I watched, confused, as the lawyer pulled out manilla envelope, sealed by a wax pressed seal. He held it out to my father, who took it and passed it back to me.
I looked at the envelope. My name was written across the top. That was it. I looked down at it, fingering the creased corners and the rose embedded in the cold smear of wax.
---
I closed the door to my apartment behind me. I dropped my luggage in the hallway and collapsed onto my couch with my bag next to me.
“Hey girl,” June said, coming in from her room. She leaned in to give me a hug. “Aren’t you proud of me? The place didn’t burn down or anything,” she said, arms held out wide.
“Thanks, and yeah, you managed to not destroy our possessions. Well done,” I said, smiling.
“So, how was it?” She sat down next to me.
“What a weekend. So many family members I hadn’t seen in years. All with the same questions. How was my first year of college going? How was Edgar?” I said, straightening out my dress against my legs.
“Yeah, that’s to be expected. What did you say?” She straightened out a book about 1970s architecture that was on our coffee table.
“I lied,” I said, shrugging. “I couldn’t bring myself to tell them that my first year of college was a catastrophe.” June knew I was in way over my head and was probably going to end up changing majors. “But I told everyone that things were going great. I didn’t have the heart to tell Dad that his little girl wasn’t going to be a doctor. It wasn’t the time or place.”
“And about Edgar?” Her face held a pained expression.
Edgar was a cheating piece of shit. I hoped he’d die in a car fire. Caught red handed, his fingers inside some business major. My friends had warned me about him: they told me he was the kind who would cheat. I didn’t listen. “I told my family that Edgar was fine, and let it die at that.”
June nodded, and glanced down into my bag. “What’s that?” She motioned towards the envelope.
“Good question,” I said. “I guess that’s my inheritance.”
“Holy shit, an inheritance! What is it?” June’s eyes went wide.
“I don’t know. I haven’t opened it.” I picked up the envelope and flipped it over. I ran my finger against the wax rose seal again.
“You have to open it.” June watched it in my hands, expectantly.
“I don’t think I deserve whatever it is. I barely knew her.” I took a deep breath.
“No, you have to open it. Whatever is inside of it, she meant for you to have it. I’ll make us some tea.” She got up and went into the kitchen.
I knew June was right. Regardless of my feelings, Liselle had given this to me. I gingerly lifted the wax seal and opened the envelope. Inside was a note and a ticket.
A train ticket.
“Well, that looks curious. I was expecting a savings bond or something.” June said, putting a mug of hot tea in front of me.
I was busy reading the note. It was a single sentence:
My sails fell still and flat: yours shall carry wind.
—
“This is so fucking baller.” June said, driving down the highway.
“It’s not a big deal.” My stomach fluttered despite my brave words. The train ticket was nestled in my bag. The next day I’d get on a train in Oslo and enjoy a scenic train ride through the most beautiful countryside in Europe.
“Bullshit it’s not a big deal. Shifters!” she said. “I’ve never met one. A girl I went to high school said her boyfriend in another town was a Shifter, but she was full of shit.”
“They’re just like other people. I think.” I had no idea. I’d called the travel agency the train ticket was booked through. The woman told me a little about the region the train went through, including the…charming nature of the locals. She’d assured me that I had nothing to fear. “Do you think they’re dangerous?”
“Hell yeah they’re dangerous. But, ya know,” she gave me a sultry wink, “that's not always a bad thing.”
“This is a bad idea. I should just cancel this trip.” My hands were shaking. I was way too anxious to enjoy whatever this was going to be. My first time traveling abroad.
“You need this, Clarissa. I don’t know how your great aunt knew, but she also knew you needed this. She wanted to give you an opportunity to live like she never did. Maybe even do something scandalous.” June gave me another wink.
I wanted to elbow her in that eye. “Nope.”
“Oh come on. Romantic train ride. Some dashing Norwegian guy. Things could happen.” She did a little dance in the driver’s seat. A sign announcing the airport flew past.
“It will never happen. Have you seen the women they have over there? They’re all blonde, six inches taller than me and sixty pounds lighter. Did you know in Europe a size six is like our size negative one?” I sighed.
“You’re fucking gorgeous.” June said. “Why you can’t come to grips with that, I don’t know. Not every guy is looking for a barbie doll. Some guys want someone better than that.” June looked over at me, “Just have an open mind.”
“Ok.” I said.
“Promise?” She wouldn’t let it go.
“I promise,” I lied. Nope, never going to happen.
—
“Next,” the person in the ticket booth said. I picked up my luggage and shuffled forward. I looked around, taking in the beauty of the sleepy Norwegian city. The cobblestone streets underfoot gave a vintage feel to the whole place, like something out of a fairy tale.
The spring air was warm, but a cold undercurrent ran through the breeze each time it blew, reminding you how far you were from the equator. Lots of locals and tourists walked the streets, enjoying a late afternoon coffee or ice cream.
My gaze landed on a pair of men standing on the curb as a taxi was pulling away. One was wonderfully tall, probably a foot taller than myself. He wore a long sleeve checkered shirt, but I could see the tips of dark tattoos at his wrists and up the side of his neck. He had those strong defined cheekbones that sent my heart aflutter. His blonde hair was cropped short, perfectly framing his face.
His friend was just as tall, and broader of shoulder. He could have been a competitor on those World’s Strongest Man shows. He had shoulder length brown hair and a face that looked gentle. Oh, what I’d like to do to that face.
I realized he was looking straight at me and I looked away, embarrassed that I’d been caught staring. There was something about his eyes.
“There’s the booth, Sven.” I looked down at my bag, a sad reminder of the long journey Sven and I had undertaken. All over Europe in search of a mate, someone we could bring back to the pack to solidify its future. Without a complete Trinity, our leadership of the pack would be challenged. I rolled my shoulders, my nostrils flaring.
“I see it, Helmut,” Sven said. But he was distracted. I followed his gaze.
A young woman stood in line at the rear of the ticket booth. She was very pretty. Petite and curvy in all the right places. Her tight jacket accentuated her ample bosom and her yoga pants showed off an ass that was mouth watering. Her scent carried on the breeze, somehow being both fresh and exotic. But most of all, nervousness. A tourist, then.
“As our quest comes to an end, perhaps victory is at hand.” Sven grinned impishly, hoisting his pack onto his shoulder. He flipped his collar up, covering his tattoos.
“She’s gorgeous,” I said. “But it can’t just be about that. We need the right person. The right fit.”
“As you say, Alpha,” he said, sauntering over to the line.
I was not looking forward to this train trip home. Our pack would be gathered, expecting us to arrive with our new mate. How could we tell them that despite spending six months traveling through eight countries, we couldn’t find a single match for the two of us?
I grabbed my bag and followed Sven.
“Excuse me,” a deep voice said from behind me.
I turned around. The blonde guy I’d s
een across the street was standing right in front of me. Oh my God, he was so gorgeous! Up close, I could see his eyes. They were gold. A Shifter! “Uhh…”
The man’s smile faltered, “Parlez-vous français? Sprechen Sie Deutsch?”
“I speak English, actually.” How embarrassing. I knew I was blushing eighty shades of red.
“How fortunate for me, then. My French is horrible!” His smile returned, his golden eyes glinting. “Is this the line for the train to Trondheim?”
“Yes.” I felt myself being lost in his gaze. I could smell him this close. He smelled like the deep forest, like something primal and untouched by society. Something dark and dangerous. I could feel something deep inside me awaken, a desire. A need. I wanted to squirm, but kept my composure.
“Then we are in the right place. My name is Sven. Helmut,” he called to the other man who was now walking up, “Come meet my new friend…” He looked at me expectantly.
“Clarissa,” I said. These European guys were direct.
“A pleasure,” Helmut said, his face a crisscross of worry.
I could tell something was weighing on his mind, but even that didn’t take away from his stunning good looks. His brown hair was mussy in a wild, unkempt way. His eyes were also gold. So, a pair of Shifters. “Are you two traveling to Trondheim?”
“We are, Clarissa,” Sven said.
The way he said my name sent shudders through me. There was a rumble that came from his throat, almost a growl. Some ancient switch flipped in my mind, something left there by my ancestors. My knees threatened to go weak. “Then have a nice trip! Bon voyage!”
I picked up my bags and ran up to the ticket counter. I threw my ticket at the person in the booth and took my receipt without saying a word. Fear and excitement ran through my body, like a live wire.
We both watched Clarissa run full tilt to the train.
“She moves quickly,” Sven said, his eyebrows raised.
“Does she think she’ll miss the train? Or was it something I said?” I shook my head. “Women.”
“Ha!” Sven said, his eyes eager. “The hunt has begun! Our prey will not escape us.”
Sven’s idea had merit. She was even more beautiful in person. Full lips I wanted to bite. Breasts I wanted to suckle from. A waist I wanted to hold onto while I took her. Just the thought was arousing the beast in me. That ever present other mind that every Shifter has to manage on a daily basis. A good mate was key for that. “Let’s get on the train,” I said curtly.
“It looks like she’s awoken something in you, too. Good. Use that,” Sven said, slapping me on the shoulder. “I was worried you were going soft on me.”
I dropped my luggage in my private train car and collapsed onto the long bench that ran down one wall. The walls were paneled in dark wood, and the two frame window opposite the door showed the idyllic countryside. Green pastures stretched off into the distance. Hills and mountains rose far off along the horizon.
I could hear loud voices from outside. Ticket takers, luggage handlers and other crew were calling out for any late boarders. Every now and then I heard people shuffle down the hallway outside my door.
The butterflies in my stomach were just starting to calm down. I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this! I was on my way to Trondheim, just as my great aunt wanted. My first real adventure, in a land full of strangers.
Well, not all of them were strangers. Sven and Helmut. Damn, they were gorgeous. I guess men here were just naturally friendly. Back in the States, if men acted like that towards you, you were going to get lucky. But no one who’d ever looked like that had ever been interested in me.
There were a lot of new things I’d have to get used to. Even the money was strange: all different colors and sizes. I couldn’t wait to call June to tell her. Of course, she’d be incredibly crude if I mentioned the two guys. She’d ask if I’d pulled one of them into a coat room and made him eat my ass. Something classy like that.
My idle hands rubbed all over my stomach, one rising up to my nipples, the over working down to my aching snatch. I hadn’t had a chance to unwind like this in days, and I was twisted up tighter than a pretzel. I felt the fullness of my breast in my hand, my nipple pouty and erect inside my bra. The edges of the wire frame pressed into my chest, the pressure light but glorious. How I imagined Sven would be, on top of me, pinning me under his weight as he had his way with me.
My middle finger made tiny circles around my protruding nub. Tiny explosions of warmth shot through my core with each flick. I dipped a finger inside and smeared the hot lube all over my clit. I imagined Helmut kneeling in front of me, those golden eyes looking up at me while he tasted me.
My juices were gushing, as my head fell left and right. My breathing turned into panting as I felt my orgasm approach. I sped up my rhythm, ready for this train to come into station.
A loud knock came from the door. I froze in horror, hands on my tit and slit. For the briefest moment I was back in my bedroom at home, my mother walking in without waiting for a response.
“Hello, this is Ermine,” a thickly accented voice said from behind the door. “I am your train car concierge.”
“Hey,” I said, straightening out my clothes and standing up to open the door. I opened it and in the hallway stood an older man with a pot belly. “It’s nice to meet you Ermine. My name is Clarissa.”
With a grace that only came with decades of practice, he bowed. “Clarissa, if there is anything that you need, you need only pick up the telephone in your room and ask for Ermine.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll be sure to do that.” I closed the door and sat back down on the bench. Adrenaline was still pumping through me, my heart thundering in my chest. But the moment for relief had passed.
A quiet bell dinged in the hallway. That meant the dining car would be serving dinner now. I gave myself a once over in the body length mirror set into the closet door. I fixed my hair and walked out into the hallway.
“I’m famished,” Sven said from behind me.
I opened the interlocking doors between train cars and we stepped into the next section of the train, making our way to the dining car. “You’re always hungry. You’re going to be old and fat one day.”
“I hope so!” he said in earnest. “A wood cabin out in the forest. A new litter of grandchildren to play with in front of a roaring fireplace. A pipe and rocking chair in the evenings. I almost want to skip the next forty years and get straight to that.”
“Tell me about it. All these politics. They’re exhausting. All these ancient rules to abide by, all these expectations to live up to,” I said.
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Sven said with a chuckle.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t complain. Thank you for that,” I said. He was a good man. I couldn’t have a better one by my side. But two couldn’t lead a pack. One leader meant a tyranny. Two leaders meant a stalemate. But three…three leaders meant restraint, wisdom and boldness.
“Mmm…do you smell that? Turkey with brown gravy,” he said. “Warm rolls, and pickled beets.”
We were still two sealed train cars away, but no plate of food could hide from Sven. I pulled open the door to the next car and we walked down the hallway. In front of one door I stopped dead in my tracks. My nostrils flared as I inhaled a deep scent, something primal inside of me stirring.
Spurred Bearback (BBW Shifter Cowboy Western Romance) (Bear Ranchers Book 4) Page 81
