Arctic Winds (3 page)

Ethan laughed. “I like this one. She knows when you need to be put in your place.”

* * * *

“You’ll get the job. Don’t worry,” Jason told Samantha, enjoying the heat that flared briefly in her eyes as he ordered her around. Foxes were timid by nature; crafty, but timid when directly confronted. Maybe arctic foxes were different from those he’d dealt with in the past, but he doubted it. He’d wager not many her size would go up against a fully grown timber wolf like himself. He liked that. She may have been frightened when she first realized where she was, but he already knew the shifters she grew up with weren’t like the shifters he knew. He still couldn’t believe her pack had let her go.

Now she ha
s
a new pack
, he thought fiercely. He’d make sure she got the job at Laurie’s bookstore and see if she could rent the apartment above the store. He wanted her close. He wasn’t sure yet why, but he had feelings for her already and knew they would only grow in time. He wanted to shelter her, and hearing she was packless only made him more protective. She might be the one he was waiting for.

Jason should call Laurie to make sure she’d take Samantha before she found a reason not to stick around. He wanted her to have some ties to the town. He wanted to make it hard for her to leave.

“Excuse me for a moment.” Jason shoved his brother right out of the booth and onto the floor.

He briefly caught Ethan’s eye and didn’t like the mischief he saw there. “Behave,” he admonished.

Ethan’s smile continued to grow.

* * * *

“Don’t worry, big brother. I’ll take care of Samantha while you’re gone.” Samantha looked up from her meal and glanced between the brothers. What a strange relationship they had. There was affection, but Jason also looked as if he wanted nothing more than to kill Ethan at any given time.

“Samantha.” Ethan stared at her mouth.

“Do I have crumbs somewhere or something?” she asked, swiping her tongue at the corners.

Ethan’s chocolate brown gaze swept over her face. He looked deeply into her eyes, a mischievous smile curving his lips. Slowly, he stood and moved to her side of the booth, glancing briefly in Jason’s direction before giving her his full attention. He crowded her into the corner, resting his arm along the back of the booth and around her shoulders. She glanced to her right as she felt him playing with a lock of her hair, jumping as his breath caressed her ear. Did he just sniff her neck?

“No crumbs,” he whispered.

“What are you doing?” She put her hand on his chest and leaned away from him.

“Getting to know you.” He shrugged. “I’ve never seen an arctic fox before. Will you shift for me sometime?”

Suddenly, their request for her to stay, to join the pack, became clear. Like a kid with a toy at Christmas, they were enchanted by something new. Never having met an arctic fox before, they probably wanted to observe her, like a bug under a microscope.

At least it was a place to stay, though. She could stay for now, and after they tired of her, as they inevitably would, she’d be on her own once again. Always on her own. Samantha sighed dejectedly. Her head was pounding again making her want to curl up somewhere and go to sleep.

Maybe she could find a cave or an abandoned den somewhere in the woods around here and settle down for a couple of days. She needed a long rest, and afterward she was sure she’d be good as new.

* * * *

Jason came back from calling Laurie to find his brother practically snuggling in the booth with Samantha. He forced himself to take a couple of breaths, calming down before he ripped his own brother to pieces. Jealousy flowed thick through his veins as he watched Samantha smile tentatively at Ethan. He needed to explain a few things to his younger brother. Samantha was off limits.

Jason walked over, yanked his brother out of the booth and shoved him into the opposite seat. Taking his brother’s place, Jason’s arm replaced Ethan’s around Samantha’s shoulder. Ethan winked at him, grinning like an idiot, while Jason glared.

“Testing a theory, big brother. Well, and keeping our dear Samantha warm for you.” He was trying to stir up trouble. Jason knew his brother too well to fall for those tricks.

“I spoke to Laurie. You start next week, provided you’re feeling better. She’ll let you stay in the apartment above the bookstore for a cut in your wages. You can move in immediately.” He looked down at the petite woman beside him. She was looking at him narrow-eyed. “She hired me without even meeting me? And she’s gonna let me stay at the store, too?”

“You’re part of the pack now, honey. We look after our own,” Ethan said.

Jason felt Samantha stiffen. She still didn’t understand. They’d already accepted her as their own. The decision had been made.

“I already told you, I’ll stay for a little while, but I’m not sticking around. I’m a fox, for crying out loud.”

“So?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“So, I can’t be a part of your pack.”

“Why not?”

“Uh, did you not understand me when I said I’m a fox? Who ever heard of a fox in a wolf pack?” She laughed. It was nice and low, and it made Jason’s belly clench with desire. How did she pull at him like this? He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His wolf was begging him to take her, to mark her as his. She had no idea what she did to him or the kind of danger she invited.

Here she was, sitting and laughing and insisting she could never be part of the pack when all he wanted to do was bend her over the table and make her submit, forcing her to stay forever. He had to get control of his wolf, but he longed to throw back his head and howl in triumph.

“Come on, I’ll take you to meet Laurie and see your new place,” Jason said, reluctantly pulling his arm from around her.

Chapter 3

Samantha didn’t know why she trusted him, but she did. Growing up, she’d been taught to be wary of other animals, especially those bigger than herself, which admittedly was most. In her human form she just squeaked past five feet tall, but in her fox form she was barely one foot high and three feet long, tail included. In the winter, her snow white fur puffed out and made her seem bigger, but she couldn’t rely on illusion to keep predators at bay.

She always kept a wide berth around the wolf territories. Not only were the wolves fierce and deadly, but they were extremely territorial. Instead of killing her, these wolves were welcoming her into their town, trying to make her pack. It was beyond understanding. Inexplicably, she felt comfortable and safe around Jason and his brother.

While Ethan had made her comfortable with his teasing manner, Jason had been less outwardly welcoming. However, all his frustration was directed at his brother, and when he put his arm around her, she had an overwhelming desire to snuggle against his side, bury her nose against his chest and breathe in his scent. The butterflies were back tenfold.

When Ethan had done the same, her animal senses had stood at attention, waiting for any reason to bolt. Yet her fox had curled up and settled in with Jason. It instinctually trusted him and she was willing to listen to intuition, for the time being.

“I walked here, so I’ll ride with you and introduce you to Laurie. She owns the bookstore.

It’s not far, and you can keep your car in the lot behind the store,” Jason suggested.

Samantha nervously wondered about the intelligence of letting a strange man into her car, never mind the fact he could shift into a wolf. He’d been nothing but nice to her, but that didn’t mean she should tempt fate. But she supposed if he had wanted to rape or kill her, he could have done it at any time. Premiers were a law unto themselves within their pack. He could easily have dragged her from the diner and killed her already. Besides, if she was going to live here, she might as well trust their Premier, of all people.

* * * *

Jason noticed Samantha’s moment of hesitation before leading the way to her car, but he let it pass without comment. She didn’t fully trust him yet, which was something he’d have to work on. It was his job as Premier to make sure every member of his pack felt comfortable coming to him with problems. Many leaders didn’t see it as he did and used fear or dominance to rule. Jason ruled with reason and justice. How could he fix problems if no one ever came to him for help?

He loved his pack, and as far as he could tell they were happy under his leadership. So happy, in fact, many other leaders came to him for advice—something he never foresaw when he took over two years ago and became one of the youngest wolf Premiers in shifter history.

“Turn left after this light.” He motioned. “The store’s right there.” He watched Samantha out of the corner of his eye. She must trust him to some degree or she would’ve never let him into her car. He’d have to build onto whatever already existed. Creating a foundation was key to any relationship, especially the one he planned to have with her.

Jason was tempted to ask her to dinner tonight, but he knew foxes tended to be hesitant in new situations and he didn’t want to scare her off. He had to proceed with caution. If he came on too strong, she would run, but if he didn’t snatch her up soon enough, he was worried someone else would. Samantha was stunning, and the men in this town acted like a dog with a bone when someone new appeared.

He mentally slapped himself. A dog with a bone? The woman was obviously addling his brain. As soon as he had climbed into the car, Samantha’s scent surrounded him. It made him want to pull this little fox into the backseat and have his wicked way with her. The whole ride over he had to force himself to pay attention to the road and not bask in the warm feeling her scent inspired.

He had to play his cards right. He would take things slowly but make sure to keep tabs on her. One way or another, she would be his. His wolf would settle for nothing less.

* * * *

Samantha looked around the bookstore as she entered. It was larger than the outside made it seem. Not only were there bookshelves but small nooks where large brown leather chairs and small tables invited customers to stay. A fire crackled in a fireplace by one of those nooks behind a beveled glass and wrought-iron screen. Cozy and welcoming. She could, without doubt, fall in love with this place.

A woman stood behind the counter. She looked at the pair as they entered, running her eyes over Samantha, sizing her up. . The woman was not traditionally beautiful but striking. Samantha was sure even in a crowded room, every eye would be on her, especially the men’s. With her dark brown, shoulder-length hair and high cheekbones, surely she was one of the most popular women in town.

“Is this her?” the woman asked Jason.

“Laurie, this is Samantha. Don’t let her rudeness fool you, Samantha. She may not have any manners, but we’re convinced she’s a good person deep,
deep
down.” The gleam in Laurie’s eyes made Samantha worry Jason had pushed her too far. Jason would obviously win a fight against the two, but Samantha suspected the woman would do quite a bit of damage. She was taller than the average man and exuded strength and confidence.

Before Samantha had time to blink, the woman launched herself over the counter and straight at them. She quickly got out of the way as the woman threw herself onto Jason’s back. Incredibly, instead of going for his throat, the woman looked like she was giving him a noogie. What the hell was going on?

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Jason laughed.

“You better be or I’ll tell Mom you said she didn’t raise me right.”

“Oh God! I take it all back.” Jason continued to laugh as the woman lithely jumped off his back and straightened her clothes.

“Laurie, why don’t you show Samantha the apartment, and I’ll watch the store for a few minutes?”

* * * *

Laurie hadn’t missed the daggers in Samantha’s gaze the moment she launched herself at her brother’s back. She had dealt with women throwing themselves at her brothers her whole life, so she wasn’t terribly surprised. What did surprise her, however, was her brother’s decision to make Samantha one of their own so soon after meeting her. She wasn’t wolf, and she certainly wasn’t related to anyone around town.

As she unlocked the door to the small studio above the store, Laurie decided to withhold judgment for now. She pointed to the larger square key as she led the way to the door.

“This one will let you in the building, just the stairwell. The second is for the door at the top that will actually let you into the apartment,” she explained. “It’s not much, but it’s got a bed and a roof. The kitchen is small, but all the appliances work. Bathroom’s to the right.” Laurie pointed out a few things in the apartment as she watched Samantha for her reaction.

“This is wonderful!” Samantha exclaimed. Laurie would’ve thought it was sarcastic if she didn’t catch the gleam of wonder in Samantha’s eyes. She knew the studio wasn’t much, just a small room with a bed and a kitchenette on one side, but Samantha was gazing around as if Laurie had handed her the keys to Buckingham Palace.

“Jason never told me where you came from.”

“Oh, I’ve moved around a lot.” Which didn’t really tell her anything.

She almost started digging deeper but saw Samantha yawn widely as she sat on the bed.

“You must be tired. I’ll leave the keys on the counter here. I close the store at eight tonight but I’ll be around until then. Let me know if you have any questions or need anything.”

“Thank you…for everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” Laurie wasn’t sure why since they’d barely exchanged two sentences, but she already liked Samantha. Now she just needed more information.

* * * *

“Everything settled?” Jason asked the moment Laurie walked into the store. He was sitting in one of the large armchairs facing the door, but jumped up as soon as she entered.

“Who is she?”

“I told you on the phone. She’s new in town, Ethan and I decided to help her and she needed a job.”

“I don’t doubt any of that. But I also know you, and I know you’re not telling me everything.

So since I’ve now hired her and letting her live in my apartment, perhaps you should tell me the whole story, don’t you think?”