She raised one eyelid and peered up at his sleeping face. The cabin was dim, except for a soft orange glow coming from the woodstove. The window facing the front of the cabin showed a greying sky already. Had to be after 6pm. Sunset was around 6pm in February and twilight only lasted about another forty-five minutes.
However—she stretched again and smiled when Kann’s arms tightened—after the mind-blowing sex they’d had, it could very possibly be days later, and she wouldn’t have even noticed.
Her stomach growled loudly, and her bladder pleaded for her to find a way out of the bed.
“Fine,” Kann grumbled, slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her until she was out of breath. “Now we can get up.” He reluctantly released her body and let her roll away from him toward the edge of the bed.
Penny chuckled and shook her head. She ran her hands through her unruly mass of bed hair and hoped she didn’t look to frightening.
“I like you all rumpled,” he growled, making her insides quiver. “It’s sexy.”
“I’m glad you like it, but I still need to get dressed and use the outhouse. Where are my panties?” She stood and peered around the dark room.
He got up and walked several steps in the almost non-existent light and returned carrying her black panties, along with her jeans, socks and undershirt.
“How did you? I can’t see anything.”
He tapped his nose and grinned. “I didn’t even have to try.”
She rolled her eyes and scrambled into her clothes. “I’ll warm up one of those noodle meals when I get back.”
Kann snorted. “We’ll go eat with the others. Noodles are for desperate times. You’re not desperate.”
Penny listened to the ruffle of fabric as he pulled on his own pants. “It’s probably past dinner. I don’t want to be trouble.”
“You’re not trouble. Plus, if we don’t show up, they’ll send someone over here to look in on us. We can spend the night in my room there, so breakfast will be covered, and I know Naomi will enjoy the company.”
She stared open-mouthed. Stay in his room?
“Unless that’s no good for you?” He took a few steps toward her. “We don’t have to. I can bring you back here to sleep.”
She swallowed and shook her head. “No, that’s fine. I’m fine with it. I just…wasn’t expecting it I guess. Are you sure it’s a good idea though? If someone comes looking for me—”
“You’ll be protected by all of us. Where else would be safer?”
He had her there, surrounded by giant warrior men who could turn into enormous predators. It did have a certain appealing sound to a girl running for her life.
“I suppose when you put it like that, there’s not really an argument to be made.”
She shrugged into the rest of her clothes, grabbed the flashlight off the counter, and disappeared out the back door to the outhouse. It was only five steps outside, but they were five glacier cold steps. At least in the winter the smell wasn’t so bad. Penny used the shovel in the corner of the room to scoop up fireplace ash from the waiting bucket and sprinkled some down the hole after she was finished. Then replaced everything and hurried back inside. She washed her hands at the kitchen sink. Kann took his turn outside and then joined her at the sink.
“I need to show you how to fire my weapon.”
“I thought you were going to show us how to shoot rifles?” He asked, soaping his hands.
“I am. I just want you to be able to use the handgun too, just on the off chance that it’s necessary.”
“Of course.” His voice dropped, taking on that husky quality that made her knees go weak and her belly hum.
She retrieved her gun from her purse. The weight of it was heavy and familiar, even comforting, in her palm. He’d followed her over to the couch. He was never very far away from her. At first, it’d been strange, but now she craved his touch. Craved the closeness.
“This is a SIG nine-millimeter, also called a P226.” She racked the chamber. “The gun is loaded and ready to fire now. Any time you pick up a weapon always assume that it’s loaded. Never point it at anything or anyone unless you’re ready to shoot.”
He nodded in agreement and she pulled him out the front door into the cold night air on the porch.
“Here.” She handed him the gun.
“What should I do?” He asked, holding the gun stiffly in his hand, like he expected it to come to life and burn him.
“Point it at that tree.” She gestured to a large spruce not too far away. “It’s got a short reset, so you can take shots close together and a beavertail design on the grip will help guard against slide bite. But that probably doesn’t mean anything to you,” she said with a sigh.
He shook his head. “It will,” he said. “I just need a chance to learn it.”
She lifted his arms out and moved his hands until they were holding the pistol correctly. “Spread your feet, shoulder width apart, and lean forward slightly. Keep your finger here,” she moved his first finger to the side of the gun to rest. “Until you’re ready to fire, always have your finger on the side of the barrel. Prevents accidents. Also, bend your elbows just slightly so they aren’t locked.”
He nodded and lifted the gun again, pointing at the tree just across the open space in front of the cabin.
“This is a semi-automatic, meaning you can fire the entire magazine before you have to reload and rack the slide again. Oh, and we should put these on.” She pulled out a couple of small orange ear plugs. “It will still be loud, but these will take the brunt and avoid damage to your ears.” She put one of the tactical digital earplugs in each of her ears and waited for Kann to do the same. If and when Jake showed up, there likely wouldn’t be time to be prepared, but for practice she never fired without them.
“Are these really necessary?” he asked, speaking louder than he needed to.
“If you want to continue hearing,” she said with a chuckle. “You don’t have to shout. We can still hear each other, it’s just muffled.”
“Sorry.”
She shook her head and smiled. “People don’t understand how much damage occurs to your ears when you fire a gun without protection. Movies and television do a huge disservice to the general public. If you fire once without plugs in, you could possibly get away without being stunned or your ears ringing so hard they distract you, but come that second round or beyond, you’re going down fast and you’re gonna hurt.”
He nodded. “Understood.”
“Aim for the tree. Slide the safety off.” She showed him where the catch was on the side. “Now put your finger on the trigger and pull through all the way, don’t hesitate. Then when it fires, come back just until you feel it click and then pull again.”
She stood just to his left as he raised the gun again and fired without hesitation. The first shot sent snow flying at the base of the tree. His finger relaxed just slightly, and she saw the moment when the trigger reached the reset. His hand tensed and he pulled again, firing a second time. Natural. The second bit deep into the trunk.
“Good, go again.”
He took aim and fired several more times, all three shots hit the trunk of the tree. “Excellent.” She nodded with satisfaction. He wouldn’t be hard to teach at all. Not if he was hitting the damn target on his second shot. “You sure you’ve never fired a gun?”
He shook his head and smiled at her. “It’s so small, but it packs a heavy hit.”
“Oh yeah, you hit a person with one of these rounds center mass and they aren’t getting up. With the double tap to the chest, they’re most likely dead before they hit the ground or very shortly after.”
Kann handed her the gun. “Your turn.”
She took the gun and stepped forward, raising it and straightening out her arms. Then fired.
One. Two.
Quick succession.
One. Two.
She wasn’t helpless. Jake wasn’t going to be able to just show up and execute her like he had those other peo
ple. She was going to fight. Kann had been right from the beginning. She’d headed out, off the grid to give herself the best possible chance to win. To survive.
And now she had someone to survive for besides herself. She had Kann and his friends and a life stretching out ahead of her that she’d never taken the time to even dream of having. Before now, work had been her only focus. Relationships had been lackluster. Disappointing at best.
But now. Now everything had changed. Kann had shown her she could have something amazing. She’d been welcomed into his world. Into his family—his tribe’s—life. Their home. They were willing to fight for her. Protect her.
Again.
One. Two.
The movement was more than second nature. She’d been practicing every day for over six years. She was a better shot than most cops or government agents. The only guys who’d come close to her accuracy in trials were SEALs or other special forces guys that practiced every day with the same kind of diligence she did.
She made the quick mental note in her mind. Ten rounds fired. Five left. Penny flipped the safety back on and slipped the gun into its holster and back into the purse she had hanging from her shoulder. She called it a purse, but it was more of a catch-all messenger bag.
Kann pulled out his ear plugs and handed them back to her. She took hers out too and put them back into the small black case she kept them in. “Ears okay?” she asked.
“Perfect.” He reached out, tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, and brushed his thumb along her cheek. “You never cease to amaze me.”
Her skin tingled, and she felt warmth creep up her neck and into her cheeks. The way he was able to affect her body never ceased to amaze her. It was like there was something about Kann that just flipped a switch in her brain. In her body. Everywhere. Every nerve came alive.
He leaned forward, covered his lips with hers and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe. One hand cupped her head. The other hand found its way to her ass and squeezed. His tongue lashed against hers and she moaned. The embrace filled her with pleasure. With joy. With hope.
When Kann pulled away she swallowed and looked up to meet his heated expression. His blue eyes flickered with gold. His pupils were dilated. His nostrils flared with each breath. How did she get so damn lucky? It couldn’t be luck that she had found Carl the pilot. That he had been headed to Mystery. That he’d been friends with Kann and the others. That she’d walked into that tiny little grocery store at the very moment that Kann would be there. It wasn’t luck. Luck was catching your balance after tripping and not falling on your ass. Luck was hitting a target anyway after you forgot to breathe. Luck was not finding the man who insisted you were his mate. The only woman in the world he wanted to be with.
Fate.
A small voice whispered in the back of her mind. He’d said that too. He’d called it fate. Destiny. And now, she was starting to believe it. She was falling so hard for Kann.
“I—” She started to speak but stopped when a large tawny form came crashing through the shadows of the trees. Sandy brown fur. Huge teeth. Big fluffy brown and black mane. “Umm—is that one of yours?” She said pointing around Kann. A moment later her question was answered, because the large lion shifted midstride continuing to run toward them.
“Saul,” Kann shouted, pushing her behind him. “What’s going on?”
“Douglas just called. There are men prowling through town looking for Penny. They’ve already been to the B&B. Jim Wallace called to warn Douglas because they were suspicious and armed to the teeth, and not with hunting rifles.”
Kann’s body bristled. A rumbling roar rolled from his chest up into his throat.
“Col wants you both at the cabin, right now.”
Suddenly she was moving. Her feet weren’t touching the ground. “Grab whatever you want to take with you. Put your coat on.” They were back inside the cabin. Kann was pulling on his coat and hat. Snow pants. Gloves. She joined the rush and peered out the still open front door. Saul was gone.
“Will he know how to find these cabins?”
Kann shook his head. “There’s a map in his office showing the ones in town. But since we moved out here, he took the map showing these down. Locals know where they are, but outsiders would have no way of knowing.”
“Does Mr. Curtis know—”
“That we aren’t from around here?” Kann’s eyes twinkled with amusement. She didn’t know how he always managed to bring out the lighter side of a situation, even when there wasn’t lighter side. “He doesn’t know what we are, no. He just knows that we like privacy and we work hard for him. So, he doesn’t ask questions and he protects us.”
Penny was geared up and ready. She slung the strap of her bag over her head and shoulder again and followed Kann outside and down the steps into the snow. He yanked the starter on the snow machine and had it growling to life with the first try.
Soon they were tearing across the snowy landscape at eighty miles an hour. Penny had her arms wrapped around Kann’s torso and her face buried against the soft puff of his coat’s hood. Less than ten minutes later, he was parking the sled next to two others on the far side of the large cabin where they’d been earlier that day.
He grabbed the bags from the back of the sled, including the bag containing a slightly crumpled box of forgotten donuts and leftovers from Lily’s Café. She licked her lips, remembering how good those pastries had looked.
“Don’t worry, Saul and Tor can fight over the leftovers, and Naomi will warm up the donuts for dessert after dinner. They’ll still be good,” he winked. “Isn’t the first time we’ve frozen them in transit.”
Penny laughed. “Here we are running from armed men trying to kill me, and you’re making jokes and assuring me the donuts will be fine.”
His forehead scrunched for a moment, then relaxed and he smiled. “Food is always a top priority. Those guys don’t have a clue where to look for you. The others will keep an eye out and with any luck they’ll leave town and never come back.”
“How can you be so confident?” Penny asked, hugging herself as they walked up the steps to the open door. Col and Naomi stood waiting in the doorway.
“Because two dragons live here that would roast alive anyone who tried to take you from us.” Col’s voice carried a dark edge and a threat that made Penny’s stomach flip-flop.
Good point.
18
Kann’s lion paced and stretched and pushed at his consciousness. It wanted to hunt those frightening his mate. He wanted to pull them apart with his claws and shred them once and for all, so she could feel safe. At peace. So, she could move forward with him.
Everything hinged on stopping this Jake and his men.
Dinner had been consumed in relative silence. Everyone was waiting for the phone to ring. Just sitting here was driving him crazy. He walked across the room to where Penny was dozing on the couch nestled beneath a blanket. She was so beautiful. Smart. Tough. She was so many things. Even through all of it, she’d allowed him to get close to her. He needed to touch her now. If not for her, then just to assure himself that she was well and safe.
He scooped her up into his arms and then settled back on the couch with her in his lap. She snuggled into his chest, not even opening an eye. It was late in the evening now, nearing 10pm. Col sat in his chair across from the woodstove reading. His lamp cast a soft glow in the room. All the other lights were out. Naomi was clacking away on her laptop to his left. She worked on her photography editing in the evenings. The woman was brilliant with a camera. Her photos were gorgeous. She sold them in several galleries along the Alaskan coastline. Her favorites of course, were hung in this cabin. Moments frozen in time became a memory all could share. Her camera was by far his favorite piece of technology in this world.
“Any news?” Penny murmured against his chest. He stroked her back and kissed the top of her head.
“Nothing y—”
As if on cue the phone on the wall in the kitchen rang.
Kann and Tor’s bedroom doors opened and shut as they filed into the living room. Naomi moved like a streak of lightning and picked up the receiver.
“Hello?” … “Are you sure?” … “Thanks Doug. Have a good night.”
Naomi hung up and turned to face the silent room.
She didn’t seem agitated. If anything, she seemed to be more relaxed. Penny had woken up with ring but hadn’t tried to remove herself from his lap. He was grateful. Right now, he needed to hold her. It was all he could do, short of running off and leaving her to hunt down the assholes trying to track and kill her.
“That was Doug. Leif down at the Gas & Go called to say that two big black SUVs just left town.”
“We’re sure those were the only ones?” Saul asked.
Naomi nodded. “Leif said they were the only strangers that came through. He said they stopped for gas and some water at his store. They were all in dark suits, and definitely armed. He heard them talking about having to do another sweep of Anchorage for a missing person.”
Penny pushed against his chest and sat up straight. “Wait. So that’s it? They just left?”
Naomi nodded. “Doug said he asked Leif to let him know if he saw them come back. So, we’ll have a heads up if they come snooping around again. But yeah, that’s it. They’re gone.”
“For now,” his mate whispered. She sighed, and her shoulders slumped back into the crook of his arm.
“Everyone, get some sleep.” Col rose from his chair. He extended his hand and Naomi crossed the room to his side. “Tomorrow we’ll discuss strategy for keeping Penny safe going forward.”
Saul and Tor disappeared back down the dark hallway. Col and Naomi went to their room, leaving Kann sitting with Penny in the glow of the slowly fading woodstove.
“Do you want me to take you back to the other cabin?”
Her head jerked against his chest. “No. I want to stay here with you,” she said quickly. His heart warmed at her sincere tone. He stood up from the couch, easily carrying her with him to his bedroom across the hall from Col and Naomi. He nudged the door open with his foot and then bumped it shut behind him with his heel. The room was pitch black, but he knew his way around. The bed was in the center. One small cabinet had been built into the corner for clothing. Minimalist and plain, but he didn’t need anything else.
I'm Not Lion To You: Soulmate Shifters World (Soulmate Shifters in Mystery, Alaska Book 2) Page 15
