Beauty's Beast

by Jenna Kernan

  Or was it luck? He thought of the Thunderbirds dropping her practically at his feet.

  He didn’t take it as some grand sign. The Supernaturals had correctly determined that he was the creature least likely to kill her on sight and placed her accordingly.

  But then, why hadn’t they taken her to Bess as her father had wished? They could have. They could find anyone anywhere. So why hadn’t they? The reason for their action eluded and troubled him.

  They broke from the trees a few moments later and entered a wide alpine meadow.

  “There it is.” Alon pointed.

  At the crest of the rise sat the impressive log structure that looked large and grand enough to be some sort of lodge. In fact, it had been so before Bess repurposed the building into a living space for her adopted horde. When they outgrew it, Cesar built the dorms and later the school behind the main house. Alon glanced toward the clapboard construction where he now lived and then flicked his gaze at her. She’d be safer in the house. None of the yearlings ever ventured there.

  “You’ll stay in there,” he said.

  She lifted a brow as if to argue. He narrowed his eyes.

  “It will be more difficult to keep you alive if you leave this place.”

  “The only threat that I’ve seen so far is you.”

  He didn’t argue the point. He was a threat but not the only one here, regardless of what she had seen. Something about this little Skinwalker interested him, and that was dangerous for her. Alon knew what he was capable of, even if his parents did not. They had a blind spot for all their children, denying their true natures and giving them high ideals. Alon feared his parents would soon be disappointed. The prospect of Bess and Cesar seeing their “children” for what they truly were troubled him, as well.

  “And how do I know that Suncatcher lives in that house?”

  Alon paused. He’d never been called a liar before and found it irritated him.

  “Where is she exactly?”

  “Moving north with the eldest of my siblings. All that would go have gone. Aldara and I stayed behind to try to convince the others. The Beta, Gamma and Delta packs.”

  “Packs?”

  “We run in packs with those of our approximate age. I’m Alpha. The Betas are near their final change, approaching fifteen. The Gammas are less than ten, and the Deltas only babies, two and under. The Betas have roamed too far for us to easily find them. The Gammas refuse to leave this place because they cannot conceive a threat. It is not in our nature. The Deltas are not old enough to understand what we ask. At so young an age their needs are...basic. Aldara believes we can convince all of them to follow.”

  “But you do not?”

  “My kind is not open to persuasion. They are influenced only by superior force. To the young ones all creatures are either predator or food.”

  Samantha frowned at this answer.

  He motioned toward the house. “Inside there is a phone, computer, food, facilities for washing. Take what you like and stay inside until I return for you.”

  “When will that be?”

  “After nightfall.”

  He turned to leave her.

  “When will Bess be back?”

  “She has abandoned this place. When I have finished with the packs, I will bring you to her.”

  That did not seem to please Samantha, judging from the pinched expression and the line that now formed between her elegant brows.

  “Why don’t you just tell me how to find her?”

  He shook his head. It was a miracle one of the packs hadn’t discovered Samantha already. He wasn’t about to cross his fingers and point her north.

  “No.”

  “My father told me to find Bess.”

  “You can wait or you can die. Your choice.” He stalked away.

  Chapter 5

  When Alon reached the cover of the trees he turned back. Samantha stared at the place where he had vanished into the forest. Finally she turned toward the house and marched up the front steps.

  Alon lingered, watching her, fearing she would leave the house. There was some pull between them. Even from this distance he felt drawn to her. He wanted to go back, and it mattered not at all that she didn’t want to speak to him or that he had business elsewhere.

  What was wrong with him?

  He placed the back of his hand on his brow as his mother always did when he was acting strangely. No fever. But his blood felt fevered, and his skin tingled with a soft buzz of energy that warmed him like a fire. And each time he touched her soft skin his stomach grew tight.

  The door closed behind her. Only when she was out of sight was Alon able to move in the opposite direction.

  He removed his clothes, folded them and set them in the crook of a tree. Then he transformed into his flying form and rocketed through the forest. In this form he was least substantial. The billowing smoke made it easy to fly in tight places but impossible to fight. But for fighting he had his first form. That was what his mom dubbed it—first form or fighting form.

  Alon just called it his monster form.

  * * *

  Samantha stepped into the vaulted foyer of the Garzas’ empty home and paused as the unexpected surrounded her.

  She had thought to see an abundance of wood and rustic furnishings. Instead, she was greeted with a contemporary stairway that seemed to float upward as it was anchored only to one wall. Clean plaster and elegant molding had been painted white. Before her hung a long Japanese scroll that stretched from the second story and nearly touched the floor. The brightly colored silk edging framed an ink painting of many blackbirds rising through the air.

  She peeked into the living room, taking in the sleek white leather sofa set before a glass coffee table facing a hearth with a mantel of white marble, black granite and obsidian. The elegant room had no clutter, but several unique objects of art. A splash of color came from a painting of pink cherry blossoms above the hearth and wilted red roses on the mantel.

  She continued through the foyer, finding the kitchen and informal dining room filling the back half of the enormous house.

  Reaching the center of the stainless-steel and black granite kitchen, Samantha realized how thirsty she was. She cupped her hand and drank from the faucet. Only when her thirst was satisfied did she explore the offerings in the kitchen.

  She felt like Goldilocks raiding the pantry of the three bears, but then remembered she was also one of the bears. Alon had invited her in. Dropped her at the door like a bad date, actually.

  Bess Suncatcher kept a full larder, and Samantha had no trouble making a meal. When she had satisfied her hunger, she turned to the computer set up on a counter between two flanking pantry shelves in the walk-in larder. She’d seen such an arrangement in decor magazines, described as a place for the owner to look up a recipe or read emails.

  The internet connection was surprisingly strong. None of her family had mobile phones, because changing from bear to human forms made it impossible to carry such things. But they did all have email accounts.

  Samantha checked hers for news and was disappointed to find nothing from any of them. She told them of her safe arrival and where she landed. She paused before telling them about Alon, not knowing what to say. She told them she had seen their father attacked before being torn away from them by the whirlwinds and that she feared for his safety. Finally she said she had not yet found Bess but was in her home. Samantha pressed Send and glanced around, noting that the bare windows had gone dark. Nightfall, she realized.

  When would he be back?

  She headed upstairs to one of the bathrooms and took a moment to wash then transformed her bearskin into fitted jeans and a gauzy peasant blouse. She wore no underwear, socks or shoes. She had preferred it that way since she was a child. The less restraining her garments, the better.

  “Now, let’s just see who lives here.”

  When she was finished exploring the house, she reached the conclusion that Cesar Garza and Bess Suncatcher di
d live here until quite recently. So Alon had not lied about that. The Thunderbirds could find people, especially people who were not where you expected them to be. Yet they had plunked her here in this empty house.

  It made no sense.

  Samantha stared out the picture windows into the night. Should she stay or go? Alon could be bluffing, but thus far everything she could verify had been true.

  The yearlings were out there. How dangerous could they be? She was a grizzly bear for goodness’ sakes. Nothing could defeat her.

  Alon had.

  Samantha sighed and decided to check her email again. Perhaps there was some word. The inbox popped up with one new message.

  Samantha saw Blake’s address and suddenly she could breathe again. Her brother was alive.

  A moment later she scanned his message. He had arrived uninjured at the home of the wolf and the Dream Walker. Nicholas had left Blake in charge of his family as he went to search for their father. Samantha sagged in her chair. The wolf was going to help her father. He’d find him. She knew a wolf’s gifts. Nicholas could track down anyone he had ever met. But would he be too late?

  The worry gnawed at her like termites in dry wood as she read on. Tomorrow Blake would meet the chief of the Northwestern Council. In less than an afternoon he had found whom he sought, been trusted with Nicholas’s family and begun the process of becoming a member of their mother’s people, while she had spent the afternoon running through the woods like a headless chicken and creepy-crawling a stranger’s house.

  Samantha wilted a little in her chair.

  Oh, and let’s not forget that she had met a Toe Tagger who could steal a creature’s living soul. She shivered.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Samantha exploded out of the chair at the same instant she recognized Alon’s voice. She clutched her chest with both hands as her gaze snapped to his. He stood in the door to the pantry, arms folded over his chest, his silvery blond hair now pulled back into a neat ponytail.

  Samantha gasped. “You might have given me a heart attack.”

  “Your heart is strong,” he said.

  Was he referring to the self-imposed stress test she’d given herself in the forest?

  Why hadn’t she heard him or smelled him? Her senses were excellent, far better than a human’s. Nobody sneaked up on her, yet he had gotten all the way to the doorway of the pantry before she’d noticed him.

  And now he blocked the only exit.

  The hairs on her neck lifted.

  His broad shoulders did not leave her enough territory to squeeze by him. She did not like the way he stared unblinking at her. It made her feel...hunted.

  “Step back, Alon,” she growled, lowering her chin as she prepared for a fight she would likely lose.

  His smile widened as if anxious to answer the challenge in her voice.

  He arched a brow. “Or what?”

  Samantha lowered her chin a notch. “Or I’ll make you step back.”

  He didn’t move for a long, silent moment. Then he stood sideways and swept a hand toward the opening, like a courtier moving aside to let a lady pass.

  He gave a half grin that made her stomach flutter and churn all at once. She’d never met anyone who made her feel anxious and thrilled at the same time. It was as if his presence made her senses go haywire.

  She tried to judge his intent and failed, losing herself in those fathomless blue eyes. He was so effortlessly appealing, but terrifying too. She couldn’t decide if she should run from him or to him.

  She took a step in his direction. Unlike humans, she listened to her instincts, and they told her not to be trapped between escape and this Halfling. But there was another instinct, a deeper, more disquieting urging that she did not care to scrutinize as she glided forward.

  His eyes dared her to cross. His smile relayed his eagerness for the sport. Was this a game to him? Why was she willing to play?

  Samantha tried not to show her nervousness as she took another step forward, but now her knees felt stiff and her gait awkward. He maintained his position, head bowed, one arm extended toward freedom. His devilish smile encouraged, and the predatory glint in his eyes warned her to be cautious.

  She almost made it past him before he lunged forward. She did not have time to escape or defend. An instant later she found herself with both hands trapped behind her back as he used his body to push her to the opposite side of the frame. Her body twitched with the shock of all that male flesh pressed to hers.

  “What upsets you, Samantha?”

  “Besides you?”

  He grinned, flashing strong white teeth, and her stomach dropped. Why did his nearness do that to her? She knew who he was and what he was. This son of her enemy was just like the horde that attacked her family. And yet...

  “Tell me,” he coaxed.

  She gazed up into those entrancing blue eyes. Was that why she reacted to him, because he did not look like those others? Her mind knew what he was, but her body seemed fooled by the masquerade. He had two forms, and this one was the most dangerous because she could not defend against his appeal.

  “Let me go,” she said, just managing the words through clenched teeth. Her control slipped and she leaned forward instead of away.

  He noticed, judging from the roguish smile full of male confidence. The urge to head-butt him was easier to resist than the impulse to lay her cheek on the hollow between his strong neck and wide shoulders. She came so close she could feel the heat of his skin on her face. His voice rumbled from his chest and she felt the vibrations on his skin.

  “Do you have word from your family? Is that why you were unhappy?” He released her wrists with no fanfare. Now his hands gently stroked her back in a way that might have been comforting but instead set every nerve beneath the thin fabric of her shirt tingling with pleasure. Somehow he still captured her, but now he did it only with his touch.

  Breathe. Answer the question. Step away. Put your arms about his neck.

  Clearly she didn’t know her own mind.

  “My brother has reached his destination.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it?”

  She sagged against him, unsure why her lip was trembling. The tears already burned her throat, but she held them off.

  “How did you know where Blake went?”

  “Your father would send him to the wolf or the buffalo. Those are his closest friends. But Chien is his oldest friend, and Blake, is it? Blake is his oldest son.”

  Handsome and smart. A double threat, thought Samantha.

  “So why does the news of your brother’s safe arrival upset you?”

  She glanced away and managed to take her hands from his strong arms. The emotions she felt over her brother’s success did not do her credit.

  Alon’s palms still danced rhythmically up and down the long column of her back.

  “Will you tell me?”

  She stared up at him. What gave him the right to pry, when he wouldn’t answer her questions?

  His eyes narrowed on her and the feathery touches ceased as if he sensed her change of mood. But that was impossible.

  She stepped away and continued until she stood before the French doors that led out to a gigantic multilevel deck with a starlit view of the meadow and tall trees beyond. Her night vision was better than a human’s and she saw the world beyond the window in shades of gray. The urge to return to him and nestle in his arms tugged at her.

  No, you don’t. You are not falling for that pretty face, those soothing words or those skillful fingers. Remember what he is.

  Alon exited the pantry a moment later, and she realized he had read Blake’s letter.

  “So your father wants Blake to join the Niyanoka. But he sent you here. Odd. What is your mission, little shifter?”

  He came to stand beside her, a little too close, a little too tempting.

  “Alon, we were attacked by your kind.” She nearly told him it was her fault but stopped herself. “They tried to kill us. You are
one of them. Why would I tell you anything?”

  “Because I can help you.”

  She shook her head. “You want to help? Stay away from me.”

  “I thought you wanted to find my mother?”

  She released a long breath. It was what her dad wanted. Find Bess. Ask her to join the cause and...and...She tried to remember his words. None know the Toe Taggers better than Bess. Learn what you can.

  She fixed her eyes on Alon.

  He folded one arm across his chest, using it as a rest for his other elbow. He studied her as if she were some problem he had to work out.

  “My mother says that people distrust what they don’t understand. If I tell you something about my family, how we came here and why we are different from those others who attacked your family, would that assuage you?”

  “Assuage? Are you for real?”

  “My parents are both over one hundred. I learned speech from them.” He shrugged as if that explained all. Then he opened the door to the deck and stepped outside, then moved aside to let her pass. This time he stood well back and made no move to hinder her. She felt disappointed, and that realization made her heart sink even more.

  Above them the stars wheeled in a perfect clear sky. Her vision was adequate enough for her to see him in shades of gray. In the night his aura became unmistakable and most definitely gray—bluish-gray, like the smoke from a rifle. It flared from the crown of his head like a halo.

  He took a seat on the long built-in bench and motioned for her to join him. No way was she sitting that close. She moved upwind, so she couldn’t smell the masculine scent, choosing to lean against the rail. She tried for a relaxed posture, certain that he could see her as clearly as she could see him. For them, the night masked nothing.

  She gazed out at the inviting lawn, dew already glistening on the soft grass. From here she could jump to the ground and dash to the forest. But now she knew that he could also outrun her. Damn, she hated his advantage.

  Alon settled back, secure in his superiority, she assumed, and then began the telling that was supposed to magically change her from enemy to friend. Yeah, right!