Arctic Winds (9 page)

She’d decided to go for an early morning run before work to clear her head. It had been a while since she’d given her fox free reign and she’d started feeling itchy in her own skin. She’d gotten the same feeling in larger towns where her fox wasn’t able to connect with nature. If she wasn’t able to immerse herself in the wild every now and then, her fox grew anxious.

A slight movement caught her attention, and she snapped her head to the right and froze. Her gaze scanned the area until she caught the movement again and saw a mouse scavenging for food underneath one of the trees. She licked her lips in anticipation of a hunt.

Slowly creeping forward, Samantha kept low to the ground, trying to blend in with her surroundings, and inched forward. The mouse looked up and, for a minute, she was sure it had seen her and was going to take off before she got close enough to catch it. But after a moment it went back to digging in the snow.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Samantha crawled closer and got ready to pounce. The mouse must have sensed her presence, though, because the moment she pounced, it took off running. Her animal instincts wouldn’t let her give up on her prey that easily, and she took off after it, chasing it through the woods and in between trees, turning left and then right, blindly pursuing the mouse.

She thought she had it until suddenly it disappeared into the snow. Samantha put her head to the ground but she couldn’t sense any movement. She tried digging and met only with the hard earth.

Huffing in frustration, Samantha decided it was time to head back. She’d grab a muffin for breakfast as she opened the coffee bar. It wouldn’t taste as satisfying as something she’d hunted herself but it would have to do. She didn’t want to be late.

She raised her head and looked to the right and then to the left. Panic started to overtake her as she realized she didn’t know where she was. The mouse had taken her farther than she intended to go, and she didn’t know which way she had come from. Her nose couldn’t detect any hint of the wolf town she was beginning to think of as home. But there was something in the wind. Deciding to test her luck, Samantha headed toward the smell and prayed she could somehow find her way back home.

* * * *

Jason was in the shower when the shrill strains of his cellphone broke into his thoughts of Samantha. Grabbing a towel and throwing it around his waist, he looked at the number. Books and Crannies. It looked like Samantha couldn’t wait to talk to him, either. Maybe a little time away was just what the doctor ordered. Jason smiled at the thought.

“Good morning, little heart,” he said into the phone. Silence was the only response.

“Samantha?” Jason tried again, starting to get worried. A prickling unease crept up the back of his neck.

“She’s not with you?” Laurie’s voice sounded strained.

“Laurie? What’s wrong?” The unease spread, causing his stomach to drop like a lead weight.

Whatever Laurie had to say, he knew he wasn’t going to like it. He sat on the edge of the bed.

“Samantha didn’t come in to work this morning. I figured she was running a bit late, but she wasn’t in her apartment either. I was hoping she went with you and just didn’t mention it.”

“Where is she?” Jason all but shouted into the phone. Things had been going well. He couldn’t understand why she would leave him. This had been the first night in weeks they hadn’t spent together, and he thought she might be beginning to love him. But now he wondered if everything had gone to shit.

“Her car’s still here, Jason. She might just be down at the diner or something and lost track of time. I’m sorry I worried you.” Laurie wasn’t telling him everything. He could sense the lie even over the phone. Besides, it wasn’t like Samantha to be late for work. She took her responsibilities seriously.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Jason put every amount of authority he had as Premier into his voice. If there was a problem with Samantha, he needed to know. He was anxious to find her and take her back in his arms. Nothing but the feel and scent of Samantha, the sound of her lyrical voice, would appease his wolf right now.

“I called the cellphone you bought for her,” Laurie said hesitantly. “I heard it ringing upstairs.

Wherever she is, it’s not with her.”

Jason closed his eyes, barely reining in his panic. He’d find her. No matter what. He had to get home. “I’m on my way. Call Ethan and Danny and have them ask around. Call me if anything happens before I get there.”

Jason hung up the phone, gathered his clothes and flung them into his suitcase. He ran out to his car and jumped inside it. The only thought running through his head was
I have to get home.

I have to get to Samantha
.

* * * *

Shit.
All she could think was…
shit
. Samantha kept under the cover of the trees and glanced at the town she had stumbled into. It was another shifter town and smelled familiar enough that she was willing to bet they were foxes. What the hell was she supposed to do now? She could shift, explain herself, and ask for a phone to call the bookstore. Of course, if she shifted she’d be naked, so that plan had some pretty major drawbacks. But what could she do as a fox? Nothing.

Closing her eyes, Samantha rethought her options. If she stayed in fox form, she’d blend into the snow, hopefully enough to allow her to get close enough to town to find some clothes before anyone noticed her. There was no way she was going into a strange shifter town naked, but if she could find some clothes, she could find a payphone, call Laurie and be gone before they even knew she was there. Hopefully.

Taking a deep breath, Samantha crawled out of the shadowy forest and started inching toward the closest house. She was halfway across the snowy expanse when she sensed someone watching her. Her ears twitched as she cautiously looked around. Not ten feet away stood a gorgeous male red fox watching her with one foot raised. It appeared to have been following her since she left the cover of the forest.

Samantha panicked. Her mind went completely blank, and her feet automatically began to run toward the town. She didn’t get far before the fox was on her, tackling her to the ground.

Samantha struggled for a moment, strengthened by sheer adrenaline, before she assumed a submissive pose. She could never win a fight against this much larger fox. She’d have to figure another way out of this mess.

Samantha mewled in distress, wanting to cry out at the unfair twist life had just dealt her.

Everything was going well, she had a job, an apartment, and a man she was beginning to love.

All she could hope was this community was like her wolves, that they would help her find her way home.

The strange red fox kept close to her, steering her toward the first house they came to. The fox pawed open the side door and ushered her inside. The house was a small ranch style but was obviously a bachelor residence. Clothes were piled on chairs around the room and a few empty beer bottles sat on the coffee table in the living room.

As soon as they entered, the red fox started shifting. If he hadn’t been blocking the exit, Samantha would’ve taken the opportunity to get away. She thought about running into the house and trying to hide. With her small frame, she could easily find a nook to hide in until the man went away. But even if she could hide herself visually, she was sure he could track her scent and find her. Shifters’ increased senses were always much sharper directly following a shift. No, she would have to bide her time and wait for the next opportunity to make her escape.

As the man’s form began to take shape, Samantha looked away embarrassed. He was making no attempt to shield himself from her, and everything was completely exposed. Samantha lay on the floor, covering her eyes with her paws, whining softly. It suddenly occurred to her how vulnerable she was, trapped in a house with a naked man who was capable of overpowering any attempt she made to fight him.

Samantha heard the man chuckle above her, but she still refused to look. “Modest little thing, aren’t you?” She heard him move away from the door and made a dash for the exit. At the last second, he closed the door, causing her to slam into it before she could make it outside. Samantha shrank away from him again.

“Easy, princess,” the man said as he grabbed a pair of jeans from the chair near the door and slipped them on. “You know, not many shifters are squeamish about nudity.” His eyes raked over her small form appraisingly. “It’s rather charming.” He chuckled again as she continued to stare at him warily from the floor.

“Not going to change in front of me, huh?” His eyes twinkled as he looked down at her. “I don’t have any girl clothes around, but I can dig up a clean t-shirt and some boxers. Come on, the bedroom’s this way. I’ll get the clothes out and give you some privacy while you change.” He led Samantha to a door on the right and went digging in a drawer until he came out with the promised articles of clothing and laid them on the bed.

“Come on out when you’re done.” He looked at her again as if trying to puzzle something out. “We have a few things to discuss.”

In the bedroom, the human Samantha nervously pulled the shirt over her head. What could he possibly want to discuss with her? He seemed nice enough, even allowing her privacy to change.

But despite his demeanor, Samantha was reluctant to trust him. She needed a phone to call Laurie.

Somehow she had to get home. Home to Jason.

Samantha peeked out the door and didn’t see the fox. Glancing to the left and to the right, she couldn’t find him anywhere. Would this be her only chance to escape?

“I know you aren’t planning on running after I nicely offered you my clothes.” The man’s voice came from behind the archway to her left. Samantha held a brief internal debate over her next course of action. The man was right, though. He had provided her certain courtesies and if he was going to hurt her, he’d had plenty of opportunities out in the fields before they even got inside his house. Once again, her instincts told her to trust a strange shifter.

Samantha stepped through the archway into a beautiful kitchen. It was surprisingly clean considering the state of the living room. The man stood at the stove making scrambled eggs…a lot of them. There had to be enough eggs there to feed three people. He stood at the stove with his spatula frozen in midair, his mouth gaping, as his eyes ran from her feet to the top of her head and back down again.

Samantha nervously played with the hem of the t-shirt as he continued to stare at her with a shocked look on his face.

“Thanks for lending me the clothes,” Samantha stuttered out. “I’m sorry to intrude on your skulk’s property. I got turned around in the woods and couldn’t find my way home.”

“Must’ve gotten really turned around to end up all the way down here in Colorado. Quite a trek from Alaska.” He smiled at her finally as he leaned against the counter.

Samantha found herself smiling back. “That is quite a trek, but I’ve been staying in Alpine Woods.. Do you know of it?”

The man frowned at her. “Alpine Woods is wolf territory. What are you doing there? You should be staying here among your own.”

“Oh well, I kind of stumbled into their town and they helped find me a place to stay and a job. I work for Books and Crannies, the bookstore. I’m actually late for work. If I can use your phone, I can give them a call and then get out of your hair. I appreciate all the help, but I should be getting home.”

“Why don’t you have some breakfast first? I’m always ravished after a shift, and I made plenty for both of us. I’m Cody, Premier of the Vulpes skulk.” Cody dished the eggs onto two plates and set them on the table.

“I really should be going…” Samantha’s rumbling stomach cut off her protests, and she reluctantly sat at the table. “I’m Samantha,” she stated after a pause and began eating the eggs in front of her.

“Pleasure to meet you, Samantha. I must admit I was a bit shocked to see an arctic fox crawling toward my house this morning, but after meeting you I think my birthday must’ve come early. I can’t wait to get you into the skulk.”

Samantha blushed as she swallowed the food in her mouth. “Oh. It’s nice of you to offer, but I’m fine where I am. Everyone has been really nice to me.” Samantha frowned. “Except some of the females. But that’s another matter.”

Cody laughed. “Dealing with some pack jealousies, huh? You won’t have to worry about that once you choose a mate. I’m hoping I can help you with that. Although we need to spend more time together before we make any decisions, of course.”

Samantha paused with the fork halfway to her mouth and looked at Cody in shock. Surely, she hadn’t heard him right. Or she’d misunderstood what he was trying to say.

“I appreciate the thought, but I’m not in the market for a mate,” Samantha said, putting her fork down. Her appetite seemed to have deserted her and her nervousness had returned in full force, making her stomach clench. “I really should call my boss. I don’t want her to be worried.” The truth was Samantha had never even considered having a mate of her own. A mate meant comfort and security. Samantha’s life held none of those things. She’d been on her own her whole life.

Mating had never been an option before.

Cody laughed and put his fork down as well. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Samantha. I just wanted you to know, I’m throwing my hat in the ring. I know once we get you in the skulk, every single fox in the town will be after you. I just wanted to make sure I had the first claim.”

“As I said, I appreciate the offer, but I’m quite happy where I am. I’m not joining the skulk.” Samantha barely registered her words. Her thoughts pounded as they tossed around in her head.

“All right, all right,” Cody soothed.

Samantha was still a bit uncomfortable but she found herself relaxing slightly. He was handsome with his shaggy red hair and striking emerald green eyes. He had sharp features but an easy smile and confident demeanor. Truthfully, if she wasn’t in love with Jason, she could easily see herself becoming attracted to Cody. But she
was
in love with Jason.