“What happened here, Riona?” Hunter asked, one of his hands settling on Ginger’s shoulder. She liked the strength of it. Liked the heat of it, even through the suede of her coat.
“Can’t you guess, boy?” Torin growled. “It’s that damn dog-hearted mischief-maker. Gunnar.”
“He did this?” Ginger asked, as shocked as she was unsurprised. “Why would he burn this island? It’s a bear island.”
“It’s not quite like that—like he planned to burn everything,” Cat said quietly, glancing at the two elders as she spoke. “He fired Dane’s cabin first.”
“What?” Ginger asked, sharp as cut glass. “Where’s Dane? Where’s—”
“He lives,” Torin interrupted briskly. “Mostly whole.”
“Mostly?” Ginger was horrified.
“What Gunnar started here will quickly become a war that will engulf the clans,” Riona said, her cool voice silencing them all. “He has convinced his people that those of us who do not share their values or their view of the future weaken our race. They think we must be converted by force—or purged.”
“What values?” Ginger asked, bristling. “What future?”
“You know what values, and what future,” Hunter said, and she heard the animal in his voice. “They hate humans and they hate the human world. They hate shifters who won’t fall in line with their fantasy of domination over humans.” He snorted; Ginger saw his eyes flash gold. “It’s all just a platform for Gunnar, that’s what it is. A means for him to raise himself up as some kind of—shit, I don’t know, visionary king.”
“He’s too weak to win a traditional contest for Alpha,” Cat explained quickly. “So he poisoned peoples’ minds and got them to believe that we need the old laws and the old ways to be strong. You know what the old laws are like, Ginger.”
“Sure,” she said tightly. “They almost killed me.”
“They did,” Riona agreed evenly. “He would like to finish the job.”
“You embarrassed him, Ginger,” Cat said quietly. She gripped the elbow of Ginger’s coat. “His rivals protected you and he couldn’t get to you. Then he wanted you and you rejected him. Then he lied that you were dead and then you showed up at that clanmeet, alive. And you’re a symbol.”
“A symbol? Of what?” she asked, taken aback. Of Snuggies? Of always getting whipped cream on your coffee? Of losing all your hairbands?
“A new world,” Hunter said shortly. “You were human—a condemned human—and now you’re a shifter. Dane made you, and he’s as integrated into human society as a bear can get, isn’t he? You represent coexistence.” Briefly, his hand found its way to the curve of her hip; he squeezed. “You’re everything that’s threatening to Gunnar, Ginj. You’re an example of how we can live alongside the wider world, rather than fighting it—and of how we can choose to move past our stale old laws. We didn’t execute you. A bear loved you and he saved you and now you’re one of us. He didn’t choose violence and he didn’t follow Draconian rules about ‘trespass’ or ‘purity in coupling.’ Why should he have, and why should we? It’s not like we’re going to take over the world by murdering girls from Seattle.”
“And you’re a symbol of his humiliation,” Cat said cannily. “He talked about how you should die, but he wanted to mate you. You fought him off and you chose his rival. His pride’s hurt.”
“I don’t think I like being a symbol,” Ginger said stiffly. “And I haven’t chosen anyone, just for your informa—”
“Gunnar’s made war here,” Riona cut in. “That’s why our island burns. He attacked Dane first, but his people woke other fires and started other fights.”
“We need to extinguish this spark, here and now, before it catches the wind and chars the continent,” Torin said darkly. “Gunnar must die. We elders have decided.”
“What about his people?” Hunter asked, frowning.
“Use your judgment,” Torin growled, his eyes narrowing. “But I won’t shed a tear if they share his fate. Spare them if you think they merit it, but look around you, boy. They lit the woods on fire.”
“Our cabin’s gone,” Cat whispered to Ginger. “Most cabins are. At least it wasn’t really our home.”
“Still,” Ginger murmured back. “It was yours.” And now it’s gone.
“What can I do?” Hunter asked darkly. Ginger could sense a kind of heat coming off him. A powerful, controlled male anger.
“Kill him,” Torin said bluntly.
“Come inside,” Riona said, more civilly, “and we’ll discuss where the fighting has been.” Her eyes strayed briefly to Ginger and Cat. “Daughters, go and rest.”
“What? But I—”
Cat was tugging her away already, silencing Ginger.
“I don’t need to rest,” Ginger protested. “I want to know what’s happening, I—Hunter—”
“I’ll come and find you soon, baby,” he said, sounding distracted, although the look he shot her was soft. “Wait for me.”
“But—”
Catríona yanked her, hard, and dragged her down the beach, back toward the crowded caves at the center of the inlet. Ginger protested the whole way.
“What the hell, Cat? Why didn’t I get to hear that conversation?” Cold waves were breaking close by, just feet away from them. “I want to know what’s happening! I need to know what’s happening! I’m involved!”
“Hunter could be Alpha,” Cat said curtly. “He’s a bull, and a serious contender for leadership. The elders like him and he’s powerful in a fight.” They arrived back at the public cave. Ginger heard children crying. “He’s got a right to the kind of conversation they’re having back there. You and me? Not so much. We’re not even going to be heading out and fighting, Ginger.”
“Why don’t I have a right to hear it? Why aren’t we fighting?” I’m a bear, aren’t I? “This is bullcrap! Everyone was just saying I’m important to—”
“Don’t do anything stupid, Ginger. Not like usual. You need to stay in camp,” Cat interrupted, exasperated. “Just stay and rest.”
“I’m not going to do anything stupid! I just want to know what’s happening!”
And where Dane is. And how he is. Please! I need to know how he is!
“Maybe if you hadn’t said Hunter’s not actually your man, you could have held a seat at their discussion…”
“What? I—well,” Ginger stammered, face flushing, “I mean—he’s not. He’s not my man.”
“Hmm.” Cat sounded unconvinced.
“Oh, you don’t believe me?” Ginger bristled. “Fine. Tell me where Dane is.”
Cat flushed. “Where Dane is? Ginger—”
“I want him!” Ginger burst out with, knowing it was too blunt. “I want to see him. Where is he? I know you know, Cat. Where’s Dane?”
Eimhir was coming toward them, a finger-sucking baby in her arms. Ginger didn’t want to talk to her, or to any other bears in the caves here.
I just need to find Dane.
She could feel her eyes burning hot, hot gold.
“Alright,” Cat said quietly. “But Ginger, I don’t know exactly where he is—no one does. He said he was going to try to get to Gunnar by way of the island’s east side, where the forest is thickest. Gunnar’s denned over there, he—”
“Good enough, thanks,” Ginger said, shrugging off her jacket. “Here. This is really yours. I kept it as nice as I could.”
“Oh, Ginger, sweets,” Cat said, sighing. “I don’t need it back. It’s yours.”
“Catr—”
“Take it from your sister, with love,” Cat said firmly, her mouth pressed in a stubborn line.
Ginger colored, touched. “Thank you,” she said. “I’m going.”
“Be careful. People are dying. And Ginger—what do I tell Hunter?”
“Tell him?” Ginger asked, hesitating. “I don’t know. Tell him the truth.”
Cat nodded, and then Ginger turned and hurried across the cool sand, back in the direction she’d entered the inle
t from.
Chapter 2
The woods smelled smoky, and they were filled with a thin, bitter haze from the fires on the island’s other side. Ginger pushed through a stand of yellow cedar, listening for birdsong and hearing none. All the birds had flown away.
She could smell more than fire on the wind: there was the sour tang of death. Cat must be right. People must be dying, somewhere.
I only hope Dane’s not one of them. I need him to be alive.
What if he wasn’t? What if she never saw him again? What if she never spoke to him again, never touched him again, never—
But she couldn’t think like that. She couldn’t. I just can’t.
He has to be alive. He has to be.
She was going quietly, aware that Gunnar’s people must be out in the forest. Hunter had taught her how to fight, but she knew she would lose against a full-grown male grizzly, if any of them happened to be one. Caution was her byword.
But it was getting harder and harder to be cautious. It had been hours since she left the beach, and the acrid stillness of the woods made her tense as steel. The shirt she wore was sweat-damp; her hair was wet against her neck. It was hard to stand.
I can’t believe it’s come to this.
All this violence. All this destruction. I can’t—
A nearby shallow-throated roar made her jump. She didn’t recognize the voice, but she knew it was a bear, and she knew the bear was in distress. The smoke in the woods made it hard to tell from what direction the sound was coming; she darted one way, then another—there was a second voice roaring, a third; it was clear she was hearing a fight—
She tried to find where, but the sounds died away before she did.
Maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe I didn’t want to find whatever just happened.
But what if it involved Dane? Where is Dane? I just want to find him—I need to see him, I—
There was a loud rustle, and she ducked under the cover of some Pacific silver fir, crouching in the dry-feeling deer fern.
A bear broke from the forest, an immense, hump-shouldered grizzly bull. A gasp came out of her. She knew who it was.
She broke from the brush, scrambling forward.
“Dane!”
The bear turned its huge head in her direction, its black nostrils widening, its ears flattening. But when it saw her, the gold of its eyes softened to brown, and it shifted back into a man. He was naked and glorious: tall, muscular, and proud.
She had no self-control. She rushed him and threw herself into his arms, relieved beyond belief, almost laughing with giddiness. He held her tight—nearly too tight—but that was what she needed. It proved he was real.
“Ginger,” he breathed into her hair. It was so good to smell him again, to feel his hot, firm skin and his power against her. “You came back.”
“I didn’t want to,” she admitted, her arms locked around his neck.
“I don’t blame you,” he whispered. “I understand. I thought you had left us for good. Gone home.” He paused. “I thought you had left me for him.”
“For Hunter?” She closed her eyes, pressing her cheek into his rough, hot neck. His smoked-wood scent was mixed with more savage smells: smoke, blood, fur. He’s been fighting. “It was Hunter who made me come back.”
“He’s a fair man,” Dane said quietly. “I suppose I owe him this moment.”
“Dane, I was so, so afraid for you,” she confessed, her voice low and soft. “When we came back and we saw the fire, I thought… I thought maybe… that you… and I would never have told you…”
“Told me what?” One of his hands had found its way into her full, wavy hair. She could feel herself melting against him.
“Oh, Dane,” she murmured, biting back tears. “You’re alive. Just—thank God. Thank God.”
“You smell so good, Ginger. You feel exquisite in my arms,” he whispered, his voice unbearably masculine, unbearably deep. “But I almost wish you had gone, so you’d be safe from all this.”
“No. I need to be here.” She was almost drunk on his scent. “I know they burned your cabin… I’m so sorry.”
“It was nothing to me. Not like you.”
“Is this my fault, Dane? All this? Because I came here in the first place?”
“No, darling. This day was coming anyway.”
“I hated you for changing me.” She felt a tear escape, leaving a hot track on her cheek. “I mean—not really. I tried to hate you, but I was just angry. Just angry. I never hated you. I could never hate you.”
“I’m glad, Ginger. I only wanted to save you. I’m sorry I had to turn you like I did—without your permission.”
“I forgive you. Of course I do. You did save me.” She leaned back, put her hands on his unshaven face, and gazed into his low-burning golden eyes. “I’m so glad you’re alright, Dane.”
“You’re not safe here, darling,” he said softly. “You should get on his ship and leave with him. Right now.”
“What? Leave? I don’t want to leave. Let me help you, let—” She blinked. “Wait—‘his’ ship? Hunter’s ship?”
“Aren’t you with him?” Even as he said it, his grip on her tightened possessively. “Aren’t you his woman?”
“His…? I don’t… I’m not… I don’t know,” she said slowly.
“Then answer this: do you love him?” Dane’s voice was a hot, low burr.
“I don’t—I don’t know,” she stammered again. But that wasn’t exactly true. She knew how she felt. It just made no sense.
“Ginger,” he said gently, lifting her chin with a hand. “Be honest with me. Do you love him?”
She stared at him, unblinking.
And then she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
He tasted just like she remembered: cedar-y, manly, warm. She could tell he liked it; his hand tightened in her hair, and he almost groaned.
“Ginger…”
But she kissed him again, harder, running her hands down his hot, muscular chest. Its shading of light-brown hair prickled her fingers deliciously.
“Ginger…”
She traced his deep Apollo’s belt with one hand; the other reached between his legs, where his thick, heavy cock was already hardening. Her own animal instincts were surging close to the surface, demanding a mating.
“We can’t,” he said, nipping her ear—but his cock stiffened to its full, impressive length as she closed her fingers on it in a soft grip. She’d never seen or felt it hard before—it was bigger than she’d realized. “We can’t do this if you’re his.”
“I’m not anyone’s,” she whispered, her eyes closing as he gently, gently bit her neck. “Not yet.”
He growled, and goose bumps broke out on her skin.
Dane. Me. Finally.
I’ve always wanted this.
“Then there’s still time for me to claim you.” He bit her shoulder, hard. His cock was as hard as hot metal in her hand.
“Take me,” she breathed, every inhibition gone. “Make me yours. I want to be yours.”
“Ginger.” The way he said her name sent shivers down her spine.
Then he was stripping her, peeling off her jacket, pulling off her sweater, unbuttoning her jeans—and kissing her, always kissing her; teething her throat and her jaw, nuzzling her temple.
Being this close to him, being touched by him—finally, finally—made her flush as pink as punch. She’d been desperate for this ever since she’d first seen him, ever since she’d first walked into his office for an interview.
He got her naked. Her body sang. His hot skin, his body hair, his smell, the way she could feel his heartbeat going in his chest—she wanted to be this close to him forever. It felt unimaginably right, the two of them pasted together, kissing, in the forest—like they were the first and only man and woman in the world.
“I need you, Ginger,” he burred against her kiss-swollen lips. “I need to be inside you like you can’t imagine. I need to be between those soft thighs.”
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“Do you?” she asked, loving the hot inflexibility of his cock pressed against her navel. She fisted it and slowly, slowly ran her hand up and down its length; the thickly swollen veins thrilled her. “You need to fill me with this? It’s so gorgeous, Dane. It’s so big.”
His muscular hips were working, forcing her to stroke him faster. “It’s yours. I’m yours.”
Her pussy was buttery already, the slick lips spreading like a nightflower. “No. This is yours.” She guided his cock between her thighs, pressing its rigid length flush against her hot, custardy cunt. He groaned.
“You’re so wet, Ginger,” he said, one of his hands closing controllingly on the back of her neck. “You’re one of us now, aren’t you? Half-animal.”
“Do I seem like an animal?” she asked, rocking her hips gently so the soaked lips of her pussy slid along his straining cock, and so the warm, white flesh of her thighs massaged its sides. “More than I did before?”
“Much more,” he growled, his hands going to her high, flushed breasts. “You’re such a beauty. Do you know that?”
“Tell me.”
“All that red hair. Plush, pink lips. Skin as clean as milk.” He squeezed her plump, hard-nippled breasts. “So female. Such a tiny waist, Ginger, and such curvy hips. Lush thighs. Such a gorgeous face… I love your eyes, Ginger. I always have.”
“Even now that they’re different?” It was a wet mess between her thighs, a gelatinous smear of her arousal and his pre-come.
“You look right,” he said seriously. “You look like you were born to be one of us. The gold is perfect.” He pinched her pebbled nipples, and she gasped lasciviously. “And you act like it, too.”
“I want you to take me,” she whined, the animal urge to be conquered and mounted burning her thoughts away. “Mate me! That’s what I need!”
“I know, Ginger.” His eyes were brightening to gold. “I know what you need now. Exactly what you need. And I can give it you—because I’m just as much an animal as you are.”
Suddenly, one of his hands shot into her hair and pulled it hard; she yelped, but it delighted her, and she knew the delight showed on her face. He flipped her around, so her back was to his front, and then he pressed her to the ground, down onto her knees.
Alphas of Storm Isle (Complete Boxed Set: Books 1-5): Werebear Shifter Menage Romance Page 23
