Dark Ice

Pink Petal Books

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Additional Titles By The Author

The Veteran
Dark Moon

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DARK ICE

ISBN# 9780983589273

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Copyright © CONNIE WOOD, 2011

Cover Art ® 2011 by VALERIE TIBBS

Edited by MARY ANN HAVERLACK

Electronic Publication Date: June 2011

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Jupiter Gardens Press,
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Gardens
, LLC.,

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Dark Ice

Connie Wood

PPB

Chapter One

The shimmering colored lights danced across the horizon, stretching up to the skies, and the brightness of the stars shone through the glimmering Northern Lights. Dane watched the dazzling spectacle as both the human and animal pieces of his heart felt whole for what felt like the first time in forever.

His ebony black eyes surveyed his surroundings, animal instincts processing the beauty and harshness of his environment. He stretched his thick, hard muscles and tried to resist the urge to run from the comfort of his den and across the ice fields. It was too late in the night and he needed rest so he could resume hunting as soon as the first light of a still-weak sun hit the horizon.

Food was particularly scarce this time of year and while he was in animal form, the need for huge amounts of sustenance was always a priority. The logical part of his brain said he should transform back into human form and live in luxury at his home on the outskirts of town. But he preferred his polar bear shape and his base animal instincts, the cold hard ice under his weight, and the freedom it brought. Besides, his human home was too close to civilization, and the constant urge to take human flesh was consuming. He knew what he was and made no apologies for it. He was a shape shifter who could turn from man to bear in an instant. He was a cold blooded animal but he was always careful to keep his kills to a minimum.

It had been almost a month since the only local shape shifter hunter, the venator, Tynan, left to start a different life with his new found love, Moon. The idea of going into town and having free reign of the townsfolk crossed Dane’s mind when he heard of Tynan leaving the isolated Arctic region. But life-long respect for the hunter allowed his human reasoning to over-ride his animal hunger. So he stayed in bear form and went back to his home while Tynan and Moon left to start a better life together. A twinge of envy pierced him at the thought. The Venator deserved his happiness, especially after the years of injustice he endured. But the simple fact that happy endings were possible gave Dane false hopes.

Unbidden, the image of the woman he rescued from the carnage at the youth club a month ago slid into his mind. The rush of overwhelming emotion she produced in him still lingered at the edges of his psyche. It urged him to rip and devour, yet at the same time be gentle and loving. The contradiction of sentiment confused him. Why did her emotions affect him so deeply? Why couldn’t he purge the sensation of her body pressed against his as he carried her to safety? How could he forget about her and get on with his life when she was all he could think about most of the time? And it was futile to think of her. Dane knew his reality and without a doubt there was no place for her in his world.

Sad resignation fought with the powerful feelings of envy and longing. He glanced up to the heavens. The Northern Lights had disappeared, leaving a smattering of bright, glinting stars across the sky. Dane snorted and turned back toward his den as the two halves of his heart separated again, the image of a woman breaking them in two.

Dane stopped, a rush of magical power washed through him, turning him human instantly. A pile of animal pelts sat on the snow next to the opening of his den, the woman who plagued his thoughts sat amongst them. Her large golden brown eyes widened as he transformed from a bear to a human. One of her delicate slim hands came up to nervously stroke a silver pendant hanging just above her naked breasts. The beautiful image of her shimmered and waivered before his eyes. Dane swallowed hard, heat tearing through his body at the sight and he was thankful that he was standing in the snow to cool his desires. His cravings urged him to go to her and take her. He was a man of deep passions and for reasons unknown to him, this woman concentrated those passions until they were so potent, he wasn’t sure he could control them. But he was also an animal and he would do nothing to hurt her. How would he control urges if he needed to transform?
   

“Is this a dream?” Dane asked.

“You only exist in my dreams, you’re not possible any other way,” she answered, her voice sounding like a soft caress in the vast openness of the ice fields. “I dream about you all the time, but not like this. This feels different somehow.” She ran her hand across the pelts, a look of confusion creasing her brow.

He could understand her confusion, he too thought of her often, but not like this. Everything felt real, all his sensations like the icy wind whipping across his face, the heat churning through his body, feeding his appetite. The feel of her intense gaze across his body.

But it had to be a dream since she could never believe what he really was and stay so calm. In real life, she would have run a mile by now.

She didn’t run from you in the club when you saved her from the wolves.

The small voice of hope was buried deep within his mind. Dane shook his head trying to dismiss the thought. He wouldn’t dream when he knew there was no chance to be had. And if he could only be with her in his dreams, then he would accept that graciously.

Dane moved toward the woman, and stepped onto the thick soft pelts. She stood up to meet him and Dane sucked in a breath as she stood before him, completely naked and open to him. He’d had many lovers over his lifetime, but he could always feel the slight edge of trepidation, see the fear in their eyes as he came close to them. He never blamed them, it was instinctual to be scared of him, just as it was his nature to inflict fear in others.

He felt no trepidation in the woman before him and the tightness in his chest that had plagued him since he first saw her, squeezed at his heart. She was tall for a human woman, though she was dwarfed by his size. He wanted to reach out and caress her soft, smooth skin as it shivered in the cold.

“If I touch you, will you vanish?” Dane reached toward her face, his hand hovering just centimeters from her cheek.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to disappear. I want to be here with you.”

The earnestness in her voice surprised him. Very few people actually wanted to be near him. And never a human female. Especially one as beautiful in body and spirit. He clenched his jaw and hoped he didn’t awaken from this dream as he cupped her face. She closed her eyes and leaned into him.

“What’s your name?” Dane asked, his voice sounding husky even to him.

“Lea. And you are?” She opened her eyes to look at him.

“Dane.”

She laughed and the vibration shook him to his very soul. It had been a long time since he heard the sound of laughter.

“Strange that we need introductions in a dream, you’d think we would automatically know each other,” she said.

Dane smiled and ran his thumb across the smoothness of her cheek. She felt so real he wanted to savor every moment. With gentle fingers he tilted her head up to face him and searched her eyes for any hesitation before he leaned in to claim her lips.

He growled at the taste of her and fought down the animal inside him. He clenched his jaw for an instant as the bear nearly won over his desires. Slowly he slid his tongue across the crease of her lips until she opened to him.

She stepped into him and pressed the length of her body against his. His arms immediately went around her, bringing her even closer to him. He wanted to feel her skin on his, without the barrier of clothes. As if she wanted the same thing, Lea slipped her hands across his back, underneath his shirt. He moved with her, broke the kiss and ripped off his shirt.