“They have that effect on you, don’t they? It’s as if someone plucked them off the page of a book.” He stared at her lips, needing one more taste before his wolf took over and they ran on into the dawn light.
“They do. It’s stupid really, but they also made me feel more connected to my parents, even though they are dead. But they linked me and my brothers to the past, to our ancestors.”
“To the Stone Claw Clan?” Patrick asked as he stroked her cheek and pushed her hair back from her face. She leaned into him, rubbing against his hand.
“Yes. Nana researched our family tree. She couldn’t go back any further than the man we now know was Chin Shan. That meant me and my brothers were the only surviving members of that bloodline. It felt lonely.”
“When we’ve finished at the river, how about we trek up to the Stone Claw Clan’s lands? There is little left there now, but there is a cave with paintings from the Stone Claw’s time here in the River Run Mountains.” Patrick seldom visited there, but it was important to him that Sage saw the remains of the village and found a connection to her own ancestors.
“I’d love to see them.”
“Then I’ll take you. When we finish at the head of the river, we can go back to my place, grab some camping gear and hike up there.”
“Just think,” Sage said as he leaned in for a kiss. “If we lived in those times, we would have been adversaries.”
He smiled, his lips so close to hers he could feel her breath on his skin. “Nothing would ever keep us apart.”
She slid her hand around the nape of his neck and they kissed, heat rising between them as the sun climbed into the sky, finally casting its light over the whole of the mountain. This was the dawn of a new life for them both and Sage was right, they would make it work. One way or another there had to be a means for them both to have it all.
But Hetty always said you can’t have your cake and eat it, his wolf reminded him.
“Lupe will be sending a search party for us,” Patrick said as they moved apart. He’d prefer to stay here with Sage under the shade of the trees and kiss for hours, but the water source was more important.
“Then let’s run,” Sage suggested. “My bear can’t wait to break free and meet your wolf.”
“My wolf is a little anxious your bear might be stronger than him.” Patrick ignored the loud protest in his head. “My wolf is offended that I shared that information with you.”
“Tell him we’re meant to share everything. And anyway, my bear is worried your wolf will leave her in the dust on a long run.” Sage smiled, her eyes drawn upward, as if listening to a voice in her head.
“Why don’t we let them sort it out for themselves?” Patrick suggested.
“Good idea.” With that, the air shimmered around Sage, and she slowly disappeared from this world, leaving him with a sense of loss. But then, almost immediately, a large shadowy figure appeared in her place. The shadow became solid, its features becoming clearer, more distinct, until a large female bear stood on four stocky legs before him.
Patrick couldn’t resist reaching out a tentative hand to touch her. She was incredible, her soft brown fur was dark at the tips, reminding him of her jet-black hair, while her eyes were a soft chocolatey brown that spoke of wisdom and patience.
When he realized Sage was his mate, he’d experienced a moment of reservation. Would their children be cubs or pups? Wolf or bear? But faced with this beautiful creature, he realized it didn’t matter. Whatever happened, they were meant to be. Whatever their children were, or even if they ended up with a mixed bag of cubs and pups, they would be loved.
Patrick leaned forward and placed his lips on the bony part of her skull, before pulling away. With his eyes fixed on his mate, he let go of his human form and allowed his wolf to come forth.
The air shimmered as human and wolf traded places.
The bear looked at the wolf before her, assessing him, then she raised her snout and sniffed the air. Patrick’s wolf took a couple of steps forward and nuzzled the bear’s neck, scenting her, imprinting her on his brain for eternity.
Then he nipped her playfully and spun around, jogging off along the trail, with the bear close behind him. His wolf kept the pace slower than he would normally run, aware that they were not equally matched. His wolf legs made him lithe and fast over most terrain, but Sage’s bear was built for strength and would be a formidable opponent if anyone took her on in combat.
I pity the creature that makes such a choice, his wolf said, impressed by their mate.
Even if she is a bear? Patrick asked.
Even if she is a bear, his wolf conceded.
They traveled quickly, his mate might not be swift over level ground, but her short, stocky legs were well muscled which made climbing easier.
Up and up, they followed the trail until above them they heard familiar voices. Emilia, Thorn, and Lupe were discussing how they planned to increase the supply of water to the village below. Patrick led Sage around the side of the cliff face and up onto the ledge where the other three were waiting.
“What took you so long?” Lupe teased.
“We took the scenic route,” Patrick answered as he shifted back to his human form.
“You showed Sage the river.” Lupe turned away and walked back to a large pile of boulders that worked as a dam, blocking the flow of water to the village below. “Hopefully when you look on it next, it will be flowing more.”
Sage shifted and joined them, looking at the boulders thoughtfully. “We need to take out some of the smaller debris and increase the flow slowly. We don’t want a sudden deluge that might take out the village.”
Lupe looked thoughtfully at the water building up behind the boulders. The dam stopped what would have been the normal flow of water down to the River Wolf Lands. The water, with nowhere else to go, swept down to the left and disappeared under the rock. “I sure would love to know where that comes out.”
“The best we can tell is it goes underground, into a large lake.” Thorn pointed around the mountains. “We’ve scouted all the area and cannot see where it flows out.”
“Have you tried dying the water?” Sage asked. “That would make it more visible.” She placed her hands on two large boulders and gazed into the swirling water on the other side. “If we add some fluorescent dye, we could trace where it comes out.”
“Good idea,” Thorn said as he joined her. “If we put the dye in on the other side of where we’ve opened this channel, it won’t flow into the valley.”
“Is it safe?” Lupe asked. “I don’t want to kill anything in the process.”
“Perfectly safe and biodegradable. I’ll speak to George later and ask him to bring some when they arrive in a couple of days.” Sage stood up and rubbed her hands together. “Shall we start?”
They all took small pickaxes and began scraping away the small debris that had filled in the gaps between the boulders. Working systematically, they increased the flow of the water through the boulders, without dislodging them. Emilia could have simply shifted into her dragon and removed the large boulders, which is what the dragons had originally done to start the flow.
However, there were two factors they needed to consider if they took that course of action. Firstly, they didn’t know where the rest of the water came out. Since the River Wolf Clan had been deprived of their water once, they did not want to inflict the same pain on another community of humans or animals. Secondly, if they destabilized the pile of boulders and the flow increased too much, they had no real way of knowing how the valley would cope with such an increase in flow.
The riverbed below had been dry for centuries, so they wanted to increase the flow gradually, and document how the riverbed altered to cope. Over a period of time, plants and animals would return to the area and the once dry riverbed would come alive once more.
Three hours later, with only a couple of small breaks in between, their work for the day was done. Now Patrick wanted to get back down to the
village, pack up some supplies and take his mate on an adventure.
One she would never forget.
Chapter Five – Sage
Her muscles ached as she soaked in a warm bath after a morning on the mountain. Normally, baths were a rare luxury she didn’t have time for. But today, she was going to treat herself.
Closing her eyes, she let the warm water lap around her curvy body. Perhaps her reason for a bath was to make sure all the dirt of the day was soaked and then scrubbed clean from her body since she was going back into the mountains with Patrick. Dirt under her fingernails at the end of a day working outdoors was normal for Sage, but today she paid particular attention to ensuring they were clean.
Emilia had offered to fly them to the old Stone Claw village, but they’d decided to hike there on two feet and four paws.
Sage ducked her head under the water, submerging herself before she got out of the bath and towel dried her body. Then she pulled on a robe and set a backpack on the bed. Into it, she packed a couple of changes of light clothing and one heavy sweater. Then she added various hiking gear, which she took whenever she ventured out on the mountains, including emergency rations and canteens filled with water.
Patrick had said he would supply food and camping equipment, but a girl could never be too prepared. It would take a little time to allow herself to trust Patrick with her life. And if you got caught on the mountains with no supplies, your life might be in danger. She taught the kids who came to Chance Heights just that and Sage had to lead by example.
Drying off her hair, she dragged a comb through it and then pulled it back into a ponytail. Next, she applied a layer of sunscreen to her pale skin and pulled on a pair of combat pants and a T-shirt. Over this, she would wear her raincoat, and a pair of stout hiking boots would adorn her feet.
After assessing her reflection in the mirror, she figured she was good to go, and hitched the pack on her shoulder and ran downstairs.
“I’ve baked you a nice fresh loaf,” Hetty said, handing her a small loaf of bread, wrapped up in a clean cloth. “Let it cool as you head over to Patrick’s and then he can put it in a Tupperware tub.”
“Thanks, Hetty.” Sage tucked the warm loaf under her elbow. “For everything. You’re very kind.”
“Don’t be silly. If those dragons hadn’t turned up here that night, we would still be as dry as Mrs. Hacker’s biscuits.” Hetty grinned. “The lady can sew, but she can’t cook.”
“I’ll remember that if she ever offers me one.”
“She might…if you come and live here in River Wolf.” Hetty was fishing for information.
“We haven’t decided anything yet,” Sage told her gently. “There’s so much to think about. I know Patrick’s heart is here.”
“But your life is on another mountain range. I understand.” Hetty hugged her close. “You go and have fun. Patrick will look after you. Not that a bear shifter like you needs looking after.”
“We all need looking after sometimes.” Sage gave Hetty a one-handed hug, trying not to squash the fresh bread. “This loaf smells wonderful.” She inhaled deeply.
“Enjoy it. We’ll see you sometime tomorrow evening.” Hetty let Sage go and she left the house and headed across the village to Patrick’s house. She took the time to look around at the village and tried to envisage herself living here.
As she walked over a small wooden bridge recently erected over the river, which had increased in flow since their work this morning, she stopped and watched the children splashing around in rain boots. Their laughter filled the air, and she pictured her own children playing in the water and building a future here, in a village that had been dormant for so long.
Maybe she could move here. Help build a business with Patrick. Maybe expand Chance Heights and have a sister camp in River Wolf. Although how she was supposed to broach the subject with her brothers, and her mom, she wasn’t sure.
Leaving the bridge behind, Sage continued on to Patrick’s house. A sense of excitement grew inside her, she was about to trek over the mountains with her mate. She was also going to see where her ancestors lived, stand upon the ground they once stood on, and look out at the same view they looked out on.
This was the closest she’d been to the people Chin Shan once belonged to. What sacrifices he made for his people. Would Sage be capable of making the same sacrifices? Would she choose to make the same sacrifices? She reminded herself that the sacrifice had not been Chin Shan’s alone. His actions, which he did for the good of his people, meant Magnus and Emilia had spent hundreds of years asleep while the world passed them by and the people they knew grew old and died.
Perhaps her need to find out about her ancestors was flawed. She wasn’t like them. She could never hurt others in such a way.
“There you are.” Patrick leaned against the doorframe of the small cottage that overlooked the river.
Sage turned and looked over her shoulder at the steady flow of water passing his doorway. “Did you stare at the dry riverbed all your life?”
“I did. Makes me believe dreams really do come true.” He stepped away from the house and came to meet her. Kissing her mouth, he pulled back and said, “I also dreamed of this moment all my life, too.”
“Did you?” She slipped her hand into his, liking the feel of his skin against hers. “And what did you envisage when you dreamed of your mate?”
“I don’t know.” His forehead creased as he thought about it. “I never saw you. I just had a sense of you. Like a ghost I suppose.”
Sage nodded. “I always imagined my mate would ride a white horse and, preferably, wear shining armor and carry a sword.” She gave him a sideways look. “Don’t tell Emilia, but I also dreamed you would slay dragons, too.”
“You believed in fairy tales.” He smiled as if that was cute.
“I did. But they lost their sparkle once my parents died. It was hard to believe in anything for a long time.” She sighed, her heart aching at the loss of her parents.
“And now?” Patrick asked.
“I guess I can give you a trial and see how much of a Prince Charming you really are.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. Sage wasn’t small by any means, at nearly five foot ten, she was taller than most other women she knew. But Patrick stood a good head taller, which she liked. A lot.
“A trial run. What happens if I fail?” he asked, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
“Let me see.” She hummed and rubbed her chin. “I suppose I’ll have to whip you into shape. Since I can’t see myself living without you.”
Patrick turned around to face her, taking hold of both her hands as he looked down at her. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me whipping you into shape?” she asked with a coy smile.
“No, you not living without me.” He leaned down and captured her lips with his.
She sighed and pressed her body closer, her hands resting on his forearms, while his slid around her waist and pulled her close. Their lips moved, tasting, teasing as their kiss deepened. Perhaps they should forgo the trip to the Stone Claw Clan village and instead go to bed.
Her bear complained loudly about that idea. She’d been thinking of how good it would be to run across the mountain with the wolf who lived inside Patrick. After her initial reservations, she was willing to give him a chance. Although she was not too happy about the prospect of raising wolf pups instead of bear cubs.
“We should go,” Patrick whispered in her ear, his breath a soft caress on her skin.
“I suppose we should.” Sage looked into his face, examining his features. His hair was unruly, a rich shade of chestnut, while his full lips begged to be kissed, and his square jaw spoke of an inner strength that she hoped would never be tested. Leaner than the men of Bear Creek, his legs were long, but well-muscled.
“Like what you see?” he asked, and her head jerked back as she realized she’d been openly staring at him.
“I do.” There was no use hiding it. Her attraction to
Patrick was intense and she wanted their relationship to blossom and grow.
“Come on. You can stare all you want later. It’s a good hike to the Stone Claw village. I can drive us some of the way, we can go around the mountain and come up from the other side. If we leave now, we can be there by nightfall.”
“Okay.” Sage followed him into the house. But before Patrick shut the door, Emilia and Thorn walked toward them.
“Hello there,” Thorn called.
“Hi.” Sage shielded her eyes against the low afternoon sun and went to meet them. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” Thorn assured them. “But we wondered if we could get a ride with you. Lupe said you were going into the mountains to where the Stone Claws lived.”
Sage tried to hide her disappointment. As much as she loved Thorn and Emilia, she’d been looking forward to having Patrick all to herself. “Yes, we are.”
“Don’t worry, we aren’t planning on gate-crashing your night together,” Emilia assured them. “We only want a ride to the other side of the mountain. From there we plan to pick up a trail that leads deeper into the mountain. Then when it gets dark, I’ll fly higher.”
“Why?” Patrick asked.
“Lupe mentioned there might be a cave system higher in the mountains. One where people might have lived once.” Emilia glanced at Thorn as she spoke. “I want to go and see if there are any signs of dragons there.”
“You mean a sign of the dragon who attacked the village?” Sage asked. The story of the Stone Claw Clan told how they stole the amulet the River Wolf Clan used to protect themselves from marauding dragons. The dragon returned and was responsible for blocking off the water supply to the village.
River Run Wolf Page 4
