When she’d found the polar bears, Caitlin had been over twenty miles from town as the crow flies. She’d needed a snowmobile to reach the spot. She’d left it parked a half a mile away, afraid it would spook the bears. How had Arctos moved so quickly without a vehicle or at least sled dogs? It just didn’t make sense. He was injured for Pete’s sake. Caitlin was about to ask, when a howl rose on the wind. The hair on her neck bristled.
“We’d better hurry,” she said. “Don’t want to get caught out in the open by the wolves. They probably smell our blood.”
Arctos’ eyes appeared to flash from brown to red and back again. “I won’t let anything harm you,” he said with such conviction that Caitlin actually believed him.
The howl came again. This time it was the wind warning of the approaching storm. “We might be able to outrun the wolves, but we won’t outrun the storm. Not with injuries,” she said.
He arched a brow. “Your concern for my well-being is…unnecessary.”
“Unnecessary?” She balked. “You saved me from being eaten by polar bears. I’d say that I owe you. And I always repay my debts.” Caitlin glanced around, scanning the horizon through the blowing snow for any manmade objects. “Look over there and tell me what you see.” She pointed at something a couple hundred yards away, hoping it wasn’t just a clump of trees.
Arctos looked. Blinked a few times, then said, “It’s a dwelling of some sort.”
There weren’t any lights on, but that didn’t mean anything in Alaska. A few miles outside of a small town meant no electricity. If someone was home, she didn’t think that they’d be turned away, but it paid to be cautious, since everyone in Alaska tended to be armed.
She shielded her eyes and looked again. “I can’t tell if the structure is sound from here, but at this point it’ll have to do. We need to get out of this storm.”
* * * * *
Arctos stared at the small shelter in the distance. He sent his senses out, searching the area for threats. The wolves were closing in from two sides, but they were still a great distance and would pose no threat. They smelled the blood on the wind, but what they hunted was bigger game like the elk herd making their way across the tundra a half a mile from their location. Arctos sent out a warning, alerting the pack that there was a larger predator in the area. It would be enough to deter them from pursuing them.
That done, he turned his attention back to the cabin. It was empty and might serve as the perfect place to rest for the night. He chastised himself for not making better time. He should’ve had her safely tucked back with her people by now.
He glanced at the woman. He’d been right. She barely reached the center of his chest. Nowhere near big enough to defend herself. He was amazed she’d managed to survive this long without protection. Was she who the Goddess had chosen for him? Bitterness rose. He’d never know for certain now that the first bond was in place.
“What is your name?” he asked, pushing aside the useless emotion. In his haste to get her to safety he’d allowed his manners to slip.
She blushed, her cheeks turning even pinker. “Caitlin. Caitlin Kelly,” she said, before adding, “we’d better get moving.”
Caitlin. Her name tasted sweet on his lips and suited her small stature. Arctos watched her march out into the snow toward the structure. Not only did she not look like the women he’d known on Zaron, she didn’t behave like them. Her diminutive size belied her hidden strength. She was not a woman used to being coddled. That much was abundantly clear when she’d demanded to be put down.
Other than her initial panic from finding herself in a stranger’s arms, which was understandable, Caitlin didn’t appear fussed by their present situation. Her bravery was admirable. If anything, she’d responded practically. First seek shelter, then tend to his wound. Arctos wasn’t quite sure what to make of her.
The women he’d known would’ve been screaming about the cold and demanding that he find them food and shelter immediately. Instead, Caitlin had been the one to spot a dwelling and make the decision to spend the night.
How utterly…fascinating.
Arctos followed at a short distance—which was a mistake, because it gave him a clear view of her small bottom as it swished from side to side with each step. Caitlin didn’t seem to notice as she picked her way over the snow. Arctos could do nothing but pay attention. It was as if she’d strapped a hunk of raw meat on her luscious ass.
Mesmerized by the gentle swaying motion, his hungry gaze devoured every inch of her. Despite the pain in his side, his cock hardened, demanding release. He shouldn’t want this woman…but he did, and Arctos was beginning to think that it had nothing to do with the bond he’d forced upon her. He growled in frustration.
The deep rumbling sound traveled on the wind. Caitlin jumped and let out a little squeak, then picked up her pace. Her focus became single-minded as she rushed toward shelter. Had Arctos not been watching, he wouldn’t have believed she could move so fast.
Don’t run! The plea echoed in his mind.
Arctos wanted to scream the command as his body instinctively reacted. He took a step and froze, balanced on a blaster’s edge, as centuries of training and breeding spurred him to give chase. He shuddered as the bear roared inside his skull. Sweat broke out across his forehead a second before sharp incisors burst through his gums. His beast struggled for its freedom, no longer content to wait for its mate, determined to run her to ground.
Claws sprung from his fingertips as he fought the urge to hunt, to catch, to claim. The warrior in him knew Caitlin wasn’t running from him. She was scared and hurrying toward the structure. Arctos latched onto that thought and clung to it, even as his raw instincts demanded action.
He raised his head and inhaled. Her warm scent wafted past him before being carried away by the wind. “Patience,” he growled, forcing his claws and teeth to recede. Far easier said, than done.
* * * * *
Chapter Two
The snow was coming down hard by the time they reached the rickety shack. The structure looked even worse up close than it did from a distance, which didn’t seem possible. Caitlin stared at the wooden hut wondering if they’d fall through the floor upon entry.
Wind whistled through the trees, whipping her hair around her face. If nothing else, the place would block out some of the cold. She climbed the two steps up to the door and knocked, then waited.
“There is no one inside,” Arctos said. His warm breath teased her ear, making it tingle.
Caitlin shrugged in a lame attempt to brush the sensation away. “How do you know?” she asked.
“I know,” he countered, then pushed the door open.
The hinges creaked as the door swung wide. Caitlin stepped forward, her eyes squinting to adjust to the darkness. Arctos put her pack down near her feet, then walked inside, his big body brushing hers as he did so. She sucked in a breath as a shiver skittered along her spine, turning her nipples into hard points. Caitlin chalked it up to the cold, refusing to acknowledge that it could be anything else.
Arctos moved silently in the shadows. Given his impressive size, Caitlin was surprised by his agility and stealth. She couldn’t see exactly what he was doing until a flame flared to life, nearly blinding her. She blinked away the spots, then scanned the shack as he continued to feed the growing fire.
The cabin turned out to be in better shape than it appeared from the outside. Despite the Spartan furnishings, the dwelling somehow managed to be cozy with its small table for two and over-sized chairs situated near the hearth. An elk pelt covered much of the floor, keeping the cold from seeping into bare feet.
A neatly stacked pile of wood, enough to heat the place for the night, stood next to the now crackling blaze. A thin, crude mantel had been erected over the hearth. It housed a row of well-worn paperbacks that clung precariously to its narrow ledge.
Caitlin recognized several of the titles. At least they’d have something to do, while they waited out the storm, she thought. H
er traitorous gaze slid of its own volition to Arctos’ wide shoulders.
She cleared her throat and tore her eyes away, focusing instead on a small door on the left toward the back of the cabin. “I’m going to see what else is here. Check if they have any…uh…blankets,” she said, not waiting for a response.
Caitlin poked her head inside the room and saw a decent sized bed and what looked to be a primitive bathroom. She’d kill for a hot bath. Excited, she rushed toward the room and threw open the door, only to find a porcelain washbasin, a freestanding claw-tub, and a portable self-contained flush toilet. There was a cast iron pot next to the bathtub with a set of potholders wrapped around its metal handle.
Her heart sank. So much for having a hot bath. Unless she wanted to melt snow in the fireplace and fill that tub, it wasn’t going to happen. Caitlin supposed she should be grateful that whoever had built the shack had at least sprung for the toilet or she’d find herself making several trips outside. She shuddered at the thought of squatting in the snow.
Despite her chosen profession, Caitlin wasn’t much for roughing it. Sure, she’d camp if she had to, but only if she had to. She much preferred taking day trips. That way she could work all day and sleep in a real bed at night. At least there was a bed, she thought. Caitlin spotted a rusted first aid kit under the washbasin. It looked old like it hadn’t been replenished in a while. Didn’t matter. It would have to do.
The tinkling sound of her cellphone reached her. Tearing out of the bathroom, Caitlin rushed into the main room, only to find Arctos standing over her bag with some kind of weapon drawn. His eyes were narrowed and his muscles tense.
She skidded to a halt. “What are you doing?” she asked, not daring to get any closer for fear he’d fire and kill her bag.
Her gaze shifted to the weapon once more. The size of a small stun-gun, it didn’t have a discernible barrel. Caitlin did not recognize the gun model, but that didn’t mean anything. She was in no way a weapons specialist. She’d only learned to shoot a pistol and a rifle because of her job. A camera was her weapon of choice.
“There is something inside your belongings,” Arctos said, his gaze never wavering from the pack.
Caitlin would’ve laughed, if he hadn’t looked so serious. “It’s just my phone. What you’re hearing is the ringtone for my friend, Allie. A little odd maybe, but hardly suspect.”
The cell rang again.
“I really need to get that.” She pointed to her bag. “Allie’s probably worried sick that I haven’t returned.”
His brow furrowed. “It’s a communication device?”
“Yeah, like I said, it’s my cellphone.” Caitlin put the first aid kit on the table, then took a step closer. “I promise it won’t bite.”
His gaze met hers. Arctos studied her as if gauging the truth of her words then lowered his weapon.
Caitlin reached into her bag and rummaged around for her phone, praying she got to it before it went to voicemail. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” Allie shouted over thumping music. “You were supposed to meet me at Rob’s party. Mike’s here already.”
Caitlin scrambled to remember. Party? Party? Party? She recalled Allie mentioning something about a fireman fundraiser. Was that tonight? She searched her brain. Oh crap, it was and she’d agreed to go with Mike. Ugh! Caitlin knew she should’ve never let Allie talk her into going on a double date. “I—”
Allie cut her off before she could say another word. “No more excuses. I let you out of the last two parties. You promised. I told Mike that you would be here. You told him that you’d be here. He’s stoked to get to know you better. Told me to pass along that he thinks you’re cute.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Caitlin didn’t mean to sound cynical, but in her experience ‘cute’ was code for small. Most guys used her size as an excuse to not take her seriously. Some went out of their way to convince her that she needed someone to take care of her. They didn’t realize that she’d been taking care of herself since she was nine years old.
Something sloshed and Allie broke into giggles. “Cat, you won’t believe how many smoking hot men are here tonight. The room is full of hard bodies.”
“A firemen pun, seriously?”
“Gosh, I just realized what I just said.” Allie laughed harder. “Sorry, it was an accident. Now are you coming or what?”
Caitlin grimaced at the phone. Her friend had started the party early by the sounds of it. She’d never been big on parties. The idea of making small talk for hours was about as welcome as butt hives. She much preferred quiet dinners and casual lunches to loud music and shouting. “I can’t,” she said, not feeling an ounce of remorse.
“What do you mean you can’t?” Allie shrieked.
“Hon, try to use your indoor voice. You don’t want those hot guys thinking you’re a screeching harpy”
Allie scoffed. “Can’t or won’t? Do I need to remind you that you promised?” She lowered her voice to less ear-shattering levels.
Caitlin sighed. “I know I did, but some things are beyond my control. Have you looked outside lately?”
“No, why? Hang on.”
She could hear shuffling as Allie made her way through what sounded like quite a crowd. Everyone in the small town must be there. The noise slowly died to a dull roar.
“I’m back,” she said, then gasped loudly. “It’s blowing like stink out there. Where did you say you were?”
Caitlin paused. All she knew for sure was that she was a few miles from town, but that could be in any direction. “Um, I’m in a cabin.”
“Whose cabin?” Allie asked.
She turned her back on Arctos. “No idea. We just needed to find shelter from the storm.”
“What do you mean ‘we’? You had better not have stood Mike up for another guy. Even I wouldn’t do something like that,” she said, indignantly.
Caitlin glanced over her shoulder, but Arctos didn’t appear to be paying any attention to her. “It’s not like that,” she said. “You know I’d never do anything so rude. Not on purpose anyway.” She scrubbed a hand over her face. “Listen, it’s been a long day and I’m beat.”
“I get it. You don’t feel like going through the whole story. That’s cool. Give me the condensed version,” Allie said, sounding more sober than she had moments ago.
Caitlin took a deep breath. “I was attacked by a polar bear. Arctos saved me. We almost made it back to town, but we got caught in the storm.”
“Who’s Arctos? Is that an Inuit name?” Allie asked.
Caitlin glanced at Arctos’ silvery white hair. “No, definitely not Inuit. Maybe Norwegian. I don’t know for sure. Not really important.”
“Does this Arctos have a last name?” Allie asked, sounding more than a little perturbed, which was her normal tone when she began to worry.
Caitlin frowned. She hadn’t asked. Weird, that would normally be something that came up right away. Instead, she’d felt at ease in his presence. Enough so that she’d looked past her usual dating protocols. Where had that thought come from? She and Arctos were not on a date. “I think you missed the most important part of the story. The guy saved me from being a polar bear snack,” Caitlin said a little too defensively.
Allie sighed. “I’m grateful that he did. Beyond grateful. But where is he from? Does he live around here? I’d feel a whole lot better if someone here knew him and could vouch for him.”
Caitlin felt her face heat. She hadn’t even asked. “I don’t know,” she whispered.
“What am I going to tell Michael, when he asks where you are and why you aren’t here? I can’t exactly tell him you’re in a cabin with another guy. That’s not going to go over well. He really likes you, Cat.”
“He doesn’t know me well enough to say that,” she said.
“Just because you don’t believe in love at first sight doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist,” Allie said.
It wasn’t like she’d planned to get trapped in a cabin with a stranger
. It just happened. Caitlin didn’t know why she was arguing. Arctos wasn’t even her type. He was far too good-looking and outdoorsy. Not to mention huge. Because of her size, Caitlin had always avoided big men. She didn’t like feeling helpless—ever.
“I have a question for you and I want you to really think about it before you answer,” Allie said. “If you haven’t asked for coordinates, then how do you know you’re close to town? You could be miles away. Shoot, for all you know, it’s his cabin you’re standing in.”
Fear clamped onto Caitlin’s shoulders, sinking its steely fingers into her bones. Was that why Arctos knew no one was home? Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her phone. Had she been wrong about him? Caitlin inhaled and did a quick soul search, then slowly let the breath out. The fear disappeared with it. She wasn’t wrong about Arctos.
“Cat, are you still there?” Allie asked.
“I’m here,” she said.
“Do you want me to contact the State Troopers? I think there’s a few of them here tonight at the party. It might take a while before they can find you, but at least they could start searching now. I’d hate to have you trapped in a cabin with a crazy toothless wild man.”
“He’s not toothless,” she said absently. Caitlin glanced over her shoulder again. Arctos stood by the fire, his gaze focused on the storm raging outside. Even in repose, he exuded power and savage grace.
He carried you for miles, she reminded herself. Would a crazy mountain man do something like that? Her gut said no way. If he wanted her dead, she’d already be dead.
“I’m fine,” she heard herself say, knowing it was the truth. “Don’t call out the troops just yet. I’ll be back tomorrow as soon as the storm dies down.” Caitlin snapped a picture of Arctos with her phone and emailed it to her friend. “Please apologize to Mike for me. I’ll make it up to him when I get back to town.”
“Cat, I don’t mean to alarm you, but I just heard someone say that the storm is expected to last for days. Do you have enough supplies?”
Phantom Warriors Volume 1 Page 10
