NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team

by Chelsea Handcock

  Her Uncle wasn’t a small man, and neither was the stranger by the river which worked in her favor. Once she got his body temperature up and cleaned and dressed his wounds, she would be able to offer him more than a blanket to cover himself. Placing the bag on her bed, Jenna’s mind flashed to the man, and the shiver she got this time had nothing to do with the cold. He was gorgeous even in his shape, he had to have one the of the best bodies she had ever seen on a man, and she was going to have to strip him bare.

  Fuck, she was a professional, had seen hundreds of people naked, but damn it, there was something different about this man and the way he made her feel. She definitely didn’t think of him as just a patient. There wasn’t a part of him not covered in muscle, and that face, damn. His lips alone could keep her dreams filled with erotic thoughts for the rest of her life.

  She wondered what his eyes looked like if they had the glow she had seen in other shifters. Would they be blue or dark and stormy? For some reason, she thought they would be dark. A deep chocolate brown that would turn golden when his animal was near the surface. With his tanned complexion and dark facial hair, those eyes would be like a magnet. Feeling like a total creeper, Jenna tried to convince herself she could be and would be professional. She would get him back to her cottage, tend to him until the storm passed, then call in the Calvary. Nodding her head, she started to gather other things she would need, adding a couple of more logs to her fireplace to warm the place up. She knew she needed to warm him slowly, but with his shifter metabolism and the gift she already gave him, it wouldn’t be as important. Having the cottage warmer would be good for both of them.

  Just thinking about the call she would have to make soon brought other thoughts barreling through her head. She had known Shifters existed in the world from the time she was a little girl. Her Uncle didn’t believe in hiding things from her, telling her often she always needed to be aware of the things in the world. To never take anything at face value, to open her mind to other possibilities. She had no choice as her own life and abilities resembled that of a horror novel, at least to her. Others would think they were cool, and she should be happy, but Jenna had never been happy with them. Every gift had a price, and she had learned that, all too well.

  Sometimes, she thought it would be better if he had kept that part of her life secret. Jenna often wondered what her life would have been like if she didn’t know about shifters, her purpose with them, and the grand plans fate had for her life. But as he always said, knowledge was power, and some of the people she held closest to her were Shifters. She loved them and wouldn’t trade them for the world.

  The truth was, he had been right to tell her, to let her know exactly how she came to be the way she was. If she were oblivious, if she had never met any of them her life would be so different, and she wasn’t sure if it would have been better. She would have either ended up like Ryleigh Quinn, a possession, abused and experimented on or worse, somewhere chained to a bed in some psyche unit. Her progression into the woman she was today hadn’t been an easy one. Without the tools her Uncle had given her, she would have gone mad.

  The pain she had felt learning how she came to be, how she wasn’t wanted by the people who were supposed to have wanted her the most always hurt. Created in a lab, implanted, then discarded because she was deemed less than, still rubbed her the wrong way. Given gifts from a heritage that would have been utterly foreign to her had her Uncle not come into her life. The real bitch was if it weren’t for her Uncle’s intervention, Jenna would have been kept in the dark while others played their games and lined up their chess pieces, waiting for the day to call them out, just like Cash Warren. Damn it, that little thought took her breath away.

  If that man on the river bank was Cash Warren, she needed to make all of this right. She just didn’t know how. She had been trained for what was supposed to come, but he hadn’t. She resented the powers that be for that fact alone. Whether that man turned out to be Cash or not, she would go against orders and find him, anyway. Tell him what she knew and let him decide his own fate. It was the right thing to do. A small part of her wished she had come to this conclusion sooner.

  A whisper rushed through her mind, Come back to me, and Jenna froze for a second before she jumped into action, shoving her feet into her boots and grabbing her coat. The last thing she took on the way out of her cottage were the keys to her Jeep. Slamming the door and jumping down from the porch, she quickly realized she had a significant problem. There was no way in hell her Jeep would make it to the river. The snow was too deep. The vehicle had four-wheel drive, but even with it, she doubted it would remain unstuck, and she didn’t have the time or the energy to even worry about that right now.

  Turning, she forced her legs through the now knee-deep snow. Shit, how long had she been in the cottage? The snow was coming down in earnest, covering everything with a thick layer. So thick, she could barely see her hand in front of her face, but she had lived out here for a while now, this wasn’t her first blizzard. Trudging to the end of the porch, she found the rope that ran from the cottage to the garage; the simple tool had saved her more than once.

  Using the rope as it was meant to be used for just this purpose, Jenna held on with one hand and let it guide her to where she needed to be. She pulled herself with one hand, holding the other one out in front of her for balance when her gloved hand hit the side of the garage. Jenna knew all she had to do was step over one step, and the door would be right in front of her. When her hand found the doorknob, she wanted to cry. Opening it and hitting the switch to turn on the light, she immediately hit the button to open the big garage door. The snow quickly started to blow inside. Shit, this was going to be bad.

  Walking over to her snowmobile, she prayed it had enough power for what she planned. Grabbing a tarp and more rope, she emptied out a bag of other camping supplies and shoved them inside, fastening it to the snowmobile. Getting on, she turned the key and prayed that this would work.

  Revving the engine, she shot out of the garage, quickly realizing she was going to have to rely on her senses to get to the river. There was a whiteout going on in front of her face. Turning the machine toward where she hoped the river laid, she was kicking herself for not leaving her scarf or something as a marker. With the snow falling as fast as it was, she had no idea how she was going to find the man.

  The voice came again, and Jenna knew that wouldn’t be a problem. That voice guided her like no light ever could. Panicked, she jumped off the snowmobile. Skidding on her knees, she started to dig until she felt the hardness of his body, chanting, thank the lord over and over again. Jenna didn’t even try to look for his vitals this time, she didn’t need to. The thump of his heart was echoing in her own.

  Giving the man an apology, Jenna started the arduous task of getting him onto the tarp. There wasn’t any way she could lift him, so she used the skills she had learned as a nurse. Rolling up the tarp on one side, she used her body to pull the man, so he was slightly on his side. He was just too big to pull all the way. Draping herself over him, she shoved the rolled-up side of the tarp under him as far as she could, cursing several times when the snow got in the way and made it harder. Once she had it under him as well as it was going to get, she rolled him back and pushed him the other way until she was able to pull the tarp, so he would be laying on it when she pushed him back.

  Getting up, panting from her efforts, she realized a huge problem. His feet weren’t on the tarp, and there was no way they would ever be. He was just too tall. Sighing, she looked up into the sky praying for some help, but she knew none was coming. Fastening the tarp to the snowmobile, she sent up a silent prayer this would work. Getting on, she revved the engine and put it into gear. The snowmobile struggled to move, but she finally got some momentum. Following her tracks back, she made her way to the cottage and quickly realized there was no way in hell she was going to get this man into her cottage. The porch wasn’t high, but there were three steps, and she didn’t have the
strength or energy to get him up there. Without any choice left, Jenna drove the snowmobile and her patient into the garage.

  The garage was heated, but it wasn’t hooked up to a generator although it did have a wood burner she hoped would keep the heat inside. Damn, she wanted to kick herself for refusing her uncle’s demands on getting that done, but there was nothing she could do about it now. One thing she was glad she had listened to him about was the size of the garage. She hadn’t thought she needed it, but her Uncle had insisted, and right now, that was a bonus because at least the man and the snowmobile had made it all the way inside.

  Getting off the snowmobile, she instantly went to the button on the wall and shut the door, leaving the billowing snow outside. She laughed. Small victories, that was what was going to get them through the next couple of hours. Seeing the stuff she had dumped out of the bag earlier, Jenna gathered up the sleeping bags and started to make a pallet. For the next hour, she pushed and pulled with everything she had until the man was finally situated on top of them. She had also managed to remove his clothes and get a better look at his injuries. She needed to get those bullets out of him. The camping equipment had a small first aid kit, but it wasn’t anywhere close to what he needed. Plus, she still needed to start the wood burner and gather as much stuff as she could from the cottage. Using her gift, she pushed a small amount of energy into the man. She couldn’t afford to give anymore, but it would sustain him until she got everything she needed together.

  It took forever and multiple trips to her cottage, but Jenna finally had what she needed. The more significant problem was she was so tired, her body was shaking with exhaustion. Thankfully, the electricity was still on though she wondered how long that would last. Setting up a few camping lanterns around the man, Jenna loaded the wood burner up and started it, kicking herself for not thinking of it sooner. The garage would lose heat quickly once the electricity did go out.

  Jenna cringed every time she had to delve her tools further into the poor man. He hadn’t moved so much as an inch, but she knew this had to hurt like hell and prayed he wasn’t feeling anything. By the time she got the last bullet out and the wounds dressed, Jenna couldn’t hold her body up anymore. Slumping into the man, she fell asleep, hoping she had done enough.

  Chapter Five

  Cash felt as though he was floating, but it was different this time, not like before. There wasn’t any water, and his body felt normal, warm even. His first instinct was to search for the beast, but just like before, he wasn’t with him. He opened his eyes, a little shocked to see the shining sun, moving his hand up to block the sun rays from burning his eyes. Sitting up, he looked around at the place he was laying. It seemed to be a field filled with wildflowers he remembered well. Standing, he looked around and knew just to the west of him would be a giant oak tree and to the south, a river.

  How had he gotten home? Placing his hands on his hips, he tried to figure out what had happened. He remembered everything—the plane crashing, him getting out, and members of the Affiliation attacking, shooting, and throwing him in the river to die; the helplessness he felt when he couldn’t move and the vulnerability from being totally alone. Those thoughts were causing a growl to escape from his throat. Some things stayed the same. He might not be able to reach his bear, but he was still part animal.

  Looking around, he searched his mind and still couldn’t figure out how he had gotten to this place. It was special to him, he hadn’t shared its location with anyone. He only came here when things got too hard to handle, when life and losses weighed too heavily on his mind. It usually soothed him, but today, he was just confused.

  Cash looked down and held his hands out to his sides, but he was fine now, there were no wounds or pain. Even with his shifter DNA, there should still be something. Pulling up his shirt a little, he examined his chest and stomach, but there wasn’t anything there except for the smooth skin. He was even wearing his favorite jeans, t-shirt, and boots. All so worn, they fit him like a glove and always brought him comfort. Had it all been a dream? Or was this the dream? A movement to the left of him caught his eye, and he turned. There was a woman there, sitting in the grass. His first instinct was to go to her, but he held himself back. She was familiar somehow but not.

  Hair so dark, it shined blue in the sun, he knew if she turned around, her eyes would be the color of a gemstone, emerald eyes whispered into his mind. The profile of her face as she looked up into the sun was captivating, and Cash couldn’t look away. He didn’t think he had ever seen a more beautiful woman. She was wearing a dress of some kind that bared most of her back and shoulders; her skin looked so soft, he wanted to touch it. There was a need in him he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He wanted this woman, desperately. He could feel the blood rushing from his body, pooling into his groin, his dick becoming painfully hard.

  Another set of eyes flashed into his mind, familiar eyes, eyes filled with tears; yelling at him, telling him she hated him. He grabbed onto his head, feeling he wanted to run, to get away from these feelings and the woman, but he was rooted to the spot where he stood. Questions were coursing through his mind. So much so, he had to grab onto the sides of his head and close his eyes, the pressure was so great. Jessie was his mate, he shouldn’t be drawn to another woman, hadn’t in all his life. Why now? And who the fuck was she?

  The feeling he had felt wrong but also right. Nothing made sense.

  A whiskey smooth and sultry as sin voice said, “Hello Cash.”

  He abruptly opened his eyes and stepped back. He knew she was close, he could smell her, and he wasn’t so sure he wanted her to be. She was a temptation he couldn’t afford.

  Cash was mad at himself, mad as hell at his bodies reaction to the woman and her damn sexy voice. He took another step back.

  “Who the fuck are you?” he growled. Those emerald eyes instantly saddened and he felt like an ass but fuck this situation was beyond anything he could comprehend right now. It wasn’t even supposed to be possible, his body shouldn’t be responding to her this way.

  He was no virgin, he had sex when it was needed, but it was a function, one he had to force, most times when the need hit. Not this time. His jeans were becoming tighter by the second, his cock so engorged, it was painful. He didn’t like it, he was always in control.

  “My name is Jenna.” Cash took another step back, and the little siren held up her hand, “No, wait. Please, we need to talk.”

  Cash flinched away from her touch. She hadn’t been close enough, but just the thought of her hands on his body caused electricity to course through his veins. Uncomfortable and foreign feelings. Feelings he didn’t know if he would ever be prepared for. If his bear were there, it would be ripping him apart right now for being a fucking pussy. Cash Warren didn’t back down from anyone or anything. What the fuck was he doing cowering away from a woman whose head would barely meet the top of his chest?

  The anger he felt must have shown on his face or in his stance because the tiny woman stepped back, retreating from him, tears in her sad eyes. Guilt hit his system like a fucking tidal wave. Shit, what the fuck? Those damn eyes did something to him. He wanted to take away her fear and sadness, take her into his arms and promise everything was going to be okay but, how could he? She didn’t belong to him? And he wouldn’t ever belong to anyone that chance had come and gone.

  “Please, just stand back,” Cash said, lowering his voice, trying very hard to keep the anger out of his tone. “Why are we here? Can you tell me? How do you know who I am, and I don’t know who you are?”

  The woman, Jenna—damn, he liked the feel of her name as it coasted across his brain—sat down in front of him, placing her hands in her lap. Cash followed suit and did the same but kept the distance between them.

  “I can’t answer your questions, Cash, you’re the one who created this,” Jenna said, waving her hand around the field.

  “What do you mean, I created this?” Cash demanded. Unable to remain sitting, he got up and s
tarted to pace. Looking around, he knew this area was real, but something felt off. Turning, he looked down at Jenna. “Tell me what is going on. If I created this, how are you here? I don’t know you.”

  “Listen, it's complicated,” Jenna sighed. “I think you brought me here because we are connected now.”

  “Connected? How can I be connected to a person I don’t even know?”

  “It’s because of me or rather my gift. I found you not far from my house and healed you.”

  “Healed me with what?” This chick might be sexy as hell, but she was definitely a few marbles short. She thought she healed him or some shit, and now, they were connected on another realm.

  “When I heal, I transfer my energy to the patient. All that energy doesn’t always come back to me. You’re still very sick, and I think we both must be sleeping, that’s why this is possible, to talk this way. It has never happened to me before. It must have to do with the fact you’re a shifter and hold your own magic, I’m not really sure.”

  “Listen, lady, you might be hot, and if I conjured you up then, yay me because I can definitely picture a few wet dreams with the two of us together, but this other shit. No fucking way.”

  Jenna got up and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

  “And being a man who turns into a bear is normal? Really Cash, I would think you of all people would be a little more open-minded about the possibilities of the unknown. Just because my gifts aren’t familiar to you, doesn’t mean they aren’t real. And for your information, sorry to disappoint you,” Jenna cupped her breasts, “because, in the real world, where you are laying on the floor of my garage, these are a B-cup at best. The Double D’s might be nice to look at, but they are a figment of your imagination.”