Malsum Pass

by Forrest, Kimberly

  “Oh, oh no, of course, that’s fine, I’m fine,” she nodded and reached for the door handle.

  He pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her. “This is not a rejection, Tara. Any other night I’d be doing cartwheels if you wanted me to stay. Please trust me on that.” He kissed her forehead and then her nose before giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. “I’ll come see you first thing in the morning, sweetheart. You can count on that.”

  She nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Riley for putting this evening together for me and for being so sweet.”

  “Sweet? Hell, woman, are you trying to wreck my reputation?” and then he deepened his voice, “I am the mighty Coop, hear me growl.” He let out a low, fierce growl and then laughed. “Go ahead inside, sweetheart. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Tara laughed as she left his truck. He waited for her to climb the porch steps and unlock the front door. She turned and waved to him as he pulled out of the drive. He couldn’t seem to stop smiling.

  Sixteen year old Brandon was the first of the five boys ranging in age from fifteen to nineteen, to say something about Riley’s good mood. “Are you feeling okay, Coop? You’re smiling an awful lot. It’s kind of weird. Is something going to happen?”

  Fifteen year old Tyler chimed in next. “Maybe he set us up for Black Bastard to jump out and scare us.”

  “Better not let him hear you call him that.” Nineteen year old Julian said. “I heard he’s ten feet tall and can rip a man’s head off with one hand.”

  Riley snorted. While he had no doubt that Sebastian Black, also known as Black Bastard, could do the damage they claimed when he was in shift if provoked, he seemed more interested in communing with nature and being left alone. “I doubt you’ll see him tonight. And if you were doing your job, there’d be no way he could sneak up on you. Use your noses. You’d smell him long before you saw him.” Riley said.

  “How come he was allowed to live on pack land?” Tyler asked. “Why doesn’t he live with other bear shifters?”

  Riley shrugged. “You’d have to ask him, but my guess is he wants to be left alone. He doesn’t cause any trouble and he’s helped us out in the past, so the council has no problem with him living so close.”

  “Do you think he’d mind if we went to visit him?” One of the other boys asked, Riley wasn’t sure which.

  He nodded. “Yes, I think he would mind. You boys don’t bother him. It’s one thing to meet up with him in the woods by chance; it’s another to go looking for him just to pester him with questions. Now pay attention to the job at hand. Protecting pack land is the most important job for any of us; you need to take it serious.”

  Chastened, the boys walked on quietly for the next few miles until the wind shifted. Riley froze and held up his hand for the boys to do the same. He sniffed and growled low in his throat; feline shifters, at least two had invaded pack territory.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tara thought she was dreaming when she heard Riley say “Sweetheart” and felt his hand on her shoulder. She reached for him and pulled him down to kiss him. She let out an ‘mmm’ of pleasure and then opened her mouth to deepen the kiss.

  She heard Riley groan and she tried to pull him further onto the bed, but he was resisting. “Don’t tempt me, sweetheart, please. My resistance to you is like zero and I can’t stay.”

  Tara snapped fully awake and looked at the clock. It was just after two in the morning. “What’s going on?” She asked in a sleepy voice, sitting up.

  “We scented some feline shifters on our territory. Whoever they are, they’re a long way from their hunting ground. I couldn’t go after them with the pups, so I sent them off and called in some other males I need to meet up with. I don’t know how long this is going to take, Tara, but I need you to promise me that if you walk out of this house that you have your gun with you. Don’t go on your morning run and if you want to go into town where you’re safer, either take your car or call L.J. for a ride. Can you do this for me, sweetheart?”

  “They’re that dangerous?” Tara asked, worried for Riley.

  “I’m hoping this is just an accident and that they’re already moving on, but if they’re here to cause trouble, yes, they can be extremely dangerous.”

  “You’ll be careful?”

  Riley kissed her and gave her a hard hug before he pulled back and nodded. “I have every intention of being at peak levels the next time I see you, sweetheart; hopefully no later than tonight. I want to take you out to dinner.”

  Tara nodded and smiled. “Dinner sounds good.”

  He backed away from the bed. “You understand about staying armed, right sweetheart?”

  “Yes”

  “And you have enough bullets or should I have L.J. come out here with some for you?”

  “I have a full box.” She said and Riley nodded then groaned and came back to the bed to pick her up and kiss her. Before she could get her arms fully around him, he put her down and backed away.

  “You hold that thought, sweetheart, and I’ll see you tonight.” And with that, he turned and left her room.

  A few moments later she heard him leave the house and then his truck engine roar to life to leave her driveway. Tara sighed and collapsed back on her pillows. There was no way she was going to be able to go back to sleep now, she was too worried for Riley. She let out a groan and covered her eyes with her hands. Somehow, in a matter of a few days, she’d managed to fall in love with a rude, arrogant, slightly amusing and oh so sexy, ass.

  The call had roused forty men. Twenty had been left in town to spread out and patrol to protect the women, children, and elderly, while the other twenty split into four groups of five to search the woods. Their orders were specific; this was a capture only assignment. The pack needed answers: Why were they here and were more on the way?

  They were within a mile of Black Bastard’s cabin when they picked up the scent of bear, two feline females, and fear. Riley had just called out the location on his radio, when he heard Black Bastard’s roar followed by hissing and growling and his group took off at a run.

  When they got to the cabin they saw the bear shifter standing at his full impressive height, bellowing at two small naked females huddled against the outer wall of the cabin.

  “Don’t kill them, Bastian, we need them alive.” Riley shouted vaulting over the wooden fence that surrounded the cabin.

  Sebastian Black shifted back to his human form. He was six and a half feet tall; a walking mountain of muscle. His black hair fell in matted clumps to the middle of his back, while his equally matted beard brushed the top of his muscular midriff. He turned to Riley and snarled. “They came on my territory!”

  “I know, buddy, but they shouldn’t be anywhere near our land. We need to question them.” Riley looked from the big man down to the two small females wrapped in each other’s arms and trembling. The scent of fear was strong.

  “Get them and go. They’re lucky I didn’t kill them.” Sebastian glared for a minute at the females and then went back into his cabin and slammed the door.

  Riley stared at the shaken pair. “We’re bringing you two into town and you will tell us why you’re here. Until then you’ll stay silent. Make no mistake, if you shift, you’ll be shot.” He motioned for the rest of his team to come in and take the women.

  Everyone was silent on the way back to town. An emergency council meeting had been assembled to question the two shifters, and Riley had gotten them some clothes. Both women were young and blonde with enough similarities in their features to suggest they were sisters. The one that looked a bit older had four diagonal scars running from the top of her right ear down to her chin, obvious claw marks like she’d been cuffed.

  “Do you have names?” Vahl asked, leading off.

  The scarred female spoke. “I’m Lily and this is Daisy.”

  Vahl nodded. “Did you realize you were trespassing on pack land?”

  “We scented the markers but came to beg sanctuary.” Lily said,
smart enough to keep her eyes downcast.

  There were quite a few indrawn breaths at the female’s claim. Vahl narrowed his eyes. “Beg sanctuary of whom? There are no feline hunting grounds near here. The fact that my pack didn’t tear you apart as soon as they scented you is only because we wanted information from you. Do you understand that?”

  “We didn’t know what we would find when we left our territory. We only knew that there were shifter towns in this area and it was far enough away that we wouldn’t be tracked. If we had stayed we would have faced certain death; we gambled.”

  “Where is your territory?” Vahl continued.

  “In Florida, near the Everglades.”

  “How did you get here?”

  “Mostly by train, in a stock car, then we ran.”

  “Why?”

  Lily looked up and dared to make eye contact with Vahl, “I was given as mate to a monster.” She pointed to the scars on her face. “He did this to me without provocation so that no other males would look at me. When I failed to get pregnant after two years he cast me out and tried to take Daisy. I fought him and killed him and took Daisy and ran. If they find us, they will kill us both. We beg sanctuary here on pack lands or ask that you allow us to continue on our way.”

  “How likely are your kinsmen to follow?”

  “Not likely. I doubt they would think we’d go north and by riding the train they won’t have anything to track.”

  Vahl tapped his fingers a few time on the table and then turned to the two men standing behind the females. “Take them over to The Cedars. They can share a room and get some sleep while we decide. Guard the door.”

  The two men nodded and escorted the females out of the chamber.

  “You’re not actually considering letting them stay, are you Vahl? Sherry spoke up. “It’s bad enough we have a bear in our territory. He at least, has proved helpful. What use would felines be except to catch rodents? We don’t need to collect every stray we find.”

  Zack spoke up from the back corner. “They’re females and we’re short on those. The little one is cute.”

  Sherry stood up and slammed her hands down on the table. “Never! You’re a wolf and she’s a feline.” She said her upper lip curling in distaste.

  Zack shrugged. “I doubt the two species can breed anyway.”

  Then Jacob nudged his brother, “Can’t hurt to try.” He said with a snicker.

  Sherry snarled and Vahl stood up. “Enough, boys, stop baiting your mother; while all opinions are welcome here, this is a matter for the council to decide.

  “Someone find out where the closest feline territory is. If there’s one somewhere relatively close we’ll send the females that way, if not, we’ll bring it to vote whether they stay or go.”

  Liam Crane was busy opening his laptop to do a search while everyone waited. He shook his head and turned the laptop toward Vahl. Riley saw the map with the different colored blobs showing shifter territories. The green ones were feline and they formed a crescent on the western side of the map.

  “With the exception of Florida, all of them are west and we’re talking far west.” Liam said. The closest one to us is going to be North Dakota or Texas he said pointing to the top and bottom points of the crescent. Those girls should never have headed north.”

  Vahl tapped his fingers on the table again. “I’m sure they did it because it wouldn’t have been expected.” He sighed. “Our choices are: turn them away and let them fend for themselves. Or put them up on the outskirts of our territory like we did with Black.”

  He looked around the table at the other eleven members. “All of those in favor of turning them out.”

  Riley noticed Sherry glared at her sons before she raised her hand and he shook his head. The woman had a protective instinct a mile wide. Four of the elders also raised their hands.

  “Any abstaining?” Vahl glanced around the room and saw that no one raised their hand. “Fine, we’ll let the females know in the morning that they can stay in the old Cutter cabin. It’s far enough away from Black not to offend him and close enough to town should they need something.”

  Sherry slammed her hands on the table, pushed up from her seat and stormed from the room. Vahl sighed and looked at his sons. “You boys go after her and soothe her feathers. You’ll stay away from those females.”

  The boys nodded and took off after their mother and then the rest of the people in attendance got up and filed out.

  Vahl turned to him. “Coop, we’re going to need extra patrols once those girls are settled in the cabin. We need to make sure they don’t get up to any mischief and keep an eye out for more of their kind.”

  Riley nodded. “I’d like you to keep them at the B and B for a few days. Tara was going to tell everyone, but in light of this I’ll fill you in. She’s decided to stay on here permanently.”

  Vahl’s face split into a huge smile and Riley couldn’t help but smile back.

  “After the barbecue tomorrow, I’m taking her in my truck to her place in New York to help her pack up everything for the movers. Depending on how fast we get it done will depend on when we get home. I’m thinking I’ll be unavailable for at least a day and a half.”

  “Alright,” Vahl said nodding. “That should be doable. I doubt the felines will mind staying at The Cedars for a few days. Margaret may have some words for you, though if you tarry too long, she won’t appreciate their scent in her place any longer than absolutely necessary. You’re there to pack my girl’s stuff up, not take in a show.” Vahl winked.

  Riley laughed, stood up and stretched. “If that’s all, I’m heading home to get some shut-eye before I take your daughter out to dinner tonight.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tara woke to the sound of a vehicle in her driveway. She had fallen asleep on the couch at some point in the early morning with a DVD playing. She pushed her hair out of her face and sat up. Her gun was set on the coffee table next to her can of now flat soda. She grabbed it and walked to the front window. She couldn’t help the wide grin that spread over her features when she saw Riley get out of his truck.

  She opened the door. “Everything went okay?” she asked.

  He nodded and then grabbed her around the waist to pull into a hug. He burrowed his head into her hair. “We found them, they were on the run from their people so we’re going to let them stay a while but we’ll keep an eye on them.”

  “I’m glad you’re alright.” She murmured, rubbing his back.

  “I’m so tired, sweetheart, but I wanted to come let you know what was going on. I still want you to be cautious when you go out, especially for a run. Until you transition, you won’t have your nose to give you prior warning. Make sure you’re armed and paying attention.”

  “I will.” She said taking his hand and pulling him toward the stairs. “Come sleep. You look exhausted and my bed is really comfy.”

  He didn’t protest, so she pulled him up the stairs, into her bedroom and led him to the bed where she gave him a gentle push. He sat down and then laid back and she chuckled. Poor guy, he really was tired. She went to work on his boot laces and she heard him mumble sleepily. “You don’t need to do that, sweetheart, I can manage.”

  “Shh” she said, “I’ve got this.” He was asleep by the time the second boot was off. She pulled his feet up onto the bed so he was more comfortable.

  Still feeling rather tired as well, she climbed into the bed on the other side and scooted up next to him. His arm came around her waist to pull her in tight and his nose once again burrowed into her hair. He let out a contented sigh and they both slept.

  Tara woke three hours later, but Riley was still sleeping. Slowly and carefully she slid out from under his arm. He mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over. She’d let him get his rest. He’d been awake for more than twenty-four hours and in those hours he’d chopped wood, took off after hunters, took her and Addie out to lunch, implemented a gathering for her, went on patrol, and chased down feline shift
ers. She was tired just thinking about all he’d done.

  Tomorrow was the barbecue and she knew her grandfather and Addie would be here early to set up. While she had a bit of time she really should figure out what dish she was going to contribute. She searched through her pantry and cupboards then checked her fridge and freezer taking inventory.

  She had a fudge brownie mix and she pulled it out deciding that would be easy but then hesitated. They were wolves and wolves were canines. Could they even eat chocolate? Would she be able to eat chocolate after she transitioned? Now that was definitely a down side to being a wolf if that were the case; she’d never survive PMS. She put the mix back. Better to be safe.

  She went back to looking. She had almost everything she would need for a seven layer dip, but she would need to run to the store for guacamole and tortilla chips, so she mentally filed that one as a maybe.

  Finally, she decided she would make a big pan of macaroni and cheese and put it in the fridge. Then she could throw it in the oven tomorrow and bake it while the rest of the food was grilling.

  She had just put the finished product in the refrigerator and was cleaning up when there was a knock on the door. Remembering Riley’s warning of continued caution, she grabbed her gun and crept quietly to the window. She didn’t recognize the truck outside parked next to Riley’s. “Who is it?” She called out.

  “It’s Jacob, sis, open up.”

  She grinned and opened the door letting her brother in. She motioned for him to keep his voice down and said “Riley’s sleeping.”

  Jacob raised a brow. “Why isn’t Coop in his own bed sleeping, little sister?”

  Tara snorted. “I’m older than you, remember? And Riley stopped by to tell me what happened last night and caution me about going for a run alone. He was tired, so I put him to bed.”

  “Mmhm” He said, looking skeptical. “Speaking of what happened last night, the cabin that Dad was going to put the females in was badly damaged in the last rain. Apparently there was a pretty bad leak that nobody knew about, so he wanted me to go out and check on another one. It’s kind of close to Black Bastard’s place though, so I need to check in with him and make sure he’s okay with it. He tends to be irritable if anyone is too close to his territory. Want to come along and get to know one of your big brothers better?” He asked with a wink.