ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection) (101 page)

The wind howled along the wooded area. The sky above was bright blue without a cloud in sight. Purple flowers peeked out from the snow, eager to take in the sunlight and push through the cold from the recent snowfall.

A figure slowly stalked along a trail, careful to be silent in approach, a bow and arrow in hand. A primitive tool fashioned by hand, though in the hands of its owner, a deadly weapon that would not miss the mark. A semi-long bow, the tension was tight at the moment, a feathered arrow drawn back against the man's cheek.

His hazel eyes peered down the shaft of the arrow. His form was thickly muscled and yet moved easily and swiftly as a fox hunting a mouse. His body crouched to avoid detection. Cade Donovan focused on the hunt in front of him, so in tune with his efforts that everything seemed to move in slow motion. His inner beast struggled to be free of the mental restraints he had put in place to do his hunting. His wolf longed to feel the blood and flesh under its claws and teeth, but he refused it. He needed his human side to be in control for this kill. It was an important exercise in maintaining his sanity.

Loosing his arrow with a steady breath, it let out a sharp, resounding thwack as it hit its mark. An elderly doe collapsed without so much as a cry of pain. Lowering his bow and breathing out a sigh of relief, he approached the doe and found the arrow embedded within its heart. An instant kill. His food reserves were running low at home and he preferred to hunt his own fresh meat rather than worrying about going into town and being gawked at and gossiped about.

No, he wasn't too fond of humans. Not at all. Not after seeing what they had done to this land, each other, the animals, and their own kind. Cade was a wolf shifter, his reclusiveness honed over many years. When he did go into town, he seemed to attract more attention than he cared for. He couldn’t help the fact that woman were drawn to him. His broad shoulders, the curt politeness, and the unmistakable dominance he held over other males were like an aphrodisiac to the female population.

As a member of an elite military special forces squadron, Cade had seen too much war and devastation wrought by humans against humans. He spent years hardening himself against the atrocities that he was regularly exposed to, or at least he thought he was hardening himself. Apparently, though, the effects of the horrors he witnessed were simply building- one by one. Then came the final straw- an attack on a small village that he and his team were just moments too late to stop. The villagers had been raped, tortured, beaten and slaughtered, leaving none behind.

Seeing the bodies, particularly those of women and children mangled for fun, was too much for him to bear, and he felt something inside himself crack. It took a couple days to dig all those graves; and he could still feel the weight of the bodies on his shoulders. He retired from the military shortly thereafter, and began his slow but steady journey into seclusion and isolation.

Cade's eyes blinked rapidly, snapping him out of his memories. His breathing was rough and hard, his bow bent and nearly snapped from his firm grip. He took a breath and stood straight, tilting his head back and taking in the scents around him, calming him once more.

“I thank you this day, for giving me the strength and focus... May this creature’s soul rest in your arms,” he prayed to the earth.

His words were a low, soft growl. Hazel eyes opened once again as he glanced down at his prize, removed the arrow, and nicked his hand. Sparing a few drops of blood on the snow, he formed a small mound of it to pay homage to the doe in thanks for giving its life to provide him sustenance in days ahead.

It was an old ritual, shedding blood in thanks, as old as the tradition of hunting for one’s own food. Both had been taught him by his father, who had been taught by his own father.

Standing tall at 6'4”, Cade’s body was rippled with muscles, his normal physical training keeping him fit, but shifters had fit and thickly muscled physiques by nature anyway. He pushed some of his jet black locks back from his eyes, his body pausing as a gunshot cut through the air.

A low growl of a curse let loose from his mouth and he grabbed the deer, tossing it over his shoulder. He moved quickly through the snow, his eyes narrowing. Gunshots out here near the border of his property were not too unusual, but it wasn't hunting season. Plus, this was
his
area. The animals in it and those that passed through were his charges.

Reaching a clearing of the forest, he blinked once to adjust his eyes to the vivid sunlight sparkling off of the snow, and noticed spatters of crimson coating it. Three men were cheering over a large moose felled before them, the moose calling out weakly in pain before savagely being bludgeoned in the head in a half-hearted attempt to end its suffering.

A sharp, vivid pain came to his head. Dropping his load onto the ground, a feral howl emerged from his throat. They came to poach a moose with that cheer and that knife in their hands. It looked like they were about to take a picture, too.

Anger pulsed through Cade's body, his skin rippled and black fur exploded through his skin. Another howl left his maw, as he succumbed to the painful pleasure of the transformation, that thick thirst for blood nearly overpowering him. For these creeps, he couldn’t care less. He would cast them out of the world to bring peace amid the animals, to bring order once again. They should have listened to the warning howls of the wolves in the area, because now they were about to meet the greatest canine threat of all. The fools were about to learn who was really at the top of the food chain.

He felt a very slight twinge of guilt, but it was quickly overcome by the conviction that he wouldn’t allow man to harm
his
forest,
his
sanctuary, on
his
mountain.

No, his land would not become a senseless slaughtering ground.

At the sight of the mountains and the pure snow that blanketed them, Mira smiled and inhaled deeply. The crisp fresh air pulsed through her lungs before she exhaled in a puff of white. Goodness, she missed this. This chill, the freshly fallen snow that crunched beneath her footsteps, but most of all the stillness surrounding her all enveloped her in a feeling of utter peace and joy. It was such a relief coming out here. She was glad that Amanda's choice did not hamper her own return to these graceful slopes.

“What kind of treasures do you hold for me today?” she asked aloud, a soft question to the mountains that stretched on forever. Her heart beat stronger. Beyond calming her and bringing her mind to focus, the mountains seemed to call to her whispering that she belonged here, truly belonged, more so than anywhere else. Unfortunately, what with needing to have some money in her bank account, she had to live close enough to the city to commute daily. Besides, the few homes that dotted the mountainside were valued in the tens of millions, a price that was vastly out of her budget.

Bracing herself against the cold wind, she started ahead. Her bright blue eyes were the only thing that could be seen above the scarf tied snugly over the lower half of her face. She had the furred hood of her coat pulled down over her brows. The first few steps were always the hardest, until her momentum got going. She forced herself forward, taking silent delight in the crunching beneath her boots.

Her foot raised and crunched down again, one after the other, setting a good pace and feeling her heart rate increase bit by bit. Mira always waited for the feeling of sore legs before she took the time to rest, that pain something of a solvent for her anger and sadness. Today was a little different because without a hiking buddy she could set her own pace. Regardless of the reason, she pushed herself harder than usual, driving herself on to her destination. The last stop had been two-miles ago. She aimed this time for the next marker, wanting for semi-exhaustion before resting.

A few miles up the trail, there was a cave that she often ducked into after first carefully making sure that there were no wild animals taking refuge. It was a perfect spot to warm herself back up and eat if necessary. That might be her resting place tonight, depending on how she felt when she got there. On second thought, no, she wouldn't stop there. This time she would see how far she could push herself.

After some time had passed, Mira heard a howl. She jerked her head up, her hand absently grasping for the ice pick at her side. Wolves were known to frequent the mountains, although they posed little threat as they tended to stay far away from humans. Of all the times that she had trekked through this trail, she hadn't had any issues with them. She did spot them a couple times in the far-off distance, though they fled as soon as their eyes had met hers. Only once before had she heard a howl, but this one was different. Pain, agony, and rage were poured into one sound, a fury unbridled. Maybe it was her imagination. How could all that be heard from a wolf howl? She almost laughed aloud at the absurdity, until she heard a second howl. The second howl sent chills down her spine and the tiny hairs at the back of her neck prickled in warning. The sound was unmistakable rage.

“Damn, what's going on?”  Mira stared off in the direction of the sound.

A split second later, all she could see was red. Red along her hands, on the ice picks she pulled out to defend herself, even the snow before her was stained with red. Reeling back a step, she blinked rapidly, and the image instantly faded. Mira cursed under her breath and looked around frantically. All she could hear was the deafening throbbing of her pulse in her ears. No, no, she couldn’t have a panic attack. Not here. Not now. But, as hard as she tried to fight it, the image returned, crimson everywhere as if the only thing she
could
see was blood.

Mira leaned over, taking a scoop of snow and lowering her scarf. She put some in her mouth, hoping the sharp cold would bring her focus back again. Moving her scarf back into place, she raised her head, and froze. Before her a handful of wolves stood, ears laid flat along their skulls and fangs bared in a warning.

“Get out of here! Go!” Her words were sharp, and she brandished her ice picks swinging them threateningly towards the wolves. The movements, however, did little to intimidate them. The wolves snarled, their hackles raised and skulked forward. Mira's heart dropped to her feet, her grip tightening on her picks.

How could this be? How could she find herself in such danger here, in her special place? A strangled sound left her lips as she felt a sharp pain penetrate her thigh. Her reflexes were quick, and she smashed the blunt end of her pick into the wolf's head. It released her leg as it let loose a yelp and backed away a few feet. Mira's eyes teared but not from the physical pain of the bite. She had dealt with blows from Jeremy, but this pain, this pain was an extreme betrayal. Here was the one place she could go to lose herself, the one place that allowed her to paste bits of her shattered soul back together piece by piece. And now her only sanctuary was being stripped from her. Tears of anger fell from her eyes clouding her vision.

Her picks caught only air as she swung wildly at the advancing wolves. A choked, strangled sound left her lips, a loss of hope. She could just make out the form of the wolf as it jumped into the air and lunged at her. Then, through her blurred vision, she saw it batted aside as if it were a weightless pup. A mass of black fur was in front of her then, and her nostrils were filled with a warm scent of fur and sage with an odd coppery tinge. Mira felt her legs give out from under her, and she could sense herself falling as her eyes locked with the huge black wolf that had just protected her. It was clearly larger and stronger than the other wolves, and its eyes had a vivid golden-hue.

A second later her vision went black, she felt the cold of the snow and wind seep into her bones, and with her consciousness fading fast, she said a small prayer to let her die a painless death.

They dared to attack a human in
his
territory? No, there was no excuse for it. Cade smashed aside a wolf with a backhanded swipe, his clawed paw flexing in annoyance as he glared at the wolves that had congregated around the woman. He was already pissed at seeing humans poaching game for sport on his land, now this.

The wolves were certainly shocked to see him appear, and they instantly became submissive pups before him. Pack mentality dictated the strongest lead, and the wisest council. Cade was both. Cade commanded the utmost respect. However, they were all very hungry and the wolf who had been cast aside had gotten a taste of human blood. Its spirit wasn't quite broken so easily. A gruff snarl was heard, the group of dark gray wolves reluctantly surrounded Cade and formed a barrier. One wrong movement and they would launch forward, attempting to shred him to pieces. They weren't afraid to work for their meal.

But, Cade expected as much. An infuriated roar of a challenge left his muzzle. Cade swiped those crude, strong claws of his against the face of an advancing wolf, then turned quickly to knock another wolf away that lunged for the back of his neck. The next, the one that had a taste for human flesh, dove for the woman lying unconscious at Cade's feet, a backhanded swipe sent it sprawling away yet again.

The group froze again around the werewolf, unable to find an opening and certainly not ready for his counterattacks. Cade launched forward, his sharp teeth closing with a snap onto the alpha wolf's neck, a quick jerk and the creature went limp. Nostrils flaring, Cade turned back and glared at the rest of the wolves, but the fight in their eyes was gone.

By pack right, Cade was the new alpha. A sharp snort escaped and Cade growled once, his wide chest swelling with intense warning. Leave. Just that one deep, guttural growl was all it took before the rest of the pack tucked their tails between their legs and scattered. The wolf that had previously bitten Mira hesitated a moment, longing for another taste of her blood, but flinching at the guttural sound from Cade's throat. Taking pity on the wolf, Cade growled quietly. The wolf's ears perked up. Other humans to feed on? Just that murmur of encouragement and the wolf turned tail and ran, leaving the werewolf with the human.

Cade’s gaze scanned the woman’s body, seeing the crimson snow around her leg. Cade's eyes narrowed in annoyance. He would have to take care of her. There was no way that he could just drop her off at the nearest hospital, which was 40 miles away. Besides, his clothes had been shredded in the unexpected change, so he would either be travelling as a large black male wolf, or a large naked male human. No, he would have to take her to his home and allow her to stay, but only for as long as it took her injury to heal sufficiently. Once she could walk, he would see her on her way.

Cade carefully scooped the woman up, feeling her weight and appreciating how her soft curves pressed into his body. A small shudder coursed through him. Instead of annoyance, he felt an instant calm. Inhaling her scent through her clothing, he smelled fresh berries, maybe her soap or shampoo? He also smelled a coppery sweetness of blood that had begun to dry along her thigh. He moved over to his felled doe, and with a makeshift hammock of a couple tree branches, tugged it behind him as he walked carefully back to his home.

The woman in his arms did not even budge on the way back to the house. Cade looked down every now and then to ensure that she was still deeply asleep in the crook of his arm. Her face was so pale. He would have to close that wound up quickly.

It took about ten minutes for Cade to arrive back at his home, a huge sprawling chalet-style mansion, three levels total. He left the kill outside to be butchered later. He froze as Mira suddenly shifted in his hold. His golden eyes looked down at her cautiously, and she winced briefly before going limp again. He hurried to his bedroom and placed her gently on the bed. As he examined the bite, he gritted his teeth at the severity. Careful to not wake her, he gently unbuckled her pants, slid the zipper down swiftly and carefully worked them off of her hips, a quiet moan of discomfort from Mira giving him pause and making him go stock-still for a moment. Seconds later, he worked the pants all the way off and inspected her leg more thoroughly.

Luckily, it didn’t appear she’d need stitches, but the wound certainly needed to be disinfected. He collected the necessary first aid materials along with a robe for her to wear. When he removed the rest of her clothing, he was surprised to feel his own body reacting with excitement to her supple, curved form lying nearly bare on his bed. It had been a very long time since he’d had that type of reaction to any woman and it caught him a bit off-guard. He felt heat course through his veins. He was enough of a gentleman to leave her undergarments on.

Cade shook his head quickly to clear his thoughts and return them to the task at hand. He noticed a locket on her chest. Curiosity about his houseguest got the better of him and he carefully opened it half expecting to find the face of a husband or a lover. Instead, he saw an older version of the woman lying in his bed. Even for a human, she looked so very regal. He guessed her to be the woman’s mother or grandmother. A brief thought flickered through his mind.
What must it be like having a woman like the one now laying on the bed, wrapped in his embrace, or resting her head on his chest, or lying underneath him as he made her cry out in pleasure...?
He felt a tightening in his groin at the thought.

“Get a hold of yourself, idiot,” he mumbled aloud in frustration. But, in the back of his mind he was fully aware that somehow, for some reason, this woman had just felt
right
in his arms, and now
right
on his bed. A moan of discomfort came again in her sleep. He panicked a moment, not sure how he was going to explain this situation to her, but in a second or two, her breathing rhythm returned to normal. He took advantage of the fact that she was in a deeper state of unconsciousness to cleanse the wound.

Cade gingerly poured hydrogen peroxide on the bite marks, watching it fizz, but keeping his focus on her body movements. She was still out cold, thank goodness. He spread antibiotic numbing ointment along the marks next, and gently wrapped the wound in gauze.

For someone that was as repelled by humans as he was, Cade couldn’t understand his attraction to this woman. He couldn't help but stare at her body as she lay resting. He watched her sleep. She was certainly beautiful. Her previously furrowed brows were smoothing out now, her lips parted lightly as she breathed. She was still pale, but Cade was confident that she would be able to heal from the damage quickly.

He was reminded of another reason that he liked women with thicker bodies. Besides the softness of their curves, they were far tougher and more resilient. He didn't have to worry about being extra gentle lest they snap like a twig. Cade imagined his hands grasping the softness of her hips as he ground his erect cock into her until he saw the look of ecstasy on her face. His body flooded with heat again, and he stifled a growl that tried to escape from his chest. He shouldn't be thinking like this; she was human. He should have felt disgusted, but that was the last thing from his mind as his eyes were drawn to her form. He watched how her chest rose with every breath; he inhaled the scent of the warm juices at the junction of her thighs.
He was acting like a damn pervert.

He forcibly pushed aside those feelings and tenderly dressed the woman in one of his warm terry cotton robes. He carefully tied the belt and made sure that she was as well covered as possible, for her security mainly. He resisted all temptation except one. He allowed himself to lean his head down slightly and inhale the scent of her neck. He nearly brushed his tongue along her flesh before he stopped himself.

Once he moved her gently towards the top of the bed so that her head rested on the pillow and tugged the covers over her body, a wry laugh escaped his lips. He was so used to living alone, he hadn’t even realized that he was still stark naked. It would probably not be a good idea for her to awaken to a bare stranger staring at her in her sleep, especially since his shaft had been rock-hard since he had undressed her. That would most certainly not make a good first impression, and Cade was a little surprised to realize that he definitely wanted to make a good impression. In fact, he found himself hoping that the two of them could at least get to know one another bit before she left.

As he pulled some clothes out of his drawers, his eyes darted to the window. Those clouds in the sky, that was a bad sign. They were still off in the distance, but with the wind direction and speed, those blackened clouds could easily cause a severe storm in the area. He wouldn’t be able to let her leave until he was certain the storm wouldn’t strand her out on the mountain somewhere in the cold. Wonderful. Along with dealing with her wrath once she found he had stripped her, he would have to explain that she couldn't leave yet, either. Cade let out a heavy sigh, glaring at the sky.

Tonight just wasn't going to be his night, was it?

Or, was it?