Chapter 2
Stinger
Five minutes later, I’m pulling up at a gas station almost opposite the truck stop.
I park up my rig at the first available spot, brakes hissing and groaning. Then I grab my jacket and make for the interstate.
I squint, trying to keep the goddamn snowflakes from getting in my eyes.
Even with my wolf’s sharp eyesight, visibility is screwed.
Instead, I tune in my ears for the sound of traffic approaching.
A single car drifts past, then silence. When I’m sure nothing’s about to lurch out of the blizzard, I dart across three lanes of traffic, bound over the central reservation, and sprint across to the opposite side.
Sheesh, it’s cold. Even for a shifter. Freezing snow lashes my face and tries to sneak down the neck of my jacket.
There it is—the little red car—still upended in the bank. No lights on, almost invisible. And not a soul in sight. I sprint over, skid down the bank. The windows are all steamed up. I press my face to the driver’s side window.
And see her:
A young female. Pale face, dark hair. Still strapped into her seat. Not moving. No airbags deployed. Her face isn’t pressed up against anything.
Is she conscious?
I reach for the door handle. It opens easily, thank goodness.
The scent of her fear wafts out of the car’s warm interior. Her head snaps toward me and she gasps.
“It’s okay, ma’am,” I say, trying to make my voice human-soft.
Her breath is coming fast and shallow. Her eyes are wild with panic and her features are drawn, but…
she’s beautiful. Like an angel. Like nothing I’ve seen in my whole life before.
I go still as I take her in. Huge dark eyes, glossy nut-brown hair pulled back from her face.
Reddened lips, parted like she’s desperate for oxygen.
My animal swells inside me.
Mate.
My whole body jerks. What?
It’s never said that before. Thirty-four years I’ve been on this earth, and I’ve concluded fate’s got nothing for the likes of me. Guys as screwed up as me don’t have mates. We live alone, until we lose our shit and some other beast puts us out of our misery.
But now my wolf thinks this little human is my mate.
Not possible.
“Can you help me?” Her voice vibrates through me. Soft and sweet, like tinkling water.
“Are you hurt?” I demand.
She examines her arms confusedly. “I-I don’t think so.”
“Can you feel your legs?”
She frowns. “Yes.”
“Any pain?”
“No. No, I just skidded off the road.”
“I saw that,” I say grimly.
She starts to shiver and I realize the open door is bringing blasts of icy air into the car.
“Let’s get you out of here.” I examine her positioning. It’s gonna be tricky. She’s tilted way forward, and a lot of her weight is hanging from the seatbelt. “Brace your arms on the dash,” I tell her.
She does as I say, but as I start to release the seatbelt, her arms shake.
No time for social niceties. Not that I’ve got a ton of those anyway. I wrap an arm around her waist, and as the seatbelt slides away, I sweep her into my arms.
And I keep going, lifting her right out of the car.
Damn, she’s as light as a feather, and beneath the sharp tang of her fear is a sweet feminine scent that has my beast twitching its nostrils, desperate for more.
I don’t want to put her down. For one crazy moment, I feel like I could hold her soft little body in my arms forever.
But I’m probably freaking her out. My face does that to much bigger and meaner people than her.
I set her down carefully on the ground. She’s wearing silly little shoes that sink into the snow. And right away, she starts shivering violently.
“Coat?”
“Oh—yeah.” She reaches for the rear door handle.
“Let me.” I ease it open. Grab the light brown leather jacket on the back seat. It’s not going to do a whole lot for her in this weather, but it’s better than nothing.
She slides her arms into the jacket. She’s moving slow, like she’s in shock. When she’s gotten it on, I drop down onto my knees and work at the zipper. There. I fasten it all the way up to the top.
“My bag,” she murmurs, looking at the car dazedly.
I dive back in. Locate a tiny, pink female-type bag from the passenger seat.
Then I snatch up the keys, lock the door, and I grab her hand.
Never held a female’s hand before.
But I didn’t expect it to feel like this—like silk and velvet.
And home.
The word shudders through me.
What the fuck?
I don’t have a home.
Never have, really.
No reason why I’d find it in this tiny human’s hand.
She uses her other hand to shield her eyes from the snow. “I was trying to get to the gas station,” she mutters.
“No shit—” Oops. That’s no way to talk to a lady.
I clear my throat. “That’s what I figured. It’s right there.” I point at the spot, although it’s all but invisible. “Let’s get you inside.”
She clings to my hand and we start to walk. But we haven’t gone a dozen steps before her feet slide out from under her.
“Shoot!” she yells in terror and wraps her other arm around mine.
“It’s okay.” I try to make my tone soothing. “Just keep holding me like that, and you’ll be fine.”
And she does, most of her upper body wrapped around my arm like a baby raccoon, as we make our way slowly across the icy lot.
The truck stop has a diner around the side. It’s a pretty good one. I usually try to schedule my breaks here. The windows are all steamed up with condensation, and when I pull open the door, a buzz of voices greets us—along with the hella good smell of bacon and sausages.
Her grip on my hand gets even tighter. She needs quiet. She’s been through a lot. I get it. When my animal gets overwhelmed, it just wants to go hide in a cave, deep in the forest.
I stride through the diner. People are milling about everywhere, but they scatter as I approach. Nothing new there. My bulk tends to scare the hell out of people.
Right at the back, I find a quiet corner and an empty booth. The girl is still clinging to me, even though it’s not slippery here. Does that mean something? I’m not good with these things. I shove the thought aside and guide her to her seat.
She slumps into the corner, and looks around, wide-eyed. I give her time. No rush now.
A server comes over in a tight uniform. Louisa. I used to like looking at her when I came in here.
Not anymore.
Now I’ve only got eyes for this beautiful, big-eyed stranger. And that’s how it’s going to stay.
“Hey, Stinger. Been a long time.” Louisa puts her hand on my shoulder like always. It used to feel kinda nice. Now I brush it off like a fly.
“Oh!” she says, like I hurt her in some way.
“Sorry,” I mutter, but I’m not really. I don’t want anything to distract me from taking care of my little arctic rabbit.
Louisa dumps two menus on the table and storms off.
“Hungry?” I ask.
The girl nods uncertainly.
“You need to eat. Help you warm up.”
She blinks, like my words have surprised her in some way. Then slowly, she straightens up, takes off her jacket and smooths down her wet hair. Quits looking so freaked out. Like a spring flower unfurling.
“Bit of a shock, huh?” I say.
“Yeah. You can say that again.” She swipes her hand across her forehead. “My car—”
“Don’t think it’s badly damaged, but it’s wedged down the bank good. We’ll need to get a tow tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Her eyes bug out. “I need to get back on the road tonight.”
I shake my head slowly. “Not happening. No one’s gonna come out in this blizzard.”
Her forehead crumples and she looks around wildly. “But where—?”
“There’s a motel attached to the truck stop. It’s not much, but you’ll be safe there till morning.”
She goes still as she absorbs the news. Then she gives a deep nod. “Guess tomorrow will be okay,” she mutters, half to herself.
“Got somewhere you need to be?” It’s none of my damn business, of course, but I can’t help wanting to know all about her.
“I’m moving to a new town. Starting a new job tomorrow.”
“All by yourself?”
“Yeah?” Her eyes narrow with uncertainty.
“That’s brave.”
“It is?”
I shrug. “I’d say so.”
“Oh.” She looks pleased, and she kind of loosens up, like she’s allowing her body to occupy more space.
There’s kind of glow about her now, and it gives me a warm feeling, too.
Damn, if that’s the effect my compliments have on her, I want to give her a bunch more.
But I only just met her. I don’t want to freak her out.
Her gaze settles on me. Under the diner’s fluorescent lights, I see her eyes are not dark, but a beautiful shade of violet. They were glazed with fear and shock, but now they’re clear, filling with curiosity instead.
“You saved me,” she says, in a tone of wonder. “Thought I was going to be stuck there all night. My phone wasn’t working. And I couldn’t get myself free.”
“Couldn’t leave you in the snow like that,” I mutter.
Her mouth opens and closes again. “How did you—”
“I sailed right past. Came back for you.”
“You turned your car around?”
“My rig.”
“You’re a truck driver?”
“Uh huh.”
She scans my bare forearms, my shoulders. Her eyes turn darker and I hear a little hitch in her breath.
She likes what she sees.
The realization hits me like a bullet.
Can’t be right. She so delicate, and me all feral and beastly.
Is that because she’s supposed to be mine? Because fate picked us out for each other?
“You came back for me?” she whispers, like she can’t quite believe it. “Thank you,” she murmurs. “Thank you so much.”
“Welcome,” I grunt. But inside I’m all lit up. She has no idea that this is the least I’d do for her.
I’ll do anything for this girl. Anything she wants.
“Stinger, right?”
“Uh huh.”
“I’m Ava.”
Ava. I roll the name around inside my head like a marble. Beautiful name for a beautiful girl.
Louisa comes back, frowning and fiddling with her notebook.
Ava scans the menu and orders pancakes and coffee. I get the same, along with a plate of eggs, bacon and sausages.
“Burn a lot of energy,” I say when her delicate eyebrows lift. I’m used to explaining my giant appetite to humans.
“I bet,” she says, and those pretty eyes of hers rove up and down me again.
I want to haul her off, right then and there. But I need to make sure she’s fed.
When the server marches off with the menus, Ava slides out of her seat. “I’ll just go find the bathroom.”
I point to it and she heads off, moving cautiously on the wet floor.
My eyes zone in, like a heat-seeking missile, on her curvy ass and thighs. They’re encased in tight black pants that show them off to perfection.
She’s gorgeous.
A knockout.
My beast surges beneath my skin.
Mate.
“Not happening,” I growl, and shove it back down.
How could she be my mate, when she’s a princess, and I’m… well, I’m more wolf than man?