Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Iclosed my eyes in relief when LeeLee opened those stunning blue ones.
Damn, how the hell had I fallen for the little wolf?
Of course, she was a shifter. A shifter stuck in wolf form, but I had no clue what she looked like in her human form.
No idea what her likes were. What she sounded like.
For all I knew, she could be six feet tall, hate hockey—which would be a no-go for me—and drink nothing but coconut water.
Another no-go. I liked beer, hockey, and women who were smaller in all areas.
Call me a chauvinist. I admitted my faults and made no apologies for them.
Hell, who was I kidding? I gloried in my attributes.
Most women loved me. This little wolf couldn’t seem to get away from me fast enough, and it pissed me the fuck off.
A glance over my shoulder—my completely human and freezing shoulder—and I could see the wolves were shaking off their injuries, tails tucked, and leaving, except for the ones my mate... whoa, slow your roll, buddy, I admonished myself.
I ran a hand over my red hair as I knelt next to the bloodied wolf.
Damn, my gut clenched at the sight of her fur coated in blood.
I looked up at the darkening sky. We’d run for hours.
I still didn’t know how I’d lost her. Being one of the best trackers, it confused and pissed me the hell off—and turned me on, which was completely inappropriate given the situation.
“What the hell am I gonna do with you, LeeLee?” I asked, hoping for divine intervention.
Her pitiful growl made me smile. “Well, since you can’t do much more than that, I’d say you are at a disadvantage. Of course, so am I in my skin.” I shivered. “Wish I had old fire breather’s powers right about now.’
She blinked up at me. Keanu Raine had been a member of my smokejumpers” team until he retired to marry Cammie.
It had been a shock to find out he’d been a fire elemental.
The man could create fire out of thin air or take most small fires within himself and put them out.
Yeah, I would totally be down for a little ball of fire right about now.
“Stay put while I see if I can’t find some dry wood to build us a fire. Maybe someone will come looking for us.” Doubtful, what with everyone at the hospital with Cammie having the baby and all, but I wasn’t going to tell LeeLee that.
I’d been heading to visit my cousin Laikyn O’Neil and her mate Kellen.
I’d met Kellen years before when I’d bought my SideWinder and needed it jacked up.
They owned one of the most exclusive auto-customizing shops catering to those who could afford it.
As I gathered up wood, my mind locked onto my alpha, Niall Malik.
We had the help of the Fey, and if I were lucky, my alpha would be able to send help.
“Slater, what the hell, man? I didn’t expect to hear from you for a while. What’s up, the Iron Wolves not treating you right?” Niall’s shocked tone nearly made me drop the wood in my arms.
“You’re not going to believe this, but I never made it there. I was chasing a female wolf, and we sort of got lost in the woods up here. She’s injured and...” I trailed off, showing Niall where we were through our link.
“Let me see if Jenna can help get you both. She’s a little drained, so it might be a while. Do you think you and the female will be okay for a couple of hours?’
I looked at the steady rise and fall of LeeLee’s sides. Her breathing didn’t seem labored. “Yeah, but not too long. We are in the wilds, man. I don’t want to freeze my balls off.’
“Why don’t you shift back?” Niall’s question was simple, but how could I explain that I was afraid I’d want to hump an injured wolf? Yeah, best to stay human and let the female stay wolf. Two different species kept me in check.
A chuckle came through our link. “I can see where that would be a problem. You need to work on your walls, man.’
I sent him the image of the jackbird, the action of me pumping my fist and then flipping Niall the bird, making my alpha laugh even harder.
“Nah, you’re not my type. I’ll let you know when Jenna is coming.
In case you haven’t met her, you might want to brace yourself.
She’s sort of an acquired taste. I’m thinking the alpha of the Iron Wolves is still cursing her. ’
“I’ve met Kellen a few times. I’m pretty sure he can hold his own against any female,” I laughed.
“You say that now. Wait till you meet her.’
I shivered. “Could you let Kellen and Laikyn know that I’m not gonna be coming their way after all? At least not for a while.’
“Consider it done. Remember what I said about the Fey. She’s a force to be reckoned with, but someone you definitely want to have on your side.’
I was going to ask what the hell my alpha meant, but my skin was beginning to turn a nice shade of blue. I was pretty sure that wasn’t good. With a quick agreement not to piss off the Fey, I promised to keep Niall updated.
“Hey, girl. I’m going to snuggle up to your back once I get this fire started. We need to keep warm, but the cavalry is coming.’
The fire pit I created began to smoke, and then a small flame came to life. “Yes. I make fire.” I pumped my fist, knowing I sounded like a caveman. I looked over, sure I’d heard LeeLee snort, but the animal had her eyes closed.
Dammit. I was jumping around in the freezing cold with my junk hanging out, acting a fool, and I was more than likely not putting on a good show.
I looked down at the anatomy part in question, thinking the cold had surely shrunk it a couple of inches.
I grinned, happy to see it looked the same size as normal.
Nothing could be done about the blue hue to my skin since I was a natural redhead, although I usually had a nice tan, unlike many with my coloring, so I wasn’t pasty white.
I shrugged and let my hands fan out over the flames, resisting the urge to turn around and warm my ass. A man did have standards.
Once the flames were crackling nicely, with enough wood piled up next to it to keep it going for the night, I stood in one fluid motion.
I ignored the stiffness in my cold limbs, picked up the sleeping LeeLee, and carried her closer to the fire.
I lay her down on a bed of leaves far enough away that she wouldn’t get burned if a stray flame leaped out.
I settled her onto her side, facing the fire, then curved my body around her back.
The soft fur of her wolf was like a blanket against my front.
I ignored the fact that my ass was cold, knowing she was now warming from front to back.
I used my arm to rest my head on. Warmth seeped into my body slowly. Exhaustion pulled me into a restless sleep.
The feel and sound of a thrashing wolf woke me from a fitful sleep.
Sharp claws raking across my calf made me jump into a crouch before I could get maimed.
It took me a fraction of a second to realize we weren’t being attacked.
LeeLee slept on. Fearing I’d hurt her or she’d hurt me, I tucked myself behind her again, grabbing her front legs in my hands while I pinned her back ones between my thighs.
I murmured in her ear for her to wake up, hoping she would recognize my voice.
A few minutes felt like hours. Sweat beaded my brow, but finally the stiffness left her body. If asked, I couldn’t say what I’d murmured, only that I kept up the litany of words.
LeeLee lay panting, as if she’d run a marathon instead of sleeping for the last couple of hours.
When I was sure she no longer dreamt, I moved away from her back.
I knelt in front of her, the wounds in her sides not healing as quickly as most shifters—which pissed me off.
The curse words I wanted to yell, I kept inside my head.
“You okay now?” I asked and held out a hand to test before laying it on her head.
She tried to lift up but fell back. “Jenna should be here shortly. I wish I knew what you were dreaming about. When you are able to shift, you will tell me.’
If a wolf could roll her eyes, LeeLee did before she sighed and fell back to sleep.
I looked at the four furrows lining my calf and called my own wolf.
Now that we were safe, I’d slept some, wasn’t freezing my ass and balls off, and LeeLee was protected from my humping ways.
I shifted into my wolf, then snorted. The sound coming out was all kinds of wrong, but I gave no fucks since no one was around to hear.
I sat down on my hindquarters and waited.
A shimmer of air alerted my wolf that we were no longer alone. The small woman standing too close to LeeLee smelled like Fey and, oddly enough, like family. I allowed the shift back to man, nudity not an issue for our kind.
“Thank you for coming, Jennaveve. I hope you are well.’
Her scent reminded me of honey with a slight hint of mint. She nodded, waving her hand in my direction. A slight breeze surrounded me, shocking me into stillness. I looked down to find myself completely clothed. I’d been too distracted and injured to worry over clothing.
“Thank you.’
“Let’s take her back to my place. It’s going to take more than just me to fix her.” The young woman before me sounded weary. At closer examination, she looked as if she’d been through hell and back.
“Why, thank you, sir. You sure do know how to make a woman feel good.” Jenna placed her hands on her shapely hips and smiled. “I have been doing a lot of work for you silly wolves. You’d think y’all would know how to stay out of trouble,” she tsked.
I narrowed my eyes. “Who was hurt?’
She waved away my concern. “Nobody you’d know.
Kellen Styles is a very stubborn male, though.
Now, let’s get this little gal fixed up.
Come, take my hand, and no funny business.
I know you have all these rampant emotions going through your head, but no humping my leg either. ” She flashed me a smile.