering.

  After Tristan got my ride back to town arranged, he stripped. Tossing me his clothes, he winked before sprinting away. Before my eyes, the man morphed into a galloping ice bear.

  I blinked in disbelief when a weaselly lesser demon pulled up on the four-wheeler. “I’m your transport back to town. Hop on.” He winked and revved the engine, jerking his thumb at the empty seat space behind his. What a gentleman.

  This demon compensated for his skinny neck, small head, and below-average height with an impressive tat collection. Seeing as how he wore a muscle shirt and I was sitting behind him, I got an eyeful. I sat as far back as I could on the share
d seat and held onto him with the lightest pressure that would keep me on the vehicle. As we headed back toward town, he sneezed. Flames shot out his nose, scorching the tundra as we rode. When I checked behind us, I saw charred pits smoking. Even the hair on my legs was singed.

  “’Cuse me!” he hollered over the engine. “I’m getting over a flu. Still got some congestion. Good thing I didn’t have beans for lunch, though.”

  I inched back even farther on our seat.

  “Hey, want to stop by my place and see my collection of shrunken heads?”

  Tristan was a dead man when I saw him.

  Back in Icy Cap, I took my time in a tepid shower and painful blackberry-thorn removal session. I’d only just finished when a disheveled Gary showed up to return Leo.

  “You OK?” I asked him after I’d briefly explained most of what transpired in the wilderness.

  “Did you get any more snowdrops?” His eyes darted around the kitchen table.

  Double damn! I’d left my pre-accident stash back on the cliffside.

  “They were lost in the fall.”

  His already downcast face drooped lower.

  “But I can get more soon. From Barrow. Don’t worry. I promised to keep you stashed with soap, and I will.”

  His eyes slid away from mine. He didn’t believe me.

  “I promise you, Gary, that I won’t run out of soap for you.”

  “Shhh,” he hushed me. “I don’t want any other guys to know I use it. I just like it because it masks my smell, not because I like flowers.”

  Leo, in cub form, trotted into the house with his head down and circled the living room once. The intermittent squeaking from his mouth alerted me to what was probably a vole he’d caught. I had no problem with Leo learning to hunt. I didn’t expect an ice bear shifter, even such a young one, to be a vegetarian. However, I did not expect to share my living quarters with his victims.

  “Leo, whatever you have in your mouth, you return outside and release it away from the house. Then come right back in. This time as a boy, not a cub. You’re due for a bath.”

  Leo padded slowly to the door.

  Where had I packed the broom? I could see that the way things were going, I’d be better off to keep that by the door.

  “Gary.” I turned back to my sitter. “Sure you’re OK? Do you feel sick?”

  “I need some rest. I’ll take a nap after I clean up.”

  “Take care of yourself. See you tomorrow?”

  He nodded and sloped out my back door.

  By midafternoon, Leo had bathed and eaten his lunch and we’d played hide-and-seek around our property. It was now quiet time for both of us. I unpacked a few more boxes, then worked on taking inventory. Having this much daylight was exhilarating. I wasn’t sleeping much. Gary had suggested I cover the windows in the bedrooms. I had for Leo, but for me, I like all the light. It made me feel a bit like Superman. I may not be a paranorm myself, but having this much energy was probably as close as I was going to get.

  My musings ended when a light knock on my back door had me springing across the floor. I wanted to answer it before Leo heard it. He was not a fan of nap time. Thank the Godess for Gary tiring him out.

  “Good afternoon.” A shrunken woman swathed in furs stood on my back doorstep. “I’m a peddler. Would you have a moment to see my wares?”

  Ted had told me the village peddlers set off as soon as the snow melted enough that roads were passable. They traveled around to remote Alaskan locations during the long-sunlight summer. There was a strong Arctic hospitality tradition in honoring peddlers. Not only did they bring goods and services not normally available, they carried something even more valuable in the remote regions: information.

  As a stylist, I valued information and considered everything told to me confidential, but up here I was without any contacts. Maybe she’d seen this succubus that Tristan was so concerned about.

  “My son is asleep, if you don’t mind whispering. Please come in.” I gestured toward the cluttered kitchen table covered with supplies. “Let me clear some space.” I glanced back at the living room. No Leo sprinting down the stairs yet.

  This peddler’s dusty and road-weary appearance meant she’d traveled far.

  “Have we met before?” my guest asked, taking her seat. “I thought this house was vacant last time I was in town.”

  “I’m the new owner. I’m setting up a salon.”

  “A saloon?”

  “A hair and skin salon.” Great. My guest was hard of hearing.

  “Wonderful.” She opened her large black suitcase, which she kept by her side. Keeping her body turned, she rummaged around in it.

  She placed a half-dozen vials on the table. Her deep-set eyes sparkled beneath her lids. “Maybe you would be interested in some essential oils?”

  Was I interested? My experience with the moving company and liquids had not been good. It was all I could not to leap over and seize the contents of her suitcase. This was no way to negotiate, though.

  I produced a handful of my handmade soaps. She sniffed them cautiously.

  “They work on paranorms. A satisfied ghoul is my best customer,” I said proudly.

  The wizened woman glanced up at me from her hooded eyes. “Isn’t the ghoul the only one in town currently?”

  The hair on the back of my neck tingled. “There’s a few others, the deputy among them. How did you hear that? Have you been traveling long?”

  She fingered the soaps. “The roads are open early this year.”

  “Heard anything about a succubus?” I asked.

  “What is that?” The woman set the soap down.

  “Succubus, like a sorceress. She’s been setting traps and harassing the town. No mention of dark magic in your travels?”

  “No but I’m just starting out after being hunkered down all winter. What’s she look like?”

  “Like some fairy princess, but she’s got the heart of an evil queen.”

  “You’ve seen her, then?”

  “I’ve only heard from those who have.”

  The old woman sniffed my soap, closing her eyes. “You got dried snowdrops in here?”

  “I don’t remember what particular ingredients went in that batch. They are all natural, though.”

  The peddler winked. “Good girl. Keep your secrets close. I’ll take all of these and put in an order for a dozen more when I stop here again.”

  “Excellent. I’ll take all essential oils you can spare today. By the way, I’m Liv. Nice to meet you.”

  “Call me Rika.”

  5

  Tristan

  As I sent Liv back to town on the ATV, I shifted into my ice bear. For the next twelve hours, I hunted far from town to escape the wind blowing her scent to me. She hadn’t suffered any serious injury when I found her on that ledge. It could’ve crumpled at any time. I could have lost her. Again.

  I was on her back step by midmorning the following day. I had to see her. It was as if a giant magnet pulled me to her.

  Liv pushed her back door open. “Come on in.”

  “You look beautiful.” I gaped. “Turn around. Slowly.” Liv wore a white halter top with a deep V-neck and no discernable sign of a bra. Under my gaze, her nipples hardened beneath the sheer cotton. Snug black shorts clung to her perfect ass. There was no way she could possibly be wearing panties.

  This was not typical Icy Cap spring attire.

  “Took you long enough to get here. I’ve got to run to Barrow,” she said.

  “Dressed like that?”

  “It’s Barrow.”

  “My point exactly. Barrow makes any images you have of the Wild West look like a tidy theme park.” My hand slid up her back, feeling her shiver under my touch. I fingered her halter tie. It’d be so easy to pull the knot loose and watch the ties fall away, revealing her magnificent breasts. Too much, too soon. My cock twitched. Wearing jeans was a mistake.

  “I need supplies,” she said.

  “Now?”

>   “I can’t just wait around for you to show up. You want to come with?” She sidestepped around me, heading down the steps.

  I wanted to fuck her senseless, not watch her shop. But I’d been wanting to do the former for so many years, the wait probably wouldn’t kill me. We should be taking things slow anyway. That was what I’d come here to tell her.

  Hanging her returned thong from yesterday on the back doorknob, I pulled the door closed. Looking at Liv, waiting for me on the driveway around the back of her house, I froze.

  She stood next to Icy Cap’s most rusted vintage pickup truck. It was the kind of old green Ford that would be pretty in a picture with flowers growing out of where the removed engine block had been, like, forty years ago.

  “What is that?” I stalked over to her, wincing from the way my cock wedged up against my jeans.

  “My new truck. What does it look like?”

  “There’s nothing about that truck that’s new.”

  “It’s new to me.”

  “That’s going to get you to Barrow?”

  “Probably not,” Liv agreed. “That’s why I’m taking these.” She held up jumper cables, looking like a priestess making an offering, before throwing the cables in the back of the truck.

  “Those only help if the battery dies, and you need something to charge it with.”

  She hopped through the open door, then outlined her lips with a red lipstick and pouted in the side mirror. “I may have to suck some dick in exchange for repairs. How do I look?”

  I wasn’t even aware of the roaring sound in my brain until I had Liv on her back, pinned beneath me on the truck’s bench seat.

  “Don’t tease me. My time as the good guy is about up.” My hips were between her legs. I nudged my jeans-clad cock against her crotch.

  Liv hooked one foot around my calf; her other rested on the truck floor.

  Even through her shorts and my jeans, her pussy cradled me.

  She lifted her head to run the tip of her tongue against my ear. “I can make time for a quick fuck.”

  I groaned. It was entirely possible this woman was going to kill me.

  “When I fuck you, there won’t be anything quick about it. I’m going to take you on every surface and in positions you didn’t even know were possible. Your throat will be raw from begging me to let you come. Tease while you can.”