Chapter One #3
The innate desire to protect her made Seb’s bear fight with even more ferocity, and if Seb hadn’t known better, he would have thought his bear was showing off, demonstrating his strength and resilience.
His movements became more precise, his strikes more powerful.
Together, they were a whirlwind of claws and teeth, an unstoppable force against their enemies.
The wolf shifters soon found themselves overwhelmed and subdued under their combined assault. They didn’t stop until the wolves took their last breaths. As the fight came to an end, Seb and his mysterious savior stood panting, their gazes locking in a moment of unspoken understanding.
In that moment, Seb realized the profound impact of this encounter.
He had not only found a fierce warrior to stand by his side in battle but also a connection that resonated deep within his soul.
The scent of her lingered in the air, a promise of something wonderful and unexplored.
His bear roared, not in aggression, but in recognition of something far greater than a mere fight – the scent of his destined mate and a future filled with contentment.
They waited another few moments to ensure no other wolf shifters showed up, but the nearby sounds of fighting had subsided.
The forest was still once more. Seb’s mate started to walk away from the clearing in the opposite direction of the warehouse.
She looked over her shoulder to check that Seb was following her, but she needn’t have bothered.
Now that he’d found her, Seb would have followed her to the ends of the earth.
They were walking in the opposite direction from the way that Seb had arrived with his team and the human half of him wanted to check on his friends to ensure they had survived the fight, but his bear would not be deterred.
Mission aborted, Seb’s single focus was on his mate and ensuring he could be there to protect her should she encounter any more wolves.
Seb consoled himself with the fact that his friends were highly trained and highly skilled operatives who knew how to take care of themselves.
Besides, they all knew the drill—if they became separated from either themselves, or the other team that were waiting in the vehicles, they were to rendezvous back at the safe house.
Seb and his mate walked for about ten minutes before the trees in the dense forest started to become sparser. Eventually, they stepped out onto a grass verge that led down to a road. Parked on the opposite side and about twenty yards down was a silver SUV.
Seb waited to see what his mate would do and when the air around her started to shimmer signaling the onset of a change back into her human form, Seb followed suit.
After a few moments they stood opposite one another, naked in the humid night air, silently waiting for the other to speak.
Neither seemed to know what to say, but Seb wasn’t sure he was capable of speech anymore, anyway.
All he could do was stare at this woman who fate had decided was his perfect match, and damn but he had to agree. She was breathtaking.
Obsidian hair fell in long waves over her shoulders, and she had a long lean body with curves in all the right places. A fierce pride and courage shone from her eyes. But Seb couldn’t fail to notice the scrapes and smears of blood on her beautiful olive toned skin.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Just a few scratches, nothing major. How are you? Those cuts look deep.”
She’s American! Seb’s bear proclaimed in surprise.
Seb looked down at the gash across his stomach and the slice on his leg. They were deep, and they were stinging like a mother, but at least they had stopped bleeding. He waved away her concern.
“Already starting to heal. So,” he said after a moment. “I guess we should introduce ourselves. I’m…”
“There’ll be time for introductions later,” she said, eyes scanning the forest behind them. “Let’s get out of here before any more of those wolves decide to follow our scent here.”
He nodded. “Right, good thinking.”
He followed her to the SUV and watched as she retrieved her car keys from beneath a nearby bush.
As was usual with shifters, neither was even remotely self-conscious about their nakedness, not that his mate had anything she needed to worry about in the looks department—she was perfect.
More than perfect. Perfect was too insignificant a word for what she was. She was everything.
She clicked open the locks then opened the trunk and started rooting around inside. She grabbed a t-shirt, and some sweatpants then tossed them to him. “The t-shirt should fit you,” she said, “but I’m not sure about the pants.”
“Thanks.”
She retrieved some clothes for herself then quickly slid into them.
Seb couldn’t help but think it was a damn shame to cover up those curves.
He pulled the shirt on over his head, surprised to find that it did, indeed fit.
He got the pants on, but they looked more like a pair of leggings on him than sweatpants.
The legs ended mid-calf. He shrugged then walked around to the passenger seat and got in just as his mate slid behind the wheel.
She got the car started then sped off at an alarming pace.
When they were a safe distance away, Seb opened his mouth to try with the introductions again, but she spoke first.
“What were you doing back there?” she asked. “What the hell was going on? That fight was...”
She broke off with a sharp shake of her head. Seb studied her for a moment then said, “I was about to ask you the same questions.”
She shrugged. “I was just looking for a place to shift when I stumbled upon all that fighting.”
Seb’s bear let out an internal whine. Mate is lying to us!
“You?” she asked casually.
He repeated the cover story he and his team were to use in the event of a capture. “Hiking with a couple of friends. I lost track of them during the fight.”
We are lying, his bear whined desolately. Why are we lying to her?
We don’t have a choice, remember? He was no happier than his bear, but there were rules, and even a mate bond didn’t trump them.
“Hiking?” his mate repeated dubiously.
Seb nodded. “We’re here on vacation. We were looking for some good spots to shift while we’re in town when those shifters showed up and attacked us. So, you don’t know who those wolves were back there?”
“Not a clue,” she said. “I guess we must have been on their territory.”
Lies! His bear wailed. Why is mate lying to us?
Seb was having a difficult time focusing with all the inner dialogue, so he forced the animal to the back of his mind, strong-arming him in place. He could feel the animal’s displeasure at being forced back, but tried to ignore it.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“It’s Clara—Clarisa Young. And you?”
“Sebastian Dean, but everyone calls me Seb.”
She turned and grinned at him and despite the circumstances, Seb felt a jolt in his stomach at the way her smile lit up her entire face. “Pleased to meet you, Seb.”
“So, what are you doing in town?” Seb asked. “Are you here on vacation too?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m here on business.”
“Oh, what do you do?”
“I’m an art appraiser.”
This time there was a ring of truth to her words, but she didn’t elaborate and Seb didn’t press her for more information.
They might have been mates, but they were still strangers who had met in highly unusual not to mention, highly dangerous circumstances.
Even if Clara had nothing to do with Ortega and his men, Seb couldn’t blame her for being cautious around him.
As Clara navigated the car through the winding streets, Seb sat quietly, his mind swirling with thoughts.
The small talk between them was light, skimming over the surface of deeper topics.
Seb found himself carefully measuring his words, acutely aware of Clara’s reticence about her own reasons for being in the forest. Each seemed cautious not to reveal too much, yet unable to resist the pull of curiosity.
The apartment Clara drove them to was modest, tucked away in a quiet part of a nearby town.
As they entered, Seb noted the scatterings of her belongings—books, clothes, a pair of shoes by the door.
But it was evident she hadn’t lived there long.
The apartment had no personal touches, no photographs or knickknacks that made the place her own.
It spoke of a transient life, one that resonated with his own.
The space was infused with her scent, however, and there was none other that he could detect, so Seb deduced that at least part of her story was true.
In the kitchen, they moved around each other with an awkward grace, fixing coffee. Seb was painfully aware of his limitations in sharing about himself. His role as a CIA officer cloaked him in layers of secrets and lies, a barrier he couldn’t easily break even for the magnetic pull of his mate.
As they reached for the sugar at the same time, their hands brushed against each other.
The contact sent a jolt through Seb, a spark that ignited something deep within.
Clara’s eyes met his, a flicker of surprise and something more intense reflected in them.
In that fleeting touch, a current of unspoken understanding passed between them, a recognition of the connection that was there despite the walls they had put up.
The moment stretched, laden with unspoken questions and desires.
Then, almost as if drawn by an invisible force, Clara leaned up.
Seb found himself leaning down at the same time, the space between them charged with anticipation.
When their lips met, the kiss was tentative at first, but quickly deepened with a hunger that seemed to surprise them both.
It was a moment of surrender, where caution and secrets faded into the background, overshadowed by the raw emotion of the present.
As they parted, the reality of their situation settled back around them like a cloak. But the kiss had changed something, blurring the lines between duty and desire, between the secrets they held and the truth they sought in each other’s eyes.
Seb’s heart raced, a mix of exhilaration and apprehension coursing through him.
He was a man of secrets, bound by the oath of his profession, yet in that moment, he wished for nothing more than the freedom to explore the bond between them.
Clara, too, seemed caught in the same tumult of emotions, her gaze lingering on him with an intensity that spoke volumes.
The kiss they shared was a promise of what could be, a fleeting glimpse into a world where guards could be lowered, and truths could be shared. But for now, the future was uncertain, yet irrevocably altered by the connection that had sparked to life in that small kitchen under the cover of night.
Seb cleared his throat. “I really should go and check on my friends. I need to know that they’re safe, that they made it out of that forest uninjured.”
“Of course.” Clara took a step back and the intensity of the moment came to an end. “Can I give you a ride somewhere?”
Seb shook his head. “No, thanks, but our hotel is only a short stroll from here.”
Clara headed into the living room, grabbed a pen and piece of paper and scribbled down her cell phone number. She handed it to him, and Seb glanced at it, committing it to memory before sliding it into the pocket of his too-tight joggers. He glanced down at himself.
“I image I’ll get a few second glances in this outfit.”
Clara threw her head back and laughed. “I imagine you will.”
“I’ll get these back to you soon,” he said.
“There’s no rush.” She showed him to the door. “I hope your friends are okay.”
He nodded then leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.
He debated trying to kiss her on the lips again but didn’t trust himself not to give in to the moment and attempt to take things further.
He didn’t know if Clara would have been open to anything more, but Seb couldn’t afford to find out—he needed to get to the safe house so that he could find out if Logan and Toby were safe.
They would undoubtedly be worried about him, too.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said as he stepped back, searching her face for…anything. Those beautiful, delicious lips shaped into a smile that he knew he’d be picturing all night.
Clara nodded. “I’ll look forward to it.”