Frost Bitten (2 page)

She
crouched low and leaned against a tree. The sturdy trunk would give
her the leverage to jump when and if she needed to. An owl hooted in
the distance. She had no idea what time it was, considering the
position of the moon was shrouded by the storm. Any minute now, the
cougars would emerge from the tree line and she’d have to do
something drastic to stop them from getting too close.

Daisy
inhaled deeply and counted to five before she slowly exhaled. Being
in heat heightened her senses and emotions, especially fear. The last
thing she needed to do was overact and land herself in hot water with
the locals.

“
You
coming Seth?”

The
deep voice of the first to step into the clearing carried easily to
her ears. She tensed, waiting for him to hit her line of sight.

“
Don’t
be an ass, Trent. I had to stop and examine those claw marks. Did you
notice the perimeter is freshly marked?”

Yeah
they knew what they were walking into. Who would blame her for
protecting herself?

When
she spotted the first one her breath caught in her throat. Damn, he’s
big…

Easily
over six feet, his shoulders reminded her of a linebacker they were
so wide. Like her he was covered head to toe in winter gear.

“
We
were right about the smoke. Plenty of smoke coming out of that
chimney.”

The
rumble of his voice slid over her like butter on a warm pancake. Mmm.
She really loved pancakes. Her stomach rumbled at the thought. She
hadn’t eaten much on the trip and since she’d hit the
mountain she’d been obsessed with the cold that wouldn’t
ease up.

The
second man emerged from the trees carrying just as much gear. He
matched the first in height although his shoulders were a fraction
leaner. She swallowed thickly. Taking them both down would be a hell
of a challenge. For a brief second she considered other options but
she wasn’t much of a sweet talker and running wasn’t
going to happen.

One
hundred yards and they’d be on top of where she hid in the
brush. Just a few more seconds.

The
first man halted and sniffed the air. “Is that what I think it
is?”

The
second man stopped next to the other and they both sniffed at the air
like a couple of fucking bloodhounds.

“
Oh
man. Although that explains the near compulsion to find the stray
shifter.”

Daisy
sighed. This is exactly what she’d been trying to avoid by
coming here.

“
She’s
really close.”

“
Duh,
Seth. Probably in the cabin.”

The
second man shook his head. “No, closer. In fact…”
He turned and surveyed the area before his gaze landed on the area
she waited. “I think someone is watching us.”

Damn.
These guys were good. He’d zeroed in on her location like a
laser. Something told her this was a losing battle. Daisy shifted her
feet, none to happy about the stiffness brought on by the cold. She
wanted nothing more than to head back inside and stretch out next to
the blazing fire. If she stayed like this much longer she’d end
up with frostbite.

“
You
can come out now. We aren’t here to hurt you.”

Daisy
rolled her eyes. The element of surprise she’d been counting on
had disappeared. She weighed her options. Attack and take the chance
they got the upper hand on her in a physical confrontation or
surrender. She scoffed. Surrender her ass.

“
This
is private property. You’re trespassing,” she answered.

The
two men looked at each other and smiled. Oh how she longed to wipe
that look off their faces. If they thought she’d just invite
them in to bang their brains out they were sadly mistaken. Fueled by
a sense of outrage she stood and moved from behind the cover.

Every
muscle in her body ached. The pain went bone deep. She needed to get
the hell out of this weather. Both men stood staring at her as she
approached them cautiously one slow step at a time.

“
Did
you hear me? This is private property and you don’t belong
here.”

The
second man took a step toward her.

“
Stop
right there.”

He
froze. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to scare you. We’re
with the local search and rescue team and we saw the smoke coming
from what we thought was an abandoned cabin. Do you live here?”

She
shook her head. “No, just a temporary rental.”

“
Where
are you from?” The other man inquired.

“
Look,
I appreciate you coming all the way out here to check on the smoke.
But I prefer to be alone. It’s too damn cold out here for chit
chat.” Her insides shook.

They
both smiled. “I take it you aren’t from around here
then?” When she didn’t respond he continued, “Hopefully
you’re aware of the big storm rolling in.”

“
I
am.”

“
Then
you should know that we have to seek shelter for the night. It’s
too dangerous to get back off the mountain before the weather
worsens.”

Panic
sliced through her. She hadn’t passed another cabin or house
for at least thirty or so miles. We’re they planning to stay
here?

“
I’m
sorry but you can’t stay here. It’s just—uh—”
Her stomach cramped painfully, so much so that she doubled over from
it.

“
You’re
in heat.”

Daisy
groaned. She blew out a hard breath and tried to straighten only to
experience another shooting pain through her side.

Both
men were at her side before she blinked. They reached for her.

“
Don’t
touch me,” she shrieked. She stumbled backward and tripped,
landing hard in the snow. One touch from either of them even through
several layers of clothing would only make things worse.

They
both jerked their hands back. “Fine. But you need to get
inside. You’re shivering and I don’t imagine that’s
helping any.”

Daisy
nodded. The desire to fight had evaporated and in its wake, the
burning arousal began to swamp her. She’d get back inside and
then when she got herself under control again she’d kick their
asses out the door. They weren’t staying with her. Storm or no
storm.

She
pushed from the ground, turned back to the cabin, and carefully made
her way to the back door. She ignored the telltale signs of their
boots crunching through the snow as they followed behind her. She
pushed the door open and welcomed the blast of warm air against her
face. The roaring fire across the room drew her like a moth to a
flame. Momentarily forgetting she wasn’t alone, she flung her
winter gear to the floor and hurried to stand in from of the warm
heat.

“
How
long have you been like this?” The voice at her back sounded
too close. She needed space.

“
Doesn’t
matter.”

“
My
brother Trent and I can help you.”

She
scoffed and shivered at the same time. “I just bet you can. You
two just happen to be alone in the woods, you smell me and bam you’re
thinking sex sandwich in thirty seconds flat.” She rubbed her
hands together. “I don’t think so. If I wanted to get
laid I wouldn’t have traveled to the middle of nowhere in the
middle of a freaking snowstorm to do it. So you can just forget it.”

“
I
was actually only referring to some hot cocoa and maybe some warm
food. But if you’d rather…”

Daisy
whirled on him, ready to blast him into the ground. But he’d
already removed all of his gear and one look at the gorgeous hunk of
man standing in front of her and all of her good intentions and
anger-fueled words abandoned her.

Rich
brown hair curled around his face, emphasizing a chiseled jaw and
full sensual lips. She narrowed in on his mouth. The full bottom lip
made her want to reach up and bite him. She imagined him kissing her
senseless given half the chance. All of her long-denied girly parts
began to tingle. Her breasts ached, her pussy moistened and her inner
muscles clenched. Hunger gnawed at her insides to the point of pain.

A
flash of desperation washed through her and Daisy gave into it. She
pounced on the gorgeous stranger, catching him off guard, and
tumbling them both to the floor. They landed with a thud, with him
taking the brunt of the fall. Before he could react, Daisy kissed
him. Aggressive, all-consuming lust powered through her as she thrust
her tongue into his mouth in a frantic search for relief.

The
man underneath her growled and wrapped his arms around her. His hands
threaded through her hair and pulled her into a deeper kiss. Her
inner kitty yowled. Yes! Their tongues dueled for dominance all the
while she wiggled and rubbed her body against his. When the hard
ridge of his erection pressed against her pussy she gasped into his
mouth.

“
Mmhmm.
Did I miss something here?”

The
intrusion of the second man shocked Daisy into awareness. She jerked
free from the tight embrace holding her and scooted away several
feet. She panted for breath. Her body raged out of control spilling
juices from her sex to ready her for mating. She was so screwed.

Through
her lashes she watched the man she’d attacked slowly move to a
sitting position. He too labored for breath, clearly as affected as
she. Mating heat did that to shifters. It was damned near impossible
to resist and easily turned enemies to bedfellows if they weren’t
extra careful.

“
Thanks
a lot, asshole.”

“
Sorry,
Seth,” he said with a smile that really said he wasn’t
sorry at all.

Seth.
The man she’d nearly devoured, and who now sat staring at her
with blatant hunger, was named Seth. Seth and Trent. Brothers, he’d
said.

She
glanced at Trent and was dumbstruck to find him just as gorgeous as
his brother. Light brown hair trimmed neatly around his head, dreamy
green eyes that stared back at her full of intent, and just like
she’d thought outside, shoulders to fill a room.

Oh
God. She was in so much trouble.

Chapter
Two

Seth
examined the feline carefully while she tried to catch her breath.
Baggy pants and a bulky sweater covered what he’d discovered in
his arms was a compact and tight little body. Surprised to see a
shifter that short, he once again tried to imagine how she’d
found her way to his mountain of all places. She stood at least a
foot below him, which made her just over five feet. Odd size for sure
considering all the female felines they knew were somewhat taller
than the average human woman.

Warm
gold hair with black streaks intertwined brushed the tops of her
shoulders. It had been as soft as silk to his touch, a sensation he
knew would be burned into his memory forever. Her face was pale—too
pale—and he noticed a faint trace of dark circles under her
eyes. His little jaguar had reached the peak of heat with no relief
and the strain was wearing her down.

Trent
took a step in her direction and she scrambled backward. Skittish now
too.

“
Leave
her alone, Trent.”

“
Me?
I’m not the one who was on the floor about to fuck her.”
The husky tone of his brother’s voice let him know exactly what
Trent had on his mind.

“
No
one is fucking,” she cried.

“
Could
have fooled me.”

Trent
was not helping the situation. “Look, let’s all take a
breath here. We don’t even know your name, but it’s
obvious you’re in heat and in distress. I really was only
intending to offer food and drink. Trent here is an amazing cook and
I bet he could find something here to turn into a decent meal. When
was the last time you ate?”

She
shrugged.

“
Trent,
what do you say. Maybe some of your famous chili? It looks like the
little jaguar could use some warming up.”

“
Jaguar?”

“
Yeah.
The hair coloring is a dead giveaway. Am I right?”

The
little cat stared him down. The scent of anger mingled with her
arousal creating a potent combination for both he and Trent. There
was no way any of them would make it through the night like this.

“
What’s
a jaguar doing this far north? Honey, you’re going to stand out
like a sore thumb in these parts. We’ve got nothing but
cougars, bobcats and the occasional fox.”