Mark of the Bear

Chapter Six

Kellsie jerked awake surrounded by darkness. She sat and sucked air into her starving lungs. “Oh my God.” Her clothing was stuck to her body with sweat and she shivered as cool night air surrounded her. Was she in her trailer? Had all of it been nothing but a dream?

Strong hands rested on her shoulders and she jerked away, heart pounding heavily in her chest. Where was she and who the hell was this?

She blinked hard but couldn’t see much beyond a large male shape. A quick inventory of her body assured her she wasn’t hurt and she was fully clothed, which was a very good sign.

“Who the hell are you?” Maybe it wasn’t smart to antagonize this unknown man, but Kellsie didn’t care. She needed to find out what was going on. Her last memory was of riding the carousel, of it going way too fast. Spinning. Spinning. Spinning.

She swallowed hard. It was making her sick simply thinking about it.

“I’m Marko.” His voice was little more than a dark rumble that sent a shiver racing down her spine. And it wasn’t due to fear.

Now that was totally stupid. How could she physically react to a man she didn’t know and couldn’t even see. “That doesn’t tell me much.”

He shifted slightly and she scooted away, her back coming to rest against a cool surface. She put out her hand and touched it. Hard with sharp edges.

Now that the shock of waking was wearing off, she was noticing other things as well. The ground was hard beneath her butt. The air was cool and fresh. As if on cue, an owl hooted. She was in a damn cave in the woods.

“How did I get here? And where is here?” Damn it, she needed answers and she needed them now.

“Don’t be afraid.” Again his sorcerer’s voice wrapped around her. She wanted to crawl closer to the source, which was a totally stupid idea given the situation, so she went on the offensive.

“Is this someone’s idea of a joke? Did the crew put you up to this?” Had they slipped something into her food or drink to make her pass out? If they thought to frighten her with this little prank they were sorely mistaken. All those years of working gruesome movie sets had made her immune. Heck, if that hadn’t done the trick, then living in L.A. all these years certainly would have. She knew how to defend herself if it came to that.

Not that she thought it would. After all, she was supposed to star in the lead role of this movie. They needed her hale and hearty.

Marko stilled. At first she didn’t think he was going to say anything, answer any of her questions. The silence spun out, making her nervous. This guy was good. She mentally slapped her hand against her forehead. Of course he was good. He was most likely an actor on the movie. One she hadn’t met yet.

Her butt cheeks were going numb from sitting on the hard ground so she shifted position. She shivered again, this time with the cold. Her damp clothing wasn’t much help against the night air drifting in through the opening of the cave. She could see it easily now that her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light.

She frowned. This situation reminded her of something. What was it? It took her a moment to pinpoint it. It reminded her of the nightmare she’d had while she was traveling here, the one of her being lost in a cave. That cave had been hot. This one was the exact opposite.

“You are cold.” His observation of the obvious made her angry, as did his lack of communication.

“No shit, Sherlock. How do you figure that? I’m being dragged around the woods in the middle of the night in damp clothes. If I get sick and end up missing some days of shooting you guys are going to pay for this little prank.”

He moved so fast he was little more than a blur, and Kellsie suddenly found herself ensconced in his lap with his arms around her. She clutched at his forearm for balance and swallowed hard. It was huge and hard.

Nerves jittered in her stomach. She was okay. She was fine. He wasn’t going to hurt her, or at least she certainly hoped not. He’d had plenty of time to do so if that was his plan.

He nuzzled the side of her neck, his hair-roughened jaw lightly abrading her skin. She bit her bottom lip to keep from moaning aloud as heat flashed through her body, driving back the cold.

What the heck was wrong with her? She should not be physically responding to a total stranger, at least not sexually. Defending herself was okay, but sensual touching was definitely out of the question.

“I’m sorry you are cold. Let me warm you.”

It was the most she’d gotten out of him so far and she could have told him she was no longer cold. If anything she was starting to sweat again. If she kept up this cycle of freezing and sweating she ran the risk of succumbing to hypothermia. She had no idea how far they were from the movie set or how cold it was going to get near the mountains at night. They couldn’t have gone too far. It wouldn’t make sense to drag her too far from the comfort of the trailers.

Marko tugged her closer. She reached out a hand to steady herself and met bare skin. He wasn’t wearing a shirt.

With barely any light available, her other senses were heightened. His breathing was even and deep while hers was rapid and thready. The muscles of his chest rippled as he shifted slightly, tugging her more into the curve of his body. She ignored the fact that she fit there as if the space had been made specifically for her.

His skin was warm. No, that wasn’t right. It was almost hot, alive with strength and power. Her fingers took on a mind of their own and skimmed across the broad expanse, encountering a thick smattering of chest hair.

She sucked in a breath and immediately wished she hadn’t as his earthy scent filled her nostrils—male and hot and tinged with the perfume of the rich earth and pine trees, a heady aroma that made her entire body clench.

She could easily stay here forever.

That thought jerked her back to reality in a hurry. “Okay, the joke is over. Take me back to my trailer.” She started to scoot away but he stopped her by simply closing his massive arms around her. She was good and shackled.

“What is your name?”

He couldn’t be serious. “Look, buddy, you know I’m Kellsie Morris and I’m the lead role on this film. This isn’t funny anymore. Let. Me. Go.” She spaced her words slowly to let him know she wasn’t joking.

“I cannot do that, Kellsie Morris. You belong to me now. Are mine to protect.”

That shot things to the creepy level fast. What if he had nothing to do with the movie? What if he’d abducted her? Maybe the entire carousel ride was nothing more than a dream brought on by something he’d drugged her with. Wouldn’t he have had to drug her to get her away from the set?

“I don’t belong to anyone, buddy.” She channeled her anger rather than give into the fear nipping at her.

He sighed so hard he ruffled the hair on the top of her head. “You may not admit it, but you are mine.” Lips, soft as silk, skated over the curve of her neck.

Her nerve endings tingled and she struggled not to moan. She was angry with him, she reminded herself. But her body didn’t care, reacting to him with just barely a touch. She was suddenly thankful he was wearing pants. She didn’t want to think about what might happen if he wasn’t. Obviously, she couldn’t trust herself around this stranger.

“Why would you even think such a thing?” If she could get him talking maybe she could figure out this crazy situation and get herself out of it.

He dipped his fingers beneath the collar of her shirt. Before she could protest, he caught the leather thong around her neck and tugged the bear claw into view. “You are one with the bear.”

“Great. Did that old guy put you up to this?” She knew she should never have accepted the necklace from the Native American guy at the restaurant. As life had taught her, nothing was free. There was always payment to be made for everything, even something that was supposed to be a gift.

She almost snorted. Gift, her ass. This was what she got for listening with her heart and not her head. Trouble.

“No one put me up to this.” She could almost hear the frown in his tone. “This is bigger than both of us. You have set me free from my imprisonment. It is now my job to protect you and keep us both safe until the turn of one day.” He paused as if considering something else. “I must also see if I can release my friends from captivity.”

Kellsie was totally lost. Obviously, this guy was some kind of nut job. Free him. How in the name of God had she freed him? And from what?

What to do? Keep him calm. Keep him talking.

Right. Easier said than done when she was close to panicking. She was trapped in the woods with a crazy man who thought she’d freed him from…well, she wasn’t quite sure where. If she followed his logic, then he owed her. Maybe she could use that.

Putting all her acting skills to the test, she patted his arm in what she hoped was a soothing manner. “How about you let me go and we talk about this? Whatever is wrong with your friends, I’m sure we can help them.”

He eased his grip and she resisted the urge to shout in victory. She moved away from him, taking it slow and easy. In a seemingly casual maneuver, she seated herself closer to the entrance of the cave. She’d make a run for it if the opportunity presented itself. When the opportunity presented itself, she corrected. She had to think positive.

“You know about the curse? The prophecy?” He moved closer to her, as if unwilling to have her too far away from him.

Damn. She had no idea what to say or do. She didn’t want to set him off. “Why don’t you refresh my memory?”

She saw him nod. A swath of the light from the moon cut across his body as it angled toward the cave opening. She could see his face from the nose down, as well as part of his magnificent chest. It was sculpted with bands of muscle stretched tight across it.

Focus, she reminded herself.

“There were seven of us,” he began. “All warriors, all in the service of the Lady of the Beasts. We lived simply. The Lady did not crave power as many of the gods do.”

Kellsie’s brows snapped together as he began the familiar tale. It was from the damn script. “Stop right there.” She glared at him. Not that it had much effect. After all, he probably couldn’t see much of her face.

“You were imprisoned in your animal form and kept by Hades and I freed you.” That much she’d read. What happened next was a mystery.

“Yes.” He raised his hand and cupped her jaw. Actually, he covered half of the side of her face. Man, his hands were big.

She frowned. Why was that familiar? Why did it feel like she knew his touch?

“Now Hades and his minions have twenty-four hours to either turn me to his side or kill me and steal my soul.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. “The fact that you released me from captivity means that now he wants you as well.”

Kellsie jumped to her feet as anger bubbled up inside her. This was obviously the actor playing the warrior in the film. He was probably some kind of crazy method actor who wanted to get into character. She didn’t mind how other actors got into a role. What she didn’t like was being dragged into his little fantasy without her permission.

“Look, bud. I don’t care how you prepare for a movie. What I don’t like is being drugged and dragged into the damn wilderness. You need to be out here to prepare, that’s your business. I want to go back to my trailer and get a good night’s sleep before filming starts tomorrow.” Just think about the money, she reminded herself. She’d worked with crazy and difficult people before. She could do this.

She spun on her heel and stomped to the cave opening. The moon was practically a spotlight, which was good considering she didn’t have a flashlight. The lights from the movie set sparkled in the distance. It was probably a mile hike. Maybe more. Distance was deceptive out here with no known landmarks to guide her. How the hell had Marko gotten her here? And that was the character’s name, not his.

There was no sound behind her, no warning, but his arm suddenly banded around her midsection and he pulled her back against his much larger body. For a big man he moved soundlessly.

She tilted her head back and immediately wished she hadn’t. Damn, he was even bigger than she thought. He must be at least six and a half feet, if not a bit taller. And broad. His wide shoulders blocked the entire entrance of the cave and it was more than three feet across.

But it was his face that left her momentarily speechless. His cheekbones were chiseled, his jaw broad and firm. His eyes were dark. Black or brown? It was impossible to tell in this light, but she was voting for brown. Dark hair hung loose around his shoulders. It was dark in some spots, lighter in others. His lips were firm and enticing. His features were rough, but when all put together the way they were, they were handsome if you liked that kind of look.

Which apparently she did if her body’s reaction was anything to go by. Her nipples were tightly puckered and her sex clenched. Oh yeah. He hit her hottie meter in all the right places. She’d never gone for the pretty-boy type, except for Jon, and look where that had gotten her.

Still, this was no time to give in to her libido. Just because her sex drive had decided to wake up didn’t mean she couldn’t ignore it. It wasn’t easy, but she managed to ignore the not-so-subtle message her body was broadcasting—jump him.

The longer she studied him the more familiar he seemed. Had she seen some of his previous work? She certainly hadn’t met him before. He wasn’t a man a woman would forget. She couldn’t place him but knew she would eventually. She had a good memory for faces. And if it didn’t come to her, she could always check him out online. His acting credits would be there.

“You do not believe me.” His voice jerked her back to reality. He sounded disappointed again and it was starting to make her feel guilty. Which wasn’t fair. She wasn’t the crazy one here. He was.

“What’s to believe? You’re really an immortal warrior, and a shapeshifting one at that. So what are you? No, let me guess. A bear.” It was obvious now that she thought about it. There was a bear on the carousel, if she’d really seen the thing and hadn’t just dreamed it. Now she was confusing herself.

“Yes.”

He left it at that one word as if he expected her to believe him, take him at his word. Did he think she was as nuts as he was?

“Dude. You need help.” It probably wasn’t smart to bait him, but Kellsie was at the end of her rope. “There is no such thing as demons and curses and gods and goddesses. It’s all a myth. Make believe. That’s why we’re making a movie. We’re actors.”

He tilted his head as if processing her words. She was getting a crick in her neck from looking up at him, so she turned. He loosened his grip enough for her to face him but not enough for her to get away.

“That is how Hades has done it this time,” he sounded thoughtful, not angry. “You think you’re making a movie, but this is reality.” He stroked her hair away from her face, his gentle touch such a contrast to his huge, strong hands. “You are the one woman in the history of time who could release me from the curse and help me fight Hades and his minions. I need to help the others and discover what has become of my Lady.”

Kellsie ignored the pang of envy and disappointment that shot through her when he spoke of his lady. Pure love and devotion shone through his words. Not that she wanted him. Not really. It was simply a physical reaction to his body. Nothing more. The guy was obviously a sandwich short of a picnic.

But still, it would be nice to have a man who talked about her that way. Not that she ever expected such a thing to happen. Hell would freeze over first.

She pushed against his chest. It was time to get away and start the long trek back to camp. “You do that. Meanwhile, I’m going to make my way back to my nice cozy trailer and catch a few hours’ sleep.” She squinted at her watch. Damn, it was already two o’clock. How long had she been out?

“I cannot let you go.”

For the first time since immediately after awakening, real fear began to seep into her bones. She was totally alone in the middle of an isolated forest with this guy. He was big and strong and determined. Even if she screamed for help, it would echo through the woods. Someone might hear her, but they wouldn’t be able to find her. She was well and truly screwed.

Maybe she could reason with him. “Look. You really can’t keep me here. People will be searching for me. You’ll get fired from the movie. You might never work again.” That was the biggest fear most actors had. Let him chew on that for a few minutes. “If you let me go now,” she continued, “I won’t tell anyone about this. It will be our little secret.”

“You are wrong.” He swept her into his arms and carried her back inside the cave. He stopped just inside so there was still a small amount of light. “I can keep you. At least for one day.”