Luke (Bear Shifter) (New World Shifters) (5 page)

He smelled good too, clean like the earth and the snow around us with a spice of pine that made me lick my lips. I hadn't really been close enough to smell him before, though I’d always simply assumed that he'd have that same sickly sweet alcoholic aroma that all drunks did.

In fact, it didn't really seem like he was drunk at all. If I’d just met him now, and had to judge his level of sobriety simply by the way he looked and the way he was acting, I’d have said the guy hadn't picked up a beer for years.

Maybe never.

I knew that wasn't the case though, and I supposed that nothing sobered a guy up quicker than coming across a body in the freezing cold, only to have someone else discover you.

“What do we do?” I whispered.

“We don’t talk. We wait.”

“For what?”

“For fate,” he said matter-of-factly, his voice so calm and serious that I couldn't help but give him a sideways glance to see if he was pulling my leg. He wasn't. At least, if he was, he deserved an Academy Award.

The time for questions was gone though, as one more broken tree branch shattered beneath a heavy boot to signal the approach of whoever was nearby. I held my breath, and felt the man above me do the same as we watched Bruno walked into the clearing across from us, his eyes on the ground as he followed my tracks to Everly’s body.

Shit
.

Bruno hardly even glanced at Everly's face. I knew my boss well enough to gauge the fact that he wasn't at all surprised to see the corpse.

I guess that made sense. Bruno hadn't been guessing about the torn out throat thing, which meant that he would've known that what he was saying was a lie. The best way to know
that
was to have seen the body for himself. I didn't know why he was making up lies, but it didn't matter now. Bruno was on to me, and this become a matter of life or death so quickly that I started to shiver.

I felt like I was going into shock. Despite the man on top of me and the heat that he brought with him, I felt my face go numb and my fingers start to tingle and lose feeling.

“Hang in there,” the guy above me whispered into my ear, his mouth pressed so closely to my face that I probably could've turned and kissed him with no effort at all.

The very fact that I thought of that bothered me, but there was something about the arch of those cupid lips and the soft, almost sensual play of them in the shell of my ear that made me ache for more of his touch. It was stupid, and I knew that I had to get myself together, but that didn't stop the fact that his body was starting to light mine up in ways that I hadn't felt for years.

Bruno glanced around the forest that surrounded him. We must've been well hidden, because even though he looked practically right at us, his gaze kept right on moving.

Just as I thought he might turn around and go though, he gave a little self-satisfied grunt to himself and began to walk around the gulley in our direction.

“Did you come here from the bar?” The guy above me asked.

I nodded, afraid that my voice would be heard where his was not.

“Okay,” he said. “In a couple of seconds you’ll see something strange. Let it happen. Stay where you are, and when Bruno leaves to follow me get your ass back to the bar as fast you can. Don't look back. Don't ask questions. Don't wonder whether you're sane or not, because I assure you that you are. If he knows you’ve seen the body he’ll kill you, and he won't care about your son or your past when he does it. You're in the way Zoe, and he's not going to let you be in the way for long if he knows that you found out this secret.”

I lay there, stunned. Who was this guy, and how did he know so much about me? The only person I’d told up here about Jake was Carla, and I knew I could trust here. As far as anyone else knew I was just down on my luck and looking for a job that paid under the table, the same as practically every other resident of Barrow.

I folded my hands into fists angrily, pissed off that my secrets had been so easily uncovered. He had me at a disadvantage as well, since I didn't even know anything about him. Hell, I didn't even know his name!

But I guess that didn't matter. A moment later, as Bruno closed in, the man on top of me pushed himself to his feet and took a step away.

Even though I was looking at my strange protector, if I’d have blinked right then I would have missed it.

I saw his body shimmer. The wind rose up around us and rustled the leaves, and Bruno threw an arm up to protect himself from the wind and ice that dropped from the trees. An instant later a huge grizzly bear stood where my man had been, reared up on his hind legs, roaring so loudly that I had to cover my ears or risk my eardrums being ruptured.

I thought that he would rush forward and attack, but instead he dropped down to all fours and charged off to the North, smashing through tree branches and knocking aside a few smaller saplings as he went.

Gobstruck, I didn't know what to feel when a huge, slavering Wolf chased him, howling at the top of its lungs, tearing through the wilderness after the larger beast.

I looked back at Bruno, my battered mind thinking that maybe I could see in his eyes that he just saw the same thing I did, but he was
gone
.

I was alone once more, so I did the only thing I could do. I took the advice of the man who had just become a Bear, and I raced back to town.

Luke

I heard Bruno in Wolf form as he closed in behind me, followed quickly by the dark chorus of the Pack as they heard his initial howl. They’d obviously stopped whatever they were doing in Barrow and taken up the chase.

And why wouldn't they? Whatever criminal lives they led as humans could certainly be put on hold if it meant coming to the aid of their Alpha. Not all Wolves were the same, but there were a few general rules. One of them was that they would do what was best for the pack, though sometimes in their minds that meant destabilizing it in order for them to lead. They were cunning and they were wily.

I wasn't ready to take on the entire pack at once, and so I did what I had to do to lead them away from Zoe.

Zoe. Just the thought of her, just the nearness that I had so recently experienced was enough to make me weak and threaten to lose my focus. She was
irresistible
. When we were in the same room I couldn't take my eyes off of her, and even though I had to play the part of the beer swilling, hang-around-the-town loser, I still saw in her eyes that she felt a little affection for me.

Imagine how close we could grow if I could finally drop the act?

I raced ahead of the Pack as quickly as I could, knowing all the while that this was a race I couldn't win. They’d catch me unless I did something. Wolves may not be faster than Bears over short distances, but they could run me into the ground if this chase dragged out for much longer.

I did my best to block Zoe out of my mind and think of the task at hand. It wasn’t working. My mind kept returning to the soft feel of her curves against me as I held her there in the snow. She was intoxicating. This whole time I’d been using my magic to burn off the alcohol as quickly as I drank it, but pressing my face against hers to whisper in her ear had forced me to inhale the sweet, alluring scent of her and that made me drunk with desire.

I couldn’t fight that. She was mine. I felt it in my bones.

That probably didn't matter anymore, though. However coy I’d been trying to be, however covert and undercover, I’d just ruined it by Shifting in front of her. I knew there hadn’t been any other choice, but I still felt a pang in my heart as I charged away.

I’d lost her before we even had a chance. After this, Zoe would never accept me. She was a human, and worse, she wasn't one of the ones destined to be with a Shifter. My brother Timber had Rachel, and though she may be human she was still clearly a daughter of Virginia Dare. Even Darius, if he ever did meet up with Grace, would no doubt find that his new mate had the ability to walk in dreams because of her Dare lineage.

I wasn't so lucky. The woman I had fallen for was mortal, without any of the bite of magic in her blood. It didn't stop me from loving her, from lusting after her, but it
did
mean that she and I could never work. If we ever fell in love, it would be doomed from the start.

I wished for the hundredth time that I didn't know that already, but being the youngest made me the one who understood the magic, which meant that I knew things I didn't necessarily want to know.

Even though I wanted her, I couldn't have her. Only pain would come from trying. I tried to remind myself of that as I raced away.

But behind me, Bruno was already gaining. I could feel the gap between us shrinking as he began to catch up. Worse, the other Wolves were hot on our trail as well. I hadn't come into this with an escape plan, since I hadn't thought I’d have to reveal myself. My magic was enough to conceal me from the senses of the Werewolves, but that only worked in the bar, were the noise and heat of the place and the stink of alcohol everywhere made it possible.

Out here, I was fair game…

If I was going to make it out of this alive, I needed a plan. I wasn't without my advantages. There may be more of
them
, and they may be faster, but I was stronger, far abler to take a beating. I couldn't take the whole Pack head on at once, my father and Darius found that out the hard way, but I could certainly take more punishment than they could.

Perhaps I could use that against them. After all, what choice did I have?

A thought, deadly and perfectly formed, appeared in my mind and I immediately obeyed it, swerving to the right. We were coming out of the forest now, and up ahead there were a series of deep crevasses where the glacier had begun to come away from itself.

Some of those holes were long, vertical shafts lined with razor-sharp ice. Even better, they were often hundreds of feet deep. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them ended with the frigid Bering Sea pooled at their bottom, while others were simply caves that held only death.

It was a risk, of course. If the fall didn't kill me, I might not be able to ever get out. But I had no choice, and so I ran even faster and put my head down in an effort to get away from them.

Snow kicked up around me and I heard the Wolves begin to circle. I didn't look back, instead setting my gaze firmly on a deep, narrow crevasse that suddenly yawned ahead of me. This place was between my cave and I, and I'd scouted it thoroughly. I never imagined I’d have to jump down one of the holes, but I’d filed their existence away in my head nonetheless.

After all, the opportunity to lead my enemy through this minefield at night in hopes that they broke their necks wasn’t something I’d have turned down.

I guess I was going to use them for a very different purpose. Before I could second-guess myself I breathed found myself saying the word, “Zoe” out loud. It wasn’t a spell. Her name shouldn’t have had power, but it somehow dulled the pain as gravity took hold and I hurtled downward, my pelt catching on jagged ice and tearing open in several places as my pelt ran slick with blood.

Zoe

I ran to the bar as if my life depended on it, since I was almost certain that it did. For a moment I thought it would be best to retrace my tracks, to sprint as quickly and surefootedly as I could along the trail I’d already made back to Bruno's. After all, he’d already found my footprints, so what difference would it make that they now went back in the same direction they'd come?

Of course, that would lead him right back to me. If he got tired of chasing my rescuer and returned, once he followed the tracks they’d only go back to the bar he owned. He'd find me and Carla there, and that was it. I may as well come out and tell him that it was me he’d been tracking.

Not very secretive of you,
I told myself.
Play this smart girl, or you’ll regret it
.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I was good under pressure, and I wasn't going to let what I’d just seen rattle me. Yes, the guy who'd saved me from being discovered had turned into a Bear. I couldn't pretend that wasn't the case. It had happened, but I wasn't about to let that slow me down now.

here was plenty of time later to sort that out. And if there wasn't, it would be because I'd messed up my escape right now…

Instead of heading for the bar I ran to the road. If Bruno followed me, he’d only be able to track me to the road and that would be it. There were a lot of people that lived in town, and any one of them could've gone to the bar, found it closed, gone to the woods and returned to the road. It didn't have to be me, and I wouldn't implicate myself or Carla in the process.

As I ran through the snow I realized that I was retracing the steps I'd seen in the moonlight last night. When I came out of the forest I could see the little rise ahead of me where I’d stopped, and this time I knew exactly who had made those tracks.
Or did I
? Everly had been one of them, that was for damn sure.

But who had made the other set? The guy who'd saved me, who was now a Bear?

I didn't know. Instead of puzzling it out now, once again I told myself it didn't matter.
Get through this, and then you can ask all the questions you want. For now, it has to be about survival. Curiosity killed the cat and all that, remember?

I sucked in cold lungfuls of air and sprinted through the snow as best I could, working so hard that the chill wind in my throat made me hoarse. The road wasn't too far ahead, but I was starting to get worn out. Fear and adrenaline had gotten me this far, but I was starting to slow down.

It was hard going, and without a set of snowshoes I hit a deep section and sunk into the ice and snow that surrounded me up to my waist. It was like trying to run through mud, or trying to sprint through the ocean as the tide pulls against you.

I thrashed my way to my feet again and finally made it to the road. Without too much surprise, I saw that I had indeed retraced my steps from last night, stepping out onto the gravel and asphalt right next to the outfitter’s building.

Once I hit the road, I turned left and hurried to Bruno's bar.

For a moment I wondered if I should be walking casually, but there was no one around. I'd rather someone see me and think it was odd that I was hurrying to work for once than Bruno to check on me and have me not be there.

I dashed up the street, keeping as low a profile as I could. I didn't cross paths with anyone, and when I got to Bruno's I let myself in as quickly as I could before slamming the door shut behind me and locking it tight.

I collapsed against the wood, out of breath. I was so spent that my eyes were actually blurry, and when I rubbed my face I felt little crystals of ice in my eyelashes.

“Where in the hell did you go?” demanded Carla.

“Here,” I panted. “I've been here the whole time, okay?”

I pushed myself to my feet and tried to clean as much of the snow off of me as I could, stomping on the ground in my boots and kicking the flakes into the corner to melt.

“If you say so,” Carla told me, eyeing me suspiciously. “But just so you know, he was already here.”

I nodded, though I didn't answer. It made sense that Bruno had already arrived and was looking for me. That's why he followed my tracks in the first place.

“Don't worry,” she told me, “I told that old bastard that you hadn't arrived yet. Figured he might see the tracks outside, so made up a story about some drunk banging on the door before finally getting the hint and going away. I think you're safe, so long as you sweep that snowy mess up that you're making now a bit better than you have and get your ass behind the bar.”

I smiled at her, grateful. Carla always had my back, and once again I reminded myself that if I could ever do something to repay the favors she'd done for me, I would. In a heartbeat. She was good people, as my mother used to say, and I didn't deserve the type of looking out that she was doing for me.

I might not deserve it, but I was sure as hell grateful for it. I took her advice and grabbed a broom, removing all traces of my entry. It was always damp in the corner by the door, so that wouldn't betray me. Once I was done, I hurried behind the bar and made myself look busy.

And not a moment too soon, it turned out. Practically no time passed between me picking up a glass to clean it and Bruno throwing open the front door, shattering the lock against the wall. Shards of wood flew as far as the tables where the Wolf pack sat, and I jumped and spun to face him.

Carla didn't so much as flinch, which told me that she was expecting a response like this.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Bruno asked me fiercely.

I shrugged, looking away. “I had some errands to run.”

Bruno didn’t answer. Instead, he got close enough to stare into my eyes. I saw his nostrils widen, and it was almost as if he was trying to smell the truth on me. “You do that shit on your own time,” he said eventually. “Is that clear?”

I nodded. “I'm sorry Bruno,” I told him, “after you left I was scared. I wasn't really sure if we were safe. I mean, if a big guy like Everly could get his throat torn out like that, then… I'm not from around here, and the animals terrify me. I was worried that maybe I wouldn’t be safe on my own, so I went to the outfitters to see if they had a gun.”

“Did you, now?” he asked darkly. “And what was the old man's answer?”

Shit. I couldn't just keep my head down and stay out of trouble, could I? I had to make up a lie, and worse make up a lie that meant that someone else could double check and verify it.

Oh well, I'd already dug this hole. Cole would probably cover for me. I knew for a fact he had no love of Bruno and the Wolf pack, after all. He was old enough to be above that type of politics, or so he said.

“He told me to try the pawnshop,” I said, feigning despair. “Nothing he had was in my price range.”

“Yeah, well,” Bruno said, sounding like he was going to drop the subject. “It's probably good advice, actually.”

“I thought so too”, I agreed.

Bruno stopped talking and just stood there on the other side of the bar, hands on his hips and feet, watching Carla and I work. I didn't want to stare back at him, so I turned around and washed and dried as many dishes as I could. I could feel his gaze on me, and when I risked a glance at Carla I could tell by the look on her face that he was still watching us.

“Zoe?” He asked at last.

“Yeah boss?” I asked casually, pushing as much sincerity and innocence into my voice as I could possibly muster.

“These animals that you're worried about…”

“Yeah?”

“Are you more afraid of a Bear, or a Wolf?”

Even though my back was to them, I froze. This wasn't some casual interrogation. This was so much more. He was asking about my loyalty, and I realized that the Wolf I'd seen run past me had been
him
.

The Wolf pack was probably exactly that, and the drunk I had been serving for the past few weeks in the corner was in reality a Bear. I didn't know how they could change, and I didn't know why. All of that was superfluous. They could change forms, look like men and then become animals. It was real, and that was all that mattered.

I shrugged, slowly turning around to face him. “To be perfectly honest, they all scare me witless,” I answered. I “just want to be in here where I can do my job, earn my money, and go home. That's it. Nothing more.”

He watched me closely, and I could see my fate being weighed in his eyes. Finally he grunted, the decision made. “That sounds like an excellent plan,” he told me. “Make sure you do just that.”

“Yes, Bruno,” I told him, nodding. “I think I'll do exactly that.”

He glanced at Carla, then back at me before leaving, closing the broken door behind him as best he could. Once he was gone, the light and the wind and snow still drifted in, and whatever hope I had of seeing my mysterious stranger drifted out.