Diamond Dust

Chapter Thirteen

Waking for the first time in bed with a new lover was always a learning experience. Caroline smiled. It was even weirder when the lover wasn’t human.

A furnace of heat at her back combined with the soft tickle of fur gave enough warning that she didn’t scream when the first thing she saw when she rolled over was a grizzly bear hogging eighty percent of the bed.

Tyler’s eyes were open, and he was watching her.

“Good morning.” She ran her fingers through his fur, sitting up to examine him closer. “I never got a chance to admire your bear last night. Let me look before you shift.”

He rested his chin on the mattress, plate-sized paws to the side. She lifted one, and it took both hands for her to raise it off the bed.

His rumble of amusement echoed through the room.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re a big brute.”

He really was, though. Thick fur, muscular legs. She might have once owned a small car the size of his torso. There was a trace of silver in the fur around his muzzle, another lighter dusting on the telltale grizzly bulge on his back.

The wolf shifters she’d spent her life around were on the big side. Northern wolves tended to grow larger than their southern counterparts, but your average bear/wolf side-by-side comparison meant she was sitting next to one of the biggest beasts in the north.

Dating him kind of ensured she’d never freeze to death in the winter.

She straddled his furry back and dug her fingers into the muscles of his neck and shoulders, guessing where the right spots might be on grizzly anatomy.

Tyler melted under her touch, stretching his neck to one side and letting his satisfaction rumble out until there was a steady roar in her ears.

She fought the urge to giggle as she remembered scratching one of the wolves just right and having him go off into doggie-like leg spasms. She wondered if there was a bear equivalent.

After a few minutes, though, he squirmed and she stopped the rubdown. She rested on top of him and soaked in his warmth, the beam of light shining on the bed making her feel lazy this morning. “Just one more minute, then I’ll get up.”

Under her, fur and bulky muscles shifted to smooth skin and…well, still lots of muscles. She was fully stretched out on top of a very human Tyler, heat of a different sort flashing over her.

“Who said anything about leaving the bed?” He rolled far enough to tip her to the mattress then bundled her into his arms, nuzzling her neck and dropping kisses on her face.

Well, this was sweet. “Okay, I know guys are usually, well, up in the morning, but you’re, like, way affectionate.”

Tyler adjusted position to look into her eyes. “You were nice to my bear. He appreciates that.”

“Your bear gave me a lift last night. He was pretty awesome.” She laughed. “And it’s a good thing I understand shifters, because talking about your shifted self in the third person is kind of weird.”

“He’s a big part of me—no size jokes—so I like to keep him happy. That keeps me happy.” Tyler pulled her on top of himself, arranging her so he could pet her hair out of the way. “Do you have any plans for the day we need to work around?”

She sat up, placing her knees on either side of his body as she rested her weight on her shins. Her lips pulled into a smile as his gaze fell to her chest. “I’m off work for the next week. Whatever we need to do to get conclave in line, that’s my focus.”

He drew a wavy line up her torso, goose bumps following his touch. “Not the only focus, I hope.”

The tip of his finger circled her nipple, and the peak tightened as if well trained.

Concentrating as he played with her breasts wasn’t the easiest thing to do. “When’s the next bear social event? I’d like to be better prepared this time, please.”

“Three nights from now. A music recital at the Nakai Theatre.”

“That’s…different than I expected.” He was doing wicked, wicked things to her with his thumbs. “And everyone will simply show up, as if the fight last night didn’t happen?”

“Exactly. See? You understand bears.”

Incredible. Take the least comprehensible action and, voila, bears. “What if I wanted to get together with a few people before then, can we do that?”

She’d surprised him. Tyler paused in mid-caress, a crease between his eyes. “Get together with who?”

“The ladies, of course. They get to vote, right? Maybe I could meet them all for lunch or something. Invite them out and see where things are at. I never got a chance to talk to that one clan you wanted me to sound out. Nakusp?”

Tyler’s face lit up. “You’re a genius. Of course, it’s perfect. We have to pick a place that’s easy to defend, though.”

She laughed. “I can get us a discount at the Moonshine Inn.”

“I bet you could, but that’s probably already considered Harrison territory. How about somewhere a little more neutral?”

A brainwave hit. “I know the perfect spot. Takhini Hot Springs—it’s an outdoor pool only fifteen minutes out of town. If anything does happen, it’s far enough from city limits to help with damage control, and the pack is part owner. If we set it up for tomorrow, I can guarantee there will be no outside visitors.”

He nodded. “Areas for observation, and yet lots of opportunities for private discussion. Sounds like a super idea.” When she would have crawled off him to get planning, though, he caught her. “Later. It’s still too early to contact anyone. We have plenty of time.”

He lifted his fingers to trace her lips, then pressed one digit into her mouth. She licked it obediently, wondering what he had planned. The next trip around her nipple left moisture behind, and now not only his touch but also the cool room air assaulted her.

Her sex tingled madly, and he hadn’t gone anywhere near her hot buttons yet. “Oh boy.”

“Oh man.” He grinned. “Let’s see what things make you scream in pleasure.”

“I’m not much of a screamer.” The words slipped out before Caroline realized how much of a challenge they could be considered. “Oops? Just forget I said…”

He sat up, six-pack abdomen flexing under her fingers as he brought their bodies together. Heat radiated off him and wrapped her in desire and anticipation. “Forget what?”

Then he rolled her under him and proceeded to prove that she could, in fact, scream herself hoarse when properly motivated.

Justin stopped by the apartment with a bag of clothes, his alert gaze taking in everything as he stood in the doorway. Caroline was at the desk by the window, sending out email invitations to her gathering the following day.

Tyler pulled his friend into the back room with him. “You want to say something, so you may as well get it out of your system.”

Justin shook his head. “No lectures from me. I might need to say I told you so a few times, but nothing happened I’m worried about.”

Tyler pulled on jeans and a thick T-shirt. “You’ve brought me a pretty relaxed outfit here, and yes, I’m ignoring the I told you so comment.”

“I rented you a jeep. Figured you might like some time to explore the area with your new friend this morning.” His guard pointedly stared into the living room.

Glory be. “You mean I don’t have to sneak out of town with her to avoid your obsession with protecting us?”

“You’re officially dating?”

It was strange to feel both a thrill and lingering fear at the idea of being formally involved with Caroline—how could two emotions occupy the same mental space? “Yes.”

Justin shrugged. “Then you don’t need a chaperone, and I never said you wouldn’t have a guard. Only you can drive. Just ignore me as I ramble through the trees.”

“You get a thrill out of watching, do you?”

His guard coughed. “Exactly what are you planning on doing during your explore?”

“Never mind.”

It didn’t need to be said. Justin knew without being told that chances were high Caroline and Tyler would end up testing the jeep’s springs at some point, and he didn’t mean by going cross-country.

Tyler eyed his friend. “Taking off won’t cause troubles in terms of wheeling and dealing for votes?”

Justin shook his head. “If bears go by rote, most of them will sleep in and take it easy this morning. This afternoon everyone will be around Whitehorse. If you and Caroline do some window-shopping, you’ll bump into most of the conclave participants on a one-to-one basis. That works better than us arranging formal coffee klatches.”

“Agreed.”

Justin called out a greeting as he marched into the living room, “Caroline. How did you enjoy the dinner last night?”

She spun her chair, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she answered. “I’ve been informed no one died, and people are shocked. Well, people are shocked I even asked the question. Do all bears act like the rabbits in Watership Down? Ignore the fact that some of you have dropped off the face of the earth?”

Justin turned, his confusion clear. “Did she just compare us to a bunch of rabbits?”

“Scared and frightened bunnies. Yes.” Tyler settled onto the couch.

Caroline blew a raspberry at them. “Hey, you like lemmings better? Or how about hamsters? Little ones, with parachutes, being tossed off the roof of a building.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tyler admitted, although her random comments amused him greatly. “Ready for breakfast? And afterward Justin found us a vehicle if you’d like to show me some of the local sights.”

She closed the computer and headed for the table. “I vote for Ricky’s Grill. And yes, showing you around would be fun. Now who wants to take charge of this?”

She held out a box.

“What is that?” Tyler rose to his feet as he figured out what she had clutched in her fingers. “Oh, the necklace. Just keep it.”

Her gaze narrowed and she stepped closer, poking him in the chest with the container. “Hardly.”

“No, it’s yours. Ready to go?” Tyler frowned as Justin made the strangest motions with his head and brows. “What is your damn problem? Stop twitching like a zombie.”

Justin shrugged. “I was trying to warn you a certain female might be pissed off at you. As your friend, I’d ignore your stupidity and be amused by the pain she’ll cause, but as your bodyguard I figured I should make sure you have a second’s warning. In case you need to be prepared for a physical attack.”

Caroline grinned at Justin. “You already had a coffee this morning, didn’t you?”

“I’m a sharp cookie in general, but yes. Perhaps you’ll take his lack of caffeine into consideration before you flatten him.”

“I’m in the room. Stop talking about me like I’m not here.” Tyler paused. Something had gone down weird in the last couple minutes. “You are talking about me, correct?”

Caroline grabbed him by the belt buckle and jerked. Well, she attempted to jerk him forward, but he weighed too much for her to make him budge. Instead, his jeans shifted position, and she slipped the box into the gap between the fabric and his abdomen. “You have a good friend there, Tyler. I’ll let you off this time. Come on. Let’s get you some food and see if your brain wakes up.”

Justin headed for the door, checking the hallway. Tyler removed the box from his pants and returned it to his bag. Caroline pulled on a coat and ignored him as if he wasn’t even there.

The two of them ended up alone at the table for breakfast as Justin faded unobtrusively into the background. Tyler and Caroline chatted throughout the meal about family and their general experiences of living in the north. By the time they were done eating, he’d figured out what he’d done to piss her off earlier.

She wasn’t like any woman he’d ever met before. Most wouldn’t have thought twice about accepting the jewelry. In fact, he’d had a few lovers he was pretty sure had angled for nights together more for the trinkets he gave them than to be with him.

Caroline was a breath of fresh air in his life, and his unreasonable fear struck again. That in the midst of the best thing happening to him he would lose himself.

He couldn’t afford to have his concentration broken more than it already was, but he’d made her a commitment this was more than simply business.

Six foot four and frightened by his emotions. Hurrah for stupidity. Maybe her comment about rabbits and hamsters made some sense.

Tyler opened the jeep’s passenger door for Caroline and watched in bemusement as she crawled all the way across to settle into the driver’s seat. “What are you doing?”

She grinned. “Showing you around. Get in.”

She expected him to argue, so he did the unexpected and sat, slipping the seat back while she adjusted her chair to reach the pedals. He glanced over his shoulder and noted the pair of daypacks on the seat. “Justin said he left us water bottles and a lunch, so where shall we go?”

Caroline headed out of town and toward the south. “Miles Canyon. There are some great hiking trails we can stretch our legs on for a while, if that’s okay with you.”

That sounded wonderful. “Lead on.”

Every moment left the suit and tie farther behind them, and the opportunity to relax and break away was the last thing he’d expected to experience during this event.

Actually, Caroline was the last thing he’d expected during this trip. The thought made him grin.

She parked the jeep under the shade of a towering evergreen, the lowest branches brushing the roof. They both checked the area around them before opening their doors.

Her sense of caution pleased him and made him wonder. “You know to do that?”

She sighed. “You bears might be the biggest game in town right now, Tyler, but you aren’t the only things a girl needs to watch out for.”

Her comment made the blood rise at the back of his eyes and things turned red. “You’ve never had troubles with anyone, have you?”

She’d pulled out one backpack already, pressing it into his arms as he stepped to her side. “No, Tyler. I’ve never been attacked. Well, not deliberately. There was one time that a couple of the pack got mixed up and thought I was the target for a shifter version of Capture the Flag. I had the devil of a time staying out of their path.”

He settled the pack in position, shocked she could laugh about it. “You were run down by a bunch of wolves and you’re not mad?”

Caroline knelt to tighten her laces. “Who said they caught me?”

Her bright smile shone up at him, and his bear roared to life, sending all kinds of pornworthy images involving her in that position, albeit sans runners, backpack and clothes. He was helpless to stop his cock from reacting.

Some of what he was thinking must have shown on his face. Her gaze dropped over him, lingering for long enough to be a visual caress right where he really didn’t need any encouragement.

Then, dammit, she licked her lips, and he was done for. Fully hard and aching, his cock pressed the front of his jeans.

Caroline rose slowly, inching forward as she finished with her body brushing his, her fingers tracing the line of his belt.

“Maybe instead of a hike, we should make this more interesting.”

His instant response shot out; half human, half bear, all male. “I’m game.”

She slipped her fingers into his pockets, the side of her knuckles skimming the crest of his cock, and her eyes widened. He was mesmerized by her expression, by her lips that were still wet from where she’d moistened them. “You know, I don’t mind the idea of being chased.”

Shit.

Oh damn.

He swallowed hard in an attempt to stop the ringing in his ears. “Chasing you would be my privilege.”

Another soft stroke along his erection sent a shiver of lust all the way to his brain. “Getting caught. That could be fun as well. If you’re good enough.”

Shit.

Double damn.

“You have some kinky fantasies, baby.”

Her expressive face vanished from view as she leaned in close and pressed her lips to his neck. A blast of desire rocked him.

She adjusted her grip, pressing her full palm to his erection. “If you catch me, maybe you’ll find out.”

“If? I’m a bear.” He tucked his fingers under her chin and forced her head up so he could examine her face, wanting to be sure she knew what kind of game she was arranging. He brushed his thumb over her cheek, fighting the urge to pick her up right here and bend her over the back of the jeep. “I’ll give you a five-minute head start.”

Her eyes sparkled as she stepped back. She whispered as she widened the gap between them. “I’ll tell you no if I want to stop, but otherwise? Have fun. I plan to.”

She blew him a kiss before turning and crossing the empty parking lot, headed for the suspension bridge and the foothills on the other side of the river.

He double-checked the doors were locked then strolled to the bridge, deliberately not watching which direction she headed after leaving the iron contraption.

Below him the Whitehorse River rushed toward the city, the raging rapids a thing of the past since the dam had been built. There was still enough water to create a low rumble of sound, filling his ears with life and excitement. The sun lit the valley, reflecting off rich green limbs and fluttering leaves in stark contrast with the deep blue sky above them. His nostrils filled with the scent of pine and earth…

…and her. Headed across the bridge and into the forest.

Tyler shoved his bear aside. His human needed no encouragement—and the animal part within him was far too excited at the prospect of running his quarry down. He glanced at his watch and gave her another sixty seconds before setting out to retrieve his prize.

Chapter Fourteen

She ran as if being chased by a predator, which she totally was.

The ground underfoot sent up little puffs of dust as her feet hit the hard-packed surface. The land was dry as a bone. Caroline scanned the area and rapidly thought through her options.

It was only a matter of time before he caught her, and she’d like it to be in a private location, now that she’d poked his bear.

Veering away from the main riverside path, Caroline took the high route. It angled sharply toward the mountaintop for a couple of minutes of thigh-burning altitude gain before leveling off and disappearing into the trees. She didn’t bother to set him any side trails like she’d done with the wolves any time she’d planned hide-and-seek games before. With only five minutes to get ahead of Tyler, she had no time to waste. It was all or nothing.

The trees fell behind her in a smooth rhythm as she found her stride, the light pack on her back jiggling as she surged forward. Tyler didn’t know the area, so his lack of familiarity should slow him enough she could reach her goal. To her right, portions of the river flashed in the sunlight like paparazzi having a heyday.

For a moment she debated the wisdom of the chase. Not the sexual kink she’d set up—it was the remembrance of the bears fighting last night that made her hesitate. What if she and Tyler were caught unawares by some of his enemies?

Yet how would the other clans know where to find them? It would have taken a bit of talent to follow them from her apartment to the restaurant then off the highway later.

And really, the fact remained. It was either hide in a backroom the entire time he was here for conclave, or trust he could protect them no matter what ended up happening.

The knife she carried was no guarantee of safety either, but she wasn’t helpless.

Her ankle rolled, and she snapped to attention, concentrating before she got hurt. Ahead was her target, and she scrambled up the low section of cliff face, easily making it to where the lone pine stood as a sentinel beside the cliff in its sad but enduring glory.

There was nothing left of the majestic tree anymore but its tall skeleton. Nearly fossilized and iron hard, the tree had been around when the original Gold Rushers had barreled through the area, shooting the life-threatening river that had since been tamed. In the day, though, the rapids had claimed more than one life, and this path had offered an alternative route to safety.

Well, not this route, the one she was currently taking up the bare limbs of the behemoth. She’d been climbing the tree since she was a girl, a human child with a brand-new daddy who could turn into a wolf. As a little girl with a head full of fairy tales and wonder, the only unbelievable thing was being informed there was no magic she could partake in to make the same kind of transformation.

Her shifter father had hugged her, reassured her, then proceeded to teach her everything he could about living in the wilderness and dealing with the wild creatures shifters could be. His careful teaching had saved her in the end. Made it possible for her to live in the North Country she loved.

Made it possible for her to be playing a game of sexually twisted hide-and-go-seek with another wild creature out of fairy-tale lore.

She was well warmed up by the time she reached the highest branches, muscles invigorated and ready to meet her demands. She glanced back, eyeing the bits and pieces of trail that were visible as it meandered back to the main highway.

A flash of blue shot past.

Tyler.

She pulled herself along the sturdy limb, grabbed the branch in her hands and swung off, rotating until her feet lightly touched the ground, now at the top of the cliff instead of the bottom. A glance over the edge showed Tyler was too close for her to stay in one place, but her climb had given her time to set up a bit of trickery.

Three paths left the clearing she stood in. She raced down the first, cut through a connecting trail and scooted back the second trail to reach her original starting point. One more loop was all she had time for, leaving her scent on all three trails.

Then she ignored the escape routes and instead climbed the rock face behind her. The low wall emptied onto a second platform with a narrow ledge of a path rounding the corner to yet another maze of trails. Leaving her current location was impossible without edging cautiously along the precipice.

There was no way she could outrun him. No way he wouldn’t find her. But where she crouched was hidden from view of everyone but a person actually climbing onto the platform, or risking life and limb on the narrowest of trails. The chance of anyone stumbling into their party was slim. With the wind coming directly at her, the fake trails in the woods should catch Tyler’s attention first.

She lay on her stomach on the smooth rock surface to admire him as he reached the top of the tree. He’d removed his jacket, and his arms were bare, strong forearms with a dusting of hair on them. His fingers flexed powerfully as he wrapped them around the limbs, pulling himself up before swinging to the ground, knees absorbing the impact.

He rotated to admire the scenery. Her heart skipped. Did he figure she was such easy prey he had enough time to smell the roses and look around? Or did his light-hearted break make her glad?

He was a good man. The longer she spent with him, the clearer his character became. He wasn’t very civilized, though. The façade was there. The formal trappings of sophistication, but it was a layer of pretense on top of the real Tyler.

The real Tyler, who appreciated the view in the middle of a hunt.

The man obviously needed more chances to get away from it all and take it easy. She stopped herself from snorting. Kind of like herself—workaholic.

Tyler faced the trees, his gaze darting over the three options. The angle was wrong for her to be able to read his expression, but he moved slowly, deliberate in his approach. No panicked race forward. A considered and rational assessment.

He stepped to the center path and paused, hesitating at the edge of the forest and breathing deep enough his chest rose. Caroline held her own breath for fear he’d hear her.

Only he didn’t take the bait. None of the three paths led him astray. He stood for a while taking long sniffs, testing and tasting the air. He eliminated all her fake routes then stepped back into the clearing. His fingers came up to rub his chin, the rough stubble on his unshaved chin making him look like a dangerous beast. Made him handsomer than he had any right to be.

She gasped as he lifted his gaze and looked directly into her eyes.

Shoot.

She couldn’t look away. He kept eye contact as he walked to the base of her hiding spot without stumbling even once on the uneven ground. The heat from her earlier exertions had morphed into slow desire as she considered what exactly she’d set up.

He laid a hand on the smooth rock rising to her hiding spot and grinned. “You didn’t make that too difficult.”

“I’m still out of reach,” she teased, sitting upright on the edge of her cliff.

He examined her, the bits he could see. Heat danced on her nerve endings, sensitizing her skin. Growing desire edged toward all the pertinent girl parts that couldn’t wait to see what he’d do next.

Tyler stepped back half a foot. “You think it’ll take me long to get up there, think again. I’m coming for you.”

She scrambled to her feet and retreated to the back of the platform. He was right—there was no way the cliff would stop him for long. She dropped her backpack to the ground, lost her coat. The game was no longer hide-and-seek but inevitable capture.

The sound of him climbing was unmistakable. She turned to eye the wall she leaned on, considering if she could climb any higher. She risked a glance over her shoulder. It was like glancing in a side-view mirror.

Warning. Objects are much closer than they appear.

She ducked to the right, trying for a narrow patch of scrub that would hold him back, but he’d closed the space between them, his strong fingers curling around her arm and halting her momentum.

He twirled her, jerking her to his body. Air rushed from her lungs in a gasp as he backed her against the rock and crushed her lips beneath his.

Demanding. Aggressive. She planted her hands on his chest and pushed, but she could have been attempting to move a train for all the good it did her. His tongue stabbed into her mouth and she moaned. Wriggled, attempting to break free.

He caught her wrists and slammed her arms to her sides, jerking them behind her back so he could enclose both wrists in one enormous hand. With her arms pulled behind her like that, her chest thrust forward, driving against him.

He never stopped kissing her. Consuming her. His free hand captured her chin and held her exactly where he wanted her.

Over the years, Caroline had enjoyed her share of excellent lovers. Tyler took it to a new level. Took her wild fantasies and made them come true without her saying a word.

He jammed a thigh between her legs and hauled her hips forward, dragging her clit over rock-solid muscles. She was going to come if he so much as blinked too hard.

When he finally let her breathe, she was too busy filling her lungs to do anything else. By the time she’d gotten ready to offer him a few choice words—careful to not say no—he shocked the hell out of her. Twirled her in his arms and resettled her on that damn thigh, but this time there was also a beefy palm covering her mouth.

She couldn’t complain if she wanted to.

His lips brushed her ear. “If you want me to stop, stomp your foot. Otherwise, enjoy the ride.”

The whispered words shook her. Sexual anticipation flooded her system as he rocked her over his leg. Her arms pinned behind her, his other hand dragged her T-shirt up and ripped her bra out of the way so he could fondle her breasts.

Okay, she was officially twisted, but this was too damn hot. She made sure to keep both feet on the ground even as she struggled in his arms. The total inability to go anywhere dragged a hotter-than-I’ve-ever-been-before-in-my-life groan from her throat.

“Makes you burn, doesn’t it? Damn, I’m dying to fuck you. Going to fuck you in a minute. Only first?”

His hand left her breasts and shoved between her legs, fingers slipping under her panties and moving rapidly over her clit. She widened her stance and pulsed her hips, hopelessly lost. Desperate for release.

He jerked her torso against the wall of his chest, fingers still working her clit. The hand covering her mouth slid down to grasp her throat. His grasp remained controlling, yet loose enough she could breathe, her excitement escaping in gasps as he brought her to a climax. Body shaking, shivering in near convulsions as release throbbed through her.

There was no pause. Just rapid motion as he ripped her pants off her hips and his erection bumped her ass. His hand slid between their bodies, adjusting positions, then he was at her core, cock thrusting into her ready sex.

“Oh, yes.” Caroline arched her back, allowing him to drive deeper on his next thrust. Dirty and wild, his hands controlling her meant there was nowhere she could go to escape. Not that she wanted to. This was what she’d asked for. A keen of excitement escaped, stretching out like a wavering bird cry.

“So. Damn. Good,” Tyler growled, a hard thrust accompanying each word. His cock spread her wide as he took her, once again confining her wrists behind her back. He slid a hand along her spine and into her hair, pulling slightly as he brought her head up. The bite of pain made her groan louder.

He slowed for a moment, warm lips at her neck. “You having fun?” he whispered.

“Uh-huh,” she moaned. “Your cock is driving me crazy.”

“Your fantasy is driving me wild. Ready for more?”

She nodded, her mouth gone dry.

He kissed her shoulder blade—a soft and careful caress. His cock filled her, his groin pressed tight to her ass. The stiff fabric of his jeans and zipper were crushed against her bare skin. All the wicked sensations created an oasis of unanticipated tenderness.

Then he replaced the hand in her hair and shoved her downward until her head was level with her ass. He pulled his hips back, cock clinging to the entrance to her sex.

When he slammed forward, a scream escaped her.

Tyler froze in position.

“Nooo, don’t stop,” Caroline wailed in protest. “That was hot.”

He panted, fingers of his left hand running over her bare hip. “You’re killing me, baby.”

“Fuck me,” she whispered.

Another drive pushed the air from her lungs. She gasped for breath as he worked her over, the rapid motions of his hips teasing her back up to the brink in a flash. He pulled her upright again, changing the angle. He hooked his hand under her thigh and lifted. The new position opened her wider, gave him room to play with her clit even as he fucked her.

The combination of wicked, rough, yet so careful motion flipped her final switch.

“Tyler. Yes, oh damn, yes.” Caroline squeezed her eyes shut to stop the spinning blackness from taking her under. Her orgasm was so powerful all the blood seemed to have vanished from her brain, centered instead on her sex. On pulsing around his cock and dragging a shout from his lips as well.

The calm, collected diplomat vanished in a rush of passion as he joined her in ecstasy.

They were still vertical, Tyler somehow keeping them upright as their orgasms concluded. His strong hands cradled her, palms warm against her flesh. She took a deep, contented breath and sighed happily.

Caroline opened her eyes just in time to see a flash of silvery fur leaping at them. She threw up an arm and jerked to the side, but it was too late.

Tyler fell away from her, an enormous wolf going for his throat.

Caroline’s shout gave Tyler enough warning to release her so she didn’t get taken to the ground with him. He hoped she’d catch herself and avoid being hurt, but the dire need to stick his arm into the wolf’s way before his throat ended up under the sharp fangs was the most pressing item on his agenda.

While teeth dug into his forearm, he kicked off his shoes. He jerked his jeans down as best he could with one hand, the other occupied with the damn wolf using him as a chew toy. The shift to bear wasn’t as agreeable as he’d like it to be. One minute he was having the best sex of his life, the next he was getting attacked. That tended to put a damper on most of life’s little pleasures.

Damn having to let her out of his arms when he wanted nothing more than cuddle her close and make sure what they’d done had been okay with her.

Only he had to save Caroline from the wolf, and the best way for that was to be in bear form.

His T-shirt stretched to the breaking point, seams giving way, jeans falling to the ground and off his lower limbs as he finished the change. Now much larger than his attacker, Tyler shook his arm, tossing the wolf like a rag doll, but the damn beast wouldn’t let go.

“Oh no.” Caroline’s voice rang out strong and confident. “Evan? Is that you?”

Tyler paused in his attempts to shake the wolf burr free, turning to examine Caroline instead.

She’d pulled her clothes to rights, sadly covering the fine ass he’d been admiring as he fucked her. Her cheeks were bright red, and she smelt divine. Well fucked, well satisfied…

His bear gloated.

The wolf on his arm opened his jaws, releasing them from each other. The beast backed away before Tyler could get in a swing and send the stupid thing flying.

Only the furry menace blocked the path to Caroline. Tyler growled his displeasure at the wolf who had his hackles raised, lips pulled back to reveal razor-sharp teeth.

Come between him and his lover? Tyler didn’t think so. He lifted a paw in the air to bat the annoyance aside when Caroline darted forward and caught the wolf by the ear.

“Evan Stone. You stop this instant.” She raised a hand toward Tyler, palm open, calming him. “It’s okay. This is…a friend.”

Tyler lowered his paw and sat back warily.

The wolf stopped snarling and whimpered instead as Caroline gave an extra hard twist to the ear she’d captured. “You idiot. Shift, and I hope you’ve got a damn good explanation for your actions.”

She released Evan’s ear then stepped to Tyler’s side, laying a hand on his shoulder. Tyler grinned as the wolf stared, head lowering in frustration.

She’d taken his side, Tyler’s. He wanted to gloat—well as much as a bear could gloat. Her fingers in his fur made him wriggle in pleasure, and he nuzzled her.

The wolf shifted back to human, becoming a dark-haired male who glared furiously at him.

Tyler debated stepping forward and biting Evan’s arm, just to see how the man felt about human/shifter chewing incidents when the teeth were applied in the opposite direction, but since Caroline had supported him, he didn’t need to rub it in.

“What kind of explanation do you need for me to protect you? He was attacking. He was all over you.” Evan took a deep breath and jerked to a halt. He dragged a hand through his hair. “Oh shit. You’re turned on.”

Tyler shifted back to human as Caroline shook her head in disgust. “Dammit, Evan. Jump to conclusions much?”

“Well, what was I supposed to think? Shaun is picking up your special-duty detail team, so I put myself on guard watch. Took me a bit to catch up to the jeep, and when I saw you… Well, it’s not your typical place for fucking around.” Evan crossed his arms. “I can’t win this conversation, can I? No matter what I say I’m going to come off like an interfering idiot.”

“Pretty much, yes.” Caroline sighed. “Tyler Harrison, I guess you may as well officially meet Evan Stone, head of the Takhini pack.”

Tyler held out a hand. “I’m not pleased to meet you.”

Evan’s grin flashed. “Likewise, asshole.”

There was none of the stupid “attempt to squeeze each other’s hands into bloody pulps” Tyler expected. Of course, that was because he took the opportunity of having Evan’s hand to jerk the man off his feet. Only when Tyler expected to be able to drive an elbow down on his opponent’s back to finish the punishment, Evan surprised him by twisting in midair and wrapping his leg around Tyler’s, tumbling them both to the ground.

Nice. Tyler kept the roll going and squashed Evan under him.

“Guys?” Caroline attempted to cut in, but it really wasn’t the moment for a distraction. Not when the wolf’s grunt of pain was followed immediately by a violent punch to Tyler’s kidneys. He retaliated by spinning and catching Evan in a headlock.

It was always enjoyable to have a sparring partner who was fairly evenly matched in skill.

“Guys.”

They grappled a little longer before fingers tapped his forearm three times in the universal code to be released. Tyler set Evan free and looked around for Caroline.

She was gone.

“Fuck.” Maybe ignoring her hadn’t been the smartest move.

Evan chuckled. “That’s what I figured. Damn woman is probably pissed off at both of us. You might want to hurry and catch her before she decides you need to grovel for a few days.”

They separated and brushed the dirt off. Tyler reached for his jeans then found his shoes. “Think I can make it to the jeep before she leaves me behind for good?”

“With some luck—I’ll show you a short cut.” Evan handed over the backpack. “Sorry about the interruption.”

Tyler grinned. “She’s a bit of a wild child, isn’t she?”

“More than I imagined.” Evan eyed him. “You’ll take good care of her, right? I won’t need to track you down and kill you in the future?”

Interesting. How much trouble was the wolf going to be? It was a good opportunity to sound out if Caroline and Evan truly were over, as well as possible alliances. “She’s not your concern anymore.”

“She’s my friend, she’s pack, and she’ll always be my concern.” Evan’s pleasant expression vanished.

Tyler nodded. “Good. I hoped you’d say that, because things are moving faster than I thought. Not with me and Caroline—that’s just starting, even though the relationship looks promising. No, you will not need to kill me, but I’d appreciate knowing you have my back. There’s potential trouble in the next few days. Will Takhini stand with me?”

Evan stared him over, analyzing. Judging.

Then the wolf shrugged. “Damn it all, I want to hate your guts. But if Caroline likes you and trusts you enough to play fucked-up games in the great outdoors, who am I to say otherwise? Takhini has your back.”

Tyler adjusted his load. “Thank you.”

The wolf flicked a hand down the trail. “Take the steep cut to the right and you half your distance to the bridge. You might want to go get her before you have major begging to do.”

The idea of being on his knees in front of Caroline wasn’t a hardship to imagine. Not if that meant feasting on her delectable body.

Evan flicked a finger in a mock salute then shifted back to wolf, trotting easily long the narrow ledge, ignoring the mind-boggling cliff to his left.

Strange helpmates Tyler had acquired. A pack of wolves, and one very intriguing human.

Tyler caught up before the bridge, wrapping an arm around her waist and twirling her toward him. She laughed, cupping his face with her palms and moving in for a kiss that made his head spin. She clung to him, legs around his hips, mouths connected as he caressed her back and hips.

When she finally slipped to the ground, he kept hold of her fingers, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “Didn’t want to stick around for the fight?”

Caroline shook her head. “You boys seemed pretty involved in each other. I didn’t want to interrupt a tender moment.”

He laughed as he caught her hand to his lips. “Forget Evan. We’re good. Now back to more important things. Like the fact that bit of sightseeing was fairly spectacular. Thank you.”

Her pupils were wide and dark in her blue eyes. “I found it rather invigorating as well.”

“Any other must-see things in the area?” He caressed the line of skin visible long the edge of her T-shirt neckline. “I’m ready for anything you suggest.”

Her breathing picked up, chest rising and falling rapidly. “All kinds of suggestions come to mind, but first let’s show you an actual sight. You want to see the city from the mountaintop? Great views.”

He tugged her forward, their bodies barely brushing. A soft kiss on her cheek, tender as he could. He spoke against her lips. “That sounds marvelous. This afternoon we have to spend in town, hobnobbing with any bears we come across. And then I’ll take you back to your apartment, and we can work on the plan for tomorrow.”

She smiled, lips curving against his. “My sister will be back by tonight, so we’d better make that your hotel room. Because somehow I think you mean something dirtier than planning.”

Tyler tugged her toward the bridge, keeping her hand trapped in his. “I do my best planning while naked.”

Caroline nodded. “That would explain the anticipation in your eyes.”

“Deal?”

She grinned. “Oh, you have yourself a deal.”

Chapter Fifteen

He held her hand whenever possible.

For the next six hours, as she took him all over the mountainside, ate their picnic lunch and explored town, Tyler listened and made the appropriate responses. His company was lovely and enjoyable, but it was the sweet caress of his thumb over her knuckles at unexpected moments that made Caroline’s heart keep up a constant flutter.

Out of the public eye, like when they’d been admiring the city from the high lookout, he’d stood close and wrapped an arm around her. Sat beside her and uncapped her water bottle when it got stuck. Nuzzled his lips against her hair and basically acted swoon-worthy.

Once they hit town he’d become a little more distant, putting on what she was beginning to recognize as his “formal face”. She could understand the need—they weren’t alone. They weren’t in a vacuum, and he had an image to uphold that he’d probably set on fire just being with her. They met bears in the museum, in the bookstore. Everywhere they wandered men in formal suits and ladies in expensive clothing stopped Tyler to chat for a few minutes.

She joined in when necessary, but otherwise watched. Listened. Admired Tyler working magic on his peers. He had a way with them, making each clan feel as if he knew their specific needs and how he could help them move to the next step.

Caroline wondered if appreciating his politicking skills made her twisted.

They were headed back to the Moonshine Inn when she recognized yet another couple walking toward them from the previous evening’s gala. Both eyed Tyler’s casual jeans with something close to shock.

Shock, maybe even disgust. She swore the gentleman sniffed as he glanced her over, but spoke to Tyler. “Harrison. Enjoying your free day, I see.”

“As I hope you are.” His outside might not look as shiny as they expected, but Tyler’s manners remained impeccable as he bowed slightly to the lady of the pair. “Mrs. Nakusp. Did you receive your invitation for tomorrow from Caroline yet?”

Nakusp. This was one of the important contacts. Caroline ran through names in her head as the woman fluttered her lashes and smiled hesitantly at Caroline. “I did. Thank you. I’m looking forward to it very much.”

Lynn, that was it.

“You need anything, Lynn, you be sure to let me know,” Caroline offered. “If you don’t have a swimsuit with you, I can recommend a wonderful shop here in town.”

Tyler squeezed her fingers in warning. Caroline kept her smile to polite levels instead of grinning like a banshee.

“Oh, that would be lovely.” Lynn twisted toward her husband. “If you don’t mind.”

Mr. Nakusp had continued to make a thorough examination of Tyler and Caroline, especially their linked hands. He looked partly repelled, partly intrigued. At Lynn’s words, however, he shook himself and faced her, his body and voice softening as he answered. “Of course I don’t mind.”

Caroline gave directions, and the two couples parted, headed in opposite directions.

“You are damn good at that.” Tyler guided her around a crowd gathered outside a coffee shop.

Underestimated again? “I’ve worked in customer service for years, what did you expect?”

He stopped, and she had to pause as well, since he still had her fingers trapped in his. “That wasn’t a negative comment. I’m seriously impressed. You’ve been marvelous all afternoon. Thank you.”

“Mr. Nakusp didn’t seem to know if I was a pet of some kind or not.” Caroline shrugged, deciding to ignore it like everything else she had no control over in the shifter world. She pulled out a set of keys and shook them. “You want to sneak into the hotel the back way?”

Tyler tugged her against him, right there in the street. “I don’t want to sneak anywhere with you. I want to walk right out in the open. Are you not getting that?”

Whoa. “Where did this grumpy attack come from?”

He glared, then stepped away, their hands separating. “Never mind.”

Caroline resisted rolling her eyes. Oh goodie. Temperamental mood swings went deep with these bears. It wasn’t worth setting him off again, though, so she took him the long way around and through the main doors.

A squeal of excitement rang from her right, and Caroline looked up in the nick of time to brace herself before being tackled by her sister.

Caroline squeezed Shelley tight before a low growl warned her to check on her boyfriend.

Sure enough, he’d misunderstood and overreacted, probably to protect her.

“Oh, Tyler.”

She released Shelley and swung to the side where Shelley’s partner had Tyler smashed against the wall. She bet it wasn’t often Tyler ended up at a physical disadvantage, not with his considerable size. Only appearances were tricky things in shifters…

Caroline glanced around the lobby quickly, relieved no humans were in sight. “Hi, Chase. This is my new boyfriend, Tyler Harrison. Tyler, that’s my sister’s beau.”

Tyler’s eyes were wide as he stared at the massive cougar paw pinning him in position. The rest of Chase remained human, his short blond hair standing in a spiked mess, his expression focused and firm. Only his arm had shifted into the cougar that was one of his animals.

“Caroline.” Chase held out his other hand and squeezed her shoulder in greeting. “Your new boyfriend seems stupider than your last. I don’t know that he’s an upgrade.”

“Chase, don’t be rude.” Shelley stepped in front of Tyler and examined him, tilting her head to the side as she considered. “I think he’s cute.”

Good grief. Caroline hoped Tyler wasn’t about to explode with frustration before she could fix this mess. “People, can we take this somewhere private? With all body parts human and accounted for?”

Chase pulled away and obediently put all his bits and pieces back to fully human. Tyler moved immediately to place an arm around Caroline’s shoulders.

She bit her lip and stared at the ceiling, attempting desperately not to start laughing because if she started, she wouldn’t be able to stop. “Come on, we can visit in Tyler’s suite.”

Light conversation carried on around them as they made their way to the upper floor.

The living space of the suite seemed overly full, but that might have been because four Alpha males occupied the close quarters. Justin had been waiting for them, a smirk on his face as he unlocked the door then retreated into the room. Evan sauntered in right before Caroline could shut the door, his satisfied grin making her fingers itch to whack him a good one. Which she wouldn’t do in public out of respect, but it didn’t make the urge any less tempting.

“You haven’t had enough interfering, I take it.” She closed the door more firmly than needed.

Evan patted her shoulder as he passed. “Hey, no need to get snippy. I’m not judging or saying anything about outdoor sexual escapades.”

Of course, that’s the moment everyone else chose to be silent, so Evan’s words echoed through the room.

Caroline twisted to examine her companions. Five sets of eyes stared back with various levels of amusement in them. Two bears—Tyler and Justin. Two wolves—Evan and her sister. A crossbreed cougar/wolf in Chase, and her, the lone human. Once again.

Fuck it.

She waved a hand at Justin behind the bar. “I need a margarita. You know how to make one?”

Tyler paced to her side. “We haven’t had dinner yet.”

Sheesh. “I’ll order in Mexican. And it’s five o’clock somewhere.”

His fingers slipped into hers, and she sighed. His attention was lovely, but her sister’s expression, and Evan’s, and all the rest of it made her tired. Too many explanations, too many questions.

Her life had become far too complicated.

“Sit down. I’ll order dinner then us guys will stay way over here, minding our own business while you say hi to your sister.” Evan grabbed the phone. “Justin? Make my margarita a beer.”

“You got it.”

Shelley patted the couch beside her. “Come on. Ignore them and tell me what’s happening. Shaun was amazingly tight-lipped when he picked us up.”

Chase snorted as he rose to his feet to make room for Caroline, heading to the bar as per Evan’s suggestion. “Tight-lipped? Not bloody likely. The wolf never shut up the entire two-hour helicopter ride from our place to Whitehorse.”

“Well, he talked, but he never said anything, if you know what I mean.” Shelley winked.

“Hang on.” Caroline had requested Shaun pick up more than her family. “Where are Shaun and Gem? I’d have thought they’d be here as well, unofficial powwow that we seem to be holding.”

Evan pivoted on his bar stool, beer bottle in his hand. “He’s still fetching your friend from the north. She couldn’t get away until tomorrow. Shaun and Gem decided to spend the night in Chicken so they can help hurry Nadia along.”

Okay, that made sense. She nodded.

Evan kept watching her. Tyler was looking her and her sister over, Chase examining them as well. The only one of the guys not staring their way was Justin, and as soon as he finished pouring their drinks, he carried the glasses to them and stood looming like a statue.

Oh brother. “Minding own business, boys?”

A flurry of motion followed her words. Justin retreated behind the bar. The other three swung around on their bar stools so there was nothing but hulking male backs toward them.

Caroline leaned against her sister, providing the physical contact she knew Shelley craved as a wolf. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“We only left a week ago.”

Caroline looked down as Shelley linked their fingers together. “It seems like a whole lot longer, to be honest.”

“You’ve been busy.” Shelley leaned in close and whispered. “They can still hear us. You want to go elsewhere to talk?”

Ha. “To not be overheard we’d have to leave the building, and I don’t see your partner or Tyler letting that happen. Not with night coming on.”

Shelley nodded. “You’re right.”

Music started out of nowhere. Caroline blinked as Tyler smiled at her then cranked the volume on the music system even higher before going back to the guys’ conversation.

“So, the new boyfriend…” Shelley squeezed Caroline’s fingers. “He seems nice. Other than the hair trigger in the lobby.”

“He’s one of the bears in town for the voting.”

“What happened with Evan?” Shelley paused, and looked very uncomfortable. “Did he break up with you because of me?”

Caroline jerked upright. “Oh, honey, no. It wasn’t that at all—”

Evan was at their side in a flash. “Caroline and I are fine, Shelley. It has nothing to do with you or the pack or…”

Caroline swore she would break an eyeball one day, glaring at these creatures while they stomped willy-nilly all over her human boundaries. Damn shifter hearing. “So much for minding your own business,” she complained.

Evan rose to his feet and shuffled back a step. “Umm, right. Sorry. Go on, I’ll find something to do until dinner arrives.”

It was tough to stay mad at him when he really couldn’t help it, and he meant well. With Shelley giggling beside her, Caroline chose to ignore the guys and focused instead on her sister.

“No, it wasn’t anything you or I did. He got a sniff of his mate.”

Shelley’s mouth hung open for a second. “Holy. Well, that’s awesome. You okay with it?”

“Of course. What kind of question is that?” Caroline shook her head. “As if I’d come between a wolf and his mate.”

Shelley nodded. “That’s what I’d expect to hear you say, even though it’s got to be tough. I love you so hard, sis.”

Caroline paused, concern flooding her. “The situation did make something pop to mind, though. You and Chase…”

Shelley leaned back on the couch. “You’re wondering if we’ll have the same thing happen? One of us sniffs out a fated mate, and the other ends up with our heart ripped in two?”

Whoa. “You’ve obviously given this some thought.”

Shelley smiled. “It would have been stupid not to think about it but, hon, Chase isn’t all wolf—he’s cougar as well. Only wolves have predestined mates, and my wolf is seriously broken. We’ve chosen each other and created our own fate. Nothing is going to rip us apart.”

“Damn right.” It was Chase’s deep growly voice. His back was still to them, the music blaring, and the guys seemed to be deep in conversation, but he’d still responded.

This time Shelley rolled her eyes. “No privacy. Ever. You should move north with us.”

“Once the bear conclave is over, I might move to Siberia.”

“Too many grizzlies in Siberia,” Justin interjected. “You could try Nepal. All they’ve got is sloth bears, and they’re rumoured to be very reclusive.”

Caroline pressed her hands to her forehead. “Minding your business seems to have taken a new definition since the last time I looked.”

Shelley squeezed her arm. “Ignore them and catch me up. What’s happening?”

The food arrived about the time Caroline had finished explaining the situation as she saw it. Tyler had joined in the mindless conversation with the guys, but all of them were distracted listening to the ladies. There was no denying it.

Caroline’s concise analysis of the bear situation astonished him. Justin was nodding like a bobblehead, impressed as well.

But in the middle of her explaining to Shelley what was going on, in the middle of the women teasing and reacting to the shifters’ continued interruptions, something poked Tyler.

He found a place at the table next to her. Plates were filled, conversation resumed. Shelley asked about his brother, Frank, and Tyler gave an update. All the while he worried at the puzzle, trying to solve it.

His bear rumbled, confused that he was upset, but this wasn’t a matter for the animal to figure out. Tyler had enjoyed his time with her over the day, even with the moments of frustration, but something about the situation wasn’t right.

They were nearly done the meal when he figured it out. Caroline was wearing a cloak. Her humanness was hidden away under a surface layer that screamed shifter. As if she were speaking a foreign language to make things easier for all of them.

The way she moved was more wolf than human. The way she reacted, like the momentary lowering of her eyes when Evan spoke—respect for an Alpha—followed by her straightening and proving her own strength and value.

She deferred just long enough to offer a kind of give-and-take, never being weak but never unwittingly becoming a challenge either. The impressive display was something most humans lacked and shifters didn’t need.

He’d never seen anything like it in his life.

Evan pulled him from his musings as the wolf asked Caroline about the event scheduled for the next day. “You booked off the pool from the public. I double-checked, the staff scheduled for the day are all pack. That will cut down on any humans stopping in, but not eliminate the chances.”

Caroline nodded. “The Takhini pool is remote enough to make an excellent setting for the gathering. I’m sorry to have to anticipate trouble, but something could happen.”

Evan shrugged. “We need a new coat of paint on the place soon, so don’t worry about structural damage.”

“I can join you if you’d like,” Shelley offered her sister. “Another lady in the mix.”

“No.” Chase shook his head. “You are not going into a volatile situation where ninety-nine percent of the people around you can shift into bears or wolves. I won’t allow it.”

Shelley gave him a dirty look. “You won’t allow it?”

Chase met her gaze straight on. “You have skills that are needed far more elsewhere. It might make me an asshole, but having you in danger once was enough. If there’s fighting, and chances are there will be, you’d do more good having a medical base set up somewhere nearby instead of making me crazy.”

When Shelley touched her partner’s cheek tenderly, all her anger washed away, Tyler couldn’t stop from glancing at Caroline. She was watching her sister, longing on her face for a second before she pulled that cloak back in place and became business as usual.

“I’ll organize an RV with medical supplies in the campsite next door.” Caroline turned to Evan. “We might want some wolves to help patrol the campground anyway, to keep any human visitors away from potential trouble.”

“Deal. I’ll talk to the more reliable pack members. The ones who can be trusted to keep their heads.” Evan poked Tyler in the arm. “Head’s up. My pack won’t step in if you guys start fighting, not unless Caroline or anyone other than bears is threatened. It’s the best I can do in terms of keeping my territory safe and not overstepping boundaries.”

Tyler couldn’t believe this was happening. “You guys are really organizing as backup for us?”

Chase sprawled in his chair. “Strange, isn’t it? I don’t know if it’s all wolves or just this pack, but they have some weird attitudes.”

“It’s a potential fight. Since you didn’t send an invitation, we had to arrange one for ourselves.” Evan flashed a grin then checked his watch. “It’s been fun, kids, but I have things to do. Don’t stay up too late.”

He was out the door before Tyler could thank him. Or hit him, he wasn’t sure which he wanted to do more.

“We’re leaving as well.” Shelley loaded the empty takeout boxes into the garbage before giving Caroline a farewell hug and joining Chase at the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay, Caro?”

“Not too early, I hope.” Caroline waved them off. She looked around the room, her lips twisting in resignation. There was only her and Tyler in the room, Justin having vanished into the back of the suite. “Well, that’s that, then. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Where are you going to sleep?” Tyler leaned on the door. “You don’t have a place with Evan, and your sister is back in her apartment.”

Her mouth tightened.

Justin stepped from his room, small bag in his hand. “I’m headed to the pack house for the night. Frank invited me to play poker with him and the wolves. Said to bring lots of money.”

And there was part of the solution Tyler needed. He opened his wallet and pulled out a roll of bills, pressing them into his friend’s palm.

Justin stared at the wad in confusion. “I wasn’t hinting for a handout.”

Tyler shrugged. “My brother won’t accept cash from me, but he’ll take it in winnings.”

“So you’re telling me to lose?”

Tyler nodded.

“Damn it.” Justin put the money away. “Fine, you owe me a game. Sometime when I can get sweet revenge and prove I’m a shark.”

Justin surprised them both by giving Caroline a hug before heading out, the door clicking behind him. Caroline eyed Tyler as if she’d been left alone in the room with a dangerous beast on the loose.

Which wasn’t one hundred percent inaccurate.

He took a slow step forward, closing the space between them until he could touch her arm. “Will you stay the night?”

Her glare softened. “You’re not going to pull an asshole move and order me to stay? That’s what it sounded like you had planned.”

He shook his head. “I was pointing out you didn’t have a place to go in case you wanted to ask to stay. But hoping you’d realize how much I want you to be with me was taking too long.”

Great, she had him talking in circles.

The situation had changed though, after their impromptu meeting with the others. “We spoke earlier about getting together to make plans. We’re done that part, and I still want you around. Please stay?”

Her slow nod made Tyler smile from ear to ear.

She tugged him to the couch with her, curling up at his side and closing her eyes as she leaned against him. “Part of me wants a do-over of this week. Heck, this summer, even.”

“It’s been stressful?”

“Understatement.” She sighed. “Not your fault. Don’t think I’m blaming you or anything.”

Of course she wouldn’t blame him. From what he’d seen, she didn’t let anyone else do anything without her having time to rescue them.

“Come on.” He pulled her into his arms, pleased she rested her head on his chest and allowed him to carry her into his room. “You want to relax in the hot tub for a while?”

She chuckled. “No thanks. Think I’ll stay away from the thing. I’ll just have a quick shower.”

“Why not indulge yourself?” Tyler set her on the edge of the bed, working on her laces until he could remove her hiking shoes. “If you don’t want to go outside, I spotted this awesome soaker tub in the bathroom. Nice and deep.”

“Big enough for two?” Their hands brushed momentarily.

“If you’d like. No pressure.” He kept undressing her, attempting to make it as nonsexual as possible in case she wanted time alone.

When she tugged his T-shirt free from his jeans, scraping her nails over his abdomen, he shivered.

They both ended up in the tub that, thankfully, was made for shifter-sized dudes. Her ass rested in his lap. His cock must have been an uncomfortable rock pressed to her ass cheek, but she melted back against him as the water rose to chest level.

It would have been a crime not to fondle the delicate skin within his grasp.

They stayed there, silent for the longest time. Just touching her. Thinking. Trying to listen to what she wasn’t saying. Remembering what he’d seen of her actions and what he’d seen on her face while talking with her sister, because yes, he’d been staring unashamedly the entire time.

“Caroline?”

“Uh-huh?” Another long exhale, this time accompanied by a small stretch of her back as she pressed her breast more firmly into his hand.

Tyler caressed her nipple with the pad of his thumb. “We never talked about what we did on the trail this morning.”

“Did we need to talk? It was hot. I enjoyed it.”

The sincerity in her words reassured him, as did the flush on her skin and the softening of her body.

“I had fun as well.” He twisted until he could lift her mouth to his, connecting their lips and kissing her deeply. She hummed, a satisfied sound that pleased him as much as her fingers on his chest. When she dug her nails in harder, a growl escaped before he could stop it.

She shivered, her nipple tightening under his palm.

He slowed, lips still moving against hers, but his touch becoming more and more subtle until the tension in her body changed. It seemed she was aroused, but feeling delicate in spite of the cut of her nails into his flesh.

“What do you want, Caroline? What do you need? Let me be the one to give to you for a change.”

He whispered the words against her temple. This woman who couldn’t shift forms had more layers to her than he’d suspected, and something urged him on. Not to wrap her in gauze and protect, but to really listen.

Caroline’s breathing picked up.

She cautiously crawled out of his lap and bolted from the bathroom without a word.

Shit.

Tyler followed, holding on to the doorway as he searched her out in the darkened room.

She stood at the window, staring over the mountains. Her blonde hair shone in the streetlights, her spine straight and strong. A thin line of moisture ran down her cheek, and he strode across the room and gathered her in his arms, cradling her against him.

He didn’t ask why. Didn’t demand a reason. Simply held her and waited, and wondered exactly what he’d entwined himself in.

Because it was true. He was hopelessly entangled. With wanting her to be happy, and to be safe. But most importantly, with wanting her to be herself.

He’d done exactly what he’d figured. He’d gone and fallen in love, at least with the parts of herself she was honest about sharing.

Caroline pulled him toward the bed, wiping her eyes with her fingers. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for.” He lay beside her and let her pet him, her gaze burning his skin. Fingertips like miniature blowtorches scalding identifying marks into his soul as she eased over his hip. As she took his cock into her hand and caressed his length.

Harder than he ever remembered, Tyler let her stay in control. He couldn’t stop his hands from crossing the distance between them, though. Massaging her hips, lightly brushing her clit.

When she straddled him then surrounded him in one smooth motion, Tyler nearly swallowed his tongue. His cock was fully sheathed in her body, heat and moisture driving him mad as she undulated with a sinful rhythm meant to break him.

Her eyes, wild.

He couldn’t look away. Didn’t want to. Didn’t want to miss a single second of her bringing him into her core then languidly sliding up until his cock clung to the lips of her sex.

Tyler wet his fingers in his mouth then went back to her clit, circling with a firm touch. Caroline missed a beat, sexual tension rising on her face as her climax drew near.

He increased the tempo of his fingers, tilted his hips and helped her with the final push into orgasm, her eyes closing as she pulsed hard around him.

He kept watching, although to be honest the view went a touch blurry. When she opened her eyes, he caught her cheeks in his hands, ecstasy taking him as he lost control and came.

Chapter Sixteen

Caroline adjusted her bikini, took a deep breath and headed out the door of the change room. Not a super time to develop nerves regarding the wisdom of the ladies’ get-together, but there was no denying the fear skittering along her spine. It didn’t help that with this much skin on display she had no place for a hidden knife.

Bowling. Why hadn’t she suggested bowling as an activity?

A soft whistle caught her attention, and she looked up to discover Tyler scrutinizing her over the low edge of the viewing gallery wall.

Fear vanished in a blazing swoop of lust. The expression on his face was one step away from ravishment, and she liked it far too much. There was also an additional touch—that something extra that had been there when he’d poured her into the tub. The focused attention that had gotten stronger when he’d whispered so carefully, asking what she wanted.

The part that had sounded as if he really wanted to hear the answer.

And the lovemaking that followed? Caroline had hesitantly taken what she wanted, fully expecting at some point he’d resume control like all shifters did in the bedroom. She loved dominance games, as evidenced by the frenzied lust of the morning’s chase-and-capture fantasy, but…

He’d actually made love to her. Not just sexual pleasure, but a very real, very undeniable emotional connection rocking her as his body set fireworks off.

They’d slept for a while, woken up and done it all over for most of the night. She still wasn’t sure what it meant.

Other than there could be no doubt she and Tyler were an item. She might not have shifter senses to smell him on her, but the bite marks on her neck and limbs were hard to hide. Especially in a bikini.

It was time to put the uncertainty of their relationship aside, though. Time to get back into the head of Caroline Bradley who, until recently, was the Alpha bitch of the Takhini wolves. The tough, shifter-savvy woman was the one Tyler needed.

Strolling toward him gave her plenty of time to pull on her armour, to get back into teasing, adding an extra swing to her hips as she moved into position. “Practicing to be a soccer ref?”

His knuckles on the top of the wall were white, he gripped the railing so hard. “You want a sports analogy? I’m looking forward to stripping you out of that outfit with my teeth and scoring as often as you’ll let me.”

“Isn’t that what we did last night?”

Her tease came out far more throaty than she’d intended.

Cars were pulling into the parking lot, and while there had to be wolves watching them from their positions in the trees, the beasts either wouldn’t care or, more likely, were hoping for a show.

Ignoring the divider separating their lower bodies, Caroline patted his suit pocket, reassuring herself he still carried her cell phone. Then she walked her fingers up his broad chest. “After we’re done the political song and dance today, I think you and I should relax until the next shindig. No other people, no shifters—let’s hide for at least twelve hours and not come up for air unless the world explodes.”

“The world seems to have a way of doing that around you. Exploding, I mean.” He seemed mesmerized by her chest. The huge breath he let out like a balloon losing steam made her lips twitch. He pressed his hand over hers, trapping her fingers over his heart. The pounding registered against her palm. “Alone sounds amazing.”

They stared at each other, his eyes shining with more than lust.

“Tell me we’ll be okay,” Caroline whispered.

“We’re going to be great. And you’ll be brilliant, as usual.”

The compliment slid up and tied her in a big bow. “Pretty words.”

“That I mean. You are very talented, Caroline. Smart, insightful. My bear says you kick ass, by the way. I told him to watch it, or the ass you’ll be kicking will be his.”

So many urges shot through her. She wanted to smile at his attempts to bolster her nerves. Wanted to appreciate his honesty and his out-spoken bear. She wanted reassurances the lust racing through her was normal.

Then again, simply looking him over explained that one far too easily.

It was the note of caring in his voice that made her the most afraid. It seemed he was trying so hard to listen and understand her human side, not taking for granted the influence her chutzpah had granted her in the shifter world over the years.

He was unlocking secrets others who’d known her for years had never suspected she had. Not even her family.

Being stripped bare of all protective layers was a frightening thing. Far more frightening than knowing she was the only one in the area who couldn’t turn furry and sprout claws and razor-sharp teeth.

A lady waved at her from near the change-room door and Caroline sighed. “Time for fun and games.”

Tyler jerked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing out the male partner headed his way. “At least you get to soak and relax while you play. I’m in a damn suit and tie.”

She leaned in and offered her lips, and he kissed her. Slightly more tongue was involved than was probably considered polite in public, but as if she cared.

She headed to greet her guests. Women joined her on poolside before slipping into the naturally heated waters and sighing happily. Little clusters gathered, ladies talking contentedly as Tyler kept the menfolk occupied and away from the water. The low wall between the pool and picnic tables created two separate oases. There was enough distance between the spaces that at least the illusion of privacy was provided.

Caroline waded through the chest-deep water to where Lillie was waving. She settled onto the seat beside the redhead who leaned back on the low concrete lip behind her.

“I love the idea of a fun activity for us ladies. You’re a wonderful person, Caroline. I like you.”

Caroline laughed. “I like you as well. But don’t get too excited, it’s not as if the guys aren’t just around the corner.”

Lillie played with the water surface, allowing trickles to run off her fingers into the pool. “It’s as good as a win in my books. I can’t imagine holding an event under these circumstances without some kind of backup. Sorry about the dinner at my place. Once conclave is over, you’ll have to come over for a proper meal.”

“It wasn’t your fault, but thank you. We’d like that.” Automatically including Tyler in her response felt right. And weird.

Lillie sat up and looked around, her voice going lower. “So, while it’s relatively quiet, I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

Her new friend wiggled her nose. “This might sound strange, but I already know my husband won’t win conclave, so I’m trying to figure out who is best to support. Tyler appears the way to go.”

Caroline wasn’t sure there was a question in there. “He seems pretty amazing to me.”

Lillie leaned her mouth next to Caroline’s ear. “Does he hurt you?”

Caroline sputtered. “Hello?”

Lillie slid a finger over one of the bruises on Caroline’s neck, her gaze meeting Caroline’s with an unspoken query.

“Oh, sweetie.” Damn it for bad timing in enjoying some rough sex. Caroline took a deep breath and reminded herself she was talking to a shifter. “I can honestly say there isn’t a mark on me that I didn’t want him to put there. He’s got a few love bites as well.”

Her face must have been beet red, but Lillie nodded. “Good, that’s what I thought, but I had to be sure. So, how can we convince Lynn Nakusp she wants her husband hanging out with Tyler and not that jackass, Todd Ainsworth? Because while I love Jim to pieces, if he ever lays a hand on me—other than in fun—I swear I will slip his balls into a blender on high speed. While they’re still attached.”

Nice imagery.

Caroline peeked over Lillie’s shoulder, searching out a glimpse of Tyler. She caught sight of his head and shoulders, his back to her as he strolled the far corners of the observation area. “I haven’t known Tyler long, but I trust him completely. He’s a good man. I mean, good bear.”

Lillie laughed. “I know what you meant, and I agree. I saw the smile on your face while you were talking to him earlier. You can’t keep your eyes off him, either.”

Oops? “Really?”

Her friend nodded. “Nothing wrong with that. I can’t get enough of my Sugarbear either. But your human/bear comment is a big part of the problem we face. I’m a smart woman.” She gestured around the pool at the others gathered together, enjoying the afternoon sunshine. “We all are. We’ve got jobs and responsibilities in the human world that carry power and influence. It’s the damn bear side that makes things difficult at times, especially when someone like Todd takes control.”

“He doesn’t respect your abilities, does he? I noticed that the other night at your party.”

Lillie growled in disgust. “He steamrolls over the human side and reduces our accomplishments to nothing more than we own a vagina. It’s not fair. It’s no use being a strong individual when at best you’re tied to clichés and limitations or at worst, abused. Amanda Ainsworth is proof of that.”

Oh hell. Lillie’s tirade confirmed what Caroline had feared the most. “She’s in danger?”

Lillie gave her the look.

Damn. Caroline glanced around the pool. “She’s not here yet, is she?”

A snort of disbelief rose from Lillie. “Chances of her showing up are slim to none. He’d never allow her to be somewhere without him monitoring her every move.”

Caroline didn’t get it. There was something major missing from her considerations.

“If you see the problem clearly, and I had it pretty much called after less than an hour at that first party, why would it be difficult to convince Lynn and the other ladies their only hope is having someone like Tyler elected in the first place?” Caroline made a face. “And I just clued in how stupid and chauvinistic that sounds as well. Why are only the guys getting elected to head conclave?”

“No, you’re mistaken.” Lillie shook her head as she pressed a hand to her chest. “It’s not the guy, I mean, we say that, but really it’s the clan being elected. If Halcyon won, Jim and I would both have the right to guide changes in the other clans’ structure. If he let me. Which”—she rolled her eyes—“right there proves that if Ainsworth is elected, no way would Amanda have any clout. It would be all power-hungry-jerk in charge calling the shots.”

“Which is why Tyler wasn’t as good a representative as a bachelor, right?”

Lillie nodded slowly. “He’s a fair man, from what I know of his business practices, but do I want him suggesting changes in my life? I have no reason to trust him. You, on the other hand, I trust.”

Never had Caroline imagined her little outing to shed such light on the potential outcomes of conclave. “Thank you for that. It means a lot to me, Lillie.”

The redhead nodded, a smile dancing on her lips. “I’m not just going on womanly instinct. I did a search on you. There’s quite a file built up when you know where to look.”

Caroline laughed. “What do you do in this outside job of yours? Computer hacker?”

Lillie grinned. “Secret service. I’d tell you more, but then I’d have to kill you.”

Caroline pulled Lillie toward one of the small groups. “Help me chat for a while. Let’s persuade the group they all desperately need to go home and convince their men to vote for Tyler.”

“Deal.”

It was not Tyler’s idea of a good time. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

He lifted the glass in his hand, though, and concentrated on listening to one of the older bears who he respected. The man knew his father, and sharing stories about life in the north made it easier to pass the time.

The entire gathering was an enormous stockpile of coals ready to be fanned into flames. Feminine voices and laughter carried on the air, the gentlemen around him glancing restlessly toward the pool every time it happened, as if itching to go and join their women.

He didn’t blame them. He had the same damn reaction every time Caroline’s bright laugh hit him. Even from a distance it was like shooting one-hundred-eighty-proof liquor.

Still, looking on the bright side, Ainsworth hadn’t shown up, and the couple of clans that had offered support for Clan Harrison were working their magic on the others. The lone resisters seemed to be Lucerne, but they didn’t stand much chance of impacting the events other than causing violence.

Another car pulled into the parking lot, and Tyler stepped to the side to watch with interest as the limo driver hurried around to open the door for Amanda Ainsworth.

She glanced toward the pool building, her long coat trailing to the ground as the driver, not Todd, escorted her forward.

Strange.

Tyler made his way toward the front of the deck. By the time he got to a place where he could observe clearly, Caroline had slipped from the water in response to a low-toned feminine request sneaking through the change-room door.

Her lithe form should have been a distraction, but the whispered conversation taking place just inside the doorway was more important than his longing to lick the water droplets from Caroline’s skin.

Not being able to hear exactly what was going on was making him crazy.

“Ainsworth didn’t show, but Amanda did?” Jim Halcyon was at Tyler’s side, tilting his head toward the trees. “We’d better stay alert. I didn’t expect him to come—Ainsworth hates the water with a passion—but you can be sure if anything happens to her, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

“We know exactly who he’d blame.”

Jim nodded. “Somehow, it would be your fault. Especially after this afternoon—your appeal is rising fast. It would only take a small nudge to push the entire shooting match into your favour.”

That’s when Caroline and Amanda strolled from the change room, Caroline in her barely there swimsuit, Amanda covered from neck to toe in a colourful beach robe. The two women made their way around the pool edge.

Caroline called out reassurances to some of the ladies in the water. Tyler moved as close as possible to where Caroline had spoken to him earlier. “Do you need my help?”

Caroline’s cheeks were flushed. “Tell her how I got the marks on my skin.”

She twisted a hip to showcase a spot where finger-shaped bruises marred her flesh. He could clearly picture gripping her, riding her hard from behind as they went wild the previous day.

Only the passion faded as Tyler glanced at Amanda, his stomach plummeting. In being free with Caroline had he destroyed his case and lost all opportunity to make things better for the bears in the long run?

Attempting to explain the marks on Caroline in less-than-graphic words wasn’t going to work—he was damned no matter what.

The fire in Caroline’s eyes caught his attention as he considered what to say. One of her first taunts returned. What he was known for—honesty. She thought the truth would help.

“Caroline and I were playing. Sexual games.” He undid his shirt collar and pulled it aside to display one of the more explicit scratches she’d left on him. “We both got overexcited.”

Amanda stared at his chest. “You’re not in the habit of beating women?”

Caroline slipped her arm through Amanda’s. “I told you he’s not.”

The group of men in attendance had crowded forward, and Tyler motioned for them to step back. “You can watch just as well from across the courtyard. Give the ladies some privacy.”

“I’ve been offered sanctuary by your girlfriend,” Amanda piped up. “Do you agree to protect me?”

Oh, Caroline, what have you done? The men forgotten, Tyler moved forward, his gaze meeting Caroline’s. He’d trusted her and her instincts to now; he would to the end. “If you require sanctuary, my clan is yours.”

“Takhini wolves also offer protection,” Caroline spoke loud and clear, obviously to the gathering of men behind him. “And if there’s any of the lot of you who think you can mistreat your women, I offer them sanctuary as well, even if I have to personally find them beds and jobs.”

One of the clan leaders pushed forward. “See here. This isn’t right, going around Ainsworth like this. He should at least be able to stand up for himself.” The man shook his finger at Amanda who cowered against Caroline’s side. “Asking for sanctuary without reason.”

Caroline was between the bear’s pointing finger and Amanda at the same moment Tyler stepped to the man’s side and laid a restraining hand on his shoulder.

“He forbid her to come,” Caroline snapped.

The clan leader nodded righteously. “Then we need to ask him to join us. Allow him to be a part of this.”

“You bastard.”

Caroline would have hauled back a fist and swung if Amanda hadn’t stopped her. The woman patted Caroline’s arm reassuringly before stepping into the open. “He didn’t want me to come because there’s no swimsuit that can cover this…”

The cover-up dropped to the tiles underfoot, and the sound of protesting that had begun amidst the less charitable bears cut off like a cord had been severed.

The marks on Amanda’s body were far more brutal than the shadows of lovemaking on Caroline’s flesh. For the damage to stay on a shifter, she’d been beaten hard, more than once, and recently.

Caroline grabbed the cover-up and draped it around Amanda’s shoulders, turning the woman in her arms and holding her close. “That’s enough. They’ve seen. You have a home with me, because bastards don’t deserve a woman like you.”

“Thank you.” Amanda nudged their cheeks together gently, then straightened her shoulders. Lillie was there, tucking Amanda against her side and leading her away.

Caroline glared past Tyler, her expression one of total distain as she took in the clan leaders at his back. “I don’t know why you’re bothering to complete conclave. If any of you still think Todd Ainsworth is a serious candidate, you’ve lost your bloody minds. You’re voting to decide who can best guide you into the future. Are you really contemplating handing control to a man like that? He doesn’t deserve to be in charge of a cage full of rattlesnakes. Not unless he was staked in place and they’re dumped on top of him.”

A flash of pure passion whipped through Tyler, his bear rattled and roused. It wasn’t sexual, but pure sweet admiration plus a desire to grab hold of her fire and never let go.

It might have been insane, but at that moment? Tyler fell completely, and utterly, in love.

Chapter Seventeen

She was on a make-friends-and-influence-people roll. The kind where she didn’t give a shit who was standing at the end of it.

Not true.

The women behind her? They were the ones who needed to be standing on their own two feet when the air finally cleared, no matter what.

Tyler moved toward her, leaping the railing in one smooth motion. He smiled for a brief second, before stepping to her side and turning to face the men.

“I stand with her. Clan Harrison will not tolerate the abuse that’s been allowed. Not anymore. It’s one thing to blame our violence on our bear nature, but instincts go beyond the urge to beat the hell out of someone.”

The wind picked up, whipping back her wet hair and raising goose bumps. Or maybe that was an excuse for the reaction she had to the conviction in his voice. Tyler examined his contemporaries, the lot of them shifting uneasily on their feet.

“We’ve been idiots. Instincts don’t just tell me to fight, they tell me to fight for what’s right. To be there for the people who I love and care about.” Tyler slipped his hand into hers. “Instinct should make us hold back when our bears want to rip another to shreds for stupid reasons like financial or political gain. We’re more than our instincts. We’re humans as well as bears. Isn’t it about time we bloody well started acting like it?”

Her sense of pride was ridiculous—what she felt for Tyler at that moment was way out of proportion. Still, that he’d been listening to what she’d said and put it together without a two-by-four to the head made her beam.

He was a good man, or good bear, indeed. She squeezed his fingers, and the brief glance between them meant so much more than acceptance of her actions and his words. It was an affirmation that together, they were better.

The squeal of tires in the parking lot pulled everyone’s attention to the taxi jerking to a stop by the front gate. Fear flared as Todd Ainsworth leapt from the back seat, slamming the door behind him.

Caroline pushed down her panic, darting a glance over her shoulder to where the ladies were slipping from the steamy water, Amanda Ainsworth staring with terror-filled eyes.

Todd Ainsworth left his jacket on the ground of the parking lot, his shirt at the stairs leading to the observation area. Around her and Tyler, clothes fell to the ground as the men prepared to shift.

Caroline regretted the swimsuit thing even more as she had no choice but to back away. Unarmed? No claws? She wasn’t a fool. This was no place for her.

Tyler dropped her hand to strip off his jacket and shirt. “I’ll deal with him. Find a safe spot.”

She snatched up his jacket, slipping it on. “I’ll take Amanda—”

“Find a safe spot,” Tyler bit out, his voice softening as Ainsworth closed the gap between them. “Please, Caroline. I need to deal with Todd, but I need you to be safe. I can’t… God, don’t let anything happen to you.”

Half the men had shifted, half stood naked in human form listening as Todd crossed the final feet toward them, cursing loudly. It was an eerie sight, bear and man mixed, violence simmering.

Caroline ducked away, not waiting to hear what complaints Todd wanted to make.

The view to the back of the pool was equally frightening. Most of the women had already shifted, making their way toward the assumed safety of the trees. Only their path of retreat was blocked. Dark bodies emerged from the perimeter—more bears.

One of the ladies who had shifted was cuffed in the head by a newcomer, and a roar broke out behind Caroline as the woman’s mate barreled along the poolside, racing to protect his partner.

More shifters arrived, snarls ringing through the air. Caroline clutched Tyler’s jacket around herself as she fled for the staff room of the pool, the door held open for her by a wide-eyed female wolf lifeguard.

Caroline vanished from his sight down the pool deck, and that was the last glimpse Tyler had time for. He was too busy keeping teeth and claws from ripping off important parts of his anatomy.

Like his head.

Todd Ainsworth snarled a few comments to the crowd about people assuming too much responsibility, taking too much for granted. But when the men didn’t leap to take the bait or so much as grumble in response, Ainsworth cut his losses, shifted and attacked.

Tyler shifted, but not fast enough to avoid a paw swipe to his human torso before fur and muscle took hold. Searing pain shot through him and shook his beast, forcing adrenaline into his veins. His vision clouded and rational thought failed.

There were reasons he wasn’t supposed to do this, but damn if he could remember what they were. All he could think of was Todd Ainsworth dead in front of him. Preferably in more than one mangled piece.

Tyler lurched forward and snapped, burying his teeth in Ainsworth’s shoulder, pushing with his full weight in an attempt to topple his opponent to the ground. Blood flooded his mouth, the taste increasing his anger. His human reasoning was at an all-time low, the bear stepping in and making decisions.

The animal side knew one thing. The shifter dragging his claws down Tyler’s chest was a danger to everyone at the pool. Everyone in the conclave. Caroline had been right.

Pain struck again as long claws stabbed viciously into his abdomen, followed by a burst of agony that raked across his stomach and hip as Ainsworth attempted to win his freedom.

Tyler was gone. Only the bear remained, and his claws and teeth went to work.

Five paces from her sanctuary Caroline found herself thwarted as a huge furry body fell over the divider wall into her path. She scrambled back, jerked open the door to the mechanical room and slipped inside.

There was no lock on her side. There was no way out at first glance, either. She searched frantically through the items stored in the small cluttered space, looking for something to use as a weapon.

Nothing. Pull buoys and flutter boards weren’t much use.

The back corner held an old filing cabinet, the doors removed, shelves stuffed with water toys. Above the cabinet was a trapdoor—access to the roof?

She shoved the pile of inner tubes over and scrambled to the top of the cabinet, undid the small latches and shoved the door open.

Sunlight greeted her, and fresh air to filter away the chlorine and musty damp in her nostrils. She peeked out, but the roof was clear of everything except some leaves and branches, and one deflated beach ball.

She paused, glancing back into the storage area. The sounds of fighting continued to rage, but she seemed to have a moment of respite. She shoved everything she needed onto the roof, then shut the trapdoor dragging the diving weights she’d found on top to stop anyone from following her.

Underfoot, the rough asphalt lining the roof cut into her soles as she inched toward the roof edge to peer over. Blood and fur were smeared on the deck, groups of bears clustered together making it impossible for her to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys.

Wolf bodies joined the mix as well—and those she recognized after years in the pack. The guards on duty were caught in a corner, more of the Takhini pack coming from the trees to rescue them. The wolves worked in pairs, snapping at heels and darting in and out of reach as they surrounded the pool.

Wheels on gravel sounded, and she tore herself away from the fighting, turning instead to the side of the building that led to the campground.

More vehicles were pulling into the parking lot—a long line of airstream RVs parked in a row at the entrance to the camping area, faces pressed to their windows examining the pool building. How much of the fighting could be seen from the road was impossible to tell from Caroline’s vantage point, but she had to stop any tourists from attempting a closer look.

The camper she’d found for Shelley to work out of was parked on the other side of the trees. She jerked her cell phone from the suit pocket and called her sister.

“I need you to run interference. Now, please.”

Shelley groaned. “You’re damn lucky Chase likes you. Are you okay?”

“Yes. Only, move it, we’ve got humans exiting their campers.” She hung up on Shelley, then hit a preprogrammed message, sending it off to one of her contacts. It only took a second to shove the phone back into her pocket. In a moment of blinding inspiration, she snatched up the basket of pool toys she’d hauled onto the roof. She yanked out the pair of sunglasses sticking from one side of the basket, and perched the oversized lost-and-found item on her nose.

Fingers crossed this worked. Hopefully the glasses and coat made her look mysterious and not like an escaped maniac.

She stood at the edge of the roof as doors swung open and the RVers crawled out. They were, as she expected, a group of older travelers. The type that typically moved from campsite to campsite together as they explored the northern frontier. Caroline had seen her share of RV convoys on the Alaskan Highway since she was girl.

Seen so many campers in the Walmart parking lot she’d lost count.

The retirees stood by their vehicles, staring across the parking lot toward the pool as they talked amongst themselves. One couple headed for the front doors, and Caroline mentally hurried her sister up.

Shelley was just visible through the trees, not close enough to be spotted unless you knew where to look. Caroline had to distract these people. She scooped up a couple of the rubber duckies from the basket at her feet and tossed them in the air. Laughed loudly.

Nothing. The couple kept moving toward the danger zone. So she nabbed the basket and upended it, small yellow birds bouncing everywhere as they hit the concrete outside the front doors.

The gentleman who’d been headed toward the observation area paused, looked at the toys, then upward. He blinked, his eyes widening as he took in her outfit.

Caroline waved and announced in her brightest, reality-show-announcer voice possible. “Hi. I’m sorry, the pool is closed. Isn’t there a sign at the highway warning we’re filming today?”

“Filming?” The grey-haired woman at her husband’s side eyed Caroline. “We didn’t see any sign. Sounds as if there’s murder going on.”

Caroline clapped and smiled broader. “Well done. Yes, a murder mystery. It’s a Canadian Broadcast Corporation direct-to-television movie. The director has a marvelous reputation for realism. He’s using live animals in this one.”

The couple glanced at the edge of the pool house then back up at Caroline. “Is it safe?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Of course it is, they’re professionally trained animals. Only I do remind you the pool is closed to the public—it’s much better for the performers if they’re not disturbed during filming. But if you would like to talk to one of our animal trainers, she’s right over there.”

Caroline pointed back toward their RVs where Shelley had moved into sight, the leash in her hand attached to a collar around Chase’s neck.

Her brother-in-law was going to kill her for this. Sometime, somewhere, the big Métis shifter would demand satisfaction for having to pretend to be a domesticated cat.

The deception worked. The couple hurried to join their friends gathering around Shelley.

Caroline called after them. “The campground is open, so go ahead and find spots. Someone will be around to help you in a while, once we’re done with this scene.”

The gentleman waved a hand without even glancing back, he was so intent to get to Shelley and the giant cougar. Chase sat obediently on his haunches even as he stared at the roof in disgust.

Caroline wiggled her fingers, then darted to the opposite side of the roof to catch up on what had been happening.

Caroline.

The image of her was the only thing that kept Tyler from going completely feral. Her face was in his mind, her voice in his head. The expressive what-the-hell-do-you-think-you’re-doing raised eyebrow contrasting with the whispered request for his reassurances.

It was eerie the details his bear remembered about her. Not only expressions and words, but the force surrounding her. The energy and wild impulses that so suited his shifter side.

The peace she exuded in far more rare moments—the part his human hungered for.

The fight became a blur as he let his bear take charge, but pulled his human brain into a kind of side chamber so he could think things through. It was in that place he grasped ripping a chunk from Ainsworth’s throat and letting him bleed out on the deck would not be productive in the end.

His bear complained it was unfair, but the realization was true. Change had to come to the bear clans without the winning answer being the old-fashioned urge to eviscerate their enemies.

He’d just figured this out, the no-killing-Ainsworth bit, when the other shifter made a mistake and let his guard down for long enough that if Tyler had chosen, the fight would have been all over.

Humanity, and Caroline’s lessons, held his claws and teeth in check. Ainsworth got to live.

Tyler’s feet were knocked out from under him as a reward for his benevolence. His beast complained about the indignity of being toppled by someone like Ainsworth, not impressed at all, until Tyler pointed out it was Caroline’s idea, and his bear settled down.

Another flash of memory had him smiling. Tyler had to agree with Caroline’s summation. His relationship with his shifted side? Was way weird.

Then he wasn’t thinking about her or the new rules he needed to follow, but protecting his throat from Ainsworth’s fangs. Flat on his back wasn’t the way to win the fight, but there was nowhere to go. Ainsworth stepped on his lower limbs, knelt on his thighs and pressed a paw to his chest in such a way Tyler couldn’t get any leverage.

He warded off a paw swipe that would have blinded him, scrambling his own claws down Ainsworth’s throat, but it wasn’t the best of circumstances. Tyler didn’t want to kill the other shifter anymore, and that knowledge made it difficult to protect himself.

Damn it. Tyler didn’t want to lose—not with so much at stake—but winning and not leaving his enemy dead would take more pain to his bear than he’d like.

Caroline stepped to the edge of the roof to examine the situation. Fighting had slowed. In some places, groups had single bears pinned to the ground, and those trapped were giving up the fight and shifting to human. It was easy to tell which were friends, as Takhini wolves had joined in and stood menacing the bears still struggling to escape.

She couldn’t spot Tyler anywhere, and that made her concerned he was one of the two still clawing each other wildly near the very edge of the pool. A grizzly and an enormous brown bear, both bleeding profusely as they struggled.

Everywhere she looked, signs of violence marked the ground. Blood, fur. The peaceful haven she’d grown up visiting had turned into a horrid bloodbath.

A single bear lay to one side, motionless.

Caroline’s breath caught in her throat, and she hurried down from the roof, using her makeshift ladder to get back into the storage room. She paused only long enough to grab the black hose off the wall, adjusting the nozzle to the tightest setting, then cranking the water to full.

She jerked the door open and raced out, pulling the hose with her toward the pair still fighting.

No more. Maybe they were bears, maybe they fought and killed without thinking, but not here. Not when she could stop them.

The sound of helicopter propellers echoed in the air, but she was too focused on her task to even look up. She opened the water pressure all the way and aimed the tight stream at the brown bear who was preparing to take another swipe at the grizzly he had pinned beneath him.

Out of nowhere, icy-cold water dripped onto his fur. Above him Ainsworth screamed his disapproval.

Tyler stopped struggling while Ainsworth reared and twisted away, his head thrust forward and his angry scream echoing off the walls of the pool house.

Ainsworth dropped to all fours and charged.

In that second Tyler spotted Ainsworth’s target. Caroline stood on the deck, the high-pressure hose in her hands aimed straight at the bear who was narrowing the gap between them with frightening speed. Tyler shifted, shouting even as his vocal cords were in midtransition.

“Jump.”

How she’d heard or registered his meaning, he didn’t know, only she obeyed. Hands free of the hose, her slim body propelled into the air, seeming to hover over the surface of the pool.

Tyler was back in his bear and after Ainsworth before Caroline had time to create a splash. He leapt from behind and wrapped his arms around the other shifter. Squeezed him tight, forcing the air from Ainsworth’s lungs. Instead of seizing him like a bear would, though, Tyler had also grabbed on like a man. One arm in a chokehold to the throat.

If he’d been human it would have been easier, the way his elbow bent in his man far more conducive to cutting off an air supply. The bear elbow didn’t bend the right way.

But it didn’t really matter. Tyler was a lot stronger in his bear than his human, and that was enough. Especially when he took one step to the left, off the pool deck and into the water.

Ainsworth went insane with panic, struggling like a possessed demon. Tyler held tight and took a deep breath. He lifted his lower limbs and wrapped them around his opponent as well, dragging Ainsworth under the water.

Sound cut off. The shrieks and the crying. The strange thumping sound that had begun right around the time Ainsworth had abandoned their fight to attack Caroline. There was nothing in Tyler’s ears but bubbles. His vision remained clear and sharp as he kept Ainsworth trapped. He checked for Caroline, pleased to see her at the opposite side of the pool, her long limbs vanishing as she exited the water.

Good, she was safe.

An extraordinary sense of peace came over him. It must have had something to do with knowing Caroline was all right. That she’d be able to move on after this event was over.

Ainsworth wiggled. Tyler attempted to hang on, his breath of air nearly exhausted as the water grew sparkling bright around them. He couldn’t seem to hold his quarry anymore. Tyler fought the urge as long as possible before he could no longer resist. His arms opened, and Ainsworth floated away.

Tyler drifted toward the bottom of the pool. It was rather peaceful down there. No one chewing on him, no one ripping his fur.

A splash disturbed the surface, and slender legs came into view. Pretty legs, followed by a pretty body. His bear figured that human Tyler would like the bits and pieces more, so the animal part took the initiative to shift. Tyler’s humanity returned in a rush as Caroline swam down, her blonde hair waving in the water as if she was a beautiful and delicate mermaid. Her eyes blinked, her smile so…Caroline.

Then she caught him by the hair and dragged him to the surface.

Chapter Eighteen

She’d spoken to Nadia before. Had heard about the petite lynx shifter’s abilities from Shaun and Gem, but Caroline had never seen anything like the Omega in action.

Right about the time Caroline had leapt into the water, the pack helicopter landed on the roof of the building. By the time she’d swum across the pool width and scrambled back to dry ground, Nadia stood at the lip of the roof, shaking her head sadly. Caroline stared in amazement as the small blonde sat on the edge then jumped down, a massive man following at a short distance.

Fighting between the wolves and bears slowed, the few lingering skirmishes drawing apart and the combatants either sitting peacefully or falling to the ground as Nadia walked the perimeter of the pool.

Omega. A peace-bringer. As the lynx strolled through the war zone, it was as if an overdose of Valium flooded the area. Even Caroline was on the relaxed side, but figured that was more because of her rush of relief the bloodletting was done.

Not seeing Tyler rise from the pool had been her final annoyance, though. Caroline jumped in and dragged him upward, thankful he had the sense to shift, because she doubted his rock of a bear would have been easy to budge.

Tyler blinked as he hit the surface, grabbing the pool edge with one hand and catching her to him with the other. “Caroline. Watch out. It’s dangerous.”

She snorted. “You need to catch up, big guy. The fight is over, I brought in the cavalry.”

A pair of pretty pink-painted toes stopped beside them as Nadia knelt to say hello. “This is the weirdest pool party I’ve ever seen a human host.”

“I ordered guppies, but they didn’t arrive in time. We had to improvise.” Caroline wiggled free from Tyler and pushed herself up to sit on the edge. “Thank you for coming.”

“No problem. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it sooner.” Nadia wrinkled her nose. “You’d think these guys would know to contact someone like me before organizing volatile gatherings.”

Caroline shrugged. “They’re bears. They don’t think.”

“True.”

“Hey, be nice.” Tyler was up on the deck, bringing Caroline to her feet and offering a welcoming hand to Nadia. “Maybe it’s because your existence is nothing more than a rumour. Good to meet you. Omega?”

“Cross-species. No one is safe from my mind-melds.” Nadia blinked appreciatively as she looked Tyler over. “And aren’t you a lovely looking specimen? If you ever need a personal favour, let me know.”

Caroline nudged the blonde out of the way even as she laughed. She’d been warned about Nadia’s tendency to flirt. “Stop it, no dallying with my boyfriend.”

“Oh, he’s taken? Too bad.”

Tyler adjusted his grin of delight to a more serious expression in the nick of time before Caroline stomped on his toes. He glanced around the pool. “Dammit, we were terrible.”

“You were bears.” Nadia patted his chest, her eyes widening as she spotted the scratches and bite marks marring his skin. “And yes, you were terrible.”

Caroline blushed as the particular mark Nadia focused on was one Caroline had caused. “Come on, now that you’ve got them calmed down, perhaps we can convince them to hire you to hang out for a few more days.”

Nadia nodded.

Cleanup took less time than anyone expected. The message Caroline had sent off brought a full emergency-response team—all shifters or humans with shifters in their families. There were medical attendants and RCMP. She’d even alerted her media contacts, and the newspaper was there to interview the campers and a few key well-schooled actors regarding the excitement of “filming in a northern location”.

No mention of bloodshed or injuries. Just a typical day in the Yukon.

Typical. Caroline wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry.

Damage Control 101. She was good at it after all these years, sadly. That beach beckoned again. A sun lounge, a fruity drink with a double dose of alcohol…

Except for the women who gathered their things to head back into Whitehorse, each of them stopping to give her a bear hug and offer support.

By the time Shelley had finished examining Tyler’s wounds, the pool area was nearly empty, everyone having moved toward the parking lot and their cars. “You were far luckier than you could have been. Just saying.”

“I’m a bear. I can take it.” Tyler frowned, his annoyance turned on Chase who was staring at Caroline in disgust. “What’s your problem?”

Caroline pressed her lips together, trying not to smile.

“Go on, laugh it up. I’ll get my revenge.” Chase plopped on the bench beside his mate and nuzzled her under the ear. “You were wonderful though.”

Caroline pulled Tyler aside before he could make any other demands, handing him the pair of pants she’d found. “You need to come talk to Jim Halcyon and the RCMP rep. They’re asking what to do with Ainsworth.”

“And you didn’t have any proposals?”

Her blood steamed. “I suggested abandoning him on a drifting iceberg, but they didn’t take me seriously.”

“Let’s not inflict him on the Hawaiian shifters, if the ice lasted that long.”

Sergeant Major Graham, a black bear she’d learned was affiliated with Clan Halcyon, waited beside a picnic table. Todd Ainsworth was seated on the wooden bench and refused to make eye contact with her.

“Caroline.”

“Sergeant Major. Thanks for coming.”

He switched his gaze to Tyler. “We have a problem. I’m obviously not going to arrest Ainsworth for anything that occurred at the pool this afternoon related to conclave.”

Tyler nodded. “Business meeting.”

Caroline snorted. She couldn’t help it.

Tyler caught her fingers and squeezed them.

Jim Halcyon spoke from his position on the opposite side of the table. “The issue is whether charges should be brought for spousal abuse.”

Todd Ainsworth reared to his feet. “See here—”

“Shut up, Todd.” Even the pressure of Tyler’s hand on hers couldn’t stop Caroline from responding. “This is not your decision.”

“Agreed.” Graham gestured to the parking lot where Amanda Ainsworth was slipping into the Harrison limo, Justin at her side. “Unfortunately, there is no clear precedent. Amanda said she had no idea what she’d experienced wasn’t simply a shifter’s lot. All she wants is out.”

“Taking Ainsworth from his clan isn’t a terrible thing, but caging the bear?” Jim shook his head. “I’m not willing to make that decision.”

“If she doesn’t press charges, I can’t book him through the human courts,” Graham explained, his gaze meeting Caroline’s with apologies in the depths.

Dammit. “Well, that sucks.”

Tyler tugged her to his side and held her tightly. “I have an idea how to deal with this. Can you escort our guest to the Moonshine Inn? If she’s willing to stay with us.”

Jim spoke up. “Lillie and I would love to have Amanda at our home as well. We have plenty of room.”

“As long as the bastard can’t get at her ever again.” Caroline nodded. “Fine, Tyler, your call. I’ll go talk to Amanda and see what she’d like. Because it really should be her choice.”

Before she could go, though, Tyler lifted her chin and full-out kissed her. A cop, a billionaire and a bastard observing from a few feet away.

She didn’t care one bit they had an audience.

The fear and fire that had sustained her during the fight was washed away with the sweet caring of his touch. A new kind of fire rose as his tongue stroked hers, and small sparks burst into flames like warning beacons shining from mountaintop after mountaintop.

Reality slowly set in—she was in a bikini rubbing rather wantonly against a nearly naked man. She separated them before anything else could rise.

“Trust me,” he whispered in her ear.

She walked away, past the staff scrubbing blood from the deck. Past the wolf from the paper taking more “promo” shots who smiled at her.

Caroline walked as she let it sink in.

Trust him? With her life.

His fingers itched to wipe the smirk from Todd Ainsworth’s face. “Jim, go find that lynx shifter. Nadia.”

Jim nodded and stepped away, leaving Tyler with the RCMP and Ainsworth.

“You have a suggestion how to deal with this?” The sergeant major remained alert even though it was pretty clear any attempt by Todd to run would be squashed in an instant.

“Unfortunately, you’re right. For some things we have to work within the human rules, and if Amanda doesn’t press charges, you have nothing to go on.” Tyler crossed his arms and fixed Ainsworth with a look of death. “So I suggest we do this the shifter way. Following the results of conclave, the new leader will decide his punishment.”

“Damn.” Graham shook his head in disbelief. “You want me to simply let him go?”

Tyler gestured across the observation area to the little blonde, her protective escort only one step behind as she rapidly closed the distance between them.

“He’ll show up when requested by the clans if Nadia stays close by. If you’re willing, that is?” Tyler turned the question to the lynx. “We’ll need you to stay with Ainsworth for the next few days to make sure he sticks around and behaves himself. Can you do that?”

She nodded, her nose turned up as if Ainsworth smelt funny. “If I have to.”

Her guard, a huge brute of a bear even larger than Tyler, dipped his head briefly. “I’ll take care of her.”

That brought a smile to Nadia’s face. “Right. Lovely.”

Sergeant Major Graham nodded, backing off. “I’ll escort the three of them to a hotel, then wait to hear from conclave.”

Tyler didn’t pay any further attention to Ainsworth. Instead, he slipped from the observation deck, desperate to rejoin Caroline at the hotel. He wanted to disappear, maybe get a start on those hours of solitude she’d suggested they take.

He found his way blocked, though, by a gathering of his contemporaries. Serious faces on the lot of them as they observed Ainsworth being escorted away by Nadia and company.

“I thought you’d all be long gone,” Tyler admitted. “Don’t you think we’ve caused enough trouble here?”

Nakusp stepped forward. “We were about to leave, but none of the ladies would let us go until we’d talked to you.”

Oh really. Tyler made sure his jaw wasn’t swinging in the wind. The familiar faces he’d seen during the conclave events expanded to include their partners, the ladies’ eyes fixed on him. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Shockingly, it was Lynn Nakusp who stepped forward, her hand on her husband’s arm. He smiled supportively then waited for her to speak. “We have a say in this event as well, and we’re in agreement. Clans Halcyon and Nakusp will withdraw from the next vote, leaving Harrison versus Ainsworth. And right now even the idiots in Lucerne wouldn’t vote for Todd.”

One of the older leaders standing at attention cleared his throat. “That would be my clan, and we are idiots, but we’re not fools. You’re a fair man, Harrison. We’ll accept your leadership.”

“Except, and the ladies insist on this.” Nakusp shook his finger at Tyler. “We accept Clan Harrison as long as both sides remain represented. You for the men, and Caroline for the women.”

Oh no, and oh yes. “You want Caroline as part of the deal?”

The lot of them bobbed their heads like a vast display of car-dashboard toys.

It was what he’d hoped for, all the long days before when conclave had begun. To take charge and be able to make a difference.

The bears before him had taken a huge step forward in how they operated today, and their courage to move ahead made him proud. Only they had no idea that the arranged relationship they were proposing was not such an easy solution.

He would love to be head of conclave, Caroline at his side, but he couldn’t do it if it wasn’t what Caroline wanted as well.

He looked out over his friends. “Thank you for the awesome privilege you’ve offered, and I promise I will pass on your request to Caroline. But I can’t demand she become a part of this deal, not unless she wants to, because blithely ordering her to join me would make me as big of a tyrant as Ainsworth, simply in another way.”

The bobbing heads stopped, frozen in place.

Lillie Halcyon stepped forward, her smile brightening as she poked him in the chest. “No one said anything about ordering her around. You’ll just have to be at your most persuasive.” She lowered her voice. “Although I think you’ve already got a bit of shoe-in, if you play your cards right. I suspect she might be a touch in love with you already.”

He could only hope.

Chapter Nineteen

She’d been kidnapped. Whirled away to a private suite in a mansion she didn’t know existed. It was a bit of heaven on earth, and the frustrations and fears of the past hours melted like chocolate in the sun. Especially as a masseuse worked out another set of knots from Caroline’s lower back.

It had never been difficult for her to ferret out information. Over the years working for the hotel, and then for the Takhini pack, she’d prided herself on having all the connections. On knowing people like Nadia who could stop a disaster from happening. On having the resources to arrange the cover-up even now spilling false reports through the media.

Only it appeared everything she’d puzzled out over the years had been one side of the tracks. There was a world of money, power and privilege she’d barely touched the edges of. She’d probably never fully test the extent of their borders.

Lillie and Jim Halcyon were one example. Caroline hadn’t known the bear shifters were local to Whitehorse. She was glad to be able to add them to her friend list.

The house she currently luxuriated in was another surprise. Silent servants had drifted out of sight when they arrived. Tyler had guided her up a sprawling staircase to a room the size of her previous apartment.

“When you said you’d like time away, I thought you were brilliant.” Tyler pressed his lips to her temple.

“I have my moments.” Caroline made her way to the window. The place was incredible, with enormous log posts and windows big enough to hang-glide out of, all looking over the majestic mountain range. “I feel guilty, though, leaving Amanda behind.”

“Wasted energy, guilt.” Tyler shook his head. “She needs time to adjust. Don’t feel you need to coddle her—she’s stronger than you think. Justin will keep her safe, and Lillie promised to stop by.”

So.

Caroline turned her back on one gorgeous view to take in the closer gorgeous view. Tyler had pulled on dress pants and a pristine white shirt, and her heart pounded. “A getaway. Just the two of us.”

He nodded.

“However shall we pass the time?” Caroline fluttered her lashes, and he smiled.

“I’m sure we can come up with something. First, though, I need to make a few calls before I can unwind.”

Drat. “It’s not a getaway if you’re working,” she pointed out.

“I won’t be long. In the meantime, you start on the relaxing.”

Out of nowhere a woman rolled in a padded massage table, and there were no protests Caroline could make without being a damn liar.

She was laid out on the table in seconds, Tyler squeezing her fingers before leaving the room.

The massage began, and other than the initial rush of holy cow, we did it and holy shit, those bears are scary beasts, her thoughts drifted into nothing more than holy moly, this feels wonderful.

The room had darkened when she finally opened her eyes, the nap that had ambushed her once her massage was done washing away the final bits of nervous stress from her limbs. The low lighting from the wall sconces was enough to guide her to the bed where she found another of the outfits from Boutique Belanger laid out. The shimmering blue gown felt like a caress as she pulled it on, sad to cover the sexy underwear she’d also found there.

The shoes? She had to take a closer look because otherwise she’d have sworn each was carved from a single diamond.

There was a vanity in the corner of the room, a full-length mirror beside it. She wasn’t surprised when she discovered a jewelry box waiting for her.

Were the diamonds really blue, or was it the light reflecting from her dress? She clasped the necklace in place, and the earrings, before stepping back to see the final result.

The Caroline she knew had vanished.

Or at least the rough-and-tumble girl who’d clawed her way to the top of the Takhini pack with nothing more than driving need. Gone also was the no-nonsense individual who thrived in the pack chili cook-off and hands-free eating challenges during Spring Thaw festival.

There was a princess in the room wearing her face.

The illusion lasted for all of thirty seconds, because that’s as long as Caroline could keep her smile from breaking free. It wasn’t a delicate, polite and how is the weather in the south of France smile. It was a full out, hell yeah, this is fucking cool smile.

Caroline wasn’t gone. She’d never be gone, because this was the real her—what you see is what you get. Didn’t matter how pretty the packaging.

She paced to the top of the stairs following the scent of food, her stomach reminding her it had been a long time since that morning’s bacon and eggs.

She startled him. Tyler stood with one foot on the bottom rung, his hand on the banister as he caught a glimpse of her. The fitted tux and well-groomed hair proved he’d found time to do something other than make his phone calls.

He swallowed hard. “You are astonishingly beautiful.”

His compliment sent a thrill through her. “Thank you, kind sir.”

Caroline considered the stairs and doing one of those princess-descends-without-looking-at-her-feet deals like in the movies, but decided chances were that in the full-length gown, she’d trip and end up spending the rest of their getaway time in a hospital bed in traction.

So instead, she took a final peek at him, just to last her until she hit the main floor. Then she concentrated on the heels, dress and the rest of her all making it to the bottom in one piece.

His hand slipped over hers on the railing and he lifted it to his lips. “Goddess.”

Heat flashed from his lips to her arm and way way farther in a sharp jolt. Good-looking duds, but it was his smile that enchanted her the most. Not his polite-greeting version, but one she’d seen in more private moments.

The one that involved eating her up with his eyes and promised he’d be eating her up more intimately later.

“Dinner?” Tyler offered an arm.

She accepted and let him lead her into the dining hall. “I hope we didn’t kick anyone from their home.”

He seated her before settling at her side. “No. And once dinner is over, we’ll be alone.”

Promises of relaxation with a more sexual twist were there in his eyes.

She’d expected soup or some kind of appetizer to arrive, followed by a long list of other courses, all the while she’d slowly grow more impatient for the meal to be over so they could be alone. Because while the trappings of luxury were fun to play with, she was ready for him.

Only everything arrived at one. Servants lowered platters to the table and poofed away as if they owned magical vanishing spells.

Caroline lifted a cover, and the rich scent of a cheese sauce seduced her. “I like the casual style of the place.”

“To be honest, the only reason I gave you the gown for tonight was I desperately wanted to see you in it.” He scooped a serving of vegetables onto her plate, and she smiled. “Once dinner is over we have pyjamas we can trade into.”

Caroline laughed. “Flannel?”

Tyler didn’t skip a beat. “Of course. We live in the north, what do you expect?” He clicked his tongue as if scolding her.

He poured her wine and lifted his glass in a toast.

He paused for a long time, and Caroline laid a hand on his thigh. “You don’t have to have pretty words. We can toast to surviving my bright idea to have a casual get-together with the ladies.”

They clicked their goblets together.

“We more than survived. You made an incredible difference in a woman’s life. By offering the truth. Thank you for having confidence in me.” He cleared his throat. “Thank you for sharing your trust in me.”

Caroline took a sip of her wine, staring over the edge of the glass as he fixed his gaze on her. They were totally going to waste the food, she could sense it in her bones. Any moment he would sweep her up in his arms and they’d go satisfy a different kind of hunger.

Which, okay.

She lowered her wine glass and placed it carefully beside her plate before facing him.

His rapidly changing expressions were priceless. Lust, confusion, a moment of complete seriousness. “Tyler, is something wrong?”

He blinked then pulled himself together. “I’m trying to plan the best way to tell you something that will produce the least freaking out on your part.”

Hmm. “Freaking out is something I like to avoid,” Caroline warned, half-seriously.

“I know.” Tyler winked. “But there are good bits and bad bits to the conversation.”

“More than one thing.” He was as bad as Evan had been when in a say-nothing-while-talking-your-ear-off mood. Must be something to do with Alpha shifter blood. “How about you order the items from the least oh-my-Gawd to the most.”

Tyler nodded. “I’m in love with you.”

Caroline’s heart jolted hard enough she swore the pretty blue outfit over her chest leapt out a foot before returning to its regular position. She gasped for control. “That’s the thing on your list least likely to freak me out?”

He caught her hands in his. “It’s the most important thing there as well. I know it’s fast, I know—”

“Holy smoking gun, you ain’t kidding.”

“I did warn you.” Tyler made a face. “Okay, I even outdid my fellow bears this time in terms of falling hard and fast. But, Caroline”—he cupped her face in his hand—“you’re unique. That’s why my bear has been shoving me so hard since the first time we met. You understand shifters. You understand power…”

A moment of fear intruded, an icy finger of doubt. The I love you bit hadn’t been expected—she’d known something was growing between them. She’d felt it as well.

She didn’t want this to be about admiration for her prowess in shifter-power games.

Tyler didn’t let her get a chance to complain, though. He was out of his chair and on his feet, pacing beside the table. He twirled on her. “You understand love.”

What kind of statement was that? “I…think I do.”

He shook his head. “I saw you with your sister. I know what you did for her, to make sure she could achieve the goals she desired. You might have stepped over a few human boundaries, but you did it out of love. Sacrificial love.”

Her throat was tightening. “You’ve given this a lot of thought, for it being such a short time.”

“I’m just getting started. You’ve done things for the Takhini pack, to help them. Giving of your time, your money, your sanity—you’re on a first-name basis with the crew at the RCMP station after hauling the pack out of jail regularly, aren’t you?”

Okay, that one kind of made her smile. “They don’t mean any harm.”

Tyler was down on his knees beside her chair. “Caroline, I have to ask. Why the tears last night? When I asked you what you wanted, why did you cry?”

Oh God.

Caroline stopped. The urge to keep her real self hidden away was so well practiced, she didn’t know that she could do this. To make the conversation between them as honest and direct as it needed to be.

Then she remembered the bravery Amanda had shown. How could she do any less? Caroline gathered her courage and let it out.

“No one has asked me what I wanted for a very, very long time.” She couldn’t keep still anymore, instead allowing her fingers to trace his jaw, the corners of his ear. The fading marks from the fight. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if I haven’t had good things happen in my life, but they’re mostly because I’ve taken. Ordered, demanded, cajoled, teased.”

Tyler nodded. He threaded his fingers through hers and kissed her knuckles, his touch soft and caring.

“Caroline, I love you. I love your bravery and what you know about kicking shifter butt. But I love you the most. The human who has been living in the shifter world. I’ve only met traces of her, little bursts. I’d like to spend a long time getting to know her better.” He grinned. “Although that sounds about like me talking about my bear in third person. Which really amuses him as well.”

Caroline couldn’t stop her burst of laughter. “No, I guess you’re right. There are kind of two of me in here.”

Tyler paused, his smile turning more serious. “I’ll ask you again, what do you want? Do you want me in your life? Do you need some time away from shifters altogether? I could fly you to a warm island resort where you can do nothing but take care of Caroline for a couple months. Anything. Whatever it is you really want, I’ll give it to you. I’ll make it happen.”

His voice dropped to a whisper, the words wrapping around her nerve endings and teasing. So many choices, so many options.

And yet…

“I want you to tell me what you want…for us,” she answered. Tyler’s eyes widened, but Caroline pushed on. “Because while getting away and hiding from the world sounds lovely, it’s also wrong.”

“It’s not wrong to want to be happy,” Tyler insisted.

“Oh, Tyler.” She shook her head. “I am happy even when I’m giving to others. Maybe…maybe more happy because I’m giving to others. I just wish I didn’t always have to be the strong one.”

He nodded. “I’d like you in my life. I’m a bear—so falling in love will only get stronger with time. So I could grab you a wedding dress and make it a big fancy do for all your pack to attend. And I’d give you a pretty house here in Whitehorse so you could live here when your sister is in town running her medical practice. And when Shelley is gone north, I’d take you to Yellowknife to my house. You could fall in love with my hometown. You could help me make my father smile.”

He pulled out a ring case and held it to her. “You could fall in love with me.”

Even as his words jolted her heart to a stop, the case brought her back to life. She’d known it was coming. Suspected it, really. There had been no ring with the jewelry he’d laid out for her to wear.

She cracked open the lid, and the light reflecting from the stone nearly blinded her. “Holy shit, Tyler.”

She stared at the ring. Glanced back up at him. He held up a finger, asking for a moment.

“Before you answer, I have to tell you the rest of the freak-out list.”

The list? Now? “You have weird timing, even for a bear.”

He sighed. “I know. Item number two. Conclave is over—all my friendly opponents have withdrawn and I’ve been promised enough support by the clans to defeat Ainsworth.”

Caroline couldn’t believe it. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? That’s wonderful.”

Wait.

She narrowed her gaze. “Why is this on the freak-out list?”

He cleared his throat. “They offered the leadership of conclave to Clan Harrison. Tyler and Caroline Harrison.”

Dead stop. “Well. That explains why you didn’t tell me earlier.”

Sorrow and frustration mixed on his face. “How did life get this complicated? I don’t want you to feel obligated to marry me to help the bears. But having you at my side would be the most incredible thing. They trust you. They look up to you.”

“And the women think I’m pretty awesome as well.” Now that the initial arghhh moment was past, Caroline saw the solution far more clearly than she’d expected. She poked him firmly. “Hey, they’re trying to blackmail me into an arranged marriage. It’s not the end of the world.”

“It’s not fair. I wanted you to make the decision based on your heart, not guilt or anything else.”

If the rush of emotions washing through her wasn’t love, she didn’t know what love was. “You’ve forgotten one thing, Tyler. You promised me I could make my own decision. That I could pick what I wanted, right?”

He nodded. “Exactly. I meant it, with all my heart. And that’s why I didn’t tell you at first, because I honestly and completely love you. I want you to want me as much as I want you. Although…if you don’t pick me? Fair warning, I plan to woo the hell out of you for the next ten years or so until you give in.”

“Nice. Stalker with warning label.”

“I promise not to sneak into your room and stare at you while you sleep.”

Caroline smiled, then she pressed the ring box back into his palm, folding his fingers over it. “Then, here’s my choice.”

His face fell. “What—?”

She thrust out her hand. “You have to put it on me. I’m not about to place my engagement ring on my own damn finger. Enough with the making me do everything, right?”

His hands were steady as he slipped the massive stone on. He stood her up and brought her close, fingers firm under her chin to lift her lips to his.

Caroline savoured the kiss. Soaked in his warmth. Passion blossomed in her core as he swayed them together, his body intimately close.

When he let her go for air, she caught him by the suit-jacket lapels and hung on tight. “I would be honoured to marry you, Tyler Harrison.”

All the bits and pieces of what she’d done over the years made her who she was. A human with more than a little shifter nature. Maybe that was why falling in love so quickly wasn’t impossible.

The shifter-savvy part also knew one more thing. The food would get very cool before they got around to it. She jerked his jacket off his shoulders and latched their mouths together.

Oh yeah.

He picked her up and carried her five paces down the length of the room to a section of the table that had no place settings or food. She was laid out on the surface, naked, faster than she thought possible. “You need to teach me that trick sometime. Oh…”

Tyler was between her legs and driving her mad with his tongue. She buried her fingers in his thick hair and enjoyed the ride, the speeding bullet arriving with little enough warning she knocked one of the flower arrangements over as her arms shot out.

One motion later, Tyler leaned over her, his muscular torso right there for her to enjoy mapping with her fingers while he guided his cock deep into her core. After that there wasn’t a lot of talking time. Lots of growls and groans, and eventually laughter as Tyler tipped the table over in his enthusiasm and they ended up on the floor, still entwined.

They rolled, Tyler protecting her and bringing her over him. They stared to their right at the upset platters and wine pooling on the carpet. “Well. That’s embarrassing.”

“You’ll have to get it professionally cleaned before the owners get home,” Caroline teased.

Tyler brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. Would you really make me bring in a cleaner?”

What? “Say again?”

Tyler sat up, cradling her in his arms. He gestured around the room. “It’s yours, Caroline. If you want anything changed, we’ll renovate. But I figured if you didn’t say yes, I’d need a place in Whitehorse to woo you from. So I bought it.”

“In less than one freaking day you bought me a house? That should have been on the list.”

He smiled. “You do know I have a bit of money, right? You won’t hold it against me?”

There seemed to be less oxygen in the room than before. “Oh, I-I knew you had money, but I think I need to add a few zeroes to my mental math.”

“You can fly with me to Europe when I go. And the South American trips will be much more pleasurable with you along.”

Caroline’s head swam with excitement. And then, a flash of an idea. “I feel terrible I don’t have a ring for you to wear.”

“That’s fine, we’ll find one later,” Tyler assured her.

Caroline shook her head. “Nope, this is important to me. And since it’s got to be shifter safe, how about this?” She leaned over and snatched up the ribs that had fallen to the floor. Off the top of the bone she pulled the decorative silver ring.

“You’re not serious.” Tyler laughed and hid his hands behind his back. Or at least he did until she raised a brow.

He sighed. Brought forward a hand and allowed her to slip it on.

Caroline took advantage of his momentary distraction to escape his lap and race for the stairs. Tyler was up and after her in a flash. Chances of her making it to the top without getting caught were slim to none, kind of like her chances had been of not falling madly in love with the big brute.

If it was her house, she was going to enjoy christening each and every part of it with her fiancé. And there was no time like the present.

Chapter Twenty

It wasn’t the wedding she’d thought she would have.

Nahh, she had to be honest—dreaming of weddings had never been a part of her agenda. Other girls might have pored over catalogs and imagined lofty cathedral settings. She’d wondered if she’d ever get married, because matrimony wasn’t a deep desire of hers.

Love was what she wanted, far more than the trappings of the occasion.

Although, in a kind of “ode to bear timing”, blessed by Caroline’s organizational skills and aided by Tyler’s money, the trappings had come together in only three days.

As she and Evan finished the long, slow walk to the front of the room, as she pulled away from Evan’s unexpected farewell kiss, she turned to discover Tyler stood only inches away from her. Heat poured from him, wrapping around her and protecting her from more than the cold of the world.

He would always ask her what she really wanted. With a smile on his face as he waited for her to decide.

Tyler had lost his smile, though, as he examined Evan coolly. “Good friends who don’t ever kiss from here on. Just so we’re clear.”

With his usual laissez-faire, Evan shrugged. “No problem. Got it.”

Tyler stared him down. Nodded. Then shifted his gaze to meet Caroline’s. “You ready?”

He held out his arm, elbow raised high. She pulled herself together once more, and rested her hand on his tuxedo-clad arm. Left Evan standing behind as she and Tyler walked up the short flight to the dais. Left her old life behind.

Emotions of panic had no place in this. What she’d done, she’d done for love. Tyler stood beside her as they repeated the words they’d picked for the ceremony. Simple and short. Vows to cherish each other. To be there for each other.

He was slipping another ring on her finger far sooner than she expected as a buzz began in her ears, the murmur of wolf and human voices rising to fill the hall. People she’d known her entire life all smiling and enjoying her good fortune.

The bears watching? Out of the corner of her eye she saw some pleased expressions, some unreadable. The only face she was completely surprised to see was Ainsworth, three rows back flanked by Nadia and her guard.

The shock was forgotten in a wave of happiness as she spotted Amanda safely in the front row, Justin at her side.

A throat cleared and Caroline’s attention snapped back to the woman leading the ceremony. She’d missed something. “What’s that?”

The justice of the peace smiled. “Do you have a ring for Tyler?”

“Oh, yes.” She reached into her bodice, smirking as Tyler’s eyes widened.

He whispered. “You did not…”

Caroline held out her hand, the heavy weight of the diamond cluster he’d already slipped on her ring finger unfamiliar and yet right. Definitely there, making her aware something had changed.

Tyler eyed her warily, but she slipped the shiny silver cooking decoration over his knuckle, keeping her expression serene. “I bought a caseload. So when you break them, you’ll have spares.”

Lillie and Jim Halcyon met them at the doors following the service. Lillie hugged Caroline tight, then handed over an envelope. “The final count was a joke. Most of Clan Ainsworth took off the night before the vote.”

Jim lowered his voice and leaned in close. “I heard they’re trying their best to distance themselves, and their finances, while we still have him here under surveillance.”

Tyler chuckled evilly. “Well, let’s make sure they have enough time to prove their real colours before Caroline and I go check things out. Ainsworth is staying as a guest here in Whitehorse until we’re back from our honeymoon, Nadia babysitting him. Once we return we’ll accompany him home and start guiding changes.”

It wasn’t as bloodthirsty a justice as Caroline would have liked, but it would have to do.

A wedding dinner followed, bears and wolves filling the banquet hall at the Moonshine Inn. There was no fighting. Caroline almost felt not herself, surrounded by shifters and yet no simmering violence to have to put down.

The only destruction caused at the wedding dance was when Evan rushed into the room, all his earlier fooling around vanished. He knocked over a table covered with small desserts, darting out and looking around frantically. Staff rushed to clean it up, as Evan ignored the mess and stomped straight across the dance floor. He tapped on her shoulder, interrupting what was supposed to be her and Tyler’s final dance before they snuck away.

“Caroline, I need your help.”

Tyler refused to let her go, and she refused to stop dancing, so Evan slipped an arm around both of them and joined in, light on his feet in spite of the panic on his face.

Tyler grumbled softly. “Find someone else to put out your fire. She’s mine now.”

Caroline shivered at the possessiveness of his words. She definitely liked getting to decide what she wanted. But sometimes what she wanted? Was a big, growly, domineering bear who knew how to listen.

Evan snarled at Tyler, two Alphas refusing to give an inch. Then Tyler laughed and let go of Caroline as he dipped Evan toward the floor, sheer shock twisting the wolf’s face.

Tyler snapped him back to vertical, twirled Evan away, and without skipping a beat, slipped his arms around Caroline to finish the dance.

Caroline was going to die.

Evan turned his most beguiling smile on Caroline as he wandered like a puppy at their side. “I opened an email attachment, and suddenly the computer is frozen. I can’t get at the bank accounts, so the bill payments have gone to hell. And somehow it transferred to the hotel computer as well and all the bookings for the hotel are fucked up.”

Oh dear.

Caroline stared over the short distance separating herself from her husband. They had his private plane arranged to take them for a honeymoon before returning to the work of leading conclave. Somewhere warm was all Tyler had told her.

While she felt bad for Evan, the beach was calling. Everyone had to take the steps and learn to do it themselves at sometime, righty?

Caroline patted Evan’s cheek. “Don’t open email attachments from people you don’t know. It’s a very simple rule. On the desk, right-hand side, there’s a file folder with all the names of the companies the pack and the hotel use on a regular basis. The computer-repair company is there. You’ll have to contact them to get things debugged.”

Evan let go and stepped back. He straightened his collar, and the calm, cool, in-charge-of-everything Alpha was back. He sent out a warning glance at the pack members who’d started whispering.

A whole lot of wolves suddenly found things to do.

Evan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I guess I have to learn to live without you. Caroline, Tyler. May the spirits of the north always guide you home.”

He gave a quick nod to Tyler, squeezed Caroline’s shoulder. Then he was gone, the dynamic wolf who had so much to look forward to. Like finding his mate.

Falling in love…

“You ready to go?” Tyler’s lips brushed her ear. She would have stumbled if his arms hadn’t been around her.

“Ready. For anything.” Including something that had been on her bucket list for a while. “So tell me, Tyler, how big a plane do you own?”

He led her from the floor, waving at well-wishers, laughing as shifters and humans blew soap bubbles into their path in lieu of confetti. Ducking as a few misguided souls used water pistols. “It’s big enough. Is this some kind of wolf-humour size-joke I’m not getting?”

She stopped to hug Shelley and Chase, promising to keep in touch. Then she slipped into the limo and waited for her husband to join her.

Tyler had barely settled when she crawled into his lap. While his eyes lit up, his words said otherwise. “Caroline, it’s a really short trip to the airport.”

“Consider this foreplay.” She kissed him into silence and was rather proud that by the time they pulled up next to the plane, his pristine suit was more than a little rumpled.

He guided her into the aircraft, his palm hot against her lower back. “Is it big enough for you?” he asked, still husky with lust.

She left him to explore, a sigh of contentment rushing out as she found what she was hoping for. She hung on to the door and grinned at Tyler.

He was at her side in a flash, staring in at the bedroom. “I should have known. Mile-high club?”

“Once over every continent?”

“Ohhh, nice. I love a challenge.” He tumbled her onto the bed and nuzzled the sweet spot under her ear. “I love you.”

Sunshine beckoned, a remote paradise without any shifter politics to play. But right now, Caroline had a bear to cuddle.

All was right with her world.