Snowman (Arctic Station Bears Book 2)

by Maeve Morrick

  Snowman

  Arctic Station Bears, Book Two

  Maeve Morrick

  &

  Amelie Hunt

  Contents

  Author’s Copyright

  An Excerpt

  Amelie Hunt Presents Series Listing

  Get News

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Ready For More?

  All The Amelie Hunt Presents Series

  About Maeve Morrick

  About Amelie Hunt

  Amelie Hunt Presents

  www.ameliehunt.com

  © Maeve Morrick, 2015

  May not be replicated or reproduced in any manner without express and written permission from the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to author and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  An Excerpt

  I turned my head to look at him, but couldn’t really see anything but his broad shoulders. God, he smells good. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  He laughed. “Did you do much research into shifter mates? Do you know what to expect?”

  “There isn’t much info. Biology was my focus. I guess I understand the concept but I’ll need you to fill in the details.”

  “We’re going to share…everything. Feelings at first, then thoughts. Then other sensations.”

  I pulled away and turned to face him. “Thoughts? Like you’re going to be able to read my mind?”

  He put up his hands in mock defense and smiled. “Easy. It’s not quite like that. It’s more like…using the phone. When you want me to hear something, you call. You’ll also be able to pick up on my emotions. And eventually share some of my strength.”

  Finally, I thought, my days of struggling with jar lids are over. I tried to think it directly at him without knowing what the hell I was doing.

  “Did you hear that?” I asked.

  “You think I am the most amazing man on the planet?” He grinned, but when I looked like I might slug him he put his hands up. “Kidding. I don’t think we’re quite there yet. The bond is instant, but it takes time to fully develop. You’re definitely stuck with me, though.”

  He pulled me close and I clung to him. I was freezing and he was the definition of warm.

  “Anything else that I have to look forward to?” I asked.

  Amelie Hunt Presents - Series Listing

  Ophelia Bell’s Black Mountain Bears

  Clawed

  Bitten

  Nailed

  Vivian Woods’ Winter Pass Wolves

  Howl

  Growl

  Prowl

  Sennah Tates’ Sunset Glade Panthers

  Spark

  Ember

  Blaze

  Maeve Morricks’ Arctic Station Bears

  Snowbound

  Snowman

  Snowfall

  Cass Reynolds’ Emerald Isle Tigers

  Scoundrel

  Soldier

  Scholar

  Get News

  Join The Hunt

  Moonlight caresses your skin. Your bare feet crush leaves and grass as you run. Your heart hammers in your chest and your breath burns, but you can't stop. He's so close now.

  A flash in the corner of your vision! The chase is drawing to a close. For a moment, you feel a prickle of fear. But the feeling is fleeting. After all, you're not the prey.

  You're the hunter.

  Click here to get all of Amelie Hunt’s freshest releases first! Don’t forget to check out our website and add us on Facebook.

  This book is for Viv, Ophelia, Cass, and Sennah

  Y'all are the bestest.

  Chapter One - 100,000 Years Ago

  Before he was Calder, the Snowman had no name and had never needed one. He’d been alone most of his life, after all. As a child, his first shift had caused his own family to abandon him to the wilderness. The looks of terror on their faces were his only company in those hard first few months. He didn’t blame them, though. He even considered it mercy to be exiled. They could have simply killed him. The first of his kind.

  He didn’t want to hurt them.

  He spent some cold and hungry weeks before he stopped being afraid of the shift. It kept him warm. It kept his belly full. It kept him safe. He watched members of his tribe from afar. Their routines were known to him. Their relationship with the land was something he completely understood. There were even times he thought he might rejoin them, but isolation was a comfort. Less so later, when he became a man.

  The first time he saw her, he knew she was special. Her dark hair blew wildly around her olive skin. Her son chased butterflies on awkward legs as she gathered fruit each day. There was no marriage, but there were mates, and she’d had one previously. He died during a hunt many moons before. Calder had watched it happen. The mammoth dragged him and crushed him underfoot. com

  The village made sure she wanted for nothing. It was just their way. But even so, Calder began to leave fresh kills by her door. Eventually she’d caught him doing so.

  Even though he was a stranger to her, the look in her eyes told him everything. It spoke to him on the level of the animal and the man. Her voice was the promise of something he’d waited for his entire life. Her touch swept away the years of loneliness. Even when he shared his secret, she had no fear of him. Even her child had touched his soft fur with gleeful fascination. Many chilly nights found the child fast asleep on Calder’s back while his mate looked on in smiling approval. They were fated to be together. He was the first of his kind. She was the first fated mate.

  The village had no knowledge of him, his family having long since moved on. Many just assumed that he was from a neighboring tribe. Either way, he was welcomed with open arms. He and his mate even had a child of their own together. His son was like Calder, a shifter. He was no longer alone.

  Calder always assisted on difficult hunts as a man, but was much happier to hunt alone as a cat. He always returned generous portions to the tribe. They were happy for the meat, and seemed content not to question the source, since everyone was well fed without risking danger.

  Calder was content. Contentment bred carelessness.

  One winter night, as Calder and his son were running as cats across the savannah, men from the village burst into his home. Hearing his mate’s cries in the cold, still darkness filled Calder’s stomach with a pit of dread that he had not felt since childhood. He made sure his son knew to stay hidden, then raced toward the village as fast as his four powerful legs could carry him.

  He arrived too late for his stepson. The boy was put to the knife while trying to defend his mother. The warriors held the same knife to her throat as Calder approached. Both cat and man roared and screamed and wanted to tear them apart, but he dared not act for fear of losing his mate.

  The men shouted at Calder. His secret had been uncovered. Someone had seen him shift during his last hunt. The villagers were afraid — they didn’t understand. But they offered him a choice. Offer himself up for destruction, or lose his mate. He shifted into a man and fell to his knees.

  It was no choice at all.

  Ev
en as the first spears drew blood, Calder could not take his eyes from his mate. Even through her rage and fear, he saw love there. His rapidly closing wounds prompted her to taunt the warriors and Calder could feel his heart breaking even as it seemed to work at a fever pace. She was so powerful. Her voice was in his mind, soothing him. A cold hole began to form in Calder’s chest. He could not draw breath. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

  The warriors demanded to know the location of Calder’s son. When he refused and spat on them, the fire came. Calder screamed as the flames consumed his flesh, but still he could not die.

  The warriors were frustrated and terrified. And Calder’s mate paid the price. She and Calder said tender things to one another, inside the silent connection they shared, and she forced one last smile for him. Then the knife to her throat.

  Calder’s roar shattered the night as he transformed. His bones cracked and reshaped, showing through his torn and burned flesh in places, but he was beyond caring. He fought with teeth and claws and all of the rage he could muster, but he was too weak, and the warriors too strong.

  He closed his eyes and wished for death, but even then it would not find him.

  His next memory was being swallowed by icy water. He was disoriented, so before he started to right himself and swim, he had already moved underneath the thick ice that covered the lake near the village. The torches of the villagers were the only points of light in the blackness as the freezing water filled his lungs. He tried smashing the ice with his fists and again with his massive paws, but to no avail.

  Calder closed his eyes and thought of his mate. Surely now it would be over. In a few moments, they would be together again. They would lay by the fire while the children slept. He would brush her dark hair from her eyes and kiss her. It wouldn’t be long now.

  Be safe, my son, Calder thought. You are the last of our kind.

  Chapter Two - Present Day

  Liam and Viktor loaded what was left of Ollie onto the stretcher in silence. Ollie, who must have been in unspeakable agony, never made a sound. Donny and Ben searched the helicopter wreckage for anything salvageable, and finding nothing, dropped their shoulders in defeat and knelt down to assist Liam.

  I looked out over the ocean and tried to clear my lungs of the acrid smell of burning fuel. The perpetual twilight made the water dark and foreboding, in sharp contrast to the purple snow that fell. At least the wind stopped blowing, I thought. I was already cold enough, and it was about to get much more chilly around here.

  Strong hands were suddenly on my arms. I didn’t even need to turn around to know that they were Liam’s.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I guess I’m better than Oliver?” I said. “What’s going to happen with him?”

  “We’re going to take him to isolation and try to make him comfortable if we can. I’ll probably have to supervise, since I think Ben and Donny might just try finish him off. I really can’t even say I blame them.”

  I laughed weakly. “Me either. He does sort of have it coming. You think he’ll be okay?”

  Liam put his strong arms around me. I just wanted to live there for awhile. Cozy up and sleep. I wanted to forget about everything that had happened. Liam must have read my thoughts, because he held me even closer.

  I smiled. Well, not everything.

  “I think so,” Liam said. “He wasn’t injured by a shifter or silver, and there’s still enough of him left. He’ll probably start to regenerate pretty quickly, which means we’re going to have to keep him isolated in one of the big animal labs. We can’t risk him healing enough to be able to shift and attack.”

  “You think he will?”

  “I wish I knew. Shit, I wish I knew what was going on in his head to make him act this way. All I know is that we can’t spare anyone to guard him. Not with Calder still on the base. Which also means that we’re going to have to make sure Calder can’t get to him. The big animal labs have cells that can withstand a lot of power. Hopefully it’ll be enough.”

  I could feel his concern, but separate and distinct from mine. It was the strangest sensation, like having the feeling come back to a limb that had gone numb. Just not that unpleasant. I could just…feel him in my head.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll try to reel myself in a little.”

  I turned my head to look at him, but couldn’t really see anything but his broad shoulders. God, he smells good. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  He laughed. “Did you do much research into shifter mates? Do you know what to expect?”

  “There isn’t much info. Biology was my focus. I guess I understand the concept but I’ll need you to fill in the details.”

  “We’re going to share…everything. Feelings at first, then thoughts. Then other sensations.”

  I pulled away and turned to face him. “Thoughts? Like you’re going to be able to read my mind?”

  He put up his hands in mock defense and smiled. “Easy. It’s not quite like that. It’s more like…using the phone. When you want me to hear something, you call. You’ll also be able to pick up on my emotions. And eventually share some of my strength.”

  Finally, I thought, my days of struggling with jar lids are over. I tried to think it directly at him without knowing what the hell I was doing.

  “Did you hear that?” I asked.

  “You think I am the most amazing man on the planet?” He grinned, but when I looked like I might slug him he put his hands up. “Kidding. I don’t think we’re quite there yet. The bond is instant, but it takes time to fully develop. You’re definitely stuck with me, though.”

  He pulled me close and I clung to him. I was freezing and he was the definition of warm.

  “Anything else that I have to look forward to?” I asked.

  “Hairy palms.”

  He said it so matter-of-factly that I couldn’t help but laugh, and he joined me. It felt good to laugh after yesterday.

  “Liam?” Donny said from behind us. “We’re ready here.” He and Ben picked up the stretcher and began moving toward the door.

  Liam took my hand. “That’s our cue,” he said. “Let’s get out of the cold.”

  Moving his body away from mine reminded me of just how cold I really was. “I thought you’d never ask. So how long do you think it’ll take before someone misses us and sends a rescue party?”

  Chapter Three - Parker

  Alex Parker sat in a plush leather seat in an office overlooking downtown Atlanta. He almost choked on his bourbon. “Madam Chairman, you want me to go where?”

  The woman stood with her back to Parker, her fingers interlocked behind her back. She stared out over the city below. Her look was Eastern European, with blonde hair pulled into a tight, uncomfortable-looking bun. She spoke with an accent that Parker could not place. “Arctic Station,” she said. “I know it’s out of your purview, Parker. But we have an exceptional situation here. We need you to leave immediately. A plane is waiting to take you into Canada. From there, Arctic Station is only accessible by helicopter.”

  “What’s the deal?” Parker asked.

  “We’ve lost contact with the Station. We have an operative on site who hasn’t checked in as planned. The mission is containment, then standard fire sale protocol, including our operative if he’s been compromised in any way.”

  Parker took another sip from his glass and smiled. “Everything must go, huh? I see why you called me. What am I up against?”

  “Polar bear shifters and human female. All with doctorate or other postgraduate educations. And something we’ve never seen before. Here’s the last report we received.” She pushed a file across a desk.

  Parker had to put down his bourbon to take the file. That didn’t make him happy. He sat back in the chair and flipped through the folder. A prehistoric saber-toothed tiger shifter with intelligence far beyond most modern humans. And a volitive shifter?

  “Holy shit,” Parker said. “Is this for real?”

  “Yes, Parke
r, it is. Unfortunately.”

  Parker finished his bourbon and smiled. His day just got a lot more interesting.

  Alanna

  Liam and Ben lifted Ollie’s body and placed it on the bed. They made me wait in the cell with them for safety’s sake. Calder was still in the base somewhere. The thought made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Viktor and Donny stood guard outside the room.

  Even with my doctorate in shifter biology, seeing one injured up close and personal was both fascinating and heartbreaking. It didn’t help things that this particular shifter and I used to sleep together. And I sort of wanted to hate the shit out of him, since he tried to have Liam kill me.

  Liam used a silver scalpel to make a small incision in Ollie’s neck, then he inserted a needle attached to a tube into one of his veins. I was struck again with just how amazing he was.

  I smirked. “Just a simple anthropologist, huh?”

  Liam laughed. “Yeah…man of a million talents. That’s me. When you’re an alpha, you wind up picking up lots of new skills. Especially when you spend most of your time in a place where help might not be coming.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind should I ever need emergency medical attention.”

  Liam stepped over to me and smiled. God, he smells so good. His eyes burned when he looked at me. “You need someone to examine you?”

  I put my hands on his chest. “Why? You know someone?”

  “You two want to find yourselves a different room?” Ben said. He hooked a bag of fluids to a stand by the bed, then attached a battery back to the IV drip. “You think this is enough, doc?”