Shifting Snows (2 page)

Entering the group of trees, she followed the patch of red as Sorin skirted the rock face. Then suddenly, he disappeared. No! She moved faster, needing to catch him before he crawled into his lair to hibernate or something. With her freaking backpack. Jerk. He’d been all concerned about her protecting herself then he’d taken her
protection
!

She was seething as she stormed after him. In the dim light, she followed his footprints until they suddenly disappeared. Looking to the right, she saw he hadn’t entered a cave, but a strange crevasse where two slabs of rock seemed to meet. The gap was about three feet wide, with tall walls reaching up to the dark sky. Sorin’s prints had tamped down the snow, as had many others before him.

Macy took a deep breath. To follow or not to follow? That was the question. She rested her hand on the wall and stared down the empty passage. An opening beckoned on the other side. Hot prickles sprouted across her back while her stomach twisted with nerves. It could be a trap.

She closed her eyes, remembering Sorin’s kiss and how it had made her feel. How he’d made her feel when he’d spoken to her. How he’d saved her…

Take a step, Macy. Trust.

Taking another deep breath for fortitude, she started down the path. Just because the news was full of murder and violence didn’t mean she had to paint everyone with that brush. At the end of the ravine, she was surprised to see another stand of trees veiling what appeared to be a huge open space that had been hidden behind the two rock walls. Sorin stood on the outside edge of the pines with his back to her.

He turned and smiled as she approached, his demeanor telling her he’d known she would pursue him. When he held out his hand, she took it. Immediately, something shifted inside her. Startled, she looked up at him.

“It’s all right, Macy,” he assured her. “All is well.”

All was…weird, anyway. Still, she followed him as he walked into the clearing. To her surprise, the space was filled with at least a dozen homes, reminding her of some sort of small medieval village. In fact, the structures brought to mind the ancient models she’d seen when traveling Europe.

“Wow…” she breathed. “How many people live here?”

“Close to fifty. I’m their leader.” He shrugged as if that were no big deal, but she suspected it was. Before she could comment, he slid his arm around her waist and drew her into his side. His other arm swept before him to indicate the area. “Macy…welcome to Tavian Leap.”

Chapter Two

“Okay then, Mr. Rourke,” she muttered. “Is this Fantasy Island, or did I fall down a rabbit hole?”

“Fantasy Island? What’s that?” he asked, amused by the woman beside him. Her small, compact body fit perfectly to his side. Just as it should. He glanced down at her pale-skinned face, marveling at the dark lashes circling her eyes despite her auburn hair. Earlier, the sun had glinted off the red highlights and drawn his attention, pulling him toward her when he would have otherwise avoided interaction with a full human.

“Nothing. You’re better looking than him, anyway,” she murmured, a faint blush tinting her cheeks as she looked away.

“Thank you, I think,” he laughed.

She chuckled quietly. “Definitely a compliment. I just shouldn’t be blurting it. I don’t know you.”

That would change. The animal inside him stirred, reminding him once more that she was theirs. There had been no doubt of it as soon as he’d gotten close and breathed in her scent. He hadn’t been able to stop his animal from leaping on her and showing her his dominance. Then nuzzling her.

He frowned. She’d passed out by then.

“How long have you lived here?” she asked, blissfully unaware that he was the one who’d scared her into a dead faint.

“About three years. We came here to escape the oppression in our homeland. I found the place, and the others followed.” His kind had been hunted tirelessly for their pelts. So many had been killed that Sorin had known they must run or be obliterated. While he’d searched for a new home, several more of his leap had been murdered. It sickened him, making his heart ache with the needless loss—but here, high up on Mount Elbert in the Rocky Mountains, he’d hidden them. There’d been no deaths in this hideaway.

She tilted back her face, letting the snowflakes brush her skin. “It’s beautiful. Like a hidden fairyland.”

“A bit.” He looked around. She had no idea just how magical his home was. His gut twisted, and he wondered if she’d like it here, if the enchantment would wear off. Would she be horrified when she learned she was his mate? Or that she would be shared with the men he considered family though they had no blood in common?

With her consent, of course. He would never force a woman into his bed, feral instinct or not. While mates were difficult to find, if she refused him, it wouldn’t mean a life-long solitary existence. She wasn’t his only option. She was just the perfect fit to his biological needs, and his animal recognized that. If she refused him, there would be others. If she accepted him, they would be linked for life.

As he guided her into the village, he wished it were as simple as her accepting him. There was much for her to understand before she said yes. If she said yes.

In the distance, he saw three men leaving the house he shared with them. Danel, Abel and Calin. His closest friends. With his keen sight, he saw them watching as he and Macy approached. Awareness stiffened their stances as their faces lifted slightly and they sniffed the air. He heard Danel hiss as he recognized her as a mate. He met Sorin’s eyes. Danel and Sorin were already joined and Macy would belong solely to them if she chose them.

“Who are they?” she asked as she and Sorin drew closer to the men. It was obvious the trio awaited them.

“My…family,” he replied, stopping just short of calling them his leap. While the whole of his people was called a leap, so was this smaller personal group—Sorin’s Leap, a group belonging to Tavian Leap. “Adopted family,” he clarified. “We’re not blood related.”

He wanted that in the open before she saw him interact with Danel. Moving away from her, he rushed to his male mate’s side. They embraced one another and quickly nuzzled into each other’s necks. Danel chuffled softly then stepped back.

“Good hunt,” he murmured, glancing over Sorin’s shoulder.

Sorin smiled. “Quite.”

He turned to Macy and held out his hand. She took it like a lifeline and moved quickly to his side. He wondered if the pheromones he’d plied her with earlier were still affecting her. They had an immediate effect of compelling mates to want to be together. Over time, the need would be so deeply ingrained that if they were parted, it would seem as if a limb had been removed—but not yet. Perhaps he was merely a known in a strange situation.

“Macy, this is Danel, and these are Abel and Calin. Let’s go inside where it’s warm.” He knew others of his people would be about. Those in human form would be inside their homes, but those in animal form could wander through the square at any time. He hadn’t been the only one out hunting today.

Danel pushed open the door to their spacious home, and Sorin ushered Macy inside while Abel and Calin followed. The front door led directly into their large living room. While the house construction was ancient in design, Sorin had ensured the furnishings, while handcrafted, were comfortable.

“You have electricity up here?” Macy asked as she looked around. Sorin’s laptop was open on the coffee table and electric lamps stood on either side of the couch.

“Solar power,” he replied. “We have backup generators for each house as well, but honestly, we don’t need to use them. We have tradesmen who’ve ensured we have adequate conveniences. Plumbing was tricky, but we worked it out.” He was actually rather proud of that accomplishment. Danel had been instrumental in getting it done. “We’re fairly self sufficient up here. We have to be since we can’t exactly jump in a car.”

Sorin took her coat as she slipped out of it. His gaze fastened on her slim form as she looked at the other men. She reached out a hand. “I didn’t get a chance out there,” she said. “But it’s nice to meet you.”

Calin took her hand. “A great pleasure, Macy,” he replied. “Welcome to our home.”

“Geez, so formal,” Abel laughed, grabbing her hand from Calin. “Hey, Macy. I’m Abel. I’ll be your official tour guide while these three decide what to do—we don’t get a lot of women up here,” he whispered, pulling her toward the next room.

“Abel,” Sorin called from behind them. “Are you going to let her meet Danel?”

“I’m sure we’ll get plenty of time to know one another,” Danel replied quietly since the pair was already in the kitchen. They could hear Abel demonstrating the coffeemaker Danel had begged for last summer. Of course, Sorin hadn’t been able to resist his lover.

Shaking his head at the banter in the kitchen, he hung Macy’s parka on the coat tree near the fireplace and set her backpack near it against the wall. Abel was the youngest of their group and his youthfulness shone through in his ebullient welcome. While the rest of them were worried about if they could bring Macy into the fold, Abel was excited for a new playmate.

Sorin glanced at Calin to see how he was taking his male mate’s behavior, and Calin shook his head, rolling his eyes. Of the four men, Calin was the most serious, generally deep into his studies of plant life and growing the produce to support their village. He and Abel kept a huge greenhouse behind their home and it sprawled the length of the leap’s enclosure, which was entirely necessary since they were feeding their people as well as creating hybrids.

In civilized culture down in the cities, Sorin supposed Calin would be considered a geek of sorts. He had the mad scientist look about him that was often characterized in the movies they saw from time to time.

“Kid with a new toy,” he mused, looking toward the kitchen, but he didn’t seem worried. He and Abel had had a close relationship since Calin had saved the boy from hunters years ago. As Abel had matured, they’d only grown closer until, finally, they’d mated last year. At first Sorin had questioned bringing Abel into their group since he was nine years younger than he, Danel and Calin, but seeing the love between him and Calin, Sorin knew it had been the right thing.

“Oh geez, they’re going into my workshop,” Danel muttered as they heard the pair go through the den, bypass Sorin’s office then skip the stairs. Danel’s space was where he crafted furniture for the people of their village and filled orders placed via the internet.

He hurried toward his sanctuary with Sorin and Calin on his heels.

“Abel,” Calin called, censure clear in his tone.

Their sharp ears picked up Abel’s sigh. “Okay, and the next thing…” And he shut the door.

“That stuff is gorgeous,” Macy told him.

“Yeah, Danel’s really talented. People from all over the world order his stuff. That’s how most of us work. Internet stuff. It’s pretty cool.” They heard him leading her up the stairs, and Sorin’s heart slammed against his breastbone as his awareness of Macy escalated. Abel paused in the hallway at the top of the stairs. “We snowmobile into town when we need to during the winter, and we take four-wheelers when it’s warmer, but Sorin has a guy who comes in by chopper every other week—you know, if the weather lets him—and picks up stuff to ship for us.”

Sorin’s eyes went wide as he sensed the direction of Abel’s words. He sprinted up the stairs with the others behind him.

“He’s like us,” Abel said.

“A loner,” Sorin cut in, with a pointed look at Abel.

“This place is amazing,” Macy commented. “It’s like stepping back in time, yet when you look around, you have all the comforts I’d expect nowadays.”

“I only showed you part of the downstairs, too. We’ve got lots of space for us and—”

“Why don’t we finish up the tour?” Sorin interrupted. Moving forward, he took Macy’s hand. “There are two bedrooms on this floor. They both run the length of the place.” He opened a door. “This is Calin and Abel’s room, and this,” he opened the other door and led her through it, “is the room I share with Danel.”

He heard Macy swallow, and her breathing sped up as she looked around the space. Her gaze lingered on the massive pine-wood bed. He inhaled and drew in the scent of her arousal. Danel’s quiet hiss told him his mate smelled it, too.

Macy worried at her bottom lip. Her fingers stroked faintly at the skin exposed at the edge of her collar. “You’re, um, together?” she asked quietly. “I mean…”

She shook her head, as if pushing away her confusion. She touched her lips, and her brow furrowed.

“You’re thinking of the kiss,” Sorin ventured. “You’re wondering why I kissed you when I’m committed to Danel?”

Macy glanced at Danel who smiled and moved closer to Sorin, giving them a united front. “Well…” She lightly cleared her throat and looked to the left of them. Her gaze landed on Abel and Calin then skittered in the other direction. She took a breath, bit her lip then sighed. Nodding, she looked at Sorin and Danel again. “Yeah, I guess. Yeah. Why did you kiss me?”

“Because I like women. So does Danel. We share. And sometimes, we share with Calin and Abel, too.”

Macy stared at him then took a step backward, her face going first white then very red. Her breathing accelerated as she stared at the four of them.