Chapter Two
Poppy was not used to anyone being able to lift her. She’d always been considered overweight. It was something her doctors constantly moaned about. Even when she lost weight, they were not happy. She did her best to stay as healthy as possible.
Whoever this man was, he clearly was strong, and she held onto him, consciously aware of his hand on her ass. She tried not to think how good that hand felt. It was not appropriate to be attracted to a man she didn’t know. He shouldn’t even have his hands on her.
The panic kept rising, as she was pretty sure she heard those poachers in the near distance.
Disgusting people. She had come to realize there was a reason she was alone, single, and quite happy to be that way.
Most people were not nice. Like those freaking poachers who killed animals.
Anyone who hurt an animal was filth to her.
She took a deep breath. The poor bear. What if this guy was right and it had little babies that were now at risk of dying because of the actions of those selfish men?
“You’re angry?” Wilder asked.
This made her frown. “What?”
“Why are you angry?”
“Because of those men. They’re horrible. I mean, I know bears can be dangerous, and they attack, but they’re the ones hunting it. This is their domain. This is not a place for humans.”
“Why are you here then?” Wilder asked.
“I was hoping to take a picture of some big beast. I wasn’t going to kill it. I just wanted to take a picture.”
“And you think you have a right to take it?” Wilder asked.
This made her frown. Throughout history people had taken pictures, but he was right, who really did have the right to take something like that?
“I honestly don’t know.”
She looked at her camera, feeling a little deflated.
“At least it will help bring those men to justice,” she said.
Widler snorted. “Yes, because you humans are known for making the right decisions.”
She couldn’t help but tense up. “People are brought to justice.”
“Not all the time, and you can’t argue with me that they are, we both know that is not the case.”
She wanted to tell him to put her down, but in the distance, she heard the unmistakable sound of the men getting closer, and she couldn’t help but tighten herself around Wilder.
This was dangerous. She didn’t know if Wilder would be a match for the three men.
She could throw a mean punch, but she couldn’t exactly evade a bullet.
Poppy assumed they were coming with bullets.
She had a bad attitude. She could certainly strip them down with a few choice words. Not that it would do any good. Men like that did not listen to reason. They were assholes.
“I’ll be surprised if anything comes from your camera.”
“The police have WANTED posters up. The news reports on poachers, and it’s illegal.”
“And if those men sell those parts on the dark web, make a profit, and give the cops part of the proceeds, do you think they’re going to turn them in?” Wilder asked.
“You’re ... not very nice,” she said.
“Do you want me to drop you on your ass and let you talk to them?” Wilder asked.
Again, she tightened her arms around his neck. They had already shot at her. She was hopeful the cops were not dirty, but she was also a realist. This wasn’t good.
“Look, I have to be hopeful and believe in the justice system, otherwise, everything is for nothing, and I can’t live with that. I don’t want to live with that.” She hated how desperate she sounded.
“We’ll see.”
Poppy groaned. Something told her he would know better than anyone. “What do you know?” she asked.
“I know I’ve seen those men hunting these parts several times. I also know they’ve had run-ins with the local police. I’ve seen them handing over brown envelopes, and I can guess there is cash in them.”
“Shit!” Poppy said, and she was not one to curse. She actually hated it. “I’m sorry. Why did you help me?”
“Because you might be able to find another way of bringing those men to justice.”
“How?”
“Why not send it in to the news?” Wilder asked.
“The news!” Why hadn’t she thought of that?
If Wilder could get her to the network, and she had proven images, then it didn’t matter if the cops were dirty.
All that mattered was the evidence of those men and what they had done.
There would be outrage. She had to believe other people felt the same way she did.
Wilder suddenly took a turn that removed them from the main dirty path. She tightened her grip around him, and it shocked her that he wasn’t even breaking into a sweat, nor did he seem out of breath.
“Where are we going?”
“They’re gaining on us, but they won’t venture out far from the main path. It’s too dangerous, even for poachers. They’re not stupid.”
It was already getting dark, and Poppy could scarcely see around her. It was moments like this that she wished she ate more carrots, although that was pretty stupid. Clearly, carrots didn’t help you see in the dark. She was starting to feel a little stupid now, and afraid.
“Do you talk this much all the time?” Wilder asked.
Now she wanted the ground to completely open up, swallow her, and hope she never had to look at Wilder again. She’d been speaking this whole time about carrots and thought it had been in her head.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“It’s cute, but carrots do have beta-carotene that we all know converts into Vitamin A, which is supposed to be really good for the eyes,” Wilder said.
“Well, aren’t you smart?”
“You don’t get much to do in these mountains other than read, and I happen to enjoy reading.”
He seemed to have a smart answer for everything. This was starting to piss her off. She didn’t know why she was getting agitated. Maybe it was the dark or the fear, or the anger, all combined together.
“This will do for tonight,” Wilder said, and she looked straight ahead only to see a narrow opening in the rock face.
“A cave?”
“We’re not going to make it to my cabin. This is safer and the poachers won’t find us as we’re off the main path, and they can’t see in dark caves. They also won’t be able to sense us.”
“They’re poachers, can’t they sense everything?”
“They have their limitations,” he said.
She wanted to growl and demand to be taken somewhere else. This was horrible. There were probably bats and bugs and wild animals in there. What was the point of complaining, though? She was in no position to make any demands. He was the one in charge, not her.
Wilder could have left her in the hands of the poachers. He was keeping her safe, and she was grateful he showed up when he did.
****
Wilder liked the way Poppy smelled. He also happened to like her name. She was beautiful, just like the flower. But he knew she was terrified of the cave, as most humans would be.
She sat opposite him, and he refused to build a fire. It helped that he had a perfect visual of her. Every now and then, she’d close her eyes for long periods of time. She kept wrapping her arms around her knees, as the temperature was starting to cool.
“Come here,” he said.
She jerked her head toward his direction, but she didn’t look straight at him. It was kind of funny because she didn’t know where he was. Her other senses were becoming magnified.
“What?”
“You’re cold, and rather than do this on your own, why don’t you stop being stubborn and come here? I’m not going to attack you. I could have done that already, or left you to the poachers.”
She pressed her lips together, and he knew he was irritating her. She looked so cute when she was irritated and scared. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
Wilder didn’t like the fact that his bear wanted to be closer to her. The moment he let her go so they could walk into the cave, he sensed his bear was not happy. He didn’t understand this. He’d never been attracted to humans. He hated them. They were destructive, entitled, and disgusting.
There was nothing disgusting, entitled, or even destructive about Poppy. He liked her. There was a fire inside her that reminded him of a female bear. He had a feeling if Poppy had babies, she’d be a fierce momma bear. She’d go to the ends of the earth and fight to the death for her babies.
Wilder couldn’t tear his gaze away as he looked at her, imagining her pregnant with his cubs. She’d look stunning with her tits larger than they already were. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he held himself back and waited.
Poppy let out another shiver. Was she going to be stubborn? Another human trait.
“Okay, you’re right. Thank you.” She stood up and took a tentative step forward, holding her hand out, and he took it.
If he wanted to give her a fighting chance, he could light a fire.
If the poachers came, the cave was large enough, he’d be able to take them on.
However, he heard the poachers moved right on by, and it also meant Poppy needed to rely on him just a little longer.
She let out a gasp, and he pulled her in close.
“Please tell me it’s you?” she asked, “and we’re not in a cave with another weird creature that’s going to eat me?”
“You clearly watch too many horror movies.”
“Not intentionally. As a kid, I did. I thought it would be cool and then I realized I absolutely hated them, and they’ve made me afraid of the dark ever since. This trip was not my brightest idea.”
“You’re afraid of the dark?” He felt a sweeping wave of protectiveness wash over him.
“Didn’t I mention that? Well, I’m terrified of the dark. Always have been.” She let out a shiver. He pulled her between his legs and wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to rest her head back, but she stayed perfectly still and wouldn’t relax.
“You can rest,” he said.
“What if there are rats?” she asked.
“There are not, and I will make sure nothing comes close.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing else in this cave?” she asked.
He chuckled. “There’s you, me, and spiders, possibly a few bats.”
She let out a little gasp and quickly pulled her legs up into her chest, and he laughed.
“Relax, nothing is going to touch you.”
“What if we take it in shifts? I stay awake and you get some sleep, then you stay awake and I get some sleep.”
“Why don’t you trust me?” he asked. “I’m not tired, and you can rest. I won’t let anything touch you, or eat you, or take you away, or strip your flesh in a second.”
She shuddered again.
“Trust me, I’m the scariest thing in this cave.”
She sighed. “That doesn’t make me feel better.” She let out a little sob. “I did not plan this adventure. I never would have gotten back before dark, regardless. I’d be lost in the forest.”
“You’re safe now. Trust me.”
She took a deep breath and slowly, very slowly, she started to relax. At each sound and movement, she would tense up again.
He got the sense Poppy was not used to relying on anyone, and if she was, she was probably really bad at it. This made him smile, but he stayed perfectly still.
“Do you like being in the mountains?” she asked.
Again, he couldn’t help but smile. “I do.”
“Is it ... lonely?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
He sensed she didn’t quite understand. She was a curious little thing.
“I don’t like people. So, no, I don’t get lonely. I’m more than happy with my own company,” he said.
“That’s nice. I get lonely, though,” she said, and she started to sound sleepy. “I’m all alone, and if I died, no one would care.”
Slowly, she fell asleep, and like all humans, her body just couldn’t keep up. She needed to rest, and she collapsed against him. She was cold and he kept his arms wrapped around her. He was not tired and didn’t get cold easily.
He listened to the sound of the night. The hooting of owls. Rabbits that came out at night, scurrying around. The slight breeze that rustled the trees and bushes. This was wildlife.
The cave was safe. There were no hidden dangers.
As for his own beast, he was ... sated. Wilder didn’t know why it mattered to his beast but having this woman in his arms calmed the anger within him.
After witnessing a brutal murder like he had, he usually hunted until that anger was spent.
This time, he was content to hold Poppy, to give her the warmth she needed, as well as the protection.
This was new for him. He wasn’t used to feeling this way, and it made him a little uneasy.
She smelled amazing. Earthy, sweet, delicious. He closed his eyes and just breathed her in, allowing the night to continue to tick on by.
He hadn’t expected to talk to this human. When he saw her life hanging in the balance, he hadn’t been able to walk away. In the past, he always did. No one had ever affected him like this.
Poppy was different.