by Kimber White
There was humor in her tone, and I smiled. “You’re in one piece, aren’t you?”
She let out a breath. “So how much are they paying you for me?”
I bristled. “It’s not like that, Nova. You’re not a bounty. I told you, we were hired to make sure you were okay. That’s it. I wasn’t planning on needing to save your life quite so soon.”
“Sorry to inconvenience you,” she said. I couldn’t tell if that was sarcasm. It tore at me a little.
“Anyway,” she covered. “You want to tell me about your phone call? How long can I expect you to follow me around?”
I smirked. “Follow you around? Lady, you’re lucky I showed up when I did.”
“Right,” she said, rolling her eyes. “What makes you so sure those wolves were tracking me? Has it occurred to you that you might have led them straight to me? I’ve never been to this ranch before, but you have. They came here first. I can see why Wolfguard trusts you for bounty hunting, not detective work.”
I growled. “You’re not a bounty!” I couldn’t even answer the last part of her theory. I didn’t want to admit it made sense. Dammit. Was she right?
“No,” I said. “I told you. That pack wasn’t doing a damn thing to hide their scent from me. They hid it from you.”
“Hmm,” she said, apparently unconvinced by my logic. “And you didn’t answer my question. How long?”
I opened my mouth to argue with her again, then clamped it shut. My check-in with Payne hadn’t been very satisfying. He’d promised to consult with our client and get back to me within twenty-four hours. Until then…
“For now,” I answered. “That’s all I know. And for the time being, you’re right about something. I can’t be one hundred percent sure Jeremiah doesn’t know more than he’s telling. So, we leave again at first light. I’ll keep you safe. That I can swear. But, in light of everything that’s happened, it’s better if we’re on our own.”
I formed the basics of a plan as I said it. The stark truth was that Payne might not know everything I needed to do this job. So, I’d have to rely on my own instincts.
“On our own?” she said.
“You and me,” I said. “No outside help until I know what’s what. Can you trust me for a little while longer?”
Her eyes sparked. “I’m getting the distinct feeling I don’t have a better choice.”
“Good,” I said, slapping my hands on my thighs. “For now, go get some sleep. You’re dead on your feet. I’ll keep watch. I’ll wake you when it’s time to slip away.”
She looked up at me and my heart twisted a little. I could sense her need to trust me but also that it cost her something. I said a silent prayer that I’d be worthy of her.
Chapter Six
Nova
I didn’t think I could sleep. But, in spite of everything that happened, I felt strangely safe with Erik. I settled into a back bedroom. At first, he stood in the doorway, filling it like some hulking behemoth, ready to bust a wall down if anything happened.
That was an odd sensation. I couldn’t recall the last time anyone had ever bothered to care about me. My parents had, at least I’d been told. But they died so long ago I barely remembered them.
I’d been just two years old. Sena and I had lived in a mining encampment near Maracaibo, Venezuela where our father worked. There’d been an accident. An explosion. Seven miners including my father had been trapped underground. Even their shifter strength hadn’t been enough to save them.
My mother died about six months later. She took her own life, unable to cope with the loss of her fated mate, even for us. So, we stayed with our aunt and uncle, my father’s brother. I’d never really called any one place home. Uncle Simon had made his living as a miner too. He went where the work was, aligning himself with other jaguar clans instead of family. We were the only family he had left.
I thought that was enough. I thought he cared as much as he said he did.
I was wrong.
And yet, here I was, hitching my wagon to a complete stranger who appeared out of the mist. There was no logic to it. Only, if Erik wanted me dead, he’d had numerous opportunities to make me so. I was probably faster, but he had at least twice my strength and Wolfguard to back him.
While all that was true, something else tipped the scales for me. I felt different around him. Calmer beneath the storm.
Magic. I already knew the wolf pack had used it to conceal themselves from me. So, why couldn’t Erik be doing the same thing to keep me from ignoring my better judgment?
All those thoughts swirled around in my brain, spinning and weaving in a serpentine pattern. But sleep did finally come.
With it, my dreams. He came to me like a ghost at first. His blue eyes shimmered, then blended into the night sky to become the stars.
He should have been cold. Ruled by the moon. But, when he wrapped his arms around me, it stoked a fire in my blood.
I ached for his touch. His kiss brought me to life.
Erik. A wolf’s howl snapped me awake.
I was sweating, panting. My claws came out as I gripped the sheets. I sat up quickly, contracting them.
Erik wasn’t in the doorway anymore. I heard him moving deeper into the house. I dressed as fast as I could and freshened up in the bathroom across the hall.
I couldn’t have slept long. It was well past midnight when I went to bed and now the sun was barely peeking over the mountains.
I found Erik standing on the back porch looking straight at them. Scanning. He’d let his wolf out just enough to make his eyes give off that sapphire shimmer. His nostrils flared as he looked at me and his low growl ignited something in my core.
“You’re awake,” he said.
“I’m ready,” I said. “Let’s get out of here.”
He nodded. “About that. I’ve been thinking. What I told you last night? About being on our own? It should probably start with the car.”
I looked back at the SUV. It was sleek, expensive. It reminded me of the ones I’d seen on TV that they drove the president around in. Not exactly inconspicuous.
“Do you trust me that I can keep you safer on foot for a while?”
I filled my lungs with the fresh mountain air. There were just normal scents out there now. The cattle, for sure. Other domesticated animals up near the barn. But, that was it.
“Yes,” I said. I knew what compelled him. It drove me too. “You need to run.”
Erik’s eyes flashed. My breath caught.
“No more safehouses for a while. I want to play this a different way.”
“Do you think your boss sold you out?” I asked.
“No!” His answer came sure and sharp. I resisted the urge to argue for now.
“No,” he said, more quietly. “And although he didn’t explicitly say it, I know Payne would approve of me doing this my way. I need my nose.”
“Right,” I said. “So do I. So what are you thinking? North into Canada? The West Coast is tricky. Lots of covens, bear country. Forget about heading east. Too many...er...wolves…”
“South.” We said it in unison.
“I know a place,” he said. “Not a safehouse. Not owned by Wolfguard. It’s just...mine. If you can keep up, we can get there in a couple of days.”
I smiled. “If I can keep up?”
“We leave everything behind,” he said. “Everything.”
I knew what he meant. Bare back. Just us. His wolf. My cat. As I put the thoughts into words, a thrill of excitement poured through me like an orgasm. It had been months since I’d let my jaguar out like that.
“I’m ready,” I said. I was more than ready. Erik scanned the horizon one more time. The ranch was quiet. Even the roosters hadn’t yet woken.
I followed Erik off the back porch and into the yard. The mountains framed the northern border of the property. We’d come in from the west. South of us, I could smell the end of the flatlands as they gave way to the woods. We’d head for it.
Erik’s b
ack straightened. Shirtless, his muscles bunched and rolled. I waited. I wanted to see him shift. Once again, the power of it nearly took my breath away. It was almost violent the way his bones and muscles snapped. But, he threw his head back and pawed at the ground.
Erik Kalenkov, quite simply, was the most beautiful wolf I’d ever seen. He was pure white from tip to tail. His fur gave off a silvery shimmer in the rising sunlight. And those eyes. Pure, palest blue, like ice.
I imagined he would be virtually invisible in his native Siberian snow.
He waited for me.
I let my own magic pour through me. I dropped down to all fours and felt my tail swish up. I walked to his side. My head came up to Erik’s wolf’s shoulder.
I don’t know what made me do it, but I stood stock still, tail up as Erik circled me.
A low growl emanated from him, vibrating through the ground and into my paws. I purred in response. Erik snapped his teeth. I let out my own, scratching growl in response.
Then, it was time to run.
Erik led the way. I waited for half a second, loving the sight of him as he picked up speed and darted across the horizon. Then, I let loose.
I pushed off the ground with my haunches, rocketing through space. I closed the distance between us in seconds. We ran shoulder to shoulder for a while. His power fed off mine.
The woods called to us both. Sweet grasses. Fresh prey.
To hunt.
Oh, God. The need for it filled my soul. Erik’s wolf. My jaguar. Together we would form a lethal team.
Adrenaline coursed through me. Need burned in my heart.
We seemed to understand each other on a preternatural level that shouldn’t have been possible for a jaguar and a wolf. But, I anticipated his movements and he mine. When he made tiny course corrections, I matched his step.
When we hit the tree line, I had the advantage. I was better equipped to corner and leap over fallen branches and tiny dips in the earth.
Then, instinct took over. I couldn’t hold back. I sensed the direction Erik was heading and darted ahead of him. He let out a warning growl, but there was no stopping me now.
My jaguar was in complete control. I bounded through the trees. Erik was close behind, nipping at my heels.
Catch me if you can, wolf.
We covered miles in no time at all. A huge, hidden lake opened up before us. I skidded to a halt, then waited for Erik to catch up. Panting, sweat pouring from me, I rose on two legs and dove into the cool water.
It was startlingly deep here. I swam at least twenty feet before hitting bottom then launched myself back to the surface.
Erik waited for me at the water’s edge. He’d shifted as well, but his wolf eyes still glinted.
He was angry. Furious.
A thrill of heat went through me as I swam to shore.
I drank him in. As beautiful as his wolf was, he was even more magnificent like this. Hard-cut muscles, long lines. And that thick, platinum hair.
He dove in and swam to me.
Laughing, I splashed him away and paddled to the shore. My chest heaving with exertion, I stretched out on the sand.
Erik swam back and sat beside me.
“You’re dangerous,” he said, still growling.
I smoothed my hair out of my eyes. The sun baked down on my naked skin, feeling like heaven.
“You’re too slow,” I said.
Erik took me by the shoulders, shaking me slightly.
“I’m not playing around. You can’t take off like that. You have no idea what’s out here.”
His touch burned through me, stoking a need deeper down. It startled me and left me gasping for air.
My own anger rose and I ripped myself out of his grasp. “I have every idea what’s out there. Do you?”
He saw something in my eyes, maybe. His own widened with horror. He grabbed me again, more gently.
“Nova,” he said, his voice choking. “What happened to you? I need you to tell me.”
My emotions swirled out of control. It was too much. It was all just too much. How could I tell him? How could he possibly understand?
Then, he did the thing that tore my heart apart. Erik pulled me close and held me against his chest. A dam broke. For the first time in four years, I let my tears fall.
I don’t know how long he held me like that. I cried until I felt hollowed out. Then, slowly, I pulled away.
Erik’s face had gone bone white. Concern filled his sparkling eyes.
“You can tell me,” he said. “Nova...I just want to help you.”
I shook my head. “You can’t, Erik. Not really. Nobody can.”
“That’s not true. But I can’t do it blind. And I can’t do it if you don’t work with me. You’ve come this far with me. I know you trust me. So, trust me all the way. Tell me what happened. What did you run from?”
I wanted to. It would have been so easy to just spill my guts and let someone else hold it all for a while. Only, I could never forget what happened the last time I let my guard down like that. Because of it, I would stay alone forever. Even from him.
Chapter Seven
Erik
A cat. How the hell had I let a cat get under my skin like that?
I’d run with wolves my whole life. I’d even considered starting a pack of my own once upon a time. That all changed after Irina died and my family was driven out of Russia.
And yet, when I ran with Nova...it felt natural. I felt as if...I was more in my own skin than I ever had been before.
It took us two days, but we reached the Utah border. From there, we took refuge in the thickest part of the Ashley National Forest. We were cut off now from Wolfguard completely. I knew Payne wouldn’t send out a search team yet. We both agreed that me going to ground with Nova for a few days was the wisest choice. I trusted him to get answers about what might have drawn that pack to Jeremiah’s ranch. I knew his brother Thomas would have a tough few days ahead of him. If he’d somehow turned on us, I was pretty sure I would kill him myself.
I watched Nova from a distance now. She sat on the riverbank, fishing with her bare hands. Each time one jumped up, she caught it and let out an almost girlish squeal of delight that made my heart clench.
A cat. A damn cat.
She saw me then and held up a nice, fat trout. Then, she brained the thing on a rock and added it to her growing pile. Fish weren’t my favorite, but it would draw a hell of a lot less attention if there were any other shifters roaming about. A full-on stag hunt would draw them out.
“Nice,” I said. “I’ll start a fire.”
We’d made just one risky move since crossing the border into Utah. There were public campgrounds a few miles away. Under cover of darkness, we’d stolen some supplies from an unsuspecting couple, likely on their honeymoon. We each had a change of clothes. I’d purloined an iron skillet and a nice hunting knife. Common thievery wasn’t really my style, but these were desperate times.
Later, once I had the fire going, Nova came to join me. The flames danced in her eyes and she drew her knees up to her chest as she sat on a log.
“When do you think it’ll be safe to go back?” she asked.
The fish filets hissed and sizzled as I placed them in the pan.
I swallowed my immediate answer. Back to where? As far as I knew, Nova had no home anymore. The cabin in Little Fork might never be safe for her again.
“I’ll head into town and reach out to Payne in a few days. Assuming nothing exciting happens out here.”
She seemed satisfied with my answer, but her eyes took on a far-off expression.
“How long have you known him?” she asked. “Payne?”
“A few years,” I said. “Before that I lived in Chicago with my brother, cousins, and a couple uncles. Then, things changed. My eldest uncle Andre went back to Russia to lead the pack there. The rest of us stayed behind and went to work for Wolfguard.”
“That’s a big family,” she said. “Wow.”
“B
ig and complicated,” I said.
“Do you miss them?” she asked.
I shrugged. “We stay in contact. I don’t miss our life in Chicago. I like this better. Wolfguard suits me. And I wasn’t interested in going back to Russia.”
“When did you leave?” she asked.
The fish was cooked. I slid it out of the skillet using the knife as a spatula. I set three filets on a flat rock and handed them to Nova. She thanked me and started picking them apart with her fingers.
I loved watching her eat. Her lips were full, luscious, and I loved the way she licked them. I cleared my throat and tried to shield my eyes from her.
“I was just barely eighteen,” I said. “So it’s been a dozen years.”
“Do you ever wish you could go back?” she asked. There was a sadness in her voice. I knew in asking these questions, she was telling me something about herself. I also knew that it was a rare thing for her. It choked my heart.
“There’s nothing left for me there,” I said, my tone more gruff than I intended.
“Your parents?” she asked.
“How much do you know about wolf packs, Nova?” I asked.
She popped a piece of fish into her mouth. “You mean how you live or...by reputation?”
“Reputation,” I answered.
“I never had much of an occasion or desire to learn. Until now,” she said, her voice dropping on the last two words. “I mean I’d heard of you. Kalenkov. And something about trouble.”
“Yes,” I said. “You could say it was trouble. We were exiled. The Vadim pack started assassinating our pack members. They used Dragonsteel weapons. They violated every treaty, every code, elemental shifter law. My parents died. Many cousins. Friends. People I cared about. My Uncle Andre got us out. Barely. But, he served our revenge. The Vadim pack is no more except for a few lonely stragglers.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” she said. “You know I lost my parents too. Though, it wasn’t anything as epic as a pack war. It was a cave-in. My father and seven other jaguars from our clan were crushed to death.”
