Black Gold (19 page)

She’d rolled with him, finding a safe spot to rest as he stood and took a deep breath in through his nose. If he’d thought she smelled good before, the aroma was nothing compared to now. The extra strength of his wolf nose not only thrilled at their connection, but was ecstatic to find they shared a scent. Shaun threw back his head and howled in delight.

From a distance, a series of long and short yips answered him, and he grinned. Those weren’t shifters—just natural wolves, but it was always exciting to be able to appreciate a good songfest.

Gem sat silently, staring at him.

Was it too much? The unfamiliarity of the change now, or was it that this was the first time their wolves had met? He walked over and nudged her, stroking her side. Silky soft, there was no other way to describe her. Shaun wrapped himself around her and finished by resting his head along her back, the wolf equivalent of a hug.

She wiggled, and he rose to allow her freedom. Once she was on her feet, she shook then walked up to the highest ridge overlooking their camp. She waited, one paw landing on the trail, before pulling back.

Shaun understood. He stepped past her, making sure to brush her as he went by. Then he picked up the pace and ran. It wasn’t a race, but it was far quicker than they’d traveled in human form. The intriguing scents of the night crossed and crisscrossed their path. A covey of ptarmigan. The trickle of the stream much louder as they approached. There had been arctic hare in the area not even an hour ago by their lingering scent signature, and for a moment he considered tracking one down just for the fun of seeing what Gem would do when they spooked it up.

No, no threatening to do something bloody just to freak her out. That was totally immature and not how he was to treat his mate.

There was a crash behind him, and Shaun spun in time to see Gem’s backside disappear between two low bushes. He followed, paws light on the spongy turf of the tundra, scattered rocks lying in flat slabs below bushes that would be waist high on him in human form.

It made a dandy maze for his wolf, so he ignored everything but Gem’s scent.

A scream rang out, and he doubled his speed, bursting into a clearing in time to see Gem holding down a rather bloody hare.

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She licked her muzzle then swiped it clean with her free paw, pushing a few strands of fur back into place.

Shaun chuckled and paced forward. The tilt to her head said it all. She totally expected him to be shocked she’d made a kill.

Well, he was. But that was beside the point. He was also tickled that she’d proven to be far more than a princess in lilywhite gloves.

He crouched in front of Gem, his tail doing all kinds of doglike things. Letting it pound into the dirt was undignified, but he simply couldn’t help it. And when she nosed the carcass in his direction, gifting him with the bunny, he sang again with satisfaction.

While the whole mystical wolf-mate thing might be out of his hands, it was good to discover that his wolf was one hundred and fifty percent in love.

And his human side? Not that far behind.

The Moonshine Pub remained crowded, minutes away from closing. Caroline knew all of them were wolves. They would simply take the party over to the pack house, and keep drinking and fooling around until the wee hours of the night.

One of Evan’s more persistent admirers was hanging all over him again. The outfit covering the woman was strategically arranged to ensure maximum legal exposure. A sour taste slicked Caroline’s tongue—the bitch was one of the pack who enjoyed making trouble and watching others clean it up.

The perfect opportunity had finally arrived. Evan wanted to know if she could handle being linked with him? Sex, along with the rest of it?

She’d start with
the rest of it
—and it appeared a little violence was on the agenda. Fine. All those years of training hadn’t been for nothing. She might lack wolf reflexes, but a third-level black belt and her stepfather’s instruction counted for a lot when facing someone who
only
had being a wolf on her side.

Caroline removed her jacket to cut down on loose objects for the other woman to grab. She tossed it over a nearby chair and shook her hands to loosen up.

It took a minute to weave her way through the crowd to the main bar. Evan sat on a tall stool, his back to the counter. He spotted her, his gaze following her approach. There was a bit of a challenge on his face.

A dare. He was looking forward to her attempt, was he?

He’d better be damn well prepared for what she had on the agenda for later.

She lost sight of him as Ms. Trouble crawled between them, pressing her overflowing bosom tight to Evan’s chest. Caroline shouldered past the groupies clustered around Evan and the bar. The fact she was totally surrounded by people who could change into wolves barely made her pause.

This had to be done.

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Vivian Arend

She reached out and tapped the woman’s bare shoulder. “You mind getting your paws off him?” The heavy dye job in front of her—covering blonde, perhaps?—rotated oh-so-slowly as the brunette eased off Evan’s lap. Caroline caught a quick glimpse of Evan’s face, then he was blocked from sight again.

Bastard was enjoying this.

The theatrical posturing of the woman was for effect—only the intimidation factor was short-circuited by her rapid glances around the room to see if anyone was paying attention.

Buzzzz
. Mistake number one. Don’t take your eyes off the enemy.

Caroline considered giving a second warning, but since her opponent was a wolf, having the upper hand could be the deciding factor in the fight. She snatched a thick handful of the woman’s hair and yanked. At the same time, Caroline slammed an arm forward, smacking the other woman’s shoulder.

The brunette spun in a half-circle before throwing out her hands to catch her balance. The bar cleared around them. Caroline used her free hand to catch hold of one wrist and shove it behind the wolf’s back.

Using her full body weight, Caroline smashed them both forward against the suddenly empty counter.

Her opponent was pinned in one place, crying out in pain.

“I don’t think you heard me. I would very much appreciate if you’d not drool all over Evan in the future.” Caroline tightened her hold, all her attention on the woman. Waiting for her response.

When it came, she was ready. The brunette rocked her head back, attempting a head butt. Caroline ducked to the side and pushed the other woman’s arm as high as possible without breaking it.

If Caroline had been watching the wolves circling them, she would have been knocked unconscious.

Mistake number two on dye-job’s part—Caroline knew protocol. No one would dream of interrupting this kind of dominance fight without backlash from the entire pack. Until the brunette was incapacitated on the floor, or Caroline was, this was between the two of them.

When her head failed to connect, the brunette snarled in frustration. “Pitiful little human. You can’t be serious. He needs a wolf like me to be satisfied.”

Caroline mock gasped. “Oh, you’re a wolf? Sorry, I totally missed that. You being so weak and all.” A sudden burst of energy freed the woman, and Caroline found herself facing a very pissed-off opponent. The brunette flipped her hair back, seemingly ignorant her breasts were one millimeter away from bursting free from her low-slung top. “Don’t make me laugh. You can’t expect to win a fight against me. You’re ugly too.”

Caroline snorted her disbelief. “Ugly? That’s as good as you can give? Chemically enhanced, silicon-stuffed, socially inept Luddite.”

The brunette’s jaw hung open. Then she moved.

It was scary exactly how quick wolves were. Caroline was ready, but not fast enough, and the woman’s first blow landed. Wincing in pain, Caroline ducked, swinging out her leg to kick the other 110

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Black Gold

woman’s knees. As she fell, Caroline rose to come crashing down on top, adding her weight to the full-body slam. The woman went wild, elbows flailing, hands moving constantly. One blow smacked into Caroline’s eye, one landed on her chest just below her neck.

If the fight went on too long, Caroline knew she’d be out of luck. She had to end it quickly or all her plans would be shot.

So she fought dirty. Grabbed the woman’s hair and slammed her head against the ground. When the body under her bucked hard enough to nearly throw her off, Caroline hooked her legs around the brunette’s waist and wrestled that arm back up again.

She didn’t stop pushing this time until she heard a sharp crack.

A sudden scream of pain cut through the noise and the entire bar went silent. The cheers and catcalls of encouragement faded as a pair of dusty-coloured shoes appeared in Caroline’s peripheral vision.

Evan.

His hand touched her shoulder. “Let her go.”

The woman sniffled softly as her friends helped her up. There were no heated glances backward, no veiled threats. Instead, the brunette shuffled away, cradling her injured arm. Caroline had won the fight fair and square, and there was only one thing left to do.

Evan held her elbow and lifted her to her feet. She kept her head high, making eye contact with as many of the pack as she could. Some faces showed admiration, some confusion. Curiosity grew by the second as Caroline finished her slow pivot to come face to face with their Alpha.

His dark eyes twinkled. “Don’t like her touching me?”

Final test.
“I don’t share.”

Her words triggered an explosion of sound as all the voices swelled again with questions. Shouts.

Then the noise disappeared, drowned in the rush of blood in her ears as Evan tugged her against him and took her lips. Right there in front of the entire pack, his warmer-than-human body pressed tight to hers. He lifted one hand to support her head, the other planted in the scoop of her back to control her.

It wasn’t just the heat, it was his kiss. The kiss she’d dreamed about ever since setting eyes on the shifter. There was only physical attraction between them, but
only
was pretty damn incredible. With their mouths fused together, his tongue explored and teased. Demanded a response, and, oh man, she gave it. She clung to his shoulders, buried both hands in his hair. Things grew a little foggy, but she might have lifted one leg and wrapped it around the back of his thigh. The reaction of his body was very clear, and very solid, and she canted her hips to make sure she stayed in contact with the bit of solid because it felt So.

Damn. Good.

That’s about when she remembered they were still in the bar. Surrounded by the pack. Who had once again fallen silent.

She was really messing with their wolfie minds tonight, wasn’t she?

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Vivian Arend

Evan eased off the kiss, his left hand smoothing over her leg, her ass, then back to cradle her thigh. He slowly lowered the limb, keeping them in close contact until she stood before him again. Only now her lips were swollen, her heart racing more than when she’d been in the midst of the fight.

He stared at her, approval the clearest emotion. Desire right behind it. He dug in his back pocket for keys, tossing them to someone without losing eye contact with her.

“Bar is closed. Everyone, have a great evening. I know I’m going to.” Then he scooped her into his arms and carried her out.

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Chapter Twelve

“Think you’ll be finished today?”

Gem laid the final vial in the padded carrying case and closed it carefully. “Definitely. I’ve taken my last set of samples, and if you give me a little more time for a few more pictures, we’re done.” Shaun nodded, squeezed her shoulder and headed back toward their campsite.

She turned to watch him.

The past week had been incredible. Three easy days of hiking had brought them to the birthing grounds, and every step of the way Shaun had taught her something new. Dealing with experiences in the wilds had been night and day different than her practice runs back in the lab, but he’d been patient and playful all at the same time.

Gem packed away the last of her supplies and tucked them into the small bag that attached to her main pack. Wandering back to the campsite, she took pictures. Not ones for her studies, more to help her remember the time she’d spent with Shaun. A shot of where he’d taught her how to light the tiny white gas stove. They’d cooked supper using a dehydrated meal pack, and it had actually been edible. Another of the once-again pristine spot where he’d demonstrated how to build a small fire and leave no trace.

Where she’d made a primitive latrine—okay, that one she didn’t take a picture of. Some things were better left to the imagination.

She made the final approach to their campsite to discover him lying flat out in the tent, his feet sticking through the open flaps of the door.

“Lazybones.” Gem gave his ankle a gentle kick. She lowered her bag to the ground as she squatted to peek in at him.

“Hmm, you called?” His boots rotated, and she squeaked as he shot out a hand and pulled her on top of him. “You want to be lazy with me?”

Gem wiggled, widening her knees to get comfortable. “I’m ready to break camp when you are.”

“That’s not relaxing.”

She placed her hands on top of his chest and arranged herself so she could stare into his eyes. He was laughing again, but she didn’t feel as if she were being insulted anymore. “I’m sorry, Mr. Stevens, were you saying that you’d like to stay out here longer? Did you miss the part of the contract that said you were required to not only get me into the wilderness, but out?”

He raised a brow. “That wasn’t in the contract I read.”

Vivian Arend

Gem punched him lightly. “You.”

“But just think about the possibilities.” Shaun crossed his arms behind his head and let out a huge sigh. Contentment rolled off him. “I think we should go back to the land. Go bush. You want to give up civilization and just move into the wilderness? I know this great—” She slapped a hand over his mouth, blocking the words. “Thank you, no. I’ve enjoyed the trip, but I’m not quite ready for this as a permanent state of affairs.”