“Take a shower and get some clean clothes on,” Galen said as he opened the door to their room. As tired as he was, Galen thought it best to keep moving. Instead of continuing to head north to Michigan, he planned to head southeast with the hope that those following them would think they’d taken the most direct route.
He didn’t like the fact they were still alone on this quest to get to Michigan. He wasn’t certain what kept his men from joining them before he turned off onto this new route, but whatever it was couldn’t be good and his first priority was keeping his mate safe, whether he’d bound her to him or not.
“I thought we were staying here for the night.” A little crease appeared between Kendra’s brows.
He wanted to kiss that little wrinkle away. He didn’t want to worry or frighten her, but a scared mate was better than a dead or missing mate any day.
“I’m tired and,” she paused to reach up and brush a lock of hair from his eyes. “You’re exhausted. You can’t possibly keep driving.”
Galen took her hands in his and kissed the back of each one. Gods how he already loved this woman for her bravery and her willingness to face danger so that he could get some much-needed rest. “I’ll be all right for a while. I just don’t want our enemies to catch up with us.”
“Enemies,” Kendra said with a shake of her head. “Our enemies…” Tears filled her eyes. “I’ve never had that word used in the same sentence with something describing me before.” She shuddered. “Will we ever be safe again? Will I ever be able to live a normal life again?”
Taking her arm, Galen gently pulled her into their room. “I don’t know, baby. I only know that I need to keep you safe. I can’t do anything but do everything in my power to get you back to pack lands where we can keep the doctor and his henchmen away from you.”
If that meant going without sleep for a few more hours, then so be it. He would go without sleep until he was close to passing out, then he would change into his wolf and protect her that way. He wasn’t sure why, but his people had never needed much sleep in their wolf forms. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that animals always slept in short intervals. Whatever the reason, if he shifted for a few hours, he wouldn’t need much sleep in his human form.
“Just take your shower and get dressed and then I’ll do the same and we’ll hit the road again.”
“Will you at least let me drive? You’re exhausted. I can see that. You need to get some sleep.”
“I tell you what. I’ll let you drive if you’re feeling up to it, but I’ll be in my wolf form. I won’t need much rest in that form to recuperate. Just two or three hours of being in my animal form will be enough to put me back at peak strength.”
Kendra blinked up at him. “You don’t need sleep in your animal form?”
“I didn’t say that.” He chuckled. “We don’t need as much sleep or need to sleep for such long intervals in our animal form. You’ll see. One day, you’ll be in your wolf form for a long time for one reason or another and you’ll find that you’re more invigorated when you change back into a human.” He smiled down at her. “Not to mention the fact that you’ll find you don’t need to shower or many other things that humans must do to be a part of civilized society.”
“I like to shower.” Kendra frowned and stood up straighter. “Though it does explain why I had no desire to use the shower in that glass cage where they kept me.”
“I don’t think anyone would have been in a hurry to shower with an audience. I don’t blame you for not wanting to use it.” Galen followed Kendra into the room, closing the door behind him.
Galen shook every minute she was in the bathroom. He couldn’t help but imagine how she looked with the water cascading over her perfect skin. How he wanted to break down the door, climb into that shower with her and lick every drop of water from her succulent flesh.
He’d almost given in when she exited the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel, her cheeks pink from the hot water. She still smelled wonderful, though it was mostly the soap she’d purchased when they bought the clothes.
“Would you like to use this?” She held the bottle of bath gel up.
“No. Thank you.” Galen shook his head. “I’ll use the bar soap the motel has provided.” He would go mad in that bathroom with the scent she used surrounding him as he bathed. He would never tell her that, though.
“How long do you think it will take us to get to Michigan?” Kendra asked as he headed for the bathroom.
“At least a week.” It might even take longer, depending on his roundabout trek through the states.
“A week!” She frowned. “It shouldn’t take a week. I’ve driven from Mississippi to California by myself in less time. And I stopped every night. We’ve been on the road a good eighteen hours, if not more. We should at least be getting close.”
“And we would be getting close, but we have to dodge henchmen.” He stood in the doorway to the bathroom, his cock hard and aching as he took in her luscious scent. “Trust me, Kendra. If you don’t believe anything else I have told you, believe this. I will not put you in danger. I believe that the men after you expect us to go straight to Michigan. That is why it’s imperative for us to head southeast instead of northeast. With any luck, they won’t expect it.”
He closed the door behind him, locking himself in the bathroom before he gave in to the desire to strip her naked and fuck her until she knew she belonged with him, to him and he belonged to her.
Galen stripped his clothing off as quickly as he could. He had every intention of taking a quick shower, dressing and getting the hell out of the hotel before Thornton’s men caught up to them.
Chapter Nineteen
Kendra opened her eyes and stretched. Her stomach kept up those strange little flops and her heart pounded. When did he plan to stop at another hotel? She needed another shower, whether he thought so, or not. They had made a roundabout trail through several states and she was ready to stop—at least for one night. Hell, tomorrow was Thanksgiving, for crying out loud.
“Are we going to stop any time soon?” She yawned. She might have gotten more sleep than he did, but sleeping sitting up in the front seat of a truck wasn’t very restful.
“There’s a hotel just south of Nashville where we can stop. It’s owned by shifters that I’ve known for quite some time. It’s what we call a safe house. We’ll stop there for a few days and call in some back-up.”
“Back-up? I hope that means you plan to call in some friends of yours for added protection so we won’t have to make such a circuitous route back to Michigan.” She sighed. “This is a nice truck, but I’ll be glad to not have to look at the inside of it for a few days.”
“I know, baby. I’m sorry.”
She loved it when he called her baby, though she probably shouldn’t. She was an educated woman. Such attention from a man shouldn’t give her such a warm and fuzzy feeling, but it did. Kendra was intelligent enough to know she didn’t need a man to be or feel complete. However, knowing that didn’t change how she felt deep inside when he looked at her with his expressive eyes that told her she belonged with him—to him.
He reached over and patted her hand she had rested on her left leg. “We’ll be there in a few hours. They have a huge indoor pool and I’ll get a room with a hot tub. Will you like that?”
“I would love that.” Kendra sighed and rested her head against the headrest. “I know you said we don’t really need to shower, but I feel grubby, all the same.”
“You would.” He chuckled. “You’re not used to using your shifter abilities in that way.”
“What are you talking about?” She smiled with a shake of her head. “I’m not used to using shifter abilities at all.” Except for the few times she couldn’t stop herself from shifting into a wolf, she hadn’t used any mystical powers at all, beyond forcing the change back to being human.
For whatever reason, the wolf always came on without warning. She couldn’t stop the shift into her animal form.
However, the shift back to her human self kept getting easier. As long as she remained a wolf for at least fifteen minutes, she could force a shift back to being human instead of waiting for her body to bring about the change.
The last time it happened, she didn’t fight it at all she was too damned tired. Instead of struggling against her wolf, she reached for it. It surprised her. The change came quick and easy—almost as though she’d been doing it all of her life.
The best part about her last change was the thirty-minute nap she’d had yesterday afternoon. Galen was right about not needing much sleep in their animal form. It had been a long time since she’d felt so rested. With her classes and grading papers, the neighbor girl’s incessant cymbal practice and her sojourn in the glass-cell hell, Kendra hadn’t gotten much rest over the past several months.
Her nap had felt great. It was almost like heaven waking up with the feeling as though she’d slept for twenty-four hours straight.
“So how far are we from this hotel?” She couldn’t wait to take a long, hot bath and sleep in a real bed. Her cell had had a single bed that wasn’t much better than a cot and the truck, while comfortable as trucks went, wasn’t a comfortable bed by anyone’s standards.
“We should be there in a few hours.”
“A few hours,” Kendra repeated, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice. She stared through her window and wished they were there already. “I supposed I shouldn’t complain, but I’d hoped you would say fifteen minutes.”
Kendra felt bad when Galen sighed. She knew he did his best to keep her safe and to get her where they needed to go. She just wasn’t used to being caged and as much as she wanted to believe otherwise, this truck felt almost as much as a cage as her cell in the laboratory had been.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to complain.”
“I never thought you did,” he replied keeping his attention on the road in front of them. “I only wish that I could have contacted the men I assigned to follow us. Since I don’t know what happened to them, I don’t want to take any chances with your safety.”
“And I’m glad for that. Really I am.” Kendra reached out and, for the first time since they climbed into the truck three days ago, made contact with Galen, resting her hand on his muscular thigh.
The muscles clenched and released beneath her hand and she frowned. Did that hurt? She bit her lip. She had no idea what spending so long in his human form could do to him and he’d spent most of their time together as a man. With the exception of about two hours when he’d let her drive so he could get some sleep in his wolf form, Galen had remained human. For all she knew, he was in agony. The rippling muscles surely meant something.
“Are you in pain?” she asked. “I’m sorry if my touch bothers you.” Slowly, she began to pull her hand from his leg.
“No.” He reached down and grabbed her hand, pressing it against the thick muscles of his thigh. “I’m not in pain.”
Kendra watched him for a moment. The telltale signs were there. His leg muscle clenched, his face bore a stoic, almost pained expression. She glance down to her hand resting on his leg, her eyes widening as she felt the blood rush to her face at the evidence of his pain.
It wasn’t quite what she had expected. His cock pressed against his pants, his long thick erection straining against his jeans, looking as though it would burst the thick material if his zipper didn’t give way first.
“Oh.” She pulled her hand away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“I never thought you mean to cause me discomfort, sweetheart.” Reaching over, he grasped her hand, pulled it up to his lips and kissed the back of it. He glanced at her for a moment, their gazes locked. “You know how I felt a few days ago.” He took a deep breath. “Well…that feeling has multiplied over the last couple of days to a point where I need. My wolf needs and I’m afraid the animal side of me might force the issue.” A muscle jumped in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. “You know I would rather die than harm you. Please remember that.”
Chapter Twenty
Galen kissed Kendra’s hand again. Inhaling deep, he took in her mouth-watering scent one last time before he reached across the seat and placed her hand on her lap.
He wanted nothing more than to hold her to him. He needed to touch her, to have her touching him, but he wasn’t certain he could keep driving if he didn’t put at least a small amount of distance between them.
Minute after minute, mile after mile, her scent called to him. He wanted to stop, to kiss her senseless and to make her his, but there was some part of him that kept his sanity at the forefront.
Though he knew he needed her, his body raging to mark her, mate her and make her his, there was another part of him that knew he must put her safety above all else. That meant making it to the safe house before he even dared to kiss her again.
There was no doubt in Galen’s mind that if he touched her again, he would be lost. They both would be lost and they would be vulnerable if he couldn’t manage to get them surrounded by shifters he could trust.
His mind and body ticked away the minutes and miles. His control stretching ever tighter as the wheels of the SUV ate up the miles to the safe house. Galen knew he was skirting the edge of sanity when he saw the sign for the safe house. It was also a hotel for shifters and humans alike. As a rule, shifters attempted to keep to themselves. However, times being what they were, they had to try to fit in with the local population.
Since the lodge had been there for a long, long time, the operators and the shifter council had thought it best to go public with the lodge. The more people who had visited the lodge and found nothing unusual with it would lay to rest any claims from someone who might attempt to cause trouble for them.
“Grizzly Gorge?” Kendra glanced at him, that little crease appearing between her eyes. “There aren’t any grizzlies in Tennessee.”
“Not now.” He smiled. “At least there aren’t any animal grizzlies.” He turned onto the long drive and headed for the large log structure. The proprietors had added onto the place throughout the years until it was a huge lodge made of hewn logs. They’d done a good job. It almost blended in with the surrounding forest.
He pulled up in front of the large building, the tires sliding in the inch or so of dirt that covered the parking lot to give it a more rustic appearance of a dirt parking area instead of asphalt.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” she said as she leaned forward, peering through the windshield.
“Neither have I,” Galen replied, but he wasn’t looking at the lodge. He kept his gaze firmly locked on his mate’s face. “I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life.”
She glanced at him, her face turning bright red when she realized what he meant. “I was talking about the lodge.”
“I wasn’t.” He grinned, shut off the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition. “Wait there. I’ll be around to get you.”
“I’m perfectly capable of opening my own door,” she replied dryly as he slid from the truck.
Galen knew modern women and wasn’t surprised to find her standing just outside the passenger door when he rounded the front of the truck. She pushed the door closed, stretched and smiled up at him.
“Please tell me this is where we’re staying. I don’t think I can spend another minute in your vehicle.”
“This is it.” Galen held his arm out. “Shall we go inside?”
The muscles of his arm bunched beneath her hand when her fingers made contact with him. His wolf crouched low inside him, obviously ready to pounce. It sent out its psychic tendrils, trying to feel anything off with their surroundings.
Other than the parking lot being empty, nothing seemed or felt strange.
“Is it closed for renovations, or something?” Kendra asked as she spun around, looking at the deserted resort. The large main building had an almost entirely glass ground floor.
They could see a large indoor swimming pool, a center floor fir
eplace and a long, polished bar past the tables and chairs Galen could only assume was the restaurant, though it was bigger and in a different place than the last time he was here.
“It looks gorgeous on the inside.”
“It is gorgeous on the inside.”
Galen and Kendra both spun around and looked up. The owner of the deep, deep voice stared down at them from a second floor balcony. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Bear. Is he around?”
Bear was the owner of the Grizzly Gorge—at least he used to be. Galen had no idea who this young cub was staring down at them.
“Oh, he’s on vacation with Mom.” The man stared down at him. “You look familiar. Do I know you?” He waved his arm. “Wait a minute, hold that thought, I’ll be right down.” The young man didn’t go inside, as Galen expected. Instead, he hopped over the railing, landing on the ground in front of them.
“Holy God!” Kendra stepped back. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”
“He’s a shifter, baby.” Galen stepped closer, wrapping his arm about Kendra’s waist in a show of possession.
“Don’t worry, old man. I’m not after your mate,” the young bear said with a shake of his head. “I’m nowhere near ready to settle down.” He led them to the front door and opened it. “I take it you need a safe house?” He held out his hand. “I’m William, by the way.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Galen took his hand with a frown. “I didn’t know that Bear had cubs.”
“You wouldn’t. It’s not like he advertised it. He wanted to keep us safe until we became adults.”
“We?” Galen was surprised to find one cub, was this young man telling him there were more?”
“Yes. We,” he said with a twist of his lips. “I’m not the only one. Mom had three pregnancies.”
“Oh, there are three of you then.”
“Not hardly.” He raised his face to the ceiling and let out a bellow. “Get your butts down here. We have visitors.”
Galen Page 8
