Once Upon a Shifter (123 page)

The two men sprinted to their car, jumped inside and sped off, out of the driveway, before they had time to close their doors.

Alexi jumped up and ran down the path to see if Barbara was okay. “Thank God,” she whispered to herself when she saw Barbara standing in front of her rental unhurt.

“What happened to your clothes?” she asked. Barbara’s clothes were hanging off her body in shreds.

“Do you know those men?” she asked.

Alexi squished her eyebrows together, deciding to play dumb. “What men?”

“Save the lies dear, I know you saw. I could smell you. Do you know those men?”

She could smell me?

“Yes,” she replied looking at her feet.

“They obviously weren’t here for a social call,” she said, walking to her open cooler beside the Adirondack chair. She grabbed two beers and handed one to Alexi. “I’m not sure what kind of trouble you’re in but they looked like they meant business.”

Alexi cracked open the beer and took a long sip. “My…the person who is after me…he always means business.” She took another sip. “I just don’t know how he found me.” She opened her arms and looked around at the forest. “I mean look at this place. We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

Barbara glanced at Alexi’s Lexus, parked in the driveway. She walked over and stuck her hand inside the wheel well of the driver’s side. She shook her head and moved to the passenger’s side. She reached inside over the tire.

“That’s how he found you,” she said, tossing a metal box on the ground.

“What is that?”

“A tracker.” She lifted up her heel and stomped on it. It smashed into pieces. She was able to do all that damage to a metal box with bare feet. She remembered the way that the man’s eyes changed colors this morning at the diner.
What is with all of these people around here?

Barbara downed her beer and cracked opened another one. “They’re going to come back for you.”

Alexi’s shoulders slumped. “I know.” She didn’t want to pick up and leave again. She was tired of running. Why couldn’t Greg just leave her alone?

He would never leave her alone. She would have to leave.

But why was she so upset? Her rental was a dump and her job was nothing to get excited over. Ellis flashed in her mind, stuttering and standing awkwardly in front of her. Every cell in her body was screaming at her to stay. To get to know this man better. It was as if her body had already chosen him and her mind had no say in the matter.

“Now they know where you live,” Barbara said. “And I can’t be here to protect you all of the time.”

Alexi knew that she had to leave. She felt a pain in her chest at the thought of not seeing Ellis again.

Barbara looked at her with a grin. “But I know who can.”

five

Ellis hung from his fingers off the side of the cliff. The fall was over eight hundred feet onto jagged rocks. Even his tough bear skin wouldn’t survive that.

He was dangling by one hand over his death, hanging on by the tips of three fingers, and all he could think about was the new waitress, Alexi, from this morning and how his bear had reacted to her. It wasn’t just his bear. He was interested too. He couldn’t get her off his mind.

And he had ruined his chances.

He glanced down at the rocks below.
I should just drop. What do I have to live for if I can’t have her?

His bear grumbled at the brief thought of taking his own life. He hoisted himself up and grabbed onto the rock with his other hand. He continued climbing the vertical face of the tall cliff.

His bear rumbled inside him.
Dude shut up
. His bear had been in a tizzy all day, huffing and fuming the entire afternoon. He was demanding that Ellis go back to the diner to claim his mate. His bear had chosen her and was furious that Ellis was keeping him caged up.

Dude she doesn’t want you,
Ellis told his inner bear as he leapt up to a rock over his head. He snatched it right on time. His body swung like a pendulum, his feet dangling in midair.

This is no use.
Usually Ellis went rock climbing whenever his inner bear was acting up. The dangerous height of the cliffs had always worked to quiet him in the past. It seemed that his fearless inner bear was terrified of heights.

But today was different.

There was no quieting him. Ellis raced up to the top of the cliff and started the jog home.

He didn’t know what to do. How do you live when the person that you’re supposed to be with doesn’t want anything to do with you? He wondered if his life would ever be the same. If he could ever enjoy the little things without having her to share them with.

A branch whipped across his arm, drawing blood, as he raced down the mountain. He didn’t bother stopping to bandage it. It would be healed in a minute or two.

He pushed his legs, sprinting dangerously fast down such a steep incline. His bear egged him on, pushing him to go see her. To take her. To seize what was rightfully his.

Ellis screamed out in frustration. Would his bear ever leave him alone again?

Sweat trickled down his chest as the ground began to level out. He decided to ask Matteo for advice. The number two in the clan had been through something similar. His bear had found his mate but she left. He hadn’t seen her in years. Was that why he was so serious and angry all of the time? Did his bear make him like that?

Ellis pulled off his shirt and used it to wipe the seat from his forehead.
You better not make me bitter like that
, he told his bear.

His bear grumbled in response.

He was nearly home. He could see the dirt airstrip and the old hanger that housed their Casa 212 airplane through the trees in the distance. Ten small log cabins were laid out in a line in the field. At one time they were all full. Each one of the ten crew members had their own. Three were empty now. It still hurt to look at the empty cabins of their fallen brothers. They served as a constant and painful reminder.

Ellis emerged from the trees into the clear valley and saw the whole crew sitting around the fire in a circle. He could smell some venison cooking and a hint of something flowery.

A loud growl rolled out from deep inside his chest. He sighed. He’d have to go speak with Matteo sooner rather than later.

He froze in his tracks when he heard her voice.
She’s here? Why?

He glanced back at the safety of the forest and steeled his nerves. His bear urged him back.

“Hey Blowmeo,” Keene called out to him. All heads turned around. Including Alexi’s.

“I would have gone with Don Yawn,” Sander said.

“How about Leonardo Di
crap
io?” Finch asked.

“Move over Casanova, it’s Casa-no-fucking-way,” Quint chimed in.

Keene stood up and clapped. “Quint for the win.”

Alexi was looking at Ellis laughing.
Fuck this.

He walked back towards the forest. It hurt too much to see her laughing at him.

Footsteps ran up behind him. “Wait,” she said. “They’re just playing.”

Ellis stopped. He took a deep breath and turned around. She was stunning. She had jean shorts on that showed off her shapely legs and a yellow tank top that teasingly showed off her deliciously tanned skin. It was the first time that he saw her with her long, auburn hair down. It fell in waves over her bare shoulders and framed her plump, gorgeous face.

His inner bear was desperately trying to push him forward. To claim her.

Looking at her like this, Ellis knew that for the rest of his life he and his bear’s main purpose would be to make her happy. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for her.

No need unfulfilled.

No request denied.

Nothing but her pleasure and desires.

Fulfilled.

Forever.

“I’m sorry about this morning,” he said. “Clearly I’m not used to talking to women.”

She laughed. “Don’t even worry about it. Let’s just start fresh.” She touched his arm and his bear growled in delight.

She snapped her hand back. “What was that noise?”

His bear was ruining everything. Again.

“It’s just ahh…I ahh…What are you doing here?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

“I wanted to see more of the wilderness and your mom suggested that I stay with you guys for a few days.”

A few days?
Ellis wanted to shout out in happiness.

That would be plenty of time for him to make a good impression.

If
his bear didn’t ruin it for him.

Again.

Alexi followed Ellis back to the fire. Her stomach panged in hunger when she got a whiff of the steaks.

“Smells good,” she said. Ellis smiled at her. She looked away to hide her blushing cheeks.

She watched him as he walked towards the fire and inspected the steaks. He was shirtless and fit and sexy as hell. His body was thick with muscle, his shoulders were full and broad. He had tight defined abs with a mouth-watering V thrusting down into low hanging, belt-less jeans like an arrow pointing down to his cock. His bulging muscles rippled with every movement and Alexi had to use every ounce of willpower she had not to go over there and touch him.

He flipped a steak on the grill and she noticed a long scar down the back of his right tricep. “I caught this one myself,” he said proudly to her. His ruffled brown hair hung down over his forehead as his vivid brown eyes smiled at her.

That’s how they all start. Handsome and nice and then they come home from a bad day and the casserole that you made for dinner tastes a bit off and blam, you wake up on the floor with a splitting headache and a black eye.

She turned towards the trees and tried not to look back at his tempting body.

“For you my lady,” Sander said, holding out a chair for her. The guys had set up an old wobbly TV tray for her, complete with an old flower curtain for a table cloth, a chipped plate and a spotted wine glass.

Quint placed a yellow flower across her plate. “To match your shirt,” he said.

“Wow you guys really know how to treat a lady,” she said as Sander pulled her chair out for her. Keene placed a napkin over her legs.

Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment as Ellis placed the steak on her plate. She had never been treated so well before.

They all waited, staring at her in anticipation as she cut into her meal. She took a bite and moaned. She was starving and it was possibly the best steak that she ever had. “Amazing,” she said, before taking another bite.

All of the guys smiled in relief. They gathered around the fire, fighting over who got what steak. She noticed that Beckett had the first choice, than Matteo. The others argued over the leftovers.

“You like it rare Keene, just take that one,” Sander said, his bright green eyes flashing annoyance.

“Yeah but this one is bigger,” Keene replied, pointing with his big, meaty hands. Keene was enormous and towered over all of the others. She couldn’t help wonder why he wasn’t in the NFL. Nobody on the planet would be able to get through him.

Alexi smiled at the easy way they were with each other. She was a bit envious that she didn’t have that kind of relationship with anyone.

Quint poured her a glass of wine from an old ceramic jug. At least she thought it was wine. It was as dark as a pint of blood and just as thick. “I made it myself,” he said proudly. Alexi could see a smile peeking through his long, thick beard.

She took a sip and tried hard not to spit it out or make a face. It was bitter and hot and spicy and clumpy and sour and many other things that should never be used to describe wine. “Very good,” she said, her eyes starting to water.

Quint’s eyes beamed. “Yeah I just mixed it together in my bathtub. It was really easy.”

“I thought I tasted a hint of soap.”

“Thank you,” he said and then took a long swig from the jug.

Alexi couldn’t help but feel special. These large, gruff, wild men were actually really funny, cute and sweet. She was happy that Barbara had suggested that she stay here with these brutes. She felt like she was really going to enjoy her stay.

As long as Quint didn’t offer her more wine.

Ellis sat down in the chair beside her with his meal. “Do you have everything you need?”

She nodded, her mouth full of juicy steak. “You guys are quite the hosts.”

He flashed a look of confusion. “Don’t all men treat you this way?”

She snorted, almost spitting out a piece of steak. “Not exactly.”

“Well they’re not real men,” he said. “Real men wait on women hand and foot. They treat a woman like she deserves to be treated. Like a princess.”

She was starting to see that about them. It seemed like this was the way these strong, hot, outdoors men were. She was getting the impression that they didn’t seem to want anything in return. It just seemed to be their way.

This is how it starts…
Alexi reminded herself.

After dinner Ellis volunteered to show her around the camp. The sun was setting and the crickets were awakening, singing their songs of the wilderness. She sighed in disappointment when he slipped on a gray hoodie, hiding his fit body.