Silver Mine (10 page)

He shook his head. “Just tell me. I’m a big boy.”

Shelley slipped a paper in front of him. She pointed to the top image. “This is what the culture looked like last night, before I gave you the booster. The center image is after the shot. Small reaction, not what I’d hoped. Usually if I gave that serum to a shifter the results would be far different.”

“You’d said that.”

She poked at the bottom picture, and even to his untrained eye it looked weird. “This morning. It’s as if I took a culture of a completely different wound. Different shifter, different…everything.”

It had to be his mind playing games, but suddenly his shoulder hurt a lot more than it had a moment before. “Plain English now?”

“The infection, whatever it is, is mutating.”

Chase coughed.
Hell
.

She hurried on, laying her hand on his arm. “And that’s not always a bad thing. I mean, think of white blood cells rushing to fight an infection. They adapt, you build up immunity to the disease, and you get better. That’s how it basically works in humans. Our shifter bodies are more complex because of the transfer between forms. That’s why we usually heal a little faster, the movement of the tissue from one shape to the other leaving a trace of healthier…I don’t know, call it memory if you’d like. As if the muscle that was bruised in your cat changes to human and heals a bit, then doesn’t feel right going back to being badly hurt in your cat.”

“But it’s not working. The shifter healing, or my human body.”

She shook her head. “I need more information.”

“I can’t think of anything else to tell you.”

She waved a hand and moved off to a cupboard, pulling things from inside and piling them on the counter. “You did what you could. And I’ve gotten all I can from your body.”

Not really, but he wasn’t going down that path again.

“What do you suggest?”

She grabbed a bag off the wall. “I need to see the man who attacked you.”

Chase snorted. “Sorry. Chances of getting his butt into Whitehorse are slim to none. He hasn’t been out of the bush for a decade.”

She twisted to face him, chin lifted high. “That’s what I figured you would say. But this isn’t an option. I sent all the information I had this morning to the lab in Calgary, and my mentor already looked it over and gave me walking orders. I need you to take me to see your attacker.”

Oh hell, no. “You want to go bush with me?”

She nodded. “It’s the only way I can get the information I need.”

Chase buttoned up his shirt. “You can give me the…doodads you need from him and I’ll get them.”

It was his turn to get a dirty look. “You’re going to take medical samples and get them out in time for me to register results? Won’t work.”

“You going bush won’t work either.”

“Why not?”

Chase looked her over, deliberately slow in his perusal. “You know who lives back there? You know how long it’s been since some of them have seen a woman?”

“Then you’ll have to protect me.”

He stood and shrugged. “I could also just put up with the scratches. They’ll heal eventually. Thanks for everything. I’ll be on my way.”

She blocked his retreat. “Look, buster. You started this by coming in here. You’re the one who presented me with this mystery, and you can’t expect me to simply allow you to traipse off into the bush. What if the wounds don’t get better? You could lose the arm. What if it festers enough you get sick out there and…”

Chase stared at her. “Get sick and die? Darling, we’re all going to kick the bucket sometime. While I’d prefer it not be for a good long time, I also don’t want to have to fight off or kill any of my friends because you’re stubborn enough to intrude where you don’t belong.”

The flash of anger in her eyes made him take a step backward. “I know a hell of a lot more about not belonging than you think. This isn’t some whim or random urge here. This is important to me.”

He gazed around the room at her still-unfinished office. He’d be crazy to even consider this. It made no sense, to take the kind of risks the trip would involve. Especially with her no-sex rules.

Explaining to men who were mateless that an attractive, unattached female was off limits? Even his tenuous hold over them might not be enough.

“Is it really that important to you?” he asked. He interrupted before she could respond. “Think about it before you blurt out an answer. Maybe your mentor suggested something for you to try, but he doesn’t understand the situation he’s throwing you into. You might be curious to find the solution to something new and unusual, but if it’s simply that, you can play here with the cultures for a bit longer and I’ll get you the information. I promise I will, but this isn’t just a simple romp in the woods. Of all the areas we could head, the Keno bush is one of the worst. No matter how hard I’ve worked to make it safer. You’re an outsider. You will be considered suspicious and…”

And she was a female.

She nodded, slower now. As if really considering her actions. “I do know what it’s like not to fit in. I would listen to you completely and follow your lead. I’m also not incompetent in the bush—my father often took us camping when we were growing up, and I mean rustic shifter camping—no tent, no pots and pans.”

Shit. “Still one thing stopping me. It’s fine for you to say you’ll listen to me. That you want to find out what’s wrong. You want it enough—”

Damn if he could say it. Damn if he could tell her she had better be scented to him before they went, or he’d be fighting to keep her from being claimed by others. That would require him asking if she really was a virgin, and while most shifters were fine talking about sex, this wasn’t a typical situation in any way, shape or form.

Damn, damn,
damn
.

She waited.

He scrambled for other possible deterrents. “What about your business? You got things to finish here before you open. We’ll be gone minimum of ten days, and that’s if we find our target right off the bat.”

Enthusiasm rushed from her. “My sister volunteered to find people to finish the renovations, and I’ve decided to take her up on the offer. Other than that, I’m waiting for forms and documents. Nothing holding me here.”

The kitten sitting in the window chose that moment to stretch, its tiny mouth opening in a yawn. “Enigma?”

“I’m sure Caroline will watch him. And I can be packed and ready to go by lunchtime.” She drew out her wallet and attempted to hand him cash. “You can get us supplies and—”

He pushed her money aside. “We can settle up later. Gather what you need here, and we’ll go to your apartment to finish packing. And we need to be on the road by ten. It’s a six-hour drive to the trailhead.”

She nodded and turned away, hurriedly pulling supplies together, that constant rumble of noise as she talked to herself rising up.

Chase paced to the window and scooped up the fluff ball of cat. He absently petted the creature as Shelley packed. “You know what, little guy? Seems I’m far more a glutton for punishment than I expected.”

And in spite of the dangers waiting ahead of them, he couldn’t really find any reason to be upset. Sick bastard that he was.

It sounded a little exciting.

Part Two

We are the fated serfs to freedom—sky and sea;

We have failed where slummy cities overflow;

But the stranger ways of earth know our pride and know our worth,

And we go into the dark as fighters go.

Yes, we go into the night as brave men go,

Though our faces they be often streaked with woe;

Yet we’re hard as cats to kill, and our hearts are reckless still,

And we’ve danced with death a dozen times or so.

“The Rhyme of the Restless Ones”—Robert Service

Chapter Eight

Shelley pulled another branch forward to camouflage the car she’d backed into the thick brush at the side of the highway.

Chase shook his head. “Still say we should have hitchhiked the last part of the trip. Left your car in civilization.”

“If we need to get away quickly, I don’t want to have to rely on sticking out my thumb, thank you.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before facing him sheepishly. “Sorry. I’m off to a great start on the ‘listen to what you tell me to do’ part.”

He held up the backpack he’d prepped for her and waited as she slipped her arms into the straps. “I didn’t really expect anything different.”

She smiled at his dry tone as she snugged up straps and adjusted the waist belt, settling the pack a little easier on her shoulders. It wasn’t as comfortable as her own pack, but for some reason Chase had insisted he take hers and she use his. She supposed his pack was slightly smaller—she’d bought a brand-new expandable bag at MEC before leaving the south, and Chase had used every bit of extra space to pack all her medical supplies.

“Keys?”

She handed them over and watched in confusion as he dropped to his knees and reached under the vehicle. “What are you doing?”

He pulled back and grinned. “You lose all your gear, a hidden car isn’t going to do much good. I stuck the key on top of the rear leaf-springs.”

Chase looked her up and down, checked her pack by tugging a few straps. Eyed her footwear. Then without another word, he turned and headed down a narrow trail heading into the wilderness.

Shelley took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and followed.

The forest around them darkened under the towering lodge-pole pine and green aspens in full foliage. The lush underbrush was overgrown with new grasses and saplings all giving off the fresh scent of summer as they reached to grab a tiny allotment of the sunshine breaking through gaps in the canopy. Every step took them farther from the low rattle of vehicle noise—not that there’d been much activity on the remote highway, but even the occasional rumble faded until there were only the sounds of the backcountry. Intermittent birdsong, the rustle of little creatures scurrying through the low-lying brush. The high-pitched chattering of a squirrel as it clung to a tree trunk and scolded them as they walked past.

Twigs and fallen branches crunched underfoot as Shelley matched speed with the silent man in front of her. A rhythm developed in their steady gait. Lift. Lower. Extend and bend. She could have gone faster, but decided as part of the “follow his lead” she should just shut up with her bright ideas for a while and actually
follow
.

Besides, not having to worry about where they were going gave her time to mull over all the other things she’d been obsessing about.

Returning to the north had been her decision. She’d chosen to come back and fight to find a place. The unconditional acceptance she’d received from Evan the night before had changed many of her previous expectations. Her concerns weren’t gone. He might be the Alpha, large and in charge, but even the most docile of packs could find ways to undermine a strong Alpha’s wishes when they wanted to be cruel. Within a pack mentality, it only took one bad apple to swing into tormenting mode and others would follow.

Having Caroline and Evan firmly on her side was a start. It wasn’t the destination.

And this trip was exactly what she needed right now. A chance to prove to herself that she belonged—that she mattered—in a way that counted.

Everything heated up as they stepped into a clearing, the full sun beating on their heads as the trail meandered along the side of a tiny creek. The pleasant freshness of the surroundings changed slightly, and she had no trouble identifying the other aroma—it was definitely Chase. The sharp, distinctive and mouthwatering version of his scent that she’d already become familiar with clung to his pack. As the day progressed, she was encircled until it soaked into her skin.

Having his fragrance constantly surround her was like lingering temptation. Both distracting and annoying because, while being turned on around the man had become the norm, an additional shot of out-sourced lust was not needed on top of everything else.

She wrinkled her nose and carried on, ignoring the disruption as best she could.

Up ahead Chase had stopped and removed his pack, lowering it to the ground. He reached to help her as she stepped beside him.

“Break already?”

Chase nodded, leaning her pack against a nearby tree before pulling out a granola bar from his supplies and passing it over. “We’ve walked for fifty minutes. Ten-minute break, then we’ll go again.”

He lifted his water bottle and drank in a steady stream, his throat moving smoothly. Shelley chewed absently on the sticky bar, far too fascinated with watching him. She caught herself in time to look away before he noticed, but she still felt it. A deep and undeniable attraction to this unusual man.

She’d bitten off a lot more than she should have in some ways, but she couldn’t regret it. Full-on ahead, take charge and take chances.

“How long will we walk today?”

“Until we get to Rachel’s.”

Shelley waited for more details, but Chase’s gaze lingered over the meadow as he enjoyed his break. “And…that should be how long?”