Grayslake: Never Kiss a Wolf (Kindle Worlds Novella) (2 page)

L
ily ran
behind buildings mid shift. She tried to stop the bear from taking over and failed. Her fight or flight mode had kicked in and there was no turning back. Except she was almost a full bear in broad daylight and in the middle of town.

Lucky for her, the afternoon rains had kicked in and not a lot of people were on the streets. However, she still needed to find cover. It was too risky to make a run for her apartment, so she turned the corner of the building she hid behind, looked in all directions and made a run for the tree line.

Most bears moved fast, much faster than humans, but Lily had always been an awkward runner. She didn’t spend enough time in her shifted form as a cub to get used to the natural rhythm her body was capable of.

Bears were big and she already felt big enough as a human. Her thighs, stomach and boobs jiggled when she ran so she avoided that as much as possible. Then there were times like this she regretted not taking better care of her bear. Despite the fear of being caught, her senses were opening even further and the world took on an altogether different hue.

Fifty more yards and she’d be free. Free to play with her bear away from prying eyes that might decide to hunt her down.

Her legs faltered at the thought of what that kind of danger meant. If the humans got worried about a wild bear running through their town, they would take to the woods for sure and then every bear shifter in Grayslake would be in danger.

That horrible thought spurred her to run faster despite her heaving chest and inability to catch her breath. When she finally reached the woods, Lily came to a dead stop. As much as she wanted to collapse on her back and roll around on the grass, she had to walk around to get her heart rate down without getting a cramp in her stomach.

Her bear chuffed. Clearly it disagreed with her. Now that she was free, she wanted to play and that included a dip in the nearby lake.

Really? You're already wet from the rain.

Although she had to admit that just dipping her paws in the cool water sounded like a really good idea. Tired and still in full out denial over the idiotic fool she'd made of herself at the diner, she lumbered farther into the wilderness in the direction of the beckoning lake.

Opening her mind to the bear's world, she began letting her senses take control. It had been a really long time since her last shift and she'd forgotten how soothing nature could be. Between the slick, wet grass under the pads of her paws and the rustle of the wind through her hair nurturing her frazzled nerves, she gave the bear full control to continue.

As much as she loved her home state of Alaska, the warmth of Georgia and the people of Grayslake made her feel at home in a whole different way. Yes, the modern conveniences had a lot to do with that. It gave her no pain to leave the world of homesteading behind.

If only her family didn't see it as an act of betrayal. The bear snorted, again pulling her into the present and out of her mind. She'd arrived at the lake on autopilot apparently.

She swatted at the water with her paw. This was her problem. The constant state of worry and fear she lived in made simple joys like nature virtually impossible. Obviously the bear needed this, but more and more she was beginning to realize so did she. Her insistence on denial only delayed the inevitable. Not only could her past not be ignored forever, but also neither could her bear.

A twig snapping behind her brought Lily up short. She swiveled her head and sucked in a gasp at the really large wolf standing a few yards away.

One sniff of the air and she knew who it was. The man from the diner. The one with the burning touch that kept her from cracking her head open in the midst of yet another clumsy episode.

She sniffed the air. He did smell like wolf, but there was something else there that seemed familiar. He was more than just a wolf. Unfortunately, the men standing behind him masked whatever else he was.

Shit.

He had the other stranger with him as well as the Sheriff and one of his Deputies. Not any old deputy though. Apparently, her freak out at the diner had drawn more attention than she needed in this lifetime. Both the Itan and the Enforcer had accompanied the two men sent to collect her.

It was the Itan who stepped forward first. "You need to shift so we can have a talk," he said.

Lily wanted to ignore the request. Her attention remained solely on the large, dark furred wolf. He was a lot bigger than other wolves she'd seen and his coloring intrigued her.

Unfortunately, a command from the powerful leader of the bear clan came with the urge to do as told. Immediately and practically against her will, her bones began to pop and fur gave way to skin as her body transformed.

"Van." The Itan nodded at his enforcer, who then held up a bag stuffed with clothes. They apparently came prepared. Good thing since her clothes were in the parking lot of the diner, shredded into pieces from her shift.

She stepped behind a tree and quickly donned the sweat pants and sweat shirt they had offered. She didn't need to hide her body because it was fluffier than the average bear's, but out of respect for the human rules they lived by here in Grayslake.

"Care to explain what happened back there? You are aware of the very strict covenants against shifting around humans."

She bowed her head in submission. Again compelled by the Itan's power. "Yes. And I don't know. I panicked. The bear took hold of that and I couldn't stop it."

"Have you always had trouble controlling your beast?" the Enforcer asked.

"Not usually," she said.

"What were you so afraid of?"

This time the question came from the man who no longer looked like a wolf. In fact her eyes widened at the sight of him standing in front of her naked now. Nudity was such a part of their culture it shouldn't have fazed her, but in this case all normalcy went out the window.

He wasn't just naked. He was gloriously naked. And semi aroused. A fact that had heat spiking through her even as she tried and failed to avert her eyes from his deliciousness.

As it turned out the tan skin of his face and arms she noticed earlier at the diner were not the results of spending time in the sun. His entire body carried the same golden glow. His beautifully honed chest beckoned her almost as much as the abs that looked carved from granite they were that perfect. His arms and legs stood out as powerful as the rest of him and Lily found her arousal continued to grow despite the fact her Itan and Enforcer were in the midst of questioning her.

"I'm not afraid. I wasn't feeling well."

All four men looked at her as if not a one of them believed her. But why was the wolf baiting her? He knew exactly what she feared.

And why did he keep looking at her like that? His brilliant green eyes constantly examining her were beginning to unnerve her.

"Are you gentleman done in Grayslake?"

The bear spoke up. "Not yet. We were hoping to talk more to the waitress here. See what she knows. We were just starting a conversation when all hell broke loose at the diner."

Lily winced. She shuddered to think what happened after she ran out screaming. She vaguely remembered the one man being covered in his food. Although there was no trace of food or anything else on him now. Just the beautiful, perfect body that God gifted him with. Seemed unfair for him to look like the perfect specimen, when no amount of exercise or dieting would ever give her abs like that.

"Ms. Hale. We're going to need you to come with us now. I'm afraid shifting in town unprovoked is a serious infraction." The Enforcer stepped sideways and indicated for her to precede him.

At least he wasn't trying to manhandle her.

"But we need--" the wolf interrupted, but Ty stopped him.

"You need to look elsewhere for answers. Ms. Hale here is my responsibility and as such I need to decide what to do with her next."

She tore her eyes from the naked man and began following Van to his SUV.

Ty followed, but not before issuing one final warning.

"Seven hours gentleman. We're pretty strict about that around here. If you wish to stay longer, I will have to receive your request personally."

Lily didn't look back no matter how much the bear bellowed in her head. Its interest in the wolf baffled her. Although as a woman, she certainly enjoyed the view.

Still, they were sent here to hunt for her. As much as she dreaded any punishment from Ty, maybe them intervening right now was her perfect escape.

While the strangers bided their time waiting to snatch her, she could dig deep and come up with an alternate option than being forced back home.

Like have sex with a wolf?

Lily's legs froze at the bear's thought in her mind.

No. Uh huh. Never going to happen. Not in a million years. Not if he was the last man...

She locked down her train of thought and forced her attention on the path in front of her. The rain had subsided and a sliver of the setting sun created a breathtaking moment of twilight. These were the moments she craved.

Not that wolf. Her bear needed to get that through her thick skull.

G
reer stood
on the sidewalk and stared at the dilapidated apartment building that Calder had dragged him to. Unlike the rest of the town, this building had not been cared for. Shutters on the windows were faded from the vicious summer sun and the building itself carried streaks of rust colored stains from the torrential rains that the clogged and broken gutters could no longer divert properly.

If that wasn't enough, the brown lawn around the building was a mass of weeds interspersed with patches of dirt. There were bars on the lower windows and grime so thick on the glass there was no way anyone saw in or out of them.

"Why are we here? This place is a shit hole."

Calder nodded. "Agreed. But this is the only place left our missing shifter could be."

He narrowed his eyes at his friend. "No self respecting were is going to live in a place like this. Not even a cougar." He turned away from the building and caught sight of the diner down at the end of the street. A cup of coffee to go on his way out of town sounded really good right about now. They were down to less than an hour of time and their search had turned up nothing.

If the cougar had ever been here, it wasn't recently. She was in the wind again. And he was getting tired of this game. She'd leave them a trail of breadcrumbs and they came running. Well, he was tired of chasing a ghost.

The incessant need for the shifter councils to keep track of the whereabouts of every shifter, whether they still belonged to the clan or not had gotten old. Enough was enough.

"I'm going to get some coffee before we hit the road. I'd like to put this place in our rearview mirrors before the Itan gets grumpy and decides we've overstayed our welcome."

Calder followed his gaze. "She's not there."

"Who's not where?" he asked, his mind wandering back to the lake when a big brown bear had shifted into a curvalicious woman with long, black hair that tickled her full breasts. If ever there was a moment when he'd been lost in lust it had been that one—with Lily standing naked in front of him, her pale curves torturing him.

"Don't be stupid, Greer. You know exactly
who
I'm talking about. The Hale girl. She left the Sheriff's office hours ago and I know you're dying to go talk to her."

He let out a long, silent sigh. He hated that his confusion about her was sitting on his sleeve for all to see. If he didn't fully understand this obsession, he didn't need everyone else to witness his misery.

"I don't need to talk to her. I don't know what her deal is, but I doubt it had anything to do with the wily cougar that no one here remembers ever seeing." He whirled on Calder. "Don't you see? They've closed ranks. Whether they know anything or not, they're not talking. And that includes the crazy one."

His friend laughed. "She is crazy, isn't she?

A low, rumbling growl formed in Greer's chest. It was one thing for him to call the woman crazy. But according to his wolf, it was not okay for anyone else to do it.

"Feeling protective?" Calder asked with a grin spreading across his face. "Maybe a little overprotective?"

The growl deepened. His friends words were riding dangerously close to a taunt.

"Okay. Okay." The bear held up his hands in surrender. "I'll stop talking about her. And I know you're probably right about this town being a dead end, but we've got just enough time to follow this one last lead before we put the search to rest."

"Rest? Dude, this mission is D.O.A."

"I'd still feel better if we tried one more time. Call me stubborn, but I don't want to leave with even a chance we're wrong."

He shot one last wistful glance at his chance for coffee and let loose with an exaggerated sigh. Maybe exaggerated. He was feeling pretty frustrated at the moment.

"Fine. We'll do it your way this time. But I'm telling you now that the first sign of coffee on the road we're stopping."

Calder mumbled something he couldn't quite hear so he ignored it. They headed up the sidewalk that led to the apartment building and the appearance got worse. Many of the lower floor apartment windows were cracked and there were empty beer bottles littering the yard.

He seriously doubted anyone living here would help them. He imagined only low life flopped here.

"Where did you say you got this lead?"

"I read between the lines. Apparently, if anyone wanted to hide in Grayslake, this would be the place."

He could see that. Who would come here willingly?

Calder entered first and headed up the equally grimy stairs. Greer wanted to open his senses and let the wolf do the detecting, but he feared the stench would undo him. Lots of mixed signals here when it came to his nose. No doubt a bear lived somewhere on the premises, but there were other scents as well. Some old and some rather ripe.

On the third floor they walked to the end of the hall and Calder pounded on a door. As he approached a new sense of déjà vu washed over him.

What the hell?

"Is that—" He didn't bother finishing his question. There was no doubt. He'd know that scent anywhere.

"Open the door," he yelled.

"No," a female voice whispered.

Anger surged through him and the wolf howled in his head. "Then I'll kick it down," he warned a second before he lifted his booted foot and slammed it against the weak wood.

The metal lock and wooden frame gave way and the door popped open. A feminine scream filled the air and a familiar dark haired woman stood before him, brown fur coating her arms and throat.

"Yep, definitely crazy," Calder laughed.

Greer's wolf responded as his canine's lengthened and his arms tingled with the oncoming fur.

"Stop screaming," he half spoke, half growled. It was hard to talk clearly with the wolf fighting for freedom.

"I'm not going back. You'll have to kill me." The bones of her arms and legs began to pop with her change.

"What in the hell are you talking about? Go back where?"

The garbled noises from her throat ceased and she looked at him like he was the crazy one now.

"Alaska. Where did you think?"

Greer wrestled the wolf long enough to speak again. "I don't think anything. Well, that's not true. I think a lot of shit, particularly about this shit hole you are cowering in. And whether or not you are insane."

Her arms crossed as she shot daggers at him with the venom in her gaze. Meanwhile, the bear began to recede. Fur turned to flesh and her facial features returned to normal.

"I am not insane and that is my apartment you are referring to."

Calder snorted behind him and they both turned and glared at him.

"What? A bear has the right to disagree."

"A bear has a right to get his ass kicked too if he doesn't shut the hell up."

Once again the smart ass smiled back at him. He also leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms and legs like he was settling in to watch the fireworks.

Greer's patience was wearing thin. He turned back to Lily and took a deep breath. He needed to control himself before he lost it and simply picked her up and carried her screaming from the building. An idea his wolf apparently liked if the yipping in his head meant anything.

"Your apartment? Please tell me you're joking." He'd zeroed on the one thing that bothered him the most. His woman should never step foot in a place like this let alone live there.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked.

He looked around the room at the peeling wallpaper, the threadbare furniture and the dingy lighting and wondered where to start.

"Pretty much everything, sweetheart."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Stuck up much? Just because you expect luxury in your world, doesn't mean the rest of us do."

Calder's bark of laughter filled the room and they both turned on him and yelled in unison. "Get out."

He shook his head and laughed harder. "A match made in hell. I love it."

Greer growled at him, the last warning he was going to get before an ass kicking commenced. Calder didn't stop laughing but he did turn away and disappear through the door, the sounds of his choked laughter echoing down the stairs.

With the bear gone, he turned back to the woman invading his head. "Maybe we should start over."

"Maybe you should leave."

He shook his head. "No way I'm leaving you here."

"I already told you I'm not going back."

"I remember. But what does Alaska have to do with me?"

She rolled her eyes at him. An irritating gesture that he wanted her to stop repeating.

"My family hired you. That's why you're here hunting for me. Well, you may have found me, but I sure as hell am NOT going back to the frigid west." She flopped down on the scary looking couch. "Although thanks to you I'm about to become homeless once again."

Holy hell what a mess. How'd he managed to step into this drama?

"You aren't the woman I am searching for."