Storm Bear Read online

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sabrina felt her power building and was very much afraid it was going to let loose unexpectedly. What would happen, considering they were in the air? She shuddered to think of the consequences of her power going rogue when Lucien was flying so close to the tops of the trees.

  “You all right?” Ace asked.

  Lucien had given them both a set of earphones with an attached microphone so they could communicate over the noise of the engine. He explained that all three of them were on the same loop, so they were all part of any conversation. That made her a little wary to share, since she didn’t know the pilot and wasn’t sure what he’d do if he knew she had an unstable talent.

  “Um…” She didn’t know how to tell him what she was feeling with Lucien listening in. “There’s a bit of pressure.”

  Ace frowned then seemed to figure out what she meant. “Can you hold it?”

  She shrugged, totally unsure. Ever since her magic had decided to misbehave, she was the last one able to tell how it would react. She’d tried using it. She’d tried squelching it. Either way, things had happened. Some of them had been really bad things—like the mini-tornado that had blown down the middle of Main Street. Thankfully, nothing had been too badly damaged.

  “Okay, well, can you give me a warning if something’s going to happen?” Ace asked. She appreciated that he was trying to stay calm about this, but inwardly, she was starting to panic.

  “I’ll try,” she promised, not really sure if she could keep that promise or not. Sometimes, when the magic let loose, she was more its victim than its wielder.

  “Problem?” Lucien asked, his gaze on Ace, though he’d heard every word of the exchange.

  “Possible erratic winds. Could be powerful. Sabrina will try to warn us if they’re coming. Be prepared.” Ace sounded confidant, which helped calm her a little, but she couldn’t help but wonder if it was all just a big show for her benefit.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered over the headset, meaning her apology for both men, just as her magic tore loose. She shut her eyes tight and tried really hard to control it. “Wind gust behind us in three…two…one…”

  The wind hit them, and the plane responded like a bucking bronco. Lucien swore and fought the stick while Sabrina cringed and held on for dear life. She’d grabbed Ace’s hand, again, and he was kind enough to let her squeeze the circulation out of his fingers in her panic.

  The plane bounced on the currents of air, eventually finding a smoother path. Lucien seemed to enjoy the challenge after the first moments of unexpected terror. He’d stopped swearing, at least. Then, he started letting out whoops of what sounded like enjoyment. Apparently, he got his jollies wrestling rogue air currents and coming out alive.

  Sabrina was just trying to hold it together. Ace’s touch helped. He let her clutch at his hand, and he’d put his arm around her shoulders when the plane started bouncing around, holding her tight to his side. She felt warm and safe in his embrace as her power started to settle down.

  She was able to rein it in, and eventually, the wind from the north died out, leaving the little plane in peace. Lucien was checking his GPS and other instrumentation, and for the first time, Sabrina realized her unplanned use of magic might have blown them completely off course.

  “Where are we?” Ace asked Lucien, clearly thinking the same thing.

  “Well, we’re over the border for one thing,” Lucien said, still checking his instruments. “We’re over Idaho. I know you wanted to be more toward the middle of Montana, but the wind and the mountains combined to send us west. Can you work with that?”

  “Yeah, we’ll be fine. I have friends all over the Northwest,” Ace replied. “We can figure something out. Question is, do you know of a safe place for us to land?”

  “No problem there. We’re over the edge of Kaniksu National Forest, right now. There’s a lynx Clan just north of McArthur that has a landing strip. They’ll let me land there,” Lucien said confidently.

  “Friends of yours?” Ace asked.

  “Better than friends,” Lucien replied, a smug tone to his voice. “Family.” He chuckled. “It’ll be good to see my sister and her kids, again. I don’t get over the border much, and I miss them. Your little windstorm helped me get here for a visit, and for that, I thank you.” He tipped an imaginary hat toward Sabrina.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said, but he waved her off.

  “Most fun I’ve had in ages,” Lucien said. “And now, I get to see my nieces and nephews, so it’s all good on my end. That tailwind saved a lot of fuel, too.”

  He sounded happy, so Sabrina decided to let it go. She’d made the apology, and she felt ridiculous not being able to control her magic. She could’ve just gotten them all killed, but it had worked out after all. At least the pilot was thrilled with the results, even if it did put them on the wrong side of the mountains.

  “I’m glad it worked out,” she told him, sitting back in her seat, very conscious that Ace hadn’t removed his arm from around her shoulders.

  Lucien put in a brief coded radio call to the landing strip, and a few minutes later, they saw a few beacons light up. It wasn’t much. Certainly not enough light for a commercial airport or a human pilot to land by, but it seemed to be more than enough for the shifter at the helm. Sabrina hardly dared to look as the laughing lunatic made his approach to the small field that passed for a runway.

  Ace’s arm around her shoulders tightened. She was certain he could feel her terror and was offering what support he could in this situation. She took comfort both from his touch and from the fact that he seemed calm and confident in their pilot. His steadfast presence helped her not to scream when the big rubber tires made uncertain first contact with the ground then bounced them down hard before rolling them at increasing levels of bounciness into the darkness between two tall stands of trees that was all she could see of the runway.

  When they finally started to slow, she started breathing, again, realizing only then that she’d been holding her breath from the moment the wheels first touched ground. She’d never been so scared on a flight in her life. Hands down. She was tempted to kiss the ground when they finally got off the plane, but refrained.

  She was glad she had when she realized they had a welcoming committee. A smiling woman tugged Lucien into her arms for a bone-crushing hug before he was let up to exchange another hug with the man who stood at her side. Then, he was passed down the line of younger people who called him uncle, and Sabrina realized his sister and her family had come out to greet him.

  She followed Ace around to the cargo door and tried to help him, but she could barely see in the dark at the back of the plane. Only the faint light from the small building at the end of the runway had allowed her to make out the family that was still greeting Lucien. At the back of the plane, all bets were off. Still, she had to offer.

  “Can I help?” she asked quietly, her voice just barely above a whisper. She’d grown used to speaking softly around the werewolves up north and knew that shifter hearing was way better than her own.

  “Can you actually see anything?” came Ace’s amused reply.

  “Not much,” she admitted. “But I’m here if there’s something I can do to assist.”

  She heard a few metallic clanks and then rolling tires as a dark shape that was probably Ace pushing one of the bikes came down the ramp toward her. He moved the bike past her and into the faint light at the front of the plane.

  “Can you see me, now?” he asked, and she just made out the wide grin on his face as she walked toward him.

  “I see you,” she replied, grudgingly, though she smiled at his teasing mood. “You don’t have to rub it in. I know I’m just a measly human.”

  He surprised her by touching her shoulder. “Nothing wrong with being human, but don’t forget, you’re more than that. You handled that power surge really well before. If it had hit us from the side, we could easily have smacked into the wall of a canyon. Guiding
it in from behind was a stroke of genius.”

  She shook her head. “I wish I could take credit for being a genius, but it was all instinct.”

  He squeezed her shoulder. “Every shifter knows that instinct is one of our best teachers. You were right to follow it and not to try to force the magic into some other path. Following your instincts probably saved our lives. You did good, Sabrina. Real good.”

  He leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips, and she leaned into him. Stars! She’d needed that all day long. Touching him last night—holding him and being held by him—had stirred a need in her. She’d been like a starving woman all day, longing for a time when they could be alone, standing still and having the freedom to touch again.

  He’d given her casual touches during the day, spawned from the new intimacy between them, but they’d essentially been on the run. There had been no time for hanky-panky, much as she could have wished for it. But it was dark, now, and their pilot was still busy with his extended family. For this short moment out of time, she could press against Ace and drink in his kiss.

  Ace nearly lost his head. He’d been wanting to take her in his arms all day and kiss the heck out of her, but circumstances had prevented him from giving in to his desires. Her safety had to come first. But, now that they were on the other side of the border, he figured he could take a moment and give her the kiss he’d been dying for all day.

  They weren’t out of danger. Not by a long shot. But he hoped things would get simpler from here on out. At least they were in the same country as the Lords, now, and Ace’s own contacts were more numerous in the States than farther north. They were on the wrong side of the mountains, thanks to Sabrina’s loss of control, but they’d figure it out. For tonight, they would find a place to stay, and if the Goddess was kind, he would make love to Sabrina late into the night and wake with her in his arms.

  He heard Lucien approaching through the grass and knew he had to end the kiss. She clung to him as he drew back, and the dazed look in her eyes made him feel like a titan. He’d done that to her. He’d given her the moment of respite in the chaos of their day. He felt good about that and hoped to continue as soon as he got her alone again. For now, though, they had things to do.

  “You want to have dinner at my sister’s?” Lucien asked heartily, coming into view around the wing of his plane. “She’s invited us all to join the family for a meal, and if you two need a place to stay for the night, they have a cabin on their land that they use for guests. I’ll stay up at the house since I need to leave before dawn, and we’ll probably stay up all night talking, anyway.”

  Lucien looked like a cat just served a very large bowl of cream. He was happy to see his sister and family, that was easy to see.

  “We do need a safe place to spend the night,” Ace replied, looking at Sabrina to see what she thought of the idea.

  “That’s very kind of your sister, Lucien,” Sabrina said politely. “If Ace thinks it’s a good idea, I’m very happy to accept the invitation. Thank you.”

  Lucien’s sister was lovely and welcomed them into her home with kindness and gracious hospitality. Sabrina had never been around cat shifters before, and she found them charming. The children were sweet, and the meal they shared delicious and plentiful. Even though they hadn’t been expected, it felt like the whole family had rolled out the welcome mat.

  Later that night, as they settled into the guest cabin, having left the family up at the house, Sabrina asked Ace about it. He said cats were usually welcoming if you had the right introduction.

  “In this case, we were not only the reason Lucien came to visit his family after a long absence, but we were sent here by the Lords, in a roundabout fashion. Lucien got the job of transporting us from Tim and Rafe, and most shifters would do anything for those two. Just being asked to help out was a sign of their confidence, and an honor,” Ace told her. “Knowing all that, the family was definitely more willing to welcome us than it would have been otherwise.”

  “Well, whatever the reason, I think they were really nice,” Sabrina replied, opening her saddlebags and fishing out the few toiletries she had with her.

  “They were,” he agreed, moving closer. He took her into his arms, swinging her around so that they were face to face, chest to chest, heartbeat to heartbeat. “But you won them over with your kind heart, Sabrina.”

  His head dipped, and he kissed her. Thank goodness! She’d been waiting for hours to be in his arms, again. There was no one here but the two of them and no reason anybody should come around until the morning at the earliest, so this time was all for them.

  Sabrina sank into his kiss, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling up tight to his hard body. He felt so good.

  She was aware of the feel of motion, but she didn’t know what he was doing until the backs of her legs hit the foot of the large bed. This was a bed big enough for a shifter—even one as large as Ace. It would fit them both, as a matter of fact, which suited her right down to the ground. She had come to a decision as she ran for her life that day.

  She wanted to know what it was like to make love with Ace, and it didn’t matter to her that they’d only known each other a couple of days. Screw the waiting period. She wanted to have sex with him, now. After the day she’d had, she wasn’t sure she’d even be alive tomorrow. Her enemies could find her at any time. She’d rather enjoy herself—enjoy him—while she still had the ability and freedom to do so.

  Tomorrow would take care of itself. Tonight was for passion. Lots and lots of passion.

  That decision firmly in mind, she sank onto the bed, sitting down in front of him. When he would have moved to join her, she stopped him by the simple expedient of moving her hands to his belt. That got his attention.

  She rubbed the long, hard length of him through his trousers and felt her insides quiver with excitement as she learned the shape and size of the hardness she would soon be enjoying. He’d done so much for her these past two days. It was time for her to do something strictly for his enjoyment. Though, of course, she would enjoy it, too, she was sure.

  She teased him a bit, but he didn’t seem to mind. He didn’t rush her. He didn’t prod her. He just let her explore as she wished, which made her feel in control. Powerful.

  Heaven knew, she’d had enough of feeling lost and out of control these past few weeks. Today, especially. Perhaps he knew she needed this time where she could be the one in charge. And, perhaps, he was the most empathic man she’d ever been with. He certainly seemed to be able to read her like a book, even after such a short time.

  She didn’t want to wait, though. Not for long. She wanted to feel his flesh in her hands. Against her lips. To that end, she reached for the zipper, undoing the button at the top of his pants, first. His breath rumbled in his chest, a barely suppressed growl that she found incredibly sexy. The sounds he made were animalistic, at times. Wild, yet contained. Sort of how he moved in the world, wearing his human guise, but sharing his soul with an untamed spirit.

  She lowered the zipper and set him free, immediately wrapping his hardness in her hands, learning the shape and feel of him. He growled, then. A real, hearty, low growl that sounded like pure need. And, when she put her mouth on him, the sound from his chest rumbled through the room. She swore she could feel the vibrations of sound against her own body.

  Then, she didn’t think for a few minutes as she sucked on him, wanting to pull that sexy sound from him again. When he’d given her the satisfaction of that earthy growl two more times, she pulled back, and he seemed to take that as his cue to take over. She didn’t mind. She’d given him something and received a massive boost to her confidence in return. He really was the most amazing man. And, right now, she was so turned on that she would jump his bones in a second, given half a chance.

  He seemed to realize how urgent her need was. She suspected he was feeling the same himself. He lifted her to her feet, only to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless. It was wild. Tempestuous. A no-h
olding-back kiss, unlike those he’d given her before. This one spoke of need and fierce, animal longing.

  When he released her from the near-bruising kiss, he lifted her onto the bed and turned her, positioning her body just so, according to his plans. It soon became apparent that he wanted to mount her from behind. Instead of scaring her, the thought of it made her moan.

  “You like it this way, Sabrina?” he asked, his breath coming in hot puffs against her ear as he bent over her on the bed. “I don’t want to frighten you.”

  “You’re not scary, Ace,” she managed to say, smiling as his hands shaped her hips, rubbing her ass and caressing her spine. She arched into him, like some sort of needy she-cat. “You’re a teddy bear,” she teased him, receiving a playful nip to her ear and a short growl in return.

  She looked back over her shoulder at him, and he was smiling right along with her. She’d been right. There was nothing scary about making love with Ace—no matter what position he wanted to take. And then, it dawned on her. This choice had been some kind of test. He’d put them in this position, probably wanting to know if the beast half of his nature frightened her. She shook her head and almost laughed. If he only knew! She saw his massive grizzly not as a threat, but as a protector. The fact that the grizzly was also a hunky, tall, handsome man was what counted here. And that man was proving to be the most unique individual she had ever known.

  He caressed her a bit more, but she was needy. She moaned, again, and was about to beg when he seemed to get the message and began a slow, deliberate penetration from behind.

  Oh, yeah. That’s just what she needed. He was long and thick…and patient. He didn’t rush her. He took his time and let her enjoy this moment of discovery. He touched her, bringing her to higher levels of excitement even as he completed his possession.