He turned back to the man, his jaw clenched with worry. Keeton wiped his hands over his face and hair. He did not know what the fuck he was going to do now. She’d seen him in his half-shift. This was bad. Really bad.

  “So, you found your mate?” Niels asked, handing him a short glass of the fifty-year-old Scotch he kept on a cart in the living room.

  “Yeah, I guess I did.” Keeton drained it in one shot.

  Shifters didn’t really get drunk. In order to feel the effects of drugs or alcohol, they either had to be magically enhanced or they had to be taken in massive quantities and quickly too.

  “You didn’t tell her about yourself?” Niels asked, his disbelief clear.

  “I couldn’t. Not yet. I mean, fuck, Niels. I live in the mountains. She’s human. I don’t know if this can work.”

  “But she is your mate? Don’t you know it’s a one in a million chance? Only the luckiest Shifters find their fated mates, Keeton. You have to give this a try.”

  “Why? Being my fated mate is no guarantee she will accept me for who I am, what I am. It’s no guarantee I can make her happy. How can I all the way up here? You think a woman like that wants to live in the woods with a fucking hermit like me?”

  “Dude, you have to give it a chance—”

  “No! Whether she rejects me now or later, it will happen. She has to go back. Her life is with people, mine is here. I just hope she can keep our damn secret—”

  “Of course, I can.” Lena’s voice was huskier than before, thick with unshed tears he saw gleaming in her eyes when he turned to face her.

  She had her arms wrapped around her waist and looked so fucking small and hurt, he wanted to kick his own ass for being an inconsiderate prick. He took one step toward her, but she backed up, and the movement cut through him like a knife.

  “Lena, I—”

  “I am so sorry I intruded on your privacy, Mr. Grey. I promise to leave as soon as the weather stops.” She turned around and ran back to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

  It was no good. He heard her sobs, and his hurt only grew. He turned to see Niels growling at him and knew the man couldn’t help it. It was in their nature to protect those weaker than them, especially females. Hell, his own Mountain Lion was doing one hell of a job clawing at him on the inside.

  He’d fucked up.

  Badly.

  Chapter Nine

  Marilena, you fool.

  How could you fall in love with him?

  Lena sniffed and wiped her face. She’d retreated to Keeton’s bedroom after she overheard him speaking to his friend.

  What else could she do?

  Okay. So he’d been keeping secrets. A big furry one apparently. A hysterical laugh escaped her lips, and she covered her mouth with both hands.

  Was that really real?

  The thing she saw.

  Lena wasn’t exactly prone to flights of fancy. She certainly never hallucinated before. But sure as she’d just spent the day wrapped around that gorgeous mountain man, she’d seen fur, claws, and fangs sprout from his body only minutes ago.

  “You’re a big girl, Lena. You can face this,” she reasoned, forcing herself to walk to the mirror.

  She looked a mess. Her hair was sleep tousled, face red and puffy from crying, and she still wore only his shirt. There was a door to the bathroom inside his bedroom, and she decided she was going to have to prepare herself for the upcoming conversation. Best way to do that was with a shower.

  Her knapsack was on the floor, so she had some of her things at least. Though pickings were slim when it came to clothing choices. She would simply have to make do. Her ankle was still bruised, but the swelling had gone down. Still, she needed to move slow and steady so as not to injure herself any farther.

  She stepped into the warm spray of water and bathed her skin with a bar of almond-scented oatmeal soap that reminded her of his scent. Next, she washed her hair, taking the time to condition it too. It would make it easier to brush that way.

  Afterward, she dressed in her last remaining clean pair of stretch pants, borrowing one of his thick thermal tops from his closet and a pair of long socks. Lena braided her hair, calming herself with the work of separating it into sections first, then winding the long strands around each other methodically.

  Once finished, she looked at herself in the mirror. Lena hadn’t bothered to bring any makeup with her. Even if she had, she couldn’t put it on after crying with her eyes red and puffy. Besides, nothing in her cosmetics bag was going to cover up the extra fifty pounds she carried around her belly, thighs, and ass.

  But Keeton knew all about her body. Even after less than forty-eight hours, he’d seen, kissed, and done the most decadent things to nearly every inch of her. And he’d made her feel beautiful while doing it.

  Yes, she’d thought it was a fling at first, but somewhere along the line she’d been bitten by the love bug. Lena believed in love at first sight. She just never expected it to happen to her.

  The man who’d come to visit had been talking about something she didn’t fully understand. Something about Shifters and mates. It was time for her to get some answers. Even if they broke her heart. Gathering her courage, she exited the room.

  Time to face the music.

  Lena sucked in a breath and walked into the living room. Keeton stood up from where he’d been sitting on the lounge chair. His friend did the same from his position on the couch.

  “Hello,” she said, addressing the stranger. “My name is Marilena Sorelli. You can call me Lena.”

  She smiled and extended her hand. She was unsure what to do when he nodded but made no move to touch her. Lena dropped her hand.

  “He’s not being rude. He won’t touch you because he knows I would not like it.” Keeton explained, but she still did not understand.

  He looked so tense and uncertain, her heart squeezed inside her chest. Maybe this was difficult for both of them. Marilena was not capable of being completely cut off from others’ emotions. Her empathy and sympathy were her greatest downfalls, according to her mother. Just another mark against the woman’s chubby daughter.

  “You wouldn’t like it if he touched me? Even just to shake my hand?”

  Keeton shook his head, grimacing in a way that reminded her of a young boy who’d been caught doing something wrong. He huffed out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair and back down his beard.

  He looked so gorgeous with his sweats and no shirt. The fireplace was lit, and the light from the flames danced across the muscles on his arms, chest, and abdomen. She felt heat stir within her in response to his blatant masculinity, but she ignored it.

  This was not the time or place. Perhaps it never would be. The thought hurt, but she was a realist. She might have fallen for him, but she never expected this to last forever. Just look at him. He was in another league entirely. A world apart from her own pitiful self.

  Fuck that, she thought with a shake of her head.

  If she’d been helpless against her attraction to him, he sure as shit felt something similar. No man could fake the hungry way he’d stared at her, rolls, flub, and all. Not to mention the thorough lovemaking they’d shared. He’d wanted her every bit as much as she’d wanted him. Hell, she still wanted him. What they had was extraordinary. A once in a lifetime thing. She didn’t have to be a Shifter, or whatever the stranger had called them, to feel that.

  “Why? Explain why you wouldn’t like it? Tell me what it is I saw happen to you. Please,” she whispered the last word.

  “Lena, I really shouldn’t,” he said, looking everywhere but at her.

  “Don’t I deserve to know?”

  “Just tell her, man,” the stranger spoke up.

  “What you saw is called a half-shift—”

  “Pretty gnarly one too. Not every Shifter can pull that off,” the other man added.

  “It happens sometimes when we lose control of our animals—”

  “Animals? What are you?” Marilena whispered, eyes wide, but not with fright.

  “We’re Shifters, Lena. Dual natured beings who share our souls and bodies with our spirit animals. We can call them forward, swap our skin for fur. And sometimes we take on their attributes.”

  Lena listened patiently to his explanations. She could see the concern on his face and wondered why he should be so afraid to tell her what he was. Keeton was a marvel in this jaded and oftentimes harsh world. A genuine miracle in her eyes. Didn’t he know that?

  “That’s why the, the growling, um, earlier,” she mumbled, cheeks burning with embarrassment as her eyes flashed to the other man who was still sitting there.

  “Oh, um, excuse me,” he grumbled and stood up. “My name is Niels, Niels Orson, by the way. It is very nice to meet you.”

  The growl coming from Keeton’s lips sent Niels running into the kitchen, and Lena frowned. Forest green eyes glowing with something she could not name met hers, and her heart thudded inside her chest.

  Holy shit.

  She recognized something in his stare she hadn’t seen before. Or if she had, she sure as hell didn’t realize what she was looking at.

  His animal.

  And, oh my, he was beautiful.

  She’d always had an active imagination and loved reading fairytales and folklore as a child. As an adult, she’d curbed that enthusiasm for fantasy. Choosing instead to direct it toward her creative pursuits with food.

  “Will you show me your animal?”

  “Lena, I don’t think—”

  “Are you dangerous?”

  “Yes. Very.”

  “But you won’t hurt me,” she replied.

  For whatever reason, she just seemed to know it. Keeton Grey was a Shifter.

  A magical being.

  Powerful.

  Capable of things she could hardly suspect. But he would never hurt her. She’d bet her life on that fact. Was about to, at any rate.

  “Lena, I shift into an Eastern Mountain Lion about twice as big as any wild cougar. I don’t want to scare you.”

  “You won’t. Please?”

  He seemed unsure at first, but something in the way she looked at him seemed to move him because suddenly he was standing.

  “Need to make room,” he growled, and slid the chair and sofa out of the way.

  “This is a little hard to watch. I will understand if you close your eyes. Just remember, I won’t hurt you. I couldn’t.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  Keeton slid his sweatpants off his lean hips, revealing that deliciously long, male part of him she’d worshipped with her body mere hours ago. His massive cock stirred under her stare, and the growl that escaped his lips this time was anything but hostile.

  “Lena. I can’t do this if you’re gonna stare at me.”

  “Sorry,” she replied, swallowing audibly.

  Her cheeks were bright red. Must be, she reckoned, considering his knowing smirk. He exhaled a deep breath, closing his eyes and rolling his shoulders. Then something began to happen. That air around him took on a gossamer quality. It shimmered with tiny little lights that increased in speed as they zipped around Keeton’s magnificent form.

  Then he crouched, a look of pain crossed his face for one brief moment, causing her to rush forward. But by the time she reached him, Keeton was no longer Keeton. He was a five-hundred-pound Mountain Lion with six-inch fangs. Lena stopped short. Her momentum was too strong for her injured ankle to hold, and she fell backward, landing on her ass. The Keeton-Cat roared, and Niels came running, stopping in the doorway when the Mountain Lion turned and snarled at him.

  “Fuck, Keeton, shut up already,” he told the cat nonchalantly. “You okay? He won’t hurt you. You’re his mate. He couldn’t if he wanted to.”

  “Mate? What do you mean?” Lena asked as she used the coffee table to stand.

  Keeton moved forward, rubbing his head on her belly, and causing her to lean heavily on him else she fall again.

  It was crazy.

  Unbelievable.

  And yet, she felt completely at ease with the incredible creature. The sound of his purrs made her grin, and before she knew it, she was on the couch with the gigantic animal pushing between her legs so he could embrace her in his furry form.

  Holy shit.

  This was really real.

  And for some reason, she accepted it as a fact. Maybe it was her upbringing and the lack of magic in her childhood. Maybe it was because he was there in his fur. Right in front of her face.

  LOL.

  Either way. She was happy to know there was magic out there. And just maybe, some of it was for her.

  His sandpapery tongue licked her cheek, and Lena giggled, stroking the big cat’s fur with her hands. Laughing out loud when he licked her again.

  “Alright, down!” She tried to push him, but he would not budge.

  “You’re crushing me, Keeton,” she said with another laugh tickling her throat, and this time he moved, sitting down on his haunches directly in front of her.

  Lena stopped, smiled, and just stared at the familiar green eyes that glittered at her. His face might be different, but her heart recognized Keeton. The air surrounding his body shimmered once more, and he was a man once again. He did not look at her as he tugged on his sweatpants. Her heart squeezed inside her chest as she recognized what he was doing.

  He was building a wall between them. It hurt. But she understood. She’d heard his comments to his friend earlier. Keeton Grey was not going to leave his mountain. Not even for her. And Marilena Sorelli could not stay there. She was meant for the world. Even as her heart broke, she knew the truth behind her thoughts.

  “I’m going to get some more firewood,” he grumbled, moving quickly out the front door.

  “Your shoes,” she called after him, but he was already gone.

  “He’ll be okay.” Niels entered the living room with a tray of tea and cookies.

  He poured two cups, handing her one and sat on the couch opposite of Lena. The hot tea warmed her suddenly chilled hands. This was the most wondrous, and also the saddest two days of her life. How was she going to go back home now? After everything she’d seen and experienced?

  “So, you’re a Shifter too? Like Keeton?”

  “Yes, and no. I am a Shifter, but not a Mountain Lion. My animal is a Grizzly.”

  “Oh, I see. So what are you guys exactly?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, are you cursed? Like Werewolves? Or are you like Aliens or something?”

  “No,” he answered, snorting into his teacup. “We’re humans with a little something extra in our DNA. The government called it a mutation, but there is magic in our blood. Hell, there is magic in the entire world, but normals, that’s what we call humans, don’t readily recognize it anymore.”

  “I guess that’s true. But you said something else to Keeton earlier. You called me his mate. What does that mean?”

  “Oh, uh, Lena, he should probably explain it to you.”

  “But he won’t. You know he won’t.”

  Niels placed his cup on the coffee table, seeming to ponder her question. He was huge, a little scary, and did not at all put her at ease the way Keeton’s presence seemed to. But she knew she was safe. Keeton would not have left her otherwise.

  Whatever wonderful magical mystery she’d stumbled upon in Panther Mountains, she needed the entire story. It would help her understand it all when she returned home.

  “First, you have to know that this is a secret.”

  “But the government knows—”

  “Yeah,” he growled. “They know about a lot of stuff they don’t tell the public. But for your good, and ours, the Shifter secret must be kept.”

  “Of course,” she promised. “I won’t tell a soul.”

  “I believe you. Shifters can sense emotions. I know you will keep Keeton’s secret because I know you love him.”

  “What? How can you? Does he?” She gulped audibly.

  “He probably can sense it, but he is in denial. Have you ever heard of fated mates?”

  Lena shook her head. She leaned forward and placed her mug on the table. Patience wasn’t her fortitude, but she needed every ounce in her possession, and Niels chose his words carefully. Each second that passed with Keeton gone, she felt his absence more and more keenly.

  What could that be if not love or magic?

  And who was to say one existed without the other?

  She shook her head. She was being silly. Even so, she wanted information, and the Bear was sitting on a goldmine.

  “Tell me,” she demanded.

  “In Shifter lore, there is a legend, one soul created for another, one body designed to fit one mate, one being meant for one other alone. Fated mates, you understand? As rare and valuable as anything in this realm or any other. Each Shifter is born with a one in a million shot at finding his or her fated mate. I believe you are Keeton’s.”

  “I am?”

  Niels nodded, his face as serious as a heart attack. Marilena gasped. She covered her mouth with her hands. This was incredible. If she was Keeton’s fated mate, then he wouldn’t just let her disappear. Would he?

  “Yes.” Keeton’s voice sounded from behind her.

  Surprising her so that she jumped and knocked her knee into the coffee table, disrupting the tea set. Happiness swelled inside of her, but he didn’t return her smile. He stood still, skin glistening with wet from the elements.

  “You’re my fated mate, Lena, but I am no good for you. The storm passed. Tomorrow, I’ll take you home.”

  “But—” She wanted to argue, but the set of his shoulders and the way he turned his face stopped her in her tracks.

  “Fine,” she replied in a small voice.

  “But you needn’t bother yourself. Niels will take me home. Right?” she asked the big man, who nodded his head, watching Keeton warily out of the corner of his eye.

 

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