An Alpha's Tempest (Water Bear Shifters 4) (10 page)

“I didn’t realize you two were together, by the way,” Sawyer said. “You could have said something last night instead of letting me blabber on like an idiot about how the cabin had two separate bedrooms.”

Ben exchanged a glance with Rhythm, and then they both just smiled and shrugged. No sense in explaining to Sawyer that they actually hadn’t been together the night before when he had been blabbering on. That would only give him fodder to tease them with, the last thing Ben wanted to do after sending out several jabs of his own.

Sawyer didn’t seem interested in continuing on the teasing game, however. One look at him told Ben that Sawyer was ready to move on to business matters. His expression had turned serious, and he was spreading a series of large maps across his kitchen table.

“What’s this?” Ben asked, leaning over the maps.

“These are maps showing the geographical location of most of the bear shifter clans in Alaska,” Sawyer said. “The ones we’re sure of, anyway. Some of the clans are nomadic, and some are very secretive and private, so it can be hard to know for sure where those clans are.”

“Wow, these are really detailed,” Ben said, peering over the meticulously drawn charts.

“Yeah, well, this isn’t the first time we Alaskan shifters have had hard times,” Sawyer said. “A few years ago, one of the clans up here, the Blizzards, went on a killing rampage. They wanted to eliminate all the clans except their own, so that they could rule the Arctic completely, or some bullshit like that. Their alpha had basically become a crazed lunatic. But he was a smart lunatic, and he actually made some significant progress on killing off clans. We got worried, and some of my shifters started mapping out where the clans were, to set up a unified alliance against the Blizzards. It turned out not to be necessary, though. The Northern Lights Clan, way up in Glacier Point, managed to stop the Blizzards before they got close to Frost Peak. We kept the maps, though, just in case. You never know when you might need them.”

Ben felt his heart leap. “Sawyer, this is huge. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to get a watch system set up among the Alaskan shifter clans, but I’ve been overwhelmed at the sheer amount of work involved in figuring out where all the clans are. Especially since I just moved here a few months ago and I’m not really familiar with most of the clans in the area yet. Are these maps still accurate?”

Sawyer nodded. “They should be pretty accurate. Most of the clans up here don’t move around a lot. Why would they? They’ve been here for centuries, and they’ve all got their little portions of Alaska that they’re familiar and comfortable with.”

“But how do we keep in touch with everyone?” Rhythm piped in. “My understanding is that many areas in Alaska, especially the northern locations, don’t have much in the way of phone service.”

Sawyer tilted his head sideways to look at Rhythm. “That’s sort of true. The cell service is pretty bad or nonexistent altogether outside of the major cities. Some areas have satellite phones, but in some areas the weather is so bad that it interferes with the satellite phones. And even in areas with satellite service, the cost of a satellite phone is so high that most people don’t have it. The good news, though, is that almost everywhere on this map has landline phone service now. And most of them have internet, too, even though it’s not high speed. We should be able to communicate with virtually every clan on this map.”

“What are we going to tell people, though?” Rhythm asked. “Just to keep an eye out for the scientists? I would assume most of them are already doing that.”

“Well, yes. We’ll ask the clans to let us know if they have any helpful information. And we’ll set up a phone tree for the purpose of sending out emergency alerts if there are any major developments that shifters should be aware of,” Sawyer said. “But we’re also planning to send out an initial email, or make an initial phone call, to talk to all of the clans. Some are actually not aware of the threat of the scientists. News can travel pretty slowly around here, and the severity of the threat wasn’t really apparent until very recently.”

Ben nodded. “Yeah, he’s right. A lot of the shifter clans don’t even know about the danger. We need to make everyone aware, and get a unified front organized. With all of us working together, we’ll have a good chance of stopping them. Sawyer, I can’t thank you enough for these maps. They’re a huge time saver. We want to stay one step ahead of the scientists, and that means we can’t waste any time.”

Sawyer nodded. “Of course. I’m glad to have them. I’m also planning to send out some of my bears as scouts. They’ll go talk to the clans in person after the initial email or phone call. It will take a lot of effort and time, but I think sending out a bear in person will help these clans feel reassured that they can trust us. We need everyone’s trust and cooperation for this project.”

Ben felt his heart fill with gratitude. “Thank you, Sawyer. That’s very generous of you. Although I’m very sorry about Evan, I’m glad that the circumstances of his death brought us into contact. You’ve already proved an invaluable help to our efforts.”

Sawyer shrugged. “I’m happy to do whatever I can. You know my number. Call anytime.”

Ben nodded. “Will do. By the way, we know the Northern Lights Clan. We’ve been meeting with their alpha, and he’s very keen on eliminating the scientists as well. We have a meeting in a few days, at my place in Kodiak. You’re welcome to attend. In fact, I think you should attend. Getting you together with the group we already have assembled is sure to bring up even more ideas.”

“Just tell me the time and date and I’m there,” Sawyer said. “Those scientists lit a fire under me when they killed my clan member. I’m ready to see them gone once and for all.”

Ben reached out to shake Sawyer’s hand. “I’ll send you an email with the details. In the meantime, call me if you have any new information. I’m going to spend some time over the next few days picking Rhythm’s brain about anything she knows that might be useful. With all of us working together, I have a feeling we’re about to make big progress.”

“Good,” Sawyer said, shaking Ben’s hand and then turning to shake Rhythm’s hand as well. “I’m ready for big progress.”

Ben bid his final farewell to Sawyer, and then took Rhythm’s hand for the walk back to their cabin. They would be spending one more night in Frost Peak, and then flying back to Kodiak first thing tomorrow morning. He was looking forward to being back home with Rhythm, now that they were officially together. But he was also nervous about what the future held.

Having someone to protect again had kicked his alpha instincts into high gear. The scientists didn’t just pose an abstract threat to the shifter community at large. They posed a very real threat to the person who had become more important to Ben than anyone else.

Ben’s heart tightened as he looked over at Rhythm, who was nonchalantly looking over at the mountains in the distance, and occasionally commenting on the beauty of the landscape around them. Nothing mattered more to him than keeping her safe. She had quickly become his everything.

Ben furrowed his brow and his eyes darkened. The scientists had taken everything from him before. He’d be damned if they did it again.

Rhythm watched Ben carefully out of the corner of her eye. His mood had darkened considerably over the course of the day, and she wasn’t sure exactly why. He had been upbeat this morning, but had quickly turned somber during the funeral. That was to be expected, of course, but he had remained somber and sad most of the day. He had seemed to lighten up again for a bit when they went to Sawyer’s cabin, even throwing teasing jabs at Sawyer here and there. But, as they discussed the business of finding the scientists, Ben’s mood had plummeted once again. Now, as they walked back to their cabin, he seemed almost angry. And the sadness in his eyes hurt her heart to see.

Rhythm tried to keep her conversation light, limiting it to benign observations of the landscape around them. But she could tell that Ben’s thoughts were far away, in an unhappy place. When they finally made it back into the cabin and shut the door behind them, Rhythm turned to face him, running a finger down the side of one of his cheeks.

“Hey,” she said softly as she kicked off her shoes. “You seem really upset. I know it’s been a long day with a lot of serious things to think about. But are you okay? Your eyes have such a sad look to them.”

Ben sighed, his breath ragged as he sucked air in and out. He kicked off his shoes as well, never taking his eyes off Rhythm. Their faces were almost touching. “I’m okay. It’s just been an emotional day. It was hard to sit there in that funeral, watching a clan saying goodbye to one of their beloved members. It made me realize that I never truly got to say goodbye to my clan members. They all died so quickly, one after the other, that holding funerals wasn’t feasible. And, besides, the bears that were still alive were sick and on the verge of death themselves. It was such a confusing, awful time. In the end, I got really sick myself. By the time I recovered, every last one of my clan was gone. I buried them in a mass grave back home in Montana. I don’t know if I’ll ever even have the chance to go put flowers on their gravesite again.”

Rhythm reached to put her arms around Ben, drawing him into an embrace and holding on tight. She had no words to make this situation better, just as she’d had no words to make Evan’s widow feel better earlier today. She silently cursed the scientists, but she did her best to remain stoic on the outside. She sensed that she needed to be a rock for Ben right now. He might be a tough panda shifter, brawny and carrying the alpha gene. But he still had a big heart, and she could tell that his heart was hurting beyond comprehension right now. When he finally spoke again, his voice sounded quiet, but determined.

“I just can’t imagine what it would feel like to lose you, now that I’ve found you,” he said. “You’re all I have left in this world, Rhythm. Sure, I’ve got a good job and my rescue crew. But you’re the first person since I lost my clan to make me feel truly alive again. I don’t want to lose you. I
won’t
lose you. I won’t let them take away everything from me again.”

“Shhh,” Rhythm said soothingly, leaning her head against Ben’s chest and stroking his back. “You’re not going to lose me. We have a lot of shifters on our side. We’re going to come through this, and, believe it or not, one day this awful time in the history of shifters will be just a memory.”

“I hope you’re right,” Ben said sadly. “I’m supposed to be an alpha, and be tougher than anything. But the thought of losing you now that I’ve found you is unbearable. I know it doesn’t sound very macho of me to say this, but I think the grief of losing you, too, would kill me.”

Rhythm looked up at Ben, and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “Feeling emotions like that doesn’t mean you aren’t tough, or that you’re not acting like an alpha. It means that you’ve been brave enough to get in touch with the deeper, spiritual side of yourself.”

Ben sighed, and Rhythm felt his cock stirring against her as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close. “You’re so sweet,” he said.

“I’m not just saying that to be sweet,” Rhythm said, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt. She could hear his heart beating, and she took a moment to savor the sound before she continued talking. “I’m saying it because it’s true. No one can be truly strong until they have faced the deepest sorrows life can throw at them, and yet have remained standing on the other side of it all. You’ve done that, Ben. You know what true sorrow is, and yet you’re still standing.”

Ben didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he reached back and tugged at the hair elastic that held Rhythm’s hair in a bun, until her hair fell free in loose waves around her shoulders. He put his nose against the top of her head and breathed deeply, while stroking his fingers through her hair.

“I love the way you smell,” he said. “It’s so calming and reassuring. You know how it feels when you’ve been away on a trip for a long time, and then you walk through that front door to be greeted by the familiar smell of home? That’s how I feel when I take in your scent. Like I’ve been away for a long time, but I’m suddenly home.”

Rhythm smiled as she felt Ben’s erection growing. It felt good to be needed. It felt good to have someone compare her to the comfort and familiarity of home. She had thought a day like this, with someone who fit so perfectly with her, was far, far away—if it would ever come at all. But here she was, snuggled against a man who was her perfect fit.

A man who needed her.

She had felt connected to Ben on a deep level after they slept together the night before. The lifemate bond he had spoken of was strong, and it connected her to his emotions. When he was happy, she felt it. But when he was in distress, she felt it, too. And she could tell that he was feeling a deep sadness right now. He needed her, and the reassurance her touch could bring.

Rhythm felt a shiver of excitement go through her body. Although she wasn’t happy that Ben was feeling sad, it did feel nice to be needed. Knowing that this big, sexy bear shifter needed to feel her touch made her feel incredibly sexy and alive.

“Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand and leading him to the bedroom where they had spent the night before making wild, passionate love. She would make love to him again, now. But this time it would be slow and sweet. It would be just the balm that his aching heart needed.

Rhythm pushed Ben against the wall gently and then began kissing him while her fingers went to work on the buttons of his shirt. While her tongue danced in his mouth, she unfastened the long row of buttons and pushed the shirt off, helping him wriggle the sleeves off of his arms. He moaned as her hands touched his bare chest, a deep, hungry moan that let Rhythm know that he was beginning to release some of the angst that was pent up inside of him.

He reached down and hiked up her skirt, searching underneath for the treasure that belonged to him. Rhythm was wearing thick tights to stay warm against the Alaskan chill, and Ben impatiently pushed them down, taking her panties with them. Rhythm used one hand to balance herself against Ben’s body, and she pulled off the tights and panties completely with the other hand. Ben grunted in satisfaction, reaching his hands back underneath the skirt of her dress and finding the entrance to her dripping wet channel. It was Rhythm’s turn to moan as Ben slipped two of his fingers deep into her. At the same time, he resumed their kiss, tugging Rhythm’s tongue deep into his own mouth. He seemed to take great pleasure from being connected to her in two places like this, and Rhythm closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of his fingers applying pressure against her insides. Even though they had only spent one night together before this, he seemed to have memorized exactly where each supersensitive nerve ending was located on Rhythm’s body. He expertly moved his fingers back and forth, sweeping across each pleasure center with skill.

She could already feel his body relaxing, and she smiled as she melted into his touch. If this is what it took to keep her man at peace and happy, then she had gotten a pretty good deal. As Ben continued to stroke her with his fingers and tongue, she reached down to unbuckle his belt. Once that was taken care of, she moved on to unfasten the button and unzip the zipper on his pants. Then she pushed his pants and briefs down in one combined movement, letting his erection spring free.

He moaned as he felt the relief that she had brought him by removing the constriction of his clothes, but Rhythm knew that relief wasn’t enough. He needed her. He needed to be inside of her, and feel her pulsing around him. Rhythm stepped back, and pulled Ben away from the wall. Then she pushed him onto his back on the bed, and climbed up over his body that was completely naked except for his socks. With a grin, she pulled off both socks and threw them aside.

“There,” she said. “That’s how I like you.”

She didn’t bother to take off the rest of her own clothes, though. She didn’t want to waste any more time. With her dress hiked up around her waist, she slid up so that her dripping, throbbing sex was right over his solid, throbbing erection.

“Just relax,” she whispered, slowly lowering herself over his thick shaft. “Everything is going to be okay. We have each other.”

Ben moaned, closing his eyes as her warmth enveloped him. Rhythm closed her eyes and couldn’t help but let out a low moan of her own. She still couldn’t believe how large his dick was, or how firm and erect it stood. The pressure it put against her inside walls was tremendous. It pushed against her, insisting on making room for itself, and sliding against her most sensitive skin as it did. The tremors of delight that it sent shooting through her body were unlike anything else she had ever experienced. Her intention with bringing Ben in here had been to ease his mind with pleasure, but the pleasure he was bringing her just by being inside of her was intense. She felt the moisture between her legs continuing to grow, dripping around Ben’s thick shaft and lubricating him with her juices.

He let out a low growl, and his hands moved to her breasts. He opened his eyes when he realized she was still wearing her dress.

“This dress is lovely, but it has to go,” he growled out. Then he grabbed the skirt in his hands and pulled the whole garment up and over her head. He reached to unclasp her bra and threw it aside as well, then his hands returned to her breasts, where his thumbs quickly found and stroked her alert nipples.

“Much better,” he murmured, closing his eyes again. “I want to feel all of you.”

Rhythm’s nipples tingled where his thumbs were making contact with them, and the heat between her legs was growing with every passing second. She sat straight up, letting Ben’s huge dick go all the way into the deepest part of her. Then she began slowly rocking her hips forward and backward. She kept the motion slow and constant, and she began to lose herself completely in the feelings of ecstasy that were washing over her body. The pressure and heat grew and radiated out from the spot where her channel rubbed steadily over Ben’s shaft. She whimpered with pleasure as she fought to keep her release at bay as long as she could. She didn’t want to give in just yet. She wanted this moment to last for as long as possible.

Ben covered each of her breasts with his large, strong hands, squeezing tight as he arched his hips upward against her body.

“Come on, baby,” he said. “Come for me. Give yourself to me. Lose yourself completely.”

The encouragement he was whispering sent Rhythm over the edge. His sexy voice sent chills of delight shooting through her, and she couldn’t hold back any longer. With one long, glorious scream of his name, she let go.

Over and over, her muscles clenched around him. Hungry and demanding more of him, they continued to pulse as wave after wave of pleasure shot through her, releasing a fresh rush of passionate emotion with each surge. Ben opened his eyes and watched her, pleased with how she had reacted to his body.

“That’s it, baby. Show me how I make you feel,” he said. Rhythm could only whimper in response—a whimpering that grew more intense when Ben started thrusting his hips upward against her. The power that emanated from his groin was overwhelming. There was no timidity in his movement, and no doubt that he was proudly taking his woman. Even though he was underneath Rhythm at that moment, he was completely in control. After only a few thrusts, he threw back his head and let out a roar. He stiffened, and spilled his seed into Rhythm, filling her completely with himself. The white hot sensation sent a fresh wave of pleasure across Rhythm’s body, and she cried out again with delight.

When the intensity of the moment had faded, Rhythm rolled off of Ben to snuggle directly next to him. She was a sweaty, sticky mess, and so was he. But neither one of them cared. They held each other close, drinking in the sweet sensation of just being so close to each other. Ben pulled a blanket up over their naked bodies, and wrapped his arms tightly around Rhythm. He put his nose right up against her nose and gave her a soft nuzzle, sending sweet warmth through her body again at the pleasure of his touch.

“Thank you,” he said. “I needed that. I needed you.”

“I know,” Rhythm said, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips. “The truth is, I needed you, too. I know we have a long, dangerous road ahead. But don’t let sadness or worry overtake you. We’ll make it out of this together. And we’ll be stronger than ever thanks to the tough times.”

Ben sighed deeply and squeezed Rhythm tighter. Then, despite the fact that it was still early evening and neither one of them had eaten dinner yet, they both drifted off into a deep sleep. The only thing either one of them needed at that moment was the perfect peace of resting in each other’s arms.