Bait This! (A 300 Moons Book) (9 page)

D
erek ran as fast
as he could, trying not to be distracted by the armload of luscious woman he’d slung over his shoulder.

“It’s not following us anymore,” she said, her voice uneven from the jostling.

Somehow, he still couldn’t stop running.

“Put me down,” she said lifting her head up to enunciate and banging him on the ass with her fists.

The bear chuffed affably in his head, and at last Derek found the wherewithal to stop running.

“Alright, woman,” he told her gruffly, bending to set her back on her feet. “There’s no need to be violent.”

When he straightened, she was still just inches away.

She gazed into his eyes. Her expression could only be described as curious. Her dark hair framed her face and her eyes almost seemed to glow.

“Why didn’t you shift?” she asked.

He shook himself slightly, fighting the instinct to pull her close.

“I didn’t want to scare you again,” he told her truthfully.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were a bear?” she asked, those bright eyes gazing clear and sweet into his.

He looked away.

“I don’t know,” he hedged.

She shrugged.

“Anyway,” she said. “I’m glad you can turn big and tough if we need you to. Let’s head back to my house. I don’t know why the thing stopped chasing us, but if it starts again I want to be somewhere safe.”

“I don’t know much about these things, but it looked like it could slip through the crack under the door.”

Derek hustled to keep up with her. When Hedda made a decision, her feet seemed to move of their own accord.

“My sisters and I put protections on the cottage. A
lot
of them,” she said with satisfaction.

“How far is it?” he asked.

“Not far, just up the mountain,” she replied. “Should be an easy hike.”

That wasn’t helpful. Everything here seemed to be up a mountain. At least she said it was easy going ahead.

As if on cue, the black skies opened with a crack of thunder, dumping a deluge of dark water on the unsuspecting town, and drenching both of them instantly.

They stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment before Hedda threw back her head and laughed, then continued on her way to the cabin.

Now there was a sound he could get used to.

At least the rain would wash away some of the grime from his naked woodland excursions.

All at once, the fact that he was still naked crashed back to him, and he felt himself begin to swell at the thought. He needed to find some pants. Derek stayed slightly behind Hedda, so that he wouldn’t be rubbing her face in his arousal.

Rubbing her face in it.

Oh god, no, no don’t picture that
, he pleaded with himself.

The bear grumbled. No food, no woman. What was the point?

For once Derek agreed with him completely.

They were now out of the heart of the creepy little town and climbing the path leading up to empty houses along the mountain. The road sloped upward until he swore they were walking at nearly a forty-five degree angle.

“Did people really drive up here?” he asked Hedda.

“Oh yeah,” Hedda replied. “Of course the school bus couldn’t make it to the very top. You’ll see. Another half a mile up there’s a turnaround where it would let off the last of the kids.”

“It must have been a hard life for them,” Derek observed, noticing the simple shed-style shanties and dusty gardens.

Hedda turned back to him, her eyes staying mercifully above his waistline.

“No, not at all,” she explained. “We didn’t really interact with the pack much, but they all seemed so happy, so warm. And of course they could shift any time they wanted. They were always among friends, among their own.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Derek admitted. He pondered a life where he and the bear could be themselves with no fear of judgment or repercussion.

That place certainly wasn’t Glacier City.

He thought of shifting in his penthouse, claws scrabbling against the polished mahogany floors. He wouldn’t even fit in the elevator.

He spotted a clothesline abandoned outside a house. A faded pair of jeans still hung from it.

“Go ahead,” Hedda indicated.

He scrambled over and wiggled into the wet denim, then padded back to her. To his surprise, they were actually a little on the big side.

“There aren’t many shifter communities left like this one was, that’s for sure,” Hedda remarked as they continued up the hill. Her face fell back into the mask of sorrow he’d seen earlier that evening, when she’d made the ludicrous claim that she had destroyed the town herself.

“Look, I don’t want to be rude,” Derek said, eager to change the subject. “But do you have any
food
at your place?”

She looked back at him and her face broke out into a smile.

“Yeah, I’ve got supplies. But just to warn you, I’m a horrible cook.”

“How horrible?” he teased. “I mean maybe I can try out one of the fine restaurants in town instead.”

Oh crap, wrong joke. She didn’t want to be reminded of the empty town.

She smiled though, the sad expression put away.

“What about you?” she asked, looking him over as if to size him up. “Are
you
a good cook?”

“You found me out,” he teased, delighted that she wouldn’t believe him and he’d be able to impress her later.

“Was it fun?” she asked suddenly.

“Was what fun?” he asked.

“You know, being a bear,” she replied.

Oh.

Derek thought back to the smells and sound of the world from behind the bear’s eyes, the simple demand of an empty belly, the easy certainty that this woman was his mate.

“I thought so,” she said with a smile.

The look on his face must have been all the reply she needed.

He smiled back.

Thunder pealed overhead, reminding them to keep moving.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there, see up ahead?” she pointed. “Let’s be cautious, in case this is a trap, and one of them is waiting for us.”

He could make out the shape of a structure ahead.

It mostly looked like a small house, except that its walls were irregular. A faint tinkling sound, different from the rain, reached him.

As they got closer, he could see the cottage was lumpy with stone and stucco, and the whole thing was topped with a lush thatch roof. It looked like something out of a children’s book.

The tinkling came from random glass pieces and bottles hung from the trees surrounding it. Weird.

Hedda was approaching it slowly, as if she were trying to sense whether someone might be lying in ambush.

His bear leapt to attention at the perceived threat to his mate, and snuffled, tasting the air.

There was no other human. The house was blossoming with the scent of Hedda herself. There were lighter, older scents from other humans- most likely her sisters, but the most recent was… four or five months old.

Though it was raining, the bear reached out for more olfactory clues, seemingly convinced that he could gather this information even at a distance.

Derek was amazed to smell the bright elixir of the rain-swollen creek, far below.

Hedda, seemingly convinced that the coast was clear, ducked under the roof overhang and opened the door to the cottage.

For all her show of trepidation, it was unlocked.

Derek paused before following.

The bear moaned in reproach, and Derek found himself letting go of his train of thought to follow her.

H
edda slipped
into the cottage and beckoned for Derek to follow.

She couldn’t help glancing around, worrying that the place wasn’t straightened up.

Ridiculous.

Their lives were in danger, maybe the world, too. And she was feeling self-conscious about some clutter and a few buckets of magic stones.

Okay, a
lot
of buckets of magic stones. Why had she kept making them? He was going to think she had a screw loose.

Besides, there was no point being interested in a man. No matter how insanely gorgeous he was. No matter how much he seemed to like her, he was only responding to the magic.

But beneath her skepticism, there was an insistent voice in her head, telling her that he couldn’t have pulled off that rescue if her magic were the only thing he was responding to - that there was something more to the attraction, something powerful.

The familiar scent of chamomile tea that always filled the cottage distracted her from this unsettling train of thought, and reminded her that she was cold and wet. It was a comforting smell and at complete odds with the high drama outside.

Footsteps told her Derek had entered. She turned to find him filling the doorway.

“Come in, come in,” she said impatiently, trying not to notice his bare chest, which suddenly seemed like the only thing to notice about him. She fought to keep her eyes on his face, not his wide chest, not his six-pack…

“Thanks,” he said in that deep voice. He was so tall that he nearly hit his head on the exposed beams as he stepped inside.

He gave her a crooked smile.

“Sorry about my feet, they’re pretty muddy. I don’t suppose I could impose on you for a hot shower?”

An image of this gigantic hunk with rivulets of water running down his already naked body, and steam rising from his bulging muscles, streaked across Hedda’s imagination before she could stop it.

“Sure, um, wait there,” she said, looking away.

She bolted out of the room and into the bathroom.

It was covered in clothing, potions, and lady products. It wasn’t like the Lane women ever had company.

She grabbed an armload of embarrassing stuff and shoved it into the linen closet.

Then she started the water for him. The little room was soon steaming away merrily.

“Come on in,” she called to him.

A moment later she heard him padding across the pine floor.

When she turned to greet him, she nearly fell into the shower herself.

He was standing in the doorway again, taking up the entire frame, just as he had at the front door.

Except this time he was close to her, so close she could lean in, without meaning to, and rest her head against the plane of his tanned chest.

The haze of steam rose up around them, giving the moment a feeling of magic.

Hedda just gaped at him for a few seconds then promptly turned red. She could feel the heat of the blush all the way to her hairline. Curse her fair complexion.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice husky. “Do you want to go in first?”

“Nope, I’m fine. Just let me know if you need anything,” she offered inanely, as she scurried out of the room.

Her last glimpse of him as she pulled the door shut was of his twinkling eyes, and, she swore, his dilated nostrils. Was he
sniffing
her?

Classic shifter.

Except that he wasn’t begging her to shower with him. Which either meant that he was strong, or that her magic was fading after so much use. Not a good sign.

Pushing the idea out of her head, she strode to her room and began to peel off her wet clothes.

She wished she had a way to contact her sisters. But to reach for them now would take magic, more than she had left at her disposal. If the demon stayed away, she might be able to rest and recover.

The sound of the bathroom door opening roused Hedda from her reverie.

She grabbed her sheet and pulled it around herself quickly.

Derek was padding toward her, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. A towel that she swore was a beach towel, but that looked about as big as a napkin on the enormous man, somehow making him look more naked than he had looked when he
was
naked.

His wet hair was slicked back, but already one section had escaped and was hanging in front of his blue eyes.

He studied her calmly.

Hedda felt food-like. As if she were the last bacon-wrapped fig hors d’oeuvre at a party, and he was about to pounce on the whole tray to devour her.

Her traitorous body went weak with lust. He was going to kiss her again, and she was going to let him this time.

He stopped moving, his beautiful jaw clenched in restraint, his hands in fists by his sides.

So, no kissing, then?

And
damn it
, she was not supposed to be thinking about kissing, or anything except regaining her magic so that she could fight the demon.

“You should take a shower too. It’s warm, you’ll feel better,” he said, looking down at the floor.

She nodded and pushed past him, ignoring the flicker of electricity when her arm brushed against his chest.

Once in the bathroom, she set her sheet on the counter and stepped into the shower.

As soon as the hot water hit her skin, she felt better. When she was finally warm down to her bones, she stopped soaking and began to wash.

As she worked the warm suds into a lather she found it impossible to keep Derek out of her thoughts.

What it would feel like if these were his hands smoothing gently over her breasts, sliding slowly down her belly and gliding between her legs?

Her breath caught and for just a moment she let the sensations wash over her.

Footsteps just outside the door roused her.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he was a shifter.

Which meant he could probably
smell
her arousal and draw his own conclusions.

Chastened, she finished her shower quickly, dried off, wrapped the towel around herself, and dashed into her room again.

Thankfully, he wasn’t in the hallway waiting.

She wrapped a huge blanket around herself. She was already too cold again to try to get dressed, besides, when in Rome…

D
erek paced
in front of the fireplace, giving himself a stern speech in his mind.

You gave her a chance to say no earlier, and she said no. She crawled out of your lap like you were on fire. She doesn’t want you.

Unfortunately, the bear was giving him a speech right back. But it was more of a series of scents and images.

The scent of her hair under his nose. The feel of her fists against his ass as he’d carried her here. Her warm arms as she dragged him out of the water earlier. The sound of her laughter. The salty sweet scent of her hands on her sex a moment ago. She was ready for him, so ready.

The sound of the shower turning off had them both on high alert.

Derek mentally swatted the bear’s nose.

Behave
.

He headed over to the kitchen area, hoping that if he could find something to cook it might endear him to her. Plus, he was starving.

The fridge was empty but he banged around in the cupboards and found plenty of dry ingredients.

Before long, he was humming and flipping pancakes. He’d found a small shelf of spices in glass bottles by the stove. A little cinnamon and nutmeg had given the batter a rich color and the aroma was filling the room. The dried cherries were swelling up nice and juicy too. He was very pleased.

The bedroom door closed and he smelled her coming, sweeter than cherries, richer than spice.

He looked up to find that she had stopped in her tracks.

“Hey, I hope it’s okay I made myself at home in the kitchen,” he said.

She nodded wordlessly, padding toward him with interest. She had a big blanket wrapped around herself. Was that all she was wearing?

She looked so feminine, so much more vulnerable. She was relaxing, showing him a side of herself that wasn’t all magic warrior. It tugged at his heart.

“It smells good,” she murmured.

“Thanks,” he replied gruffly.

He was smiling too hard for the small compliment. But he couldn’t help it, he just felt
good
that she was pleased.

“I’ll grab some plates,” she told him, brushing against him on her way.

It was inevitable that she would have to touch him to move in the tiny space, but he found himself weaving visions of her sneaking up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, her breasts pressed into his back.

“It smells
too
good,” she remarked, setting two plates on the counter. “What’s in there?”

“I added a few spices, no big deal,” he told her. “It smells good because you’re hungry.”

Her eyes went wide.

“The spices you added, they weren’t from over by the stove, were they?” she asked nervously.

His eyes went straight to the rack.

What could be in them? It must be some magical ingredients. He’d been licking the batter off his fingers. Oh god.

“Um, yes they were, why?” he asked, trying not to panic.

She looked at him in surprise, and then began to laugh.

“It’s just that they’re sort of old, I have fresher spices in the cupboard,” she explained.

He laughed too, and suddenly he felt at home. Really at home, as if he had been born in this weird little cottage, flipping pancakes with this woman at his side.

She was smiling up at him, her cheeks pink, those unusual lavender eyes luminous. Her still damp hair gleamed.

“What?” she asked.

You make me happy. You like me for me, not for the money you don’t know I have.

“I was just noticing, how fast you bounced back. You sure you’re not a shifter?” he teased, trying to get out of his own head.

“I spend a lot of time outside, so I’m used to the hiking. My magic doesn’t bounce back that fast though,” she replied.

He couldn’t help but notice the wind was out of her sails again. Damn. It would be nice if he knew enough about her to stop setting her off. They’d battled evil together and he didn’t even know what kind of music she liked.

He plated the pancakes and set them on the wooden table while she poured out two glasses of tea from a large jar.

At last they sat, fragrant steam rising from two formidable stacks of pancakes.

Hedda leaned forward to inhale the heat. The bear liked the expression on her face, but not the way she was still lightly trembling with cold.

Five minutes later, they were still sitting at the table, but with two very empty plates.

“Better?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she purred.

He grinned at the satisfied expression on her face.

Let’s put a look like that one on her face for another reason,
the bear suggested.

“So what now? Do you have a phone?” he asked hopefully.

She shook her head.

“I could call to my sisters using magic, but I don’t have enough. Besides, what I do have I need to save for the demon.”

“Why didn’t it follow us?” he asked.

“I have no idea,” she admitted. “But I tend to doubt that it’s given up. It probably went looking for a better body to use to attack with. It must know that this cottage is protected with magic.”

“So what do we do next?” he asked.

“I rest,” she said simply, wrapping the blanket more tightly around herself. “And you leave, run while you still can.”

What?

“What?” he asked.

“Derek, this thing is not your problem. And the demon is very dangerous. The protections on this cottage are only good as long as the walls are intact. If it jumps into another large animal, it can eventually…” she trailed off.

“Yeah, and for that reason I’m not leaving you here by yourself,” he said.

“Listen, I know all this is new to you, but it’s not like you can spray it with some mace and go about your business. This is a demon, Derek, like the stuff you read about in legends.”

“I don’t care what it is,” he told her. “You saved my life, I’m staying.”

“Listen, I have almost no magic left. I have one chance,
maybe
. And if he chooses to come back here without a physical form, it will be like last time and I won’t be able to strike him,” she explained.

“So what do we do?” he repeated.

“I need to rest. You need to go,” she said.

“Yeah, I know you’re tired. I’ll stay awake in case anything happens,” he told her.

“No, it’s not because I’m tired. It’s the magic in me. It needs time to replenish itself. I need to rest and warm up so it can come back to me.”

He realized that she was still trembling. The blanket wrapped around her so tightly he could see her curves.

“Are you still cold because of the magic,” he asked.

She nodded.

“Okay, I’ll tell you what, why don’t you get the fire started and I’ll grab some more blankets to bundle you up?” he offered.

“And then you’ll go?” she asked.

He couldn’t say yes to that.

“And then we’ll talk about it,” he offered.

He could see the indecision on her face battling with the need for warmth.

“Okay, except how about you start the fire,” she agreed.

“I thought you were a pro—wait a minute! Did you use magic to start that fire back at the shelter?”

She dimpled and nodded.

He feigned disappointment and shook his head.

Hedda laughed and ran to her room again.

When she returned he had the fire started and had laid out couch cushions on the floor at the hearth.

Her hands trembled as she spread out a blanket on top.

“Look, Hedda, I know you’re cold. I’m going to hold you until you’re warm again. I promise I won’t try to start anything.”

Without waiting for her to answer, he sat on the make-shift bed and opened his arms to her.

She hesitated a moment, her dark hair gleaming in the firelight. Then she sank onto his lap.

Dear god, she felt so good.

He wrapped his arms around her possessively.

She relaxed into him, letting her head loll back against his shoulder.

He came as close to nuzzling her neck as he dared and exhaled warm breath against her neck.

She shivered with pleasure and curled herself closer.

“Is that better, baby?” he asked, unaware of the endearment until it was already out of his mouth.

“Mmm,” she replied.

Shit. He was hard as a rock, couldn’t stop himself from wanting to bury his nose in her fragrant neck and slide his hands onto her breasts.

He had to distract himself.

“So we warm you up and then what’s next?” he asked.

“If we have a lot of time, enough for me to regain my magic one hundred percent, then I can call to my sisters,” she told him.

“And if we don’t?” he asked.

She was silent for a moment and he had time to listen to her heartbeat. She was deciding if he could stay.

“Then you get ready to shift, and we hope it didn’t find anything bigger than you to possess,” she answered at length.