by Vivian Arend
“You hoped I would give up, right?”
Busted. “Honest truth? At first, when we were back in Whitehorse, and even in Dawson? Yes, but for the last few days, no. I’ve discovered you’re more than capable, but…” He stroked her fingers, sighing lightly. “I guess I’m guilty of wanting to protect you, when you don’t really need it.”
Comprehension lit her eyes. “That’s what you were doing the other day, isn’t it? You were keeping secrets about northern politics to protect me?”
Damn, she was good. Full-out confession seemed the only way to redeem himself. Shaun nodded slowly. “There is so much about the north that’s wild and out of control—I was trying to make sure you saw the positive parts.”
Gem wrinkled her nose. “Like bloody brawls in the streets?”
Shaun snorted. “I’m obviously not a very good spin doctor. In some cases, what you see is what you get.”
She wiggled, and he set her free, rising to his feet as she paced over to the pile of camping equipment he had laid out. She stared at it for the longest time before turning. Her beautiful face was smooth, but there was a fire in her eyes he was coming to love. The stubborn determination that made his body squirm with desire as she made a decision that was all hers.
“Teach me.”
He nodded as he stepped forward. “I can pack for us—”
“No, teach me.” Gem caught him by the arm, and this time she pulled him against her body. “If I don’t know how to do a task, I’m more than capable of learning how, but only if you trust me enough to let me try.”
Something inside him got up on its feet and cheered. “I trust you.”
She tugged off her sweater and folded it over the back of the chair. “So, what’s the best way to get all our gear into the pack?”
A trickle of sweat ran down her back. How could it be this warm? They were in the north—the barren land should be cold, challenging. If they actually held a true Survivor contest somewhere other than where the women could wander beaches nearly naked, Gem had always imagined the event would take place in the north.
She really didn’t want to be the one voted off the island today.
In front of her, Shaun slowed, waving a hand. She waved back and motioned him on.
Yesterday he’d given her lessons on packing. When he’d snuck the extra heavy objects into his own pack, she hadn’t said a word. That kind of help she would accept, for a few days at least. No matter how many Pilates classes and P90X workouts she’d done, it wasn’t the same as carrying all her possessions on her back.
Her boots were killing her.
There was no way she was going to tell him that.
Instead, she looked over the terrain, taking deep breaths of the clean air, following the narrow game trail Shaun had found that led in the direction of the birthing grounds. They had a week to get in and out. Plenty of time for her to take soil samples and gather all the other data she needed before they retreated to a distance to make observations while not disturbing the herd.
A week of camping out under a sky that remained light after midnight. Every step of the experience was a new adventure. Would the stars even appear? Would she be able to keep up physically?
Would she survive without running water and a flush toilet?
Shaun whistled, and she snapped her attention up to see him lower his pack and stretch his back. Another rest break—every one felt wonderful and every time it was a little more agonizing to pick up the pack again and start all over.
She pasted a smile on her face and focused on the things she was enjoying.
I will not whine. I will not whine.
“That’s it for the day.” Shaun reached to help her, dropping her pack to the ground and lowering his hands to her shoulders. The quick massage he gave felt so incredible it hurt.
“Really? No more hiking? It’s still early.” Idiot! What was she saying? Stopping now was a wonderful idea.
Shaun twisted her toward him, a wide grin splitting his face. “We need to set up camp, and the first couple days that will take longer.”
Gem nodded. Logical, and a great excuse to boot. She leapt at it. “Tell me what to do.”
She had practiced back home, but every tent was different. Shaun’s was dome-shaped with long poles that arched and crisscrossed, and by the time they had three of them inserted in the straps of the main frame, she was totally confused as to which way she was supposed to turn and ended up zigging when she should have zagged. His solid torso connected with hers, and she teetered precariously before he grabbed on and held her upright.
Shaun didn’t seem to mind she was a klutz. “We must stop meeting like this.”
She attempted to untangle herself, but he trapped her, leaning down to press their lips together and kiss her tenderly. Warmth poured from him, and for a minute she forgot all about trying to make a good impression.
Kissing was so much fun. At least, with Shaun it was.
He licked her lower lip, tugged it lightly between his teeth before dipping back into her mouth with his tongue. Gem let go of the straps she’d been clinging to, instead, catching hold of his shoulders and keeping her balance by using his strength.
They would have continued for a lot longer if the wind hadn’t chosen that moment to pick up and flap the loose edge of the tent.
Shaun slipped away. “Whoa, I’m not being a very good teacher. Make camp first, fool around second.”
“Is that in the official rule book?” Gem followed his pointing finger and tugged the fabric until it settled into its proper place.
He laughed out loud. “Oh, darling, you can’t ask me about anything official. I’m afraid the only reason I ever found out the rules was so I could break them.”
Now that was just silly. “That’s not true.”
Shaun paused in the middle of unzipping the tent flaps. “Sure it is.”
Men. Gem raised a brow. “So you didn’t register our flight? And you don’t do safety inspections on the helicopter?”
He sat back on his heels. “Of course not. I mean, of course I did. I mean…”
She giggled and he smiled sheepishly.
“See? Rules aren’t all bad.”
Shaun nodded. “I guess. I usually just do what I think is right. It’s not always what others have in mind.”
Gem settled on the rock he’d brought over for her. That sentiment wasn’t as foreign an idea to her as he imagined. “I know you might not believe it, but I agree with you. At home when I disagreed, there were occasionally better ways to get what I wanted than out-and-out rebellion.”
Shaun pulled out the rolled-up mattresses and set them to inflate on the floor of the tent. “You said your father wasn’t pleased with you taking the trip north.”
Gem sighed. “No.”
“Then how did you manage to get the project approved?”
“Signed up without him knowing.”
He squeezed her shoulder, approval in his tone. “Sneaky.”
Guilt mixed with satisfaction. She was glad she’d done it, but… “Devious. Deceitful—”
“I like sneaky. Sneaky has its place.” Shaun patted the ground beside him. “Come on, I’ll show you how to link together our Therm-a-Rests and our sleeping bags. Then from now on that will be one of your chores when we make camp.”
A burst of spontaneous joy hit. Gem wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as tight as she could. Her off-balance hug forced the two of them to tumble to the surface of the still uninflated mattresses.
Shaun laughed and kissed her nose. “What’s that all about? Can’t wait to jump me?”
Hmm, yes. But the sexual heat rolling through her veins was less intoxicating than the happiness spreading tiny tendrils that tangled all around her.
She did like learning new things, and trying new adventures, even if her feet throbbed like crazy. She rolled up on an elbow and smiled at him. “Thank you for escorting me on the trip. I’m glad I get to do this with you. Very glad.”
&
nbsp; His cheeky grin lit the whole tent.
The flames crackled, and Shaun added another branch, pushing the glowing embers together to make the coals flare upward with the extra fuel. The air around them was full of soft noises—the shifting of birds and small animals in the scattered brush. The gentle trickle of the creek running along the perimeter of the rise behind them.
The sound of a contented sigh as Gem relaxed at his side.
“You okay?” He’d been impressed. The entire hike she’d never once complained, even though he knew she had to be dying.
His princess had more steel in her spine than he’d ever expected.
Gem rested against him as they stared into the fire. “I’ve never done this before.”
Shaun chuckled. “Not many people have. Which particular new experience is catching your attention?”
She tilted her head back, and the dark stars in her eyes twinkled. “It’s bright daylight out and yet we’re sitting by a fire. I always associate fires with darkness. Something to look at and fill your senses.”
“Ahhh, but you’re talking about southern fires. Here in the north, our fires are multisensory.”
Gem wrinkled her nose. “Go on.”
“Don’t look with just your eyes. Look with all your senses. Then it won’t matter that the sun is shining, you’ll have the whole picture.”
He settled her against the backrest he’d made, then reached to unlace her boots.
“What are you doing?” Light suspicion hovered in her eyes.
“Just relax. Check out the fire. I’m fixing your feet.”
She leaned back, and as he pulled off the boot she groaned, a pure unadulterated sound of pleasure.
He worked the massage, pressing his thumbs into the arch of her foot, smoothing the cream he’d grabbed over the places where her footwear had rubbed. She had fewer hot spots than he’d expected. He lifted her foot and examined it closer. A newbie hiker and no blisters? Impossible—the boots had to be more than two days old.
“You said you’d worn these boots around Whitehorse.”
Gem cracked open an eye. “I did.”
“These boots were broken in more than that.”
She waved a hand in the air. “I just meant I’d worn them recently. Ever since I got approval for the project, I’ve been all over the estate grounds to do conditioning walks. I went out first thing in the morning before my father got up.”
“Sneaky again. Well, you did great.”
Her pleased expression warmed him. She relaxed and let him take care of her, and he enjoyed every second. Watching her face, seeing the minute responses to his touch. Then she took a big breath, staring up into the still-light sky.
“There are strange things done under the midnight sun…” she recited. “The poems make a lot more sense, having seen how light it really is.”
Shaun grinned. “Robert Service. Now there was a man I could relate to.”
She wiggled upright, wrapping her arms around her legs. “I read a bunch of his work in preparation for this trip. I enjoyed some of it, but the occasional bit that—”
A shiver shook her whole frame, and Shaun laughed. “Didn’t like the part with the sizzling bonfire?”
She poked him. “No. Definitely not.”
Shaun stared at her. The fire was dying down, but he didn’t want to go to bed yet. She had to be sore, and there was one sure way to cure some of those aches.
His wolf pranced with excitement, nudging closer to the surface. Gem’s smile faded slightly, changing to awe. He sensed her wolf wanted to come out as well. Wanted to meet his. They’d been denied for long enough.
“Gem?”
She swallowed hard. “I…I don’t know why I’m feeling like this.”
“It’s our wolves. Don’t you think it’s time that they got to meet? Got some time to play?”
She nodded slowly.
“Changing will make your feet feel better. A couple shifts can help cure the little things like rising blisters and muscle aches.” And he’d get to see her. See the colour of her fur and the way she moved—to appreciate how her human dignity and power would adapt as she shifted into her animal form.
He didn’t want to wait any longer.
He rose, tugging her by the hand.
“Shaun—I don’t know about this. I mean, yes, I know it would help, but…”
“What’s wrong?”
“We don’t shift very often back home. Special occasions only.”
Shock socked him in the gut. “You’re shitting me.”
“Shaun!”
He was too surprised to apologize for his language. “Special occasions? I can understand not shifting outside where you could get shot, but really? Are you talking like once a month or only in formal settings? That’s insane.”
She tossed him a dirty look. “I thought we agreed that word was not allowed into this relationship.”
“Gem, no matter what else we have to deal with, our wolves are the pair that need to be free, not formal.”
She shook her hands in frustration. “I know that, but it’s tough, okay? Changing on a casual basis is not what I’m used to.”
He held her tight, resting his forehead against hers. They breathed slowly for a few minutes, the embers of the fire giving a final last gasp before fading away to nothing. Shaun didn’t want to push, but damn it, this was not an issue he was willing to give on.
They were wolves. He would not deny that, and she shouldn’t either.
Still, in the interest of attempting to not caveman her, he offered an out. “If you really don’t want to, we can wait.” He stroked her fingers lightly, thrilling at the smoothness under his fingertips. “But, Gem, I want to see your wolf. I want a chance to admire and run with you. To show you the north through your other eyes.”
She clung to him for another moment before stepping back and squaring her shoulders. “I want that as well. To run with you.”
He stripped, the entire time watching her take off her own clothing. It wasn’t an erotic striptease, but every article she removed, folded and placed on the blanket added to the pressure building in his body.
His wolf snapped at him, reminding him sex would have to wait.
She was beautiful, standing naked in the twilight of the midnight sun. Then she shifted, and he smiled even harder. She was so tiny compared to the wolves of the north. Dainty, delicate.
So Gem.
He squatted and held out his arms. “You’re just as beautiful as I thought you’d be.”
She strolled over slowly, her nose wiggling like crazy. All the different scents of the north—it must be like a smorgasbord to her. His hand brushed her head, and she stilled, letting him stroke her from nose to back.
When he tugged at her front paw, she sat, head tilted to the side as he caressed her.
“So elegant, fragile almost—”
Gem leaned against him, hard, until she’d pushed him to the ground. She planted both front paws on his chest and growled as she stared into his eyes.
Okay, ix-nay on the fragile bit. He laughed, wiggling to free himself and cursed instead as a twig dug into his bare backside. “Hey, no fair. Fine, you’re not delicate. You’re a Viking. An Amazon. The most incredible example—oof.”
She lay on top of him, her meager weight still enough to make him feel each and every rock poking into his back.
Gem lowered her nose to the crook of his neck and sniffed, her teasing growl changing to one of satisfaction. Shaun trembled as he fought to maintain control, but he couldn’t hold back his wolf any longer.
He rolled as he changed, the sensation of limbs and bones transitioning from human to wolf in one easy flow. There was an almost erotic pleasure in the shift, and as he came up on his feet, knowing his mate waited for him made it even better.
She’d rolled with him, finding a safe spot to rest as he stood and took a deep breath in through his nose. If he’d thought she smelled good before, the aroma was nothing compared to now. The
extra strength of his wolf nose not only thrilled at their connection, but was ecstatic to find they shared a scent. Shaun threw back his head and howled in delight.
From a distance, a series of long and short yips answered him, and he grinned. Those weren’t shifters—just natural wolves, but it was always exciting to be able to appreciate a good songfest.
Gem sat silently, staring at him.
Was it too much? The unfamiliarity of the change now, or was it that this was the first time their wolves had met? He walked over and nudged her, stroking her side. Silky soft, there was no other way to describe her. Shaun wrapped himself around her and finished by resting his head along her back, the wolf equivalent of a hug.
She wiggled, and he rose to allow her freedom. Once she was on her feet, she shook then walked up to the highest ridge overlooking their camp. She waited, one paw landing on the trail, before pulling back.
Shaun understood. He stepped past her, making sure to brush her as he went by. Then he picked up the pace and ran. It wasn’t a race, but it was far quicker than they’d traveled in human form. The intriguing scents of the night crossed and crisscrossed their path. A covey of ptarmigan. The trickle of the stream much louder as they approached. There had been arctic hare in the area not even an hour ago by their lingering scent signature, and for a moment he considered tracking one down just for the fun of seeing what Gem would do when they spooked it up.
No, no threatening to do something bloody just to freak her out. That was totally immature and not how he was to treat his mate.
There was a crash behind him, and Shaun spun in time to see Gem’s backside disappear between two low bushes. He followed, paws light on the spongy turf of the tundra, scattered rocks lying in flat slabs below bushes that would be waist high on him in human form.
It made a dandy maze for his wolf, so he ignored everything but Gem’s scent.
A scream rang out, and he doubled his speed, bursting into a clearing in time to see Gem holding down a rather bloody hare.
She licked her muzzle then swiped it clean with her free paw, pushing a few strands of fur back into place.
Shaun chuckled and paced forward. The tilt to her head said it all. She totally expected him to be shocked she’d made a kill.
