Ever After (27 page)

“Sometimes you just have to improvise.” She gave him an impish look and smirked. “You’re not scared, are you?”

He rolled his eyes.

“Are you scared of The Big Bad Wolf?”

Leaning in, he whispered, “Said the little wolf to the bear.”

Her smile faded, and he chuckled. Technically shifters could take any animal form, but it was very difficult to change into an animal for the first time, so they usually picked one fighting animal and one flying animal then practiced until they were adept at shifting into each one quickly.

Though it went against every instinct, when they invited Eden inside while leaving him guarded outside, he let her go. He guessed his fae guards weren’t interested in small talk, so he remained quiet as he waited, impatiently, for her return.

Twenty minutes later, she strolled out the front gate, smiling and chatting with Ryder. As they approached, she gave Dalton a friendly wave. For some reason, his gaze dropped to her legs. Her tiny shorts showed off tanned skin. Lickable skin. Auburn hair curved around her ears and stuck up in places at the top. The messy but stylish do was endearing combined with her sunny smile.

What the fuck? He gave his head a shake. Licking the girl who was currently driving him crazy shouldn’t even be a passing thought in his head. Maybe if he made her put on more clothing, she’d be less of a distraction. Or maybe he should just man up and quit letting his libido control him.

“Thank you so much, Ryder,” she said as she sidled up to Dalton. “I promise we’ll return it as soon as we’re done. And hopefully we’ll bring back some werewolves.”

Dalton felt his jaw drop before he collected himself. “Eden,” he barked. She frowned and looked at him. “You told them about the mission?” Did the girl have no sense of confidentiality? He took a deep breath, reminding himself this was her first time.

“Well, why not?” she answered. “We fight for the same cause.”

But they weren’t one of them, he wanted to say. Maybe they were helping the rebellion, but they weren’t shifters.  He stopped himself when he remembered that she wasn’t either. Losing his patience, he grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

“Thank you,” he said over his shoulder as they headed back toward the entrance in the mountain.

After a quick stop back at the colony to retrieve their bags and supplies, they headed toward a shrouded set of trees, away from lingering eyes.

They both stared at the device sitting in Dalton’s outstretched hand. A round metallic object with strange etchings along the side, it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. And they trusted this thing to take them to the other side of the world?

The door opener worked like a wormhole, only the user could sort of direct it to the area they wanted to go. But it wasn’t perfect. They could step through the door and land in the middle of the ocean. At least they weren’t travelling to a small island. Just to Yellowstone National Park.

“Ready?” she asked.

He sighed. “I don’t like this.”

“You don’t like any uncertainties. You won’t get anywhere without taking some risks.” Before he could stop her, she pressed down on the button and said clearly, “Yellowstone National Park.”

A hazy circle appeared, just large enough for them to step through. Eden put out her hand. Dalton grabbed it, and they walked through the door.

A chill ran down the length of his spine as he was pulled through the void. A moment later he was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down at a rocky precipice below. He tightened his grip on Eden’s hand and pulled her back from the edge.

“Shit.” She clutched his arm, digging her fingernails into his skin.

“Easy.” He peeled her hand off and set it at her side then looked her in the eye. “I’ve got you.”

A few chunks of rock broke and fell down the hundred-foot drop-off, echoing in the chasm as they went. He turned around to see if the door was still open, but the only thing behind them was more rocky cliffs, steep and difficult to scale. And going down didn’t seem any easier.

“Jeez.” She took the device from his hand and analyzed it. “This thing needs to get a better navigation system.”

Where the hell were they? The sun was low in the western sky. The time of day was right for this side of the world. It’d be dark soon. He needed to shift to search for a way to get Eden either up or down.

“I bet we’ll have more luck in the valley,” she said. “If werewolves are anything like me, they’ll prefer lower ground.”

He snorted. “Werewolves are
a lot
like you, sweetheart. You are one. Or did you forget?”

“No,” she answered quietly. “I never forget.”

****

How could she forget something like that? It was practically branded on her forehead – different. Friendships stayed superficial and only formed because she made people laugh. No one wanted to get too close to a werewolf.

Dalton cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh, shift and take a look around.”

He wasn’t even going to ask if she could climb down? Or if
she
had an idea of what to do? She was tired of people underestimating her. Maybe she’d always be fluff to her father, but she’d better prove herself in the rebellion. Shielding the setting sun from her eyes, she peered down the edge of the cliff. The rock surface looked pretty smooth but there were small ledges here and there.

When she turned to tell Dalton she could probably climb down, he was already gone. Nothing left but a ball of clothing on the ground. With an irritated huff, she grabbed his clothes and shoved them into her backpack.

She would show him what this fluff could do. A werewolf didn’t need help from a bird to find a way down a cliff. It only took a moment to shift her fingernails into claws then she stepped to the edge of the cliff and jumped.

Just because she wasn’t a showoff didn’t mean she couldn’t do some things well. She landed deftly on a small ledge then dug her nails into the rock behind her to keep her balance when she started to slip.

Extraordinary reflexes, check.

The next jump wasn’t as far down, but the ledge sat to the left quite a distance. She crouched down as much as she could then sprang up from the ledge and soared through the air. Pebbles fell off the small ledge when she landed hard. She grinned.

Super leaping skills, check plus.

Looking down, she could see the flat floor of the valley only two jumps away. She was out of ledges though, and it was too big a jump to land without breaking a foot at the very least. An idea emerged. She looked at her claws then tested them against the granite.

Facing the rock, she crouched down and grabbed the ledge with her hands while letting her feet dangle off the edge. She couldn’t find a foothold so this next part would take a certain amount of risk.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe descending a cliff wasn’t a big deal to some people, but to her it made an important statement. She didn’t want to be at the mercy of an egotistical jerk throughout the entire mission – no matter how hot said jerk was and how much his assessing glare made her shiver.

After a short prayer to the gods, she shoved two clawed fingers into the closest crevice while she lowered herself down to where she felt a foothold.  The strain made them ache horribly, and she could feel the nails start to break

A small whimper escaped her as she tried to keep them pressed in. If she let go, she’d free fall all the way down to the ground. It wouldn’t kill her, but it’d hurt like a bitch. She couldn’t let Dalton have the satisfaction of knowing she’d failed.

Slowly, she made her way down the cliff like this – placing her claws into tiny spaces her hands wouldn’t fit while lowering herself to each rare foothold.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the ground, not too far away. With a grunt, she pushed against the wall and unhooked her claws. The landing stung a bit, but she brushed it off, thankful she made it down without serious injury.

Her fingers ached badly though – and blood seeped from one broken nail. A cool stream would help. She sniffed the air. Fresh water. Somewhere close by.

A sharp caw echoed through the valley. She looked up. A large bird circled the air—a hawk or a falcon maybe. After inhaling a deep breath, she whistled as loud as she could. The bird turned its direction and headed toward her.

While she waited for Dalton, she fished in her backpack for his clothes. Twigs snapped behind her, but she scented him before he emerged from the clump of trees.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded sharply.

She didn’t turn to face him. He was naked, and though shifters were used to it, and probably werewolves, too, she still felt too awkward to purposefully look. She could imagine all too well what that sculptured body looked like under clothes. Feeling a blush crawl up her neck, she held out his clothes behind her.

“What are talking about?” she said, though she knew very well what he was talking about.

He snatched the clothing from her hand. “How did you get down?”

She shrugged.

After a quiet moment, he said, “You can turn around. I’m dressed.” At least the anger had deflated in his voice. When she turned to face him, he was eyeing her suspiciously. Then he looked at the cliff and back to her a few times. “How’d you do it?”

“Like you said, I’m a werewolf.”

His eyes narrowed, and his lips quirked up. “You’ve got some secrets, don’t you, little wolf?”

The hint of amusement in his voice made her smile. He wasn’t angry. Maybe he was even a little impressed. Inside, she felt a flutter of pride.

“Next time give me some warning though. You scared me when I didn’t see you on the cliff.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “I tried to, but you’d flown off before I got the chance. You didn’t even ask me if I could get down myself.”

He blinked. “I…” His lips turned down in a small frown. “I’m sorry.”

The apology surprised her but made her feel a little vindicated. His ego seemed to be shrinking by the minute. Maybe he’d make a decent partner after all.
If
he was truly sorry and not just handing her a line to shut her up.

“Now,” he said, turning a circle, “how do we find the pack?”

“I know how.” She tugged her backpack onto her shoulders and took a big whiff of the air.

Walking toward her, he asked, “Are you going to let me in on this secret?”

With a smirk, she tapped her nose.

His eyes widened with recognition then he chuckled. “You’re becoming quite the handy partner.”

Wow. Even if the compliment was fake, it still felt damn good to hear it.

“So, which way does your nose tell you to go?”

She thought for a moment. This felt a little like a test. The sun was setting, and it’d be night soon. Surely he didn’t think traveling in the dark was a good idea. She could see almost perfectly in the dark, but shifters couldn’t, not in human form anyway.

“I think…” She turned a circle, focusing her senses on their surroundings. “I think we head west toward water then make camp for the night.”

Chapter Three

Smart girl. Dalton nodded, and they headed west, where he’d spotted the river a few minutes ago. He had to admit Eden was more capable than he’d thought. Maybe other people had been underestimating her, too.

He hadn’t been lying when he told her she’d scared him, disappearing from the cliff like that. His first thought hadn’t been about the mission but that he might never see her smile again. Why that concerned him, he didn’t know. Maybe the carefree attitude was growing on him. It certainly was refreshing.

“Have you ever shifted into a wolf?” she asked after they’d walked in silence a while.

The question surprised him. Why would he need to? A bear was far stronger. “No.”

“You should practice.”

He gave her a quizzical glare.

She shrugged. “Unless you plan to let me walk into camp by myself…”

“Definitely not.”

“Then you should shift into a wolf and accompany me. Think about it. They’ll barely accept me. I may be a wolf, but I’m also a stranger. If I’m approaching with a shifter, it’ll make their hackles rise. But if they think we’re both wolves, they’ll be more accepting, and it’ll look like you’re my protector. I’m less likely to”—she bit her lip, showing she wasn’t as fearless as she seemed—“attract the wrong kind of attention.”

Of course she would. Anyone straight male would desire that sexy little body, big brown eyes, and genuine smile. That thought made a knot form in his stomach. A sudden possessiveness took hold of him. But why should he feel that way about her? She wasn’t his, and he didn’t want her.

He distracted himself from those disturbing thoughts by focusing on her idea. It made sense in a way. But a wolf? He wasn’t even sure if he could. For now, he shrugged in a non-committal way. Maybe he’d try later when she wasn’t watching. He’d spare himself the embarrassment of failing.

“You’re scared,” she said.

What
? He scowled down at her. “Why would you say that?”

“You’re obsessed with being prepared. You only trust yourself. You stick to definites, what you know you can do. Means you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared.” Cheeky little girl. He should shift into a bear and show her what real fear was.

“Prove it. Shift into a wolf. I’ll go first. Watch me, then you try it.”

“I don’t need to watch you to shift into a wolf.”

She frowned and stared at the ground. Part of him wanted to do it just to make her smile, but he didn’t answer to demanding little wolves. He answered to his people, his morals, the gods, his mission. He had a higher calling. This was
his
mission. He was in charge. He’d already let her get the upper hand too many times since they’d started.

“I was so excited when I found out I’d be paired with you,” she said, breaking through his irritated thoughts. “Dalton Bane. You’re like a celebrity.”

“I’m not a celebrity.” Though his ego liked that she’d thought of him that way. “I didn’t even have much to do with
Marwalaeth Du
.” The battle would go down in history, tales of its heroes with it. But the real heroes were his old co-leader, Felicity, and her mate, Maddox. And, of course, the Underworld Queen. A shifter could never possess that kind of power. But seeing his people freed from slavery had been the most gratifying thing he’d ever done. The fact that he wouldn’t have to worry about Eden being forced into that situation felt even better.