by Crissy Smith
But she couldn’t afford to think like that. While her community might be built on tolerance of human and inter-species relationships, she was still a cat and he a wolf. Sometimes it wasn’t meant to be, and, attracted or not, this was one of those times.
Well, maybe she could still think about those gorgeous eyes that had practically set her on fire. His built body and height didn’t hurt either. No one had to know, did they? If he had been a cat, or any other species, she would have thought he’d make the perfect mate.
She inwardly sighed as she followed Toby up the stairs to his room while he went on and on about the wolf next door. She would have to warn her brother that Toby was completely taken with the stranger. When Toby’s natural curious nature came out and he got this way, only time would divert his attention.
Together the two of them followed Toby’s nightly ritual of brushing teeth and getting ready for bed. Once her nephew was tucked in, she kissed his forehead. “Daddy will be home soon and in to check on you,” she told him.
“Cool! I will tell him all about my new friend!”
She smiled down at him, although she had every intention of beating him to it. That way, at least her brother would be a little more prepared than she had been.
Back downstairs, she made herself a glass of iced sweet tea and went to sit on the front porch swing. Her body was still humming happily after the encounter with the wolf shifter and although she couldn’t act on it, she thought she might as well enjoy it while she could.
Few wolves ever ventured into Coyote Bluff. Wolves tended to keep with their Packs and in their territory. The ones that had come by usually didn’t last long. They were too dominating to leave things alone around town, and while the people might be tolerant of one another, they were also protective.
Their ways worked for them. And no one was going to let a rogue wolf come in and take over. A few had tried, but they were almost always quickly run out of town.
With the exception of one wolf, none had ever stayed. Mark was a special case, though. The wolf was so tormented and afraid that he jumped at his own shadow. Even after a year of living in town, the wolf hardly ever left his house and, as far as she knew, never shifted.
She wasn’t completely sure what had happened to him and she never pressed. They had become friends, but she knew she was one of only a few. Toby himself had never met him.
The story about the feline Prince being taken had reached them when it had happened. The town wasn’t into the politics of the felines and others, but given the number of felines in town, they were asked to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. The rumour of the wolves helping search for him seemed to be true, if the reason for Gray’s visit was really with the hopes of helping.
The sheriff, Jim, had told them some of the searchers might be coming down, but Beth hadn’t really thought any other shifter species would care about the Prince.
Half of her own species didn’t care. Cats were solitary creatures, and while they did have a royal line that governed the big laws, most felines lived their own lives and didn’t get involved in each other’s business.
It wasn’t like that here. That was what she liked about her home. She could live close to her family and wasn’t expected to fend for herself. Very un-cat-like.
Her brother Dawson and Toby were the only close family members she had. Their parents had left them right after they had become adults. The oldest sibling—her and Dawson’s brother, Casey—had joined the military and they hadn’t seen him since. That had been twenty years ago.
The headlights from her brother’s patrol car bathed her in a spotlight as he parked. She scooted over on the swing as he stomped the dust off his boots then took a seat next to her.
“It’s a nice night. I thought the heat would never break,” he greeted.
It had been unusually hot for May. Already hitting in the hundreds and summer wasn’t even upon them yet.
She handed over her tea to share and nudged his shoulder. “Toby made a new friend.”
Relaxing back into the wood swing, Dawson chuckled. “What is it this time? A fish in the pond or maybe a rat from the barn?”
Toby was forever making friends with anything that moved. Shifter or regular animal, it didn’t matter.
“Wolf shifter,” she said quietly.
Dawson stiffened and out of the corner of her eye she could see him thinking about his words before he spoke.
“So he made it to town? Jim wasn’t sure what day, but had thought within three.”
She nodded. “Came in tonight. I didn’t know he had arrived yet and Toby wanted some of Claude’s cookies.”
“And instead found a wolf?” Dawson guessed.
“Yep. When he didn’t come right back, I went looking for him and found him on the porch of the inn.”
She could see Dawson straining himself to keep calm. She should probably stop teasing him, but what were sisters for?
“Damn it, Beth.” His patience was finally up. “Do I need to kick a wolf’s ass or not?”
Giggling, she slapped her brother’s leg. “Nah, he promised not to eat Toby.”
Dawson groaned. “Please tell me he didn’t use those exact words.”
“Oh, he sure did.”
“Damn it,” he groused. “I never would have said that if I had known Toby would take it so literally.”
She snorted, unable to hold back her amusement. “Well, Gray seemed pretty cool about it if that helps.”
Shaking his head, he stood. “If he is here for more than a few days, I can only imagine what else will be said. But I guess I’ll find out tomorrow. Jim wants me to show Gray some of the trails. We don’t think anyone has been past the barriers into the unused parts of the canyon, but really it’s too big to know for sure. The park rangers are covering the public entrances.”
“Is that why they’re here? They think someone might be hiding in the canyon?” she asked. Usually her brother kept work to himself, but if he was willing to talk, she wanted to know. She had the same curious nature as her nephew.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” Dawson told her, switching back to ‘big brother’. “If anyone is here, we will find them for sure. It’s been a long hot day. I’m going to work out before I shower.”
“Okay. Now that it’s cooled down, I might go for a run.”
“Just be careful. Especially with a strange wolf in town.”
“I promise not to be eaten by the big bad wolf, either,” she teased.
Dawson rolled his eyes but went into the house without another word. It was a good thing, because once she caught her own words, she blushed, thinking about one way she wouldn’t mind being eaten by the wolf.
She sighed and set her tea down on the table. A run was a good idea. She could burn off some energy and hopefully not be up all night thinking about the sexy man next door.
Trails to the canyon area were all over town. It gave the residents easy access to let their animal sides loose. The public access to the canyon was on the other side of the area, with hundreds of acres in between. Even if they were spotted as animals, no one would be the wiser. And she could smell the humans before they would ever see her. Plus, the park rangers kept all bridges and roads to their area closed off. It helped that most of the rangers were shifters or related to one somehow.
That was how the community worked. They looked out for one another. Humans had the police. The shifters only had each other.
It was a short ten-minute walk to the clearing where she could shift. She climbed up and into the cave she and Dawson used, quickly shedding her clothes before becoming a bobcat.
She stretched, enjoying the pull on her muscles. Even though it had been less than a week since she’d shifted, it felt like it had been so much longer. She rubbed against the walls of the cave, giving in to the instinct to mark her territory. There were no other bobcats in the community other than her brother—and when he finally shifted, her nephew—but it still felt good to her cat to follow tr
adition.
Since she didn’t actually like to run, but was more of a climber, she decided to head up to the top of the canyon so she could lie around under the moon. There was a small creek close by too.
She started up, leaping and jumping as much as she could. Her curious nephew always asked how she felt when she got to shift, and as hard as she tried, she could never find the right words. It felt freeing, like she was finally completely herself.
The thick foliage covered her as she stalked around, wishing for a playmate to pounce on. Sometimes her brother would come with her, but most of the time she was alone. Even other cats in town preferred to be by themselves. Her cat seemed to be missing that part of its personality.
A low tree branch offered her more fun as she climbed and chewed on it. As she started to scratch, she heard the yowl of a lone wolf not too far from where she was playing.
Planning on just getting a look at the wolf, she leapt from the branch and prowled towards the sound. It was less than five minutes before she caught a woodsy scent ahead of her. Crouching, she started crawling forward.
There at the creek she had planned on visiting herself stood a fully grown wolf. Her senses told her it was also a shifter, but she would have guessed that even without them since she knew how rare that type of wolf was. The red wolves were an endangered species reported to total less than one hundred in America.
Looking at the animal, she was awed.
She squatted low to the ground to keep her hiding place as he dipped his head to drink from the clear creek. What a beautiful creature, she mused as he stretched his neck back and howled again. Even though she was a cat, she still felt the loneliness that call conveyed. An answering rumble gathered in her throat and she had to hold herself back.
In the wild they were natural enemies. Even while human, she had never met a wolf who didn’t think he was better than her.
With a heavy sigh, she laid her head down on the ground. She must have been louder than she’d thought because his head snapped in her direction. She was downwind so she knew he hadn’t picked up her scent.
She tried to make herself as small as possible, belatedly realising that spying on a wolf she didn’t know wasn’t the brightest idea she’d ever had.
To his credit, he didn’t charge her. Instead, he tilted his head to the side and lowered himself much the same way she had.
She watched as he slowly crawled closer to her. When their gazes met, he stopped.
The same pull she had felt earlier returned and her muscles bunched as she waited.
He started towards her again, just as slowly and carefully, and she also scooted closer. They had started several yards away, but all too soon—and yet not soon enough—they were in the open with just a few feet separating them.
The wolf rolled to his side and pawed the ground. If she could have, she would have laughed. Instead the sound that came out of her was more of a small purr.
The wolf’s ears perked up before he did it again.
So, as he’d asked, she moved to rest next to him. They didn’t touch—just breathed in each other and shared the night. Side by side they stayed as the stars over them twinkled and the canyon sounds sang for them.
It was nice—peaceful, even—and she relaxed enough to close her eyes.
A whisper of a hot breath passed over her as the wolf bumped her chin with his head. She nuzzled into him without thinking.
The zing of awareness that shot through her body shocked her. He must have felt something too because he jerked before nudging her again.
If they were in human form, she had no doubt they would be kissing. But as animals…
She jerked away. Damn it, she was a bobcat. There was no way she could have these feelings for a wolf. As carefully as she could, she inched away from him. He turned back onto his stomach, watching her.
As he moved towards her, she swiped at him with her claws still sheathed. She didn’t want to hurt him but she had to get away.
What in the world had she been thinking? They hadn’t just been playing—they were flirting, practically making out.
Once she had enough room to flee, she turned and took off. She didn’t look behind her. Didn’t dare. She just ran away.
She scrambled down the canyon cliffs, not slowing until she got to her cave. Just as she reached her spot, she heard the heart-breaking sound of that howl.
Didn’t matter, she told herself. They were from two different worlds.
Chapter Three
Gray wasn’t in the best mood when he woke the next morning. The interaction with the bobcat had kept him tossing and turning all night. He hadn’t meant to scare her away. He hadn’t meant for anything to happen at all.
But when he had heard a small rustle in the wind and had turned and seen her, his brain had gone and he had been left running on emotion. It had been so long since he’d been able to run with his Pack. The loneliness had got to him and he’d sent his call out to the wild. To find Beth in her other form there when he was so low had seemed like fate.
But he had pressed too hard and too fast. She didn’t even know him and yet he had wanted to cover her with his scent and have hers all over him—to make a claim.
He quickly ran though his morning routine, not even taking the time to relieve his morning wood. His hand had lost all appeal over the last few months, anyway.
He perked up a little at the wonderful smells from the kitchen once he got to the dining room.
“There you are!” Dorothy greeted him as he entered. She ushered him to a table with a window view. “Best seat in the house.”
It was—a nice view of the canyon with the sunrise coming up.
“I was worried you would miss the magical moment,” Dorothy told him. She poured a cup of coffee from a tray and set it in front of him.
“Magical?” he enquired politely.
“You just watch. You’ll see,” she promised and patted his shoulder. “I’ll go get your breakfast.”
He opened his mouth to remind her that he hadn’t ordered yet but she was already headed in the direction of the kitchen. Shrugging, he looked back out of the window.
That was when he saw it—the blending of colours as the sun hit the canyon surface. He leant forward to try to catch every inch possible. Yellows, oranges, reds—all mixed together until the world before him came alive.
A bald eagle flew into sight and dipped low as if greeting the morning.
“It’s pretty amazing, huh?” A deep voice interrupted his admiration.
Gray hated to pull his attention away but turned to greet his company. “It really is,” he agreed.
The striking man in front of him wore a deputy’s uniform. He was also a cat, and an older version of young Toby.
Gray stood and held out a hand. The man looked shocked for a second but quickly schooled his face.
“Gray Mason,” he introduced.
“Dawson Wilson.” They shook and Dawson motioned back to the window. “Not a lot of people get to witness Mother Nature coming alive. You should count yourself lucky.”
Gray understood the underlined meaning of the words. He shouldn’t wear out his welcome. “I do,” he assured the other man.
“Sheriff Manor told us about your visit yesterday and asked if I would be willing to show you some of the unmarked trails that might be worth investigating. Since I was here, I thought we could discuss exactly what you are looking for while we enjoy some of Claude’s cooking,” Dawson suggested.
“Well then, please join me. Dorothy said she was bringing me some food…”
“She saw me come in. I eat here every morning so she’ll take care of me,” Dawson explained. “But before we get down to business, I would like to get one thing out of the way.”
Gray tried not to tense. After what had happened the night before with Beth, he had no doubt her brother would tell him to stay away. The man had every right, too. They didn’t know Gray. From what he gathered about the other wolves who visited, they had e
very right to wonder about his intentions. Hell, even he didn’t know what his intentions were.
“I understand you met my son last night.”
Gray nodded cautiously. “Toby.”
Dawson surprised him by sighing. “He’s a good kid. Curious and loves adventure, but I know he can be a little much. I would just appreciate it if he starts to bug you that you tell Dorothy, Claude, or my sister Beth. They can keep him out of your hair.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t put out in any way last night. My Alpha has a daughter a few years older than him and, with my being gone so long from the Pack, Toby was actually a very welcome sight. You’re right, though—he is a great kid.”
Dawson seemed to relax. “Thanks, man.”
Dorothy came back with two plates of food and a cup of coffee for Dawson. Once she’d refilled Gray’s cup and was on her way to help someone else, Gray got a good look at the food. Eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and hash browns covered every inch of the large plate. And the smell… He could have died and gone to heaven.
“Luckily, they’re used to serving shifters so every plate is always packed full to fill us up,” Dawson told him with amusement.
“I’ve got to tell you, I don’t eat this good at home,” Gray shared.
The two men dug into their breakfasts. A comfortable silence settled over the table. Dorothy topped off the coffee as she walked by but never interrupted.
Once he’d stuffed his face and had mopped up the last of the juices with a bit of biscuit, Gray patted his stomach and leant back. “Damn, that was good.”
Dawson grinned over his own empty plate. “Yep. Now you know why I’m here every morning.”
Gray smiled back and picked up his cup. He already liked the other man. With Dawson’s help, maybe he would finally be able to make some headway in the investigation. Dawson seemed like the kind of man Gray would enjoy working with also. He just got the feeling that Dawson was a straight shooter who protected his family and his community.
“So, Jim—the sheriff—said you had reason to believe that the ones who took the Prince may have travelled through here, or might even still be here?”
