“Between Ty and Carran, my team is scared of letting something happen to me.” She shook her head. “Our first real mission should be an experience.”
“Carran, if not part of the team, what is your role?” Alicia asked.
“I’m part of Tabitha’s guards,” Carran explained.
“What my mate fails to mention is Tabitha is the Queen of the Tigers. She’s very important, not only to the tiger shifters, but soon all shifters will know who she is. She will be responsible for opening a new future for shifters.” Brooklynn rose to stand next to Carran, who wrapped his arm around her waist. “The future for shifters has a lot of uncertainties right now. Still I’m hopeful future generations will be able to live in a world their parents didn’t. One where they’ll be safe and can live without their secret weighing on their shoulders.”
Glancing at each of them she tried to think about what it was like to live with their secret. She’d never considered how it weighed on Lou. Were their moments in their lives when they wanted nothing more than to shed their human skin and allow their beast to be free? Having humans around them would make that nearly impossible. No matter where they went, the possibility of someone stumbling upon them would be a constant threat for some of them. Tigers didn’t roam free in the United States. Whereas with a wolf like Lou, it was easier to shift in the woods and find the freedom he sought. Frost couldn’t shift in New York without causing a shockwave if spotted, but in parts of Alaska, it wouldn’t be unusual to see a polar bear.
The children. How do they hide their secret? She remembered what it was like as a child, there were times emotions were high. Didn’t Lou mention emotions effected his shifting unless he kept control of his wolf?
“Alicia…” Frost’s thumb teased along the curve of her knuckles, gently pulling her back from her thoughts. “I can feel your anxiety, but I don’t understand what caused it.”
“I was thinking what it would be like to live with a secret like that.” Shifting in her seat to take in the man beside her. “The young girl you sent up to the cockpit when we boarded. She’s a shifter too, right? She can never be free to be herself. She’ll always be hiding something from her peers. Can she even attend school?”
“Evie hasn’t gone through the transition yet, but she’s a polar bear too.” Frost explained. “She has been homeschooled. I hope in Alaska she might attend school with the other children. To keep the kids safe, most clans have their own schools. She’ll be around those who understand who she is, and she’ll be safe. I’ll make sure of it.”
As the conversation turned back to the problems at hand, her thoughts stayed on the man before her. Why was Evie his responsibility? Where were her parents? Even more alarming, why was she there with them, instead of somewhere safe? Bringing her on a mission, placing her in danger, was no way to keep her safe.
Frost would never intentionally place Evie at risk. There must be something I’m missing.
Chapter Ten
With nothing left to do but wait until they arrived in Alaska, most everyone settled back to rest for a few hours. Frost on the other hand was restless. There was something on Alicia’s mind. Something she wasn’t sharing. Her emotions were erratic. Considering all she’d been through in the last twenty-four hours, it wasn’t surprising. Her boss was murdered before her eyes, and from what he’d gathered, they’d been close. Throwing her into danger and sending her fleeing to Alaska with a group of strangers was a lot for anyone to take in. Add in shifters who wanted her dead as well as black magick, and he was surprised she wasn’t having a breakdown.
Pacing the back of the plane, he glanced in her direction. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn’t asleep. What is she thinking? Knowing she needed rest, he wondered if he should push for her to take the pain medication, giving her a break from not only the discomfort but also her thoughts. Before he could decide the cockpit door opened.
“Frosty!” Evie ran down the aisle toward him.
“Shh, monkey.” He strolled up the aisle, stopped near Alicia’s chair, and took a seat across the row from her. “The others are trying to rest.”
“Sorry.” She sank down onto her knees in the aisle, her gaze locked on his. “So how did your first mission with Brooklynn go? Were you amazing like I knew you’d be?”
“We rescued the woman, so I’d call it a success.” Remembering the early conversation with the others he shook his head at his sister. “What’s this I hear about your letter to the Shifter Cop?”
“Uhh…” Evie glanced around before settling her gaze on Alicia’s sleeping form. “Let’s stay on topic. Your mission. I’m not sure I’d call it a success when you let her get hurt.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Alicia’s lips curled up into a smile. He glanced toward her and noticed her eyes were still closed, but she was clearly awake. “She was shot before we arrived, but don’t worry about her, I fixed her up.”
“I know you’re awake.” Evie leaned closer to Alicia. “I’ve seen my brother at work, he’s the best. You’re lucky he was there.”
“I know.” Opening her eyes, she glanced down at the young girl before looking over at him. “He saved my life. They all did.”
“I knew it.” Evie leaned toward him as if to give him a hug. Before making contact, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “Frosty…you’re mated.”
“Enough, Evie.” His gaze locked on hers, silently warning her to drop it.
In a flash, she turned back to Alicia, leaning in close she took a deep breath. “Mated with her.”
“Evie!” Rising from the chair, he reached down and took Evie’s hand in his, gently pulling her upright. “Back to the cockpit with Taber.”
“But—”
“No buts. Go.” As she turned to go back in the direction she’d come moments before, he wondered how to explain things to Alicia. This was a conversation he wanted to wait to have until they were in Alaska. He pictured finding a quiet spot where they could talk, not in a plane full of shifters that would hear everything said between them.
“Mated with me?” Alicia shot upright, bringing her injured leg down off the pillows he’d propped it up on. “What is she talking about?”
Knowing he wasn’t going to get her to drop the conversation, he held out his hand. “Come with me.” She slipped her hand into his, allowing him to help her stand before pulling away. He glanced at the others, before leading the way back to the bedroom at the back of the plane. It was the only place to at least have the illusion of privacy.
Stepping into the bedroom he found it to be unlike he expected. Instead of the plain room he anticipated, it was cozy and welcoming. A full-size bed dominated the room leaving only a narrow path on either side. After Alicia entered, he pushed the door shut before motioning for her to have a seat on the bed.
“Why did you want me back here?” She spun back to face him. “You can’t seriously think I’m going to sleep with you now. No way, this is not happening.”
A smirk curled up the corner of his lips as he watched her cheeks heat with embarrassment. “Oh, sugar. Is that a not now or not ever?”
“I…uh…” She stepped back from him until the back of her legs brushed against the edge of the bed.
As much as his bear loved to tease her, he decided to relieve her discomfort and shook his head. “That’s not why I brought you back here.”
“Then why did you?” A deep sigh escaped her as she dropped down onto the bed, clearly relieved.
“I didn’t want to disturb the others while they’re trying to sleep, and we need to talk. This was the only place. Unless we wanted to join Taber and Evie in the cockpit, or I guess there’s always the lavatories. Either way those would be close quarters. I expect you’ll want room for this conversation.”
“A conversation about mating, you mean?” She nodded. “So, Evie was right, wasn’t she? I’m your mate. But how? How do you know that?”
“Our animal recognizes our mate immediately. The connection
between them is almost instant and at first touch the link grows stronger. The electricity you felt tingling along your skin earlier is proof of the bond.” He stepped away from the door, coming closer to her. “For shifters, the surge of energy is accompanied with overwhelming need. My polar bear wants to mark you as his, to claim you so everyone knows. Until we consummate our mating, completing the bond, he’ll grow more uneasy as the need begins to engulf him. It’s only a matter of days before—”
“Days?” She tipped her head back to look up at him. “Are you saying we only have days to cement this union? We barely know each other.”
“Don’t worry, sugar. You’re human, you won’t feel the effects of a delayed mating. Not like a shifter would.” He took a step back and leaned against the wall, his gaze on her.
“You will though.”
The sadness in her voice had him longing to move closer to comfort her, but he forced himself to remain where he was. “It will be fine.”
“Before I cut you off, you started to say it’s only a matter of days before what?”
“My beast is close to the surface demanding we either mate or…” He paused unsure if he wanted to explain the true consequences of a mating left unfulfilled. Deciding it was best to leave out the fact his beast could go rogue, he added, “Or shift.”
“With your hesitation, I feel like there’s something more. Something you’re not telling me.”
“Everything will be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Well, I do. Maybe it’s this mating thing or maybe it’s because you saved my life. No matter the reason, I care.” She paused and let out a deep breath before tipping her head toward the bed. “Maybe we should just get it over with.”
“Not a chance.” Stepping away from the wall, he knelt in front of her. “If you were another shifter, rushing this might be a possibility, but you’re not. Humans need more time to adjust to this, to get to know their mate, and to understand what it means. Rushing in head-first is not how we’re going to handle this. Also, we’re not doing it on the plane where everyone can hear us.”
“What if I promise to keep it down?” She tapped the bed next to her. “Come on, you know you want to.”
“Sugar, no matter how quiet you were, everyone on this plane is a shifter. They’ll hear us. Hell, if they wanted to they could listen to our conversation now, and we’re barely above a whisper.” He placed his hand on her thigh. “We’ll be in Alaska soon. In a few hours, after I meet with Ty and get Evie settled, I’d like to spend time with you. Dinner and conversation. Let’s start there and see where it takes us.”
“Okay.”
“That’s it?” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “I expected more…I don’t know drama. You learn you’re to be mated with a polar bear you just met, and you accept it without any fuss?”
“Why not? It’s not like I haven’t known about shifters for a couple years now. Maybe if I learned about your existence and found out I was supposed to be your mate at the same time I’d be more irrational about it. That’s not the case. I know Lou, and while I’m sure there are some bad shifters in the world, he wouldn’t have had me contact someone who would place me in danger. I also heard Lou talk about his mate. Their time together was short but when he talked about her the love they shared was clear. If that’s what mating is, then I should be honored to have one. Human relationships are unfortunately messy more often than not.” She placed her hand over his. “Plus, I have a couple questions for you anyway. So, dinner and conversation seems like a perfect idea.”
“What kind of questions?”
“How about, why didn’t you tell me before?” Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. “How long would you have waited before coming clean if Evie hadn’t said something? I’ve wasted too much time on a man that didn’t value me enough to be honest, and I won’t do it again.”
“I’m not that man and we had bigger issues to worry about.” He tipped his head toward her injured leg before his gaze returned to hers. “It’s not that I wasn’t going to tell you, I—”
“Just on your terms, right?” she snapped.
“No.” He placed his hand over hers. For her to think he’d lied to her enraged his bear. It had never been his intention. He wanted her safe and that had been at the forefront of his attention. “My priority was getting you to safety, attending to your wound, and once that was done, the timing didn’t feel right. I didn’t want to tell you while we were stuck in a plane where others could overhear.”
“That sounds like an excuse.”
“It’s not,” he defended. “At least it’s not meant to be. I wasn’t sure how you’d take it, and I wanted time to assure you.”
They sat there in silence for several minutes. Frost wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure what to say to make it better. She was upset he hadn’t told her about the mating from the start and he understood yet when he found her in the cabin terrified it wasn’t exactly the place for such a revelation.
“How did Evie end up in your care? I mean…” Clearly uneasy, she bit the corner of her lip. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking, and it kind of slipped out.”
“Don’t,” he reassured her. “It’s natural to wonder why she’s with me instead of her parents. Truth is, I’m all that’s left. Our parents were killed a couple years ago, which left her in my custody.”
“I’m sorry.”
Sitting inches from her brought Frost’s bear close to the surface, making it hard to control the flood of grief. His attention had been focused solely on Evie. Between helping her manage her anguish and adjust to the responsibilities that came with raising a young girl, his own grief had taken a backseat. Now after being boxed up for years, it rushed forward, choosing the wrong moment to reappear.
Not now. Not here with her. He tried to force the memories back down into the darkness, but they were stronger than they’d ever been, overpowering him.
Chapter Eleven
Unable to control the flood of horror, darkness settled around Frost’s vision, pushing him back into that night.
The bitter scent of blood mixed with the cool fall air as screams echoed against the surrounding trees. Time froze as he turned in the direction of his family’s home. Jumping off the fallen tree he’d been frolicking on, he darted the way he’d come not more than an hour ago. Back toward the house, back to his family. He crossed the distance quicker in his bear form than he could have if he shifted. Still it wasn’t fast enough.
Nearing the cabin, the scent of blood was overpowering. Instead of rushing ahead like his bear wanted, he forced himself to pause at the edge of the tree line. Using the coverage, he took in the area before him. The scent in the air was different—not shifter, yet not completely human. He couldn’t place the strange scent lingering in the air. It was more than blood and terror. The night air held an electricity unlike anything he’d felt before.
“What do you want?” his mother screamed.
“Shifters have no place in our world,” a deep voice rumbled.
His father’s earlier words came back to him, reminding him of the threats shifters in the area were receiving. Some thought it was black magick killing off shifters, others thought it was a serial killer. No one knew for sure. More important, no one knew how anyone learned about the handful of solitary shifters living in the area. Still someone had, and it was clear they were being targeted. Three families had been attacked and killed in the last two weeks.
From his position he had a direct view of what was transpiring. The cozy living room was cramped as his parents knelt on the floor at gunpoint by three men armed with assault rifles. The tallest of the three had Frost’s mother knelt in front of him, his fingers digging into her shoulder as he held the gun to her temple, leaving his father with no option but to wait for a better opportunity. Making a move now would no doubt get her killed.
“Where are you, Evie?” He forced himself to look away from the living room, to scan the rest of the house for his sister. No other movemen
t caught his attention. Was she still asleep in bed? He doubted that. Even though she was too young to shift, her beast was within her, making her senses alert. She’d have realized something was happening.
Staying within the tree line, he circled around to the back of the house. If Evie was awake, it was likely she took refuge in her cave. True polar bears preferred a snow shelter as their sanctuary, whereas shifters had to make do with something less noticeable. The benefit of her hiding spot was it linked to the basement, giving him another entrance, one that would hopefully allow him to go in unnoticed.
“I’ll get her out and then help our parents,” he mumbled to himself as the basement door came into view. His parents had a better chance of defending themselves against a group of humans than an eight-year-old.
After double-checking the area was clear, he shifted back to human form and slipped on the shorts he’d left hanging on the branch when he went out earlier. His beast stayed near the surface, ready to reappear if needed. Rather than forcing his bear further inside of him, he left it close and jogged toward the basement door.
Sliding it open, he was hit with the stench of fear. Evie’s fear. Stepping inside he pulled the door shut enough no one would notice it was ajar, but would still allow him to peer out to check the area when he returned with his sister.
His eyes adjusted immediately, allowing him to see where he was going. Not sure what he’d find when he opened the latch to Evie’s cave, he grabbed the shovel leaning against his father’s work bench. He wouldn’t need it, rather it would be something Evie could use if she needed to defend herself, and it allowed her to stay far enough back they wouldn’t be able to grab her.
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