The Blackstone Wolf

by Alicia Montgomery

  Nathan groaned inwardly. He pushed aside thoughts of honey and fur and light blue eyes. “Fine. Show me what’s wrong now.”

  Chapter Two

  Violet Robichaux was sitting on the chair in front of the large oak desk waiting patiently for Benjamin Walker to come inside to start the interview.

  Mine, her tiger hissed. Mine.

  So that foul-mouthed man—wolf—was supposedly her mate?

  Those really existed?

  Violet didn’t have any shifter peers in the New Orleans neighborhood where she grew up. She had a normal upbringing, which her parents had strived to give her. They weren’t mates either; they had explained they chose each other because their personalities were suitable. They had similar goals, and it didn’t hurt that they were both shifters and scientists. Her father was a chemist and her mother was a botanist. Of course, had one of them been a geneticist, perhaps they wouldn’t have thought they were so compatible. Recessive genes, after all, had higher chances of mutations, which her own animal certainly was.

  Mine, it insisted, interrupting her reverie.

  “Oh hush,” she said aloud. “I told you this can’t happen. Not now.”

  It growled unhappily, but she pushed it away deep inside her so she didn't have to listen to it whine. She wouldn’t have gotten this far in her career if she gave in to her animal’s demands all the time. Science required discipline and dedication. Her parents, who were also at the forefront of their own fields, taught her that. It was hard enough for a woman in STEM to get ahead, but a shifter, too? She’d learned to hide that part of her over the years by controlling her inner animal.

  And now it seemed to want to break free. All for a wolf. The irony.

  She supposed he was attractive in that conventional bad boy kind of way, but he wasn’t her usual type. Like most shifters he was tall and built like a bodybuilder, though he looked like someone who liked to work outdoors and with his hands. The way his white shirt clung to his broad shoulders and chest was practically obscene. And his dark blond hair was a tad too long, although she wondered what they would feel like between her fingers—

  The sound of someone clearing their throat jolted her out of her thoughts. “Dr. Robichaux?” Ben Walker said as he walked through the door. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to see my wife off.”

  “Not a problem.”

  He sat on the worn leather chair behind the desk. “You said you had a long flight? From where?”

  She rolled her eyes inwardly. Small talk? She didn’t have time for this. "London."

  He scratched his head. "Dr. Philipps said you'd been working abroad for six months, but I could have sworn it wasn't London."

  She gave him a tight smile. "No, I've been living in Eritana.”

  “Eri—wha?”

  “It’s a small country in the Caucuses, north of Azerbaijan.”

  “And what were you doing there?”

  “I was doing research on the properties of the minerals found in the Vaisjaani Nature Reserves,” she said smoothly.

  “Sounds, er, interesting.”

  She smirked. “Yes, it was fascinating.”

  “So why did you leave?”

  “We ran out of funding,” she said. It was close enough to the truth. Hopefully he didn't notice the white lie because she had a feeling that despite his hulking size, Ben Walker wasn’t a dumb oaf.

  “I see.” He picked up a folder on his desk. “Well, I’ve read through the resume Dr. Philipps forwarded to me. He’s done nothing but sing praises about you. But tell me: why would you want to be our Chief Geologist?”

  Violet sighed and her shoulders sagged. This was an amazing opportunity. She would get to study blackstone, the hardest substance on Earth which could only be mined by dragon fire. Anyone in her field would have given their right arm for this and she had been flattered that her mentor, Dr. Scott Philipps, had chosen her as his replacement. But she wished the timing were better.

  “Dr. Robichaux?”

  “Right.” She cleared her throat delicately. “Mr. Walker—”

  “Ben, please.”

  “All right. Ben. This job would be excellent for my career. I’ve always been fascinated with the properties of blackstone ever since Dr. Philipps brought a sample to class. So, when he told me about this job a few weeks ago, I jumped at the chance. But I also need to be honest with you. Something came up, and I’m still waiting on another opportunity.”

  “And what’s that?”

  She cleared her throat. “I’m trying to secure funding to further my research back in Eritania. I’ve left a few things undone. I’m afraid I won’t be able to accept any position at the moment.” She stood up. “My flight was already booked, so I thought I’d come anyway. My apologies for wasting your time.”

  “Wait.” Ben got to his feet and raised a hand. “I mean, please stay, Dr. Robichaux, and hear me out.”

  Huh? Curiosity pricked at her. “All right.” She sat back down and crossed a leg over her knee.

  “Dr. Philipps has been with us for almost twenty years now, and he’s a well-respected part of our team. We’re sad to see him go, but of course he deserves to retire. As you know the position is highly specialized, but aside from the skill and knowledge we also need someone who would fit in around here. With our people.”

  “Oh.” He meant shifters, of course. She knew the prejudices they faced.

  “I know Dr. Philipps really wants to get on with his retirement, and I hate to keep him here. So how about this: why don’t you fill in temporarily until we can find someone else?”

  “Really? You’d let me stay knowing I could leave any moment?”

  “Why not? I’ll give you a full six months’ salary, plus housing and all the benefits if you can stay and help us with the transition. I mean who knows, you might like it here and decide to stay.”

  She highly doubted that but bit her tongue. A whole six months’ salary for a few weeks of work? If she secured her funding for the year, that additional money could keep her going for another couple of months. Plus she could see them mine the blackstone. She would be stupid to refuse.

  “That’s very generous of you. Are you sure?”

  “Oh, I’m very sure.”

  There was this … glint in Ben Walker’s eye. Was this some kind of trick?

  Take it, the logical voice inside her said. The salary was pocket change to Lennox Corporation but would mean all the world to her.

  “All right. That sounds reasonable. I also know a few people who might be a good fit.” If she helped them find a replacement, she could leave Blackstone right away and have money to go back to Eritania. This was the perfect solution.

  “I’ll have HR draw up the papers. Are you staying in town?”

  “At the Blackstone Hotel,” she said.

  Ben nodded. “You can keep staying there while you’re here or move into one of our corporate apartments. Just let Janice in HR know what you’d like, and she’ll take care of it for you.”

  “That sounds excellent.”

  “Can you start tomorrow?”

  “Of course,” she said.

  “Good. You’ll be working with our Chief Engineer, Nathan Caldwell. He works with Dr. Philipps closely.” He paused. “Is that okay?”

  She shrugged. If this Nathan Caldwell worked with Dr. Philipps, she was sure he would be a fine colleague. “That’s fine.”

  Ben’s face lit up. “Great.”

  She stood up. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get some rest.”

  “Of course. Just call if you need anything else. And, uh …” He looked at her outfit.

  “Don’t worry. I have some appropriate work clothes.” She was used to digging in the dirt after all. But, since today was a formal interview, she wanted to look nice.

  “Good. You’ll be doing a lot of work inside the mines, so you should wear some sturdy shoes.”

  “I will. Thank you again, I’ll see myself out.” With a final nod, she pivoted on her heels a
nd headed out the door.

  As she walked to her car, Violet still couldn’t believe what had happened. She was going to be working with blackstone of all things, making a generous salary, and she could walk away anytime she wanted? Maybe the Ben Walker wasn’t as smart as he looked or there was something in the mountain air that was rotting his brain.

  A scent in the air caught her attention. It was male, spicy, and smelled so good her knees buckled.

  Mine!

  “Stop!” She was glad no one was around. It must have been her imagination, or her hyper senses picking up the lingering scent. “He is not ours. Didn’t you hear what he said?”

  If her sense of smell was good, her hearing was even better.

  Newsflash Ben: I don’t want her either.

  You think I want a mate?

  I’m drowning in so much—

  Jealous growls silenced her thoughts.

  “You’re being unreasonable.” She yanked open the door of her rented car. “And I can’t believe I’m even talking to you.”

  Violet slid into the front seat and shoved the key into the ignition. A deep breath escaped her lips.

  “He’s not interested. He’s far too busy entertaining other women.” The angry snarl was something she’d never heard before, especially not from her own mouth.

  “No, we have to forget about him.” She closed her eyes. “Remember why we’re here. So we can go back. Remember.”

  Her tiger quieted down as her own chest tightened with pain.

  “Now, let’s focus.”

  When she didn’t hear any more protests, she turned the key and drove back to her hotel.

  Chapter Three

  Nathan pulled his car into his parking space and cut the engine before yanking the keys and shoving them into his pocket. He shouldn’t have gone home, but he needed a shower and his own bed after nearly eight hours of overtime trying to get the damn smelter to work.

  As a shifter, he didn’t need a lot of sleep … if his wolf was cooperating.

  Mine, it whined. Mine.

  His inner wolf wasn’t letting go. It was angry at him, seething and gnashing its teeth, refusing to give him a moment of peace. Even other shifters seemed wary of him. Yesterday, he nearly broke a wrench in half because he was so distracted.

  “She’s gone,” he said. Well, she must be by now. She wasn’t from around here based on how she dressed, even though she was definitely a shifter. What was she, anyway? Feline, he was sure. Wolves had the best sense of smell out of all shifters, but he’d never smelled anyone like her.

  He had to get her out of his mind. Maybe then his damn wolf would forget her and move on. With an unhappy sigh, he got out of the car and headed for the mouth of the cave.

  Nathan’s office was inside the mine itself, in a small trailer they moved around depending on where the current vein was located. He shared it with their geologist, Dr. Philipps, whose work was valuable not only in finding bigger veins, but also in researching the properties of blackstone. Thanks to him, they were able to patent about a dozen more uses for the material which led to larger profits for Lennox. He would be sad to see Doc Philipps go, but he supposed the man needed to retire eventually. Hopefully whoever they got to replace him wouldn’t be a prick.

  He grabbed the safety helmet, goggles, and vest from the security guard and walked into the mine, all the way to his trailer just off the main cavern. The lights were already on, but he wasn’t surprised. Dr. Philipps was usually there before him, even on normal days.

  “Hey, Doc,” he greeted as he stepped inside. “How are—”

  The familiar scent of golden honey and fur hit his nostrils nearly knocking him back. His wolf perked up happily, knowing who was nearby. “What the fuck?”

  Three sets of eyes stared back at him. Ben. Doc Philipps. And her. Her and those damn eerily beautiful eyes.

  “Oh.” Her plump pink lips parted.

  Oh? Is that all she knew how to say?

  “Nathan!” Dr. Philipps greeted. “Good, you’re here. I want you to meet Dr. Violet Robichaux, a former student of mine. Violet, this is Nathan Caldwell, our Chief Engineer.”

  Violet turned to Ben. “This is Nathan Caldwell?”

  Ben gave her an innocent look. “Yes. I did ask if you were okay working with him.”

  Her mouth dropped open and her nostrils flared. “You didn’t—”

  “Wait. What the hell is going on here?” Nathan asked.

  “That’s what I was trying to explain,” the Doc said. “Violet is here as my replacement.”

  “What?” Nathan’s head whipped to Violet and then to Ben. “You’re hiring her? To work here?”

  “Temporarily,” she clarified. “I’ll only be taking the job on an interim basis since Dr. Philipps will be leaving within the week.”

  Dr. Philipps took off his glasses. “I really was hoping you’d take the job which is why I already sold my house and made my travel arrangements to see my sister in Florida. But I understand things change and you’ve got more exciting opportunities on the horizon. I am grateful you’re willing to stay and help until they find a permanent replacement. Are you sure I can't convince you to change your mind?”

  “I'm flattered you chose me, Dr. Philipps, but I’m afraid I can’t stay here.”

  Her pert little nose wrinkled like she had smelled something distasteful. Seriously? Blackstone wasn’t glamorous or exciting, but it was his home. So she was one of those women who preferred life in the big city. Good riddance, then. He couldn’t wait for her to leave. His wolf growled in protest, but he ignored it.

  Ben cleared his throat. “Say, Nathan, maybe you and the doc can show Violet around the mines? Give her a quick tour.”

  “I’m busy.” He walked over to his desk on the right side of the office. “I have actual work to do today. You know, after staying here until three a.m. to make sure that damn smelter didn’t kill anyone.”

  “I’ll be happy to give her the tour myself,” Dr. Philipps said.

  “Thank you,” she replied. “I’ve been looking forward to this.” Ignoring Nathan, she turned to Ben. “I’ll see you later, Ben.”

  Dr. Philipps led Violet out of the trailer and as soon as the door closed behind them, Nathan shot to his feet. “Really, Ben? Really?”

  “What?” he said in an innocent voice.

  “Don’t give me those teddy bear eyes; they only work on women and children.” He picked up the closest thing he could—a box of pencils—and threw it against the wall in anger. “Why her?”

  “Because she’s smart and qualified? Look, this has been in the works way before you met her. The doc recommended her the moment he told me he was retiring. That was weeks ago.”

  “Yeah but …” What could he say?

  “Are you going to have a problem working with her? Because she said—”

  “No, damn you,” he cursed. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I can handle it.” He sank down on his chair. “Besides, she’s just here for a couple of weeks. She probably won’t have to do anything major in that time.”

  “Yeah, she’ll be collecting the samples, doing the testing, sending them to the lab for further analysis. Just the day-to-day stuff he usually does.”

  “Good.” He turned his computer on so forcefully, his thumb nearly pushed the button in. When Ben snickered, he glared back at him. “Is there anything else?”

  “What? Oh nothing. I was just thinkin’ you know.” He shook his head. “I hope Violet doesn’t cause a scene out there with our guys … with her being the only female out on the floor and a shifter, too.” He chuckled.

  Nathan shot to his feet so fast, the monitor shook and the table moved forward a couple of inches. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

  “You okay, buddy?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” He walked around his table and toward the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  He grabbed the extra vest and helmet they kept in the office. “She didn’t have a
ny damn safety gear on. I better make sure she gets this.”

  “It’s fine. She’s a shifter and—”

  “Rules are rules,” Nathan said as he jerked the door open. He wasn’t lying. Even though shifters could heal faster and survive most things that could kill a human, they still wore safety gear inside the mines.

  “But what—”

  He slammed the door to drown out Ben’s voice. I just want to make sure she doesn’t get injured, he told himself. Yeah. That was it.

  Violet was actually wearing more appropriate clothes today, at least from what he could remember. He was too busy staring at her face and then trying not to stare at her to notice.

  Where could they be? The cavern they dug out to mine this section was humongous with several tunnels that led to the other parts. She was a geologist and said she was looking forward to this tour, so he guessed she’d want to see the main vein and headed there.

  He was right. Violet and Dr. Philipps were standing in the cavern, chatting softly and inspecting the walls. And, as Ben had predicted, the sharks were already circling. A group of their workers were idling by the maintenance carts, staring at Violet and Dr. Philipps and elbowing each other like teenagers.

  Nathan’s hands curled into fists, and his wolf gnashed its teeth. “Get back to work,” he barked at them, startling a few of the men. Even from this distance, they were still way too close to Violet.

  “Er, yes sir,” Cody, one of the newer hires, said with an audible gulp. He turned tail and strode away with the rest following his example. The tightness in his chest loosened when they disappeared through the tunnel that led to the outside.

  They could have at least pretended to work, he thought as he marched toward the two geologists.

  “… And as you can see, the blackstone is really imbedded in the nitride londaleite and nothing can get it out—Oh.” He stopped when Nathan approached them. “Nathan, did you need something?”

  Violet whipped around, her eyes narrowing at him.

  He held out the vest and helmet. “Here. You forgot to put this on.”

  “I don’t need it.”

  “Yeah, you do if you wanna work here. Everyone here has to wear it,” Nathan insisted, then gestured at himself and Dr. Philipps. “Both shifters and humans. It makes it easier for everyone.”