Mating Season (8 page)

Koll used his strong hips to fight her restriction and power through her fluttering sheath. He stroked into her half a dozen more times before arching his spine. Throwing back his head, he roared out his release and thrust his cock just as deeply as promised. Shila felt the hot splash of his cum hitting her most hidden recesses.

Hard spasms and aftershocks made her vagina lock on to him long after he'd stopped spending inside her. She trembled so hard she saw her eyelashes quiver.

"That is how I will take you this breeding season.” The press of Koll's lips against hers was whisper-soft. “I'll take you five times a day until I've put my babe in your womb, and I will love you until the day I die. Maybe beyond."

She would have hugged him if he hadn't still been holding her wrists. Instead, she stretched up and caught his mouth. “And you think you're not good with romantic words."

His grunt made her smile.

After Koll released her wrists, she held him tight, but not for long. While they were holed up cozily in here, Tartok and Cikuq were still out there hunting for her. Safety was an illusion. Any minute, the brothers could break through the door and attack, so they needed to be ready.

They took the time to bathe and get dressed before sitting down to breakfast. Although Koll was quiet throughout the meal, he wore a pensive expression she was sure meant he was strategizing. They needed a plan. She waited until they'd finished eating and had cleaned up to share her thoughts.

"I should change into my bear form and sniff around,” she said. “We need to know where they are and when they might be back."

"We need to set a trap,” Koll replied. “Our best strategy is to lure them in and face them at a time and place of our choosing. Otherwise, they have the advantage of surprise."

"That's why I need to track them."

He regarded her solemnly. “I don't want you near them."

His protectiveness made her want to snarl and nuzzle him at the same time.

"You can't keep me confined here doing nothing.” That was something she would never tolerate. “I don't plan on getting too close to them. I'll just use my nose to figure out where they are. Besides, the brothers won't hurt me.” She curled her lip. “They want me whole and healthy to breed their cubs."

No, the one in danger here was Koll. He was outnumbered and outmatched if the men transformed into frost bears, which was exactly what Tartok and Cikuq would do. They weren't concerned with honor or fairness. Their only goal was to defeat rival males quickly and with as little risk of injury to themselves as possible.

"That's to our advantage,” Koll said. “But I still don't want you dealing with them."

Shila remained silent since further arguing would only rile him up. She understood how powerful instincts were, especially those tied to mating.

Obviously taking her response as agreement, he continued. “Tell me their weaknesses."

"They don't have many. As men, they are stronger than me or you, but not by an insurmountable degree. They've probably only fought in bear form—that's usually our way—so they won't have your skill. That will only prove an advantage if they don't shift, which they certainly will do if they sense a threat."

"So any attack we make will have to take them by surprise,” Koll said.

"Yes. There's also a moment of weakness when we shift. Although the transition is swift, it's not instantaneous. If you confront them and they change, strike the second you see their bodies enveloped in light. For that one moment in time, they're defenseless."

She could tell by the gleam in his eye he was pleased with this bit of knowledge. He couldn't afford to get cocky, though.

"You need to be equally aware of their strengths,” she warned him. “Even in man form, they have a far better sense of smell than your people. Their vision is very keen."

"Hearing?"

She thought about that. “Equal to yours. I haven't noticed much difference between forms."

He was silent for several minutes. “Why did they come to the village as men? Other beasts have wandered through here. From what you say, they could have tracked you more easily as frost bears."

"And what do you do when beasts wander through?” Shila posed the question neutrally, though she already knew the answer.

Koll shrugged. “Catch them if they're edible; scare them away if they're not.” She saw the moment he caught her meaning. “We band together to fend off the dangerous predators."

"Tartok and Cikuq would rather avoid facing a crowd of angry villagers. There's a higher chance of injury, especially if your people have advanced weaponry.” She studied him, allowing the obvious question to remain unspoken.

His frown was disheartening. “We have none. Some of the villages held on to the weapons of the ancestors for many generations, but those became useless once spent. There aren't the right minerals on this planet to make more."

And they wouldn't have made more, anyway. That was part of what the settlers of Jensen had fled from when they'd come here.

"Where does that leave us?” she asked.

"I have some ideas.” Koll still looked confident. “I want to lure them close to the village so they'll be more likely to stay men. Sturdy nets will slow them no matter what form they take. Gilby can help."

"But he's so small. He could be hurt."

Koll's lips twitched. “Don't judge him by his size. He's a fierce fighter."

She'd take his word for it, though she still thought of the man as a runt.

"I will rely on you to set up the trap,” she agreed, “but you still need me to track them. And you need bait."

"No."

"I'm what they want.” Shila saw he was about to argue. “They don't have to see me. They'll smell me. All I have to do is leave a fresh scent trail for them to follow, leading them right into your trap. I'll make sure it's strong enough that they can't miss it."

"How will you do that? Oh.” Koll cleared his throat.

Despite the circumstances, Shila was amused. “Where do you think bears relieve themselves?"

The chuffing noise he made had her grinning.

"The trick will be covering my scent,” he pointed out, serious again.

"You already smell strongly of me.” As intimately as they'd been living together, they were covered in each other's scents. “Greyfell can also mask you. I believe your hound has helped keep them from finding me this long, although that won't work forever."

Shila stood. “Let me find them first. The farther they've traveled, the more time we'll have to prepare."

Koll expressed his discontent with a grumble, but he didn't balk. Instead, he picked up her coat and handed it to her.

"I'll be in bear form,” she reminded him. Time to take her clothes off, not put them on.

"Not yet. We'll get Gilby first.” His tone brooked no argument so she didn't waste any more time.

When they reached Gilby's house, Shila just shook her head and laughed. The runt's home was nearly twice the size of Koll's. He was lucky he was such a personable little fellow, or he probably wouldn't have survived among the bigger males this long. She'd actually grown quite fond of him, if for no other reason than he was such a good friend to her mate.

"All right.” Gilby stepped out his front door and flipped up his hood. “I'm carrying my extra knife and best spear, as requested. Now what's this about us tracking those outsiders?"

Her mate was equally well-armed beside her. “They're killers, and they're after Shila. If we don't get them first, they'll kill me to get to her."

"What?” Gilby gaped at him.

Koll remained silent, wearing a look that clearly said, “You heard me."

"So we're hunting.” His friend's voice turned flat, and his eyes narrowed until he looked as vicious as a wolverine pup.

Shila's respect for him increased tenfold.

"First tracking,” Koll said. “Then we trap and kill."

"They are Children of Nanook,” Shila warned him.

"Let me guess.” Gilby's voice turned drier than the wind. “They like to put on bearskins and go around terrorizing villagers? People get crazy enough being cooped up all winter. Add a myth and a scary costume, and I'm sure you can build a reputation. You say they're dangerous, Koll, and I believe you. You know I'll fight with you. But don't try to tell me those two can magically transform themselves into frost bears."

It was Shila's turn to grunt, a habit she'd picked up from her mate.

"Fine,” Koll said. “I won't tell you."

The hint of a smile in his voice lightened Shila's mood. Slipping off her coat, she handed it to Koll and then reached for her boots.

"What are you doing?” Gilby asked.

"Changing."

"Out here? Why didn't you change clothes at home?"

Koll took control with a terse, “Turn around.” He spun the smaller man so he faced away from her.

As soon as she had her clothing off, Shila let the change take her. It felt incredible, like diving deep into the water and breaking the surface reborn. The fur coat that covered her was far better insulated than anything pilfered from other beasts, and strength flooded her expanding muscles. A new universe opened up to her courtesy of her snout. She felt every incredible detail of the change, though it was over in an instant.

Walking forward on feet that no longer sank in the snow, Shila nudged Koll's back to get his attention. Well, maybe she aimed more for his butt. She had an endless fascination for his rear end and every other angle of his body.

He gave her a look before letting his friend turn around.

"Don't take this the wrong way,” Gilby said, “but you two are very strange. Coming all the way over here to—"

His jaw dropped. In fact, his mouth formed a perfect O that mimicked the opening of his hood. His reaction was so comical Shila released a loud snort that fogged the air in front of her face.

Koll didn't offer any explanations. He kept his focus on her. “Track, but don't get close to them. Just find out which direction they went and whether they're at least a day away. No more. Understood?"

She nodded, which was always a bit awkward in bear form. Since the Suinnak brothers had last been seen heading south, she walked that way first, drawing in great gulps of air as she went. She heard Gilby's exclamations and incessant questions behind her as she led the way.

Had she been asked as a woman what her kind—what any individual—smelled like, she couldn't have described it. Her bear simply took in the scent and processed it automatically. One whiff and she could tell the sex, age, health, and diet of any creature with reasonable accuracy. And if she regarded Tartok's and Cikuq's scent as more of a stench? Well, that was the woman's mind adding the bad connotation. Her bear didn't like the odor any better, but the impressions were more simplistic: wrong, danger, stay away. These males had taken her unborn cubs from her, and they didn't follow the harmonic rhythms of nature. They were not suitable mates, and she wanted nothing to do with them.

Both bear and woman knew how to track. She found where they'd left the southern end of the village and followed her nose. The pair had remained men for a long distance before stripping and going to four paws. Their footprints were largely obscured, but where she found them, she set her feet in exactly the same spots. The two had definitely gone this way last night.

Occasionally checking to make sure she didn't run right into them, Shila stayed on their trail for over an hour. Then everything went wrong. Their tracks looped, intersecting the trail several times before coming to an abrupt end. Thinking she must have missed something, she covered a broader range, but it did no good. Had they double backed? Or had they shifted to men again and used the weather and the competing smells to camouflage their scent? Several sleds had obviously passed this way, adding layers of hound and man odor.

Frustration made Shila want to roar. She barely choked back the sound, and only because she knew the noise might attract the brothers’ attention if they weren't too far away. More than anything, she wanted this over. She wanted those two out of her life.

"They're smart.” Koll spoke softly, having obviously picked up on her loss of the trail and her surly mood.

His praise of their adversaries didn't make her feel any better.

Gilby eyed her warily. “It could be they're gone for good."

Koll shook his head. “They're close. Not near enough to be spotted by our people, but somewhere close so they can watch for Shila. We'll have to work fast."

They discussed nets and spears and strategy on the way back. Shila kept her ears pricked to listen, though she was still seething over her failure to track the males. Gilby returned to his house to gather supplies while she and Koll continued home to do the same. She didn't bother shifting again. It was so much easier to walk through the snow this way, and she didn't need any further irritation.

Beside her, Koll didn't bother with words of comfort. He reached out to pet her head and massage one of her ears the way she liked. His touch had her blowing out her breath and leaning into him. Whether she was in woman form or walking as a bear, her mate knew how to distract her. She forgot all about her frustration.

And she didn't notice Tartok and Cikuq at their door until she was almost on top of them.

Shila froze. Her mind and muscles locked up so she just stood there staring. It didn't look as if the brothers expected them to approach from this direction, either, because they became motionless too.

Koll was the first to move. He sprang into action with the speed and agility of an experienced fighter, whipping out his knife and burying it in Cikuq's gut. The male bellowed in pain before a blinding flash consumed his body. Koll just squinted and struck at the light with his spear. He pierced flesh with an audible smack before Cikuq completed his transition.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a killing blow. As soon as Cikuq finished the shift, Shila saw the spear had simply skewered his shoulder. And he wasn't the only bear now.

Shila finally unfroze. She felt as if she hit an iceberg as she surged forward in time to shield her mate from Tartok's attack. The male was nearly double her size as a frost bear, and the impact was bruising. She stumbled, but she didn't go down.