Southern Shifters: Scents and Scentability (Kindle Worlds Novella) (2 page)

You don’t.
He waited for her to stand before rising himself. He kept her caged close to the rock face, rather than near the edge.
Turn to your right and follow the lip for about three meters then we’ll be back on the trail again.

“Really?” Surprise populated the word. “I thought everything went directly up.”

Of course you did.
Bennett didn’t bother to disguise his smugness. Since she hadn’t seriously injured herself, she deserved to be tweaked.
You should have waited at the trailhead for me.

“You were late.” Despite the argument, she followed his instructions and hugged the wall as she made her way around the lip. Claws extended for balance, he stayed right on her heels. If she slipped again, he could catch her.

I arrived at dawn. You’d already left.

When no response came from her immediately, he glanced up to find her frowning at him. “I was told to meet you at four a.m.”

Then you were given bad information. This is not a safe place to stop. Keep moving.

Her teeth clacked together.

It’s also not a good time to be stubborn. Move it, sweetheart.

“I am moving.” The whine in her tone filled him with fresh amusement, but at least she continued to slide sideways past the narrowest part, not slowing until she stood on the trail again. Staring first up the hill, then down, she sighed. “I didn’t even realize the trail continued.”

I noticed.
Padding away from her, he shrugged out of his bag. The sling on carried a couple of changes of clothes and the very basics he would need. Everything else would already be provided in the cabin or he would hunt for them. Relaxing, he shed his fur and returned to his human form win a rush of bones, muscle and cartilage reforming. The cold air stung his freshly shifted skin, but he stretched.

Her low gasp added a fresh layer to his amusement. Taking his time about retrieving his bag and his clothes, he gave her a long slow look. Darcy made no pretense of not scrutinizing his form with the same intensity she’d given to her earlier cataloguing of her own injuries. The moment her gaze reached his cock, he stiffened under the heat of her attention.

At least she wasn’t shy about noticing. “I’ll be dressed in a minute.”

“Nudity doesn’t bother me.”

So he’d noticed, however mingling races was strictly forbidden, no matter how much his dick seemed to be interested in her. So, he lied. “It bothers me, so if you don’t mind…”

A guilty flush stained her cheeks, and the edge of arousal roughening her scent evaporated. She spun to give him her back, and his gaze dipped to the way the denim stretched across her ass. “Sorry.”

“No problem.” He pushed the words past clenched teeth as he forced his cat to obey him. The animal had zero problem with nudity and was more interested in stripping off her clothes so they could explore. Stuffing his legs into his jeans, he dragged them on and ignored the rasp of the fabric over his cock. A little pain might get it to behave.

“I’m Darcy Ashwood, by the way.”

“I know.” He tugged on his shirt then gave himself a yank beneath his jeans. The twist sent stars to his eyes, but helped neuter the blatant show of sexual interest. Ashwood was his to babysit, nothing more.

“And you are?”

Wondering what she would look like nude might not be the best idea. He didn’t know as much about her abilities, but some of her clan were pretty sharp and had no compunction about reading his kind. So he rubbed his bare foot against some brambles. The pierce against his skin added to his discomfort while he organized his thoughts and relied on his cat to give him some kind of protection. “Bennett Nelson.”

“Nice to meet you, Bennett.”
She folded her arms and rocked on from her heels to her toes and back again. “If it helps any, you’re a perfectly built specimen.”

The pain couldn’t compete with her compliment, even a scientifically worded one. His dick continued to offer her a salute. How many months did he have to spend with her, again?

O
ne week later
…

S
now fell steadily
beyond the frosted windows of her mountain retreat. After saving her from the rockslide on the trail, Bennett had carried her bag and his as he led her on a four hour, painfully quiet hike. At first, she’d enjoyed his lack of communication. Even his mind remained locked down, so she could block his thoughts easily. When the first hour dragged into the second, it occurred to her she had the perfect opportunity to begin her observation.

By the third hour, she’d grown frustrated with his taciturn answers. Or, she should say,
lack
of answers. Sipping a cup of hot tea, she studied in the notes she’d made in her journal. All observations of the week following their first meeting were summed up on the first page.

He doesn’t say much.

He doesn’t sleep in the cabin.

He spends most of his time in his leopard form.

Three key sentences, each one underlined. How could she have spent a week with the beast and learned so very little? Beyond showing her into the cabin, directing her to the water pump and handing her a first aid kit, he hadn’t said much at all. Then the snow began, and the leopard vanished into it. She knew he was still out there, though. She could sense his mind, though his thoughts remained shielded.

She could invade his privacy, she supposed. The thought nauseated her, so she dismissed it the moment it occurred to her. Nothing Bennett had done deserved such a betrayal of common courtesy. Going round and round mentally served no one, least of all her, so she fought to relax. The crackling of the fire combined with the steady snowfall soothed her as much as the hot tea.

The cabin consisted of four rooms—a surprisingly spacious layout considering no roads approached it and she never would have recognized the trail Bennett eventually guided her along without him. The fact the cabin only had one bedroom worried her, at least until he left and didn’t return.

The main room included a fat, long sofa and two chairs framing the huge fireplace. Large picture windows with double-paned glass overlooked the wide, covered porch and beyond, while another window offered a view the valley below. Built into the side of the mountain itself, the basement provided a contained room where she could do her research—and, as Bennett had pointed out, lock herself inside in the event of emergency. The panic room had been designed to protect anyone staying there from assault. Once secured, it could only be opened from the inside.

She’d asked him what would happen if the occupant perished. His answer? A shrug. The kitchen and bathroom made up the final two rooms. They shared a wall and, she supposed, the water source. A generator in the basement provided significant power and heated the water. She’d enjoyed a long hot bath every evening before bed once she’d realized the beast had no intention to join her inside.

A part of her wondered how they’d gotten all the equipment to up the mountain to construct the retreat without damaging any of the surroundings. The rest of her simply remained grateful they had. If she didn’t know Bennett remained in the area, she would be utterly and completely alone. No thoughts to haunt her. No other minds to block. Alone with only her work and no interruptions, not even for food until hunger drove her upstairs. It was paradise.

Or as close to paradise as I can get
. She’d noticed the cold box had fresh meat in it on the second day and a washed cup sat in the sink. Each day, a new cup appeared, always washed afterward, though she washed it again and put it away before she retired for the night.

Does he come inside after I go to sleep?
For three nights running, she’d tried to stay awake to catch him. How could she test any of the scents if she never saw him personally? It never occurred to her the only opportunity she might have would be while they were on the trail. Still cradling her tea cup, she walked closer to the window. The snow obscured everything, coating the world in a sheet of white, providing another reason the Council had given her three months to refine her product.

She doubted the hike down would be possible for her if the snow continued to fall. Thankfully, the scrapes on her face had mostly healed. Two had been a little deeper than the others, but she moisturized the areas regularly to prevent itching. Studying the landscape, she squinted.

His cat had been sleek and powerful. While she’d been dazed after the fall, she understood Bennett caught her with his powerful jaws and pulled her to safety. The bruises on her shoulders from where the straps of her pack snapped into her were a testament to his swift action.

Well, her bruises and the holes in her backpack itself. She’d found them on the second day, when she’d gone down to unload her supplies into the lab and to make sure the sealed metal containers hadn’t been harmed. Teeth had rent the fabric. She’d measured the distance between the marks and considered herself vitally lucky it had been her backpack he’d captured and not her jacket or her body.

He wouldn’t have hurt me.
The certainty of the feeling couldn’t be quantified beyond instinct—well, and the empirical evidence that in a week of isolation with the beast, he’d not once made any move toward her, harmful or otherwise.

Still, his brilliant, almost gem-like eyes had beckoned her, and she wondered if his fur would feel as soft as it looked. Wind rocked the cabin and she frowned. Even in his leopard form, wasn’t it too cold for him outside the safety of the structure? As if conjured by her thoughts, she remembered his sleek masculinity when he’d shifted to his human form. Nothing could prepare her for the raw sensuality of his tautly muscled body or the liquid heat which spread through her at the sight of his tight abs, chiseled musculature, or his stiff and jutting penis.

The male sexual organ wasn’t particularly attractive, or at least, she’d never thought so before. It dangled when not engorged and it looked rather painful when blood flooded the tissue to bring it erect. She understood the concept in regard to biology. The male member fit into a woman’s vagina, no matter how small or tight she might think herself or how large he might seem. Still, she’d been fascinated by the vision he presented standing on the trail in all his bare beauty.

Until the moment he’d caught her staring and she heard the reproach in his tone when he said he did mind. A shudder raced along her spine and her nipples tingled. The male body came in many different forms, but she hadn’t studied shifters exclusively. With Bennett, she found she wanted the chance.

Another gust rattled against the eaves, and she frowned. Though the bedroom was on the second floor, the great fireplace warmed the bricks in the central part of the house. The generator could also be used to warm the air. She wanted to avoid running out of fuel. Still, the Council expected her to be here for months, so one would presume they’d stocked enough supplies for such a long sojourn under such inhospitable conditions.

Drumming her nails against the windowsill, she shuddered again. The cold made her teeth ache even through the double panes. Guilt nibbled on her conscience, and she scanned the area seeking even a hint of Bennett’s thoughts. He’d spoken to her while in his cat form, so she knew he could hear her. Even if he shielded against her, she could reach beyond them.

No.
Rejecting the idea immediately, Darcy set her teacup aside. To deliberately exert her abilities against the explicit will of another violated her sense of morality.
But testing the pheromones on him doesn’t?
Her conscience didn’t forget so easily. Since she’d been unable to test anything on him anyway, she ignored the snide little voice.

Snow slapped the window with a wet plop. The wind’s direction had changed. The fire made a fluttering sound and she twisted away from the window to glance at the flames flattening before they climbed again.
Enough.
She didn’t have to penetrate his shields to call him. The weather had worsened all afternoon, and her stomach clenched. Not even the beasts should be out on a night like tonight.

Bennett!
The call left her before she even completed the thought. Only the thud of her heart, the crackle of the fire, and the rise in the wind answered her. Had he gone too far out of range before the storm hit? What if he were injured? Should she go in search of him?

She dismissed the last question immediately. No matter her good intentions, she had no illusions of how swiftly she would become lost in the storm outside. She couldn’t even see to the edge of the porch because the white crept across the wood. If the wind didn’t change soon, the drifts would pile against the door, trapping her inside. Worse, it would trap Bennett outside.

Bennett!
Dropping her shields, she reached inside and extended herself. It didn’t matter how far he went. She could reach all the way home if necessary to speak to the Council directly. Another reason they’d selected her for the particular task was that the lack of communication equipment didn’t impede her at all.
Dammit. Bennett! Answer me! Are you all right?

A thud vibrated from the porch, and she jerked backward with a half-scream tearing from her throat. Blue eyes gleamed out from the half-light of the storm. They flickered red then blue again.

Why are you yelling at me?

Never had she been so relieved to hear a thought echoing in her mind. Hurrying to the door, she wrenched it open. The wind cut through her turtleneck and jeans as though she weren’t wearing them. Snow dampened her cheeks, and the cat stared at her as if she’d suddenly sprouted a second head. The beast dashed inside, circled her, then hit the door with his shoulder to slam it shut.

What the hell are you doing?
His outrage didn’t make her feel better. Instead, it only annoyed her further.

She faced him with her hands on her hips. “What the hell am I doing? What are you doing staying out there in this? It’s a blizzard! The temperatures are falling.” Her teeth chattered as she spit out the words, but her anger powered her. “I called you. If you were close enough to land on the porch, why didn’t you answer me?”

Of all the responses he might have offered, his deep laughter resonating inside her mind hadn’t been what she expected.

Anger tipped the spear of her humiliation. She claimed her tea cup then headed for the kitchen. The day had been quiet, perfect, and the last thing she needed was to argue with the beast.
Then why did I call him?

Confused by her responses and her temper, she filled the electric kettle with water from the hand pump. It moved sluggishly, but fortunately it didn’t appear frozen. After plugging the kettle in, she turned it on.

Turning, she barely restrained a second scream of shock. Bennett stood in the doorway wearing only a pair of jeans. A mild expression eased the hard angles of his features. Face-to-face for the first time in days, she opened her mouth to demand he stop sneaking up on her, but the words died unspoken.

A smile curved the corners of his firm lips, giving his stern visage a wildly attractive edge. Danger rolled off him in waves, but his eyes—they were the same startling blue of the leopard. All the moisture dried in her mouth. How had she not noticed before? The hint of a tilt suggested Asian origins in his background, but his deep, ruddy skin tone came from an entirely different continent, while the aquiline length of his nose implied yet another. His genetic history probably held a map of Eurasia within its contents.

“You really are quite beautiful,” she said, finally. “Is that why you spend so much time as a cat? To avoid me staring at you?”

Surprise reflected in his expression, and his smile grew into an actual grin. Her panties went damp and her heart hammered. Why couldn’t she learn to put a filter on her mouth?

T
he psi was worse
than a she-cat in heat. She made no damn sense. The swift, sweetness of her arousal perfumed the air even as she glared at him. Then instead of the tart demand she’d subjected him to after she’d opened the door to the storm, she’d exhaled a compliment he’d experienced like a stroke across his pelt. Damn it all, he wanted to laugh. Again.

“I’m protecting you.” Simple, short, to the point. Maybe if they minimized their conversation, they could save themselves some embarrassment—such as his need to satisfy his curiosity about how she would taste.

“From what?” Her utter surprise tangled with dismissal slapped at him.

“From everything.” He damn near growled the words, and her eyes widened at the sound. What did she expect when she insulted him? “You’re here to do a job. I’m here to make sure no one disturbs you.”

Folding her arms, she frowned. Unfortunately, the position of her arms lifted her breasts and reminded him of their lushness. The lack of a line across them warned him she’d gone braless. Nothing he really needed to know, much less focus upon. “There’s a blizzard out there. Most people with sense who want to do harm aren’t going to travel through a blizzard. We’re also in the middle of nowhere. So, exactly whom are you protecting me from?”

The desire to slam his mouth down on hers and take a bite out of all of her churlishness rolled over him. Fur threatened to spread over him as his cat brushed along the inside of his skin.

He and the leopard had always been close, the animal existing just below the surface. Not everyone was like him, not even among the leopards he’d used to know before he emigrated. The constant warfare decimating his home range had left him with little choice—a blood-soaked death or migration to a new land. The Clan he’d found had given him a place to stay, a range to call his own and relative autonomy as long as he didn’t mind providing them with occasional service.

Services such as their request he look after the delectable woman challenging his authority and her security with her questions. Curling his fingers into his palms, he refused the temptation she so provocatively provided. “From the elements, starvation…falling off cliffs.”

A red flush stained her cheeks, and she hid her gorgeous brown eyes with her lashes. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to say such inappropriate things, and I never did thank you for catching me on the ledge.”