SALLY WILDER SIGHED in appreciation as she opened the door to the hotel. She’d been driving like a bat out of hell for over two days, stopping only to eat and sleep as she tried to catch up to her runaway younger brother before he did something foolish—like get himself killed in shifter territory.

Last night, she’d pulled over at a truck stop to sleep because she’d run out of money. Teaching seventh grade in the state of Maine didn’t pay very much, and she had a huge amount of student debt to pay off. It left little for the extras in life, especially an unplanned trip to the northwestern United States. It had been one of the scariest nights of her life. Ironically, the presence of some truckers had been the only thing that had allowed her to get any shut eye. Usually, women traveling alone avoided truckers, but not her and at least not last night. She’d welcomed the burly male presence as she’d tried to sleep surrounded by the sounds of large predatory animals.

Oh, she knew she’d let her imagination get the better of her. The sounds she’d heard last night were completely normal to anyone who lived in this remote part of the United States. But there had been two things wrong with that argument at three o’clock in the morning when she’d heard the howl of the wolf and growl of some large cat. One, she didn’t live in this part of the states and two, she’d been deep in shifter country.

As she approached the front desk of the hotel, she saw other guests coming and going. Mostly women, which shouldn’t have been surprising. After all, this was deep in shifter territory. And the one thing shifters attracted were women. There was a wide range of them, Sally thought with amusement as she unbuttoned her coat and took off her gloves and stuffed them in the side pockets. Some of the women were dressed for a day of skiing while others wore outfits better suited for a day shopping on sunny Rodeo Drive. The clerk on duty smiled at her, an oily smile that made her want to shiver in disgust. She usually didn’t garner the attention of men and most days she appreciated the fact. She wished today could have been one of those days.

“Hello, how can I help you?”

“I’m, um, looking for someone.” She managed a small smile even as the man repulsed her. She had no idea how to even form her request. She’d been hoping for a friendly face behind the counter, not this man.

“What sort of someone?” He licked his lips. As he continued to stare, she tugged at the neck of her sweater as his beady eyes flickered past the column of her throat to rest on the rise of her full breasts. She pulled her thick coat closer around her. His gaze fell away from her body, and she could breathe again.

The next part of her conversation would be vital. The shifters in this part of the states had developed a multi-million dollar business taking advantage of humans’ fascination with them and the beauty of their natural surroundings. They welcomed tourists and their money anywhere they’d established an attraction or a luxury hotel like the one she was standing in. They did not, however, like any uninvited guests further up the mountains where they made their homes. And uninvited shifters were a big no-no. Nick, her brother, had left her a note saying that was exactly where he was headed. He wanted to find others like him. “I’m looking for a guide to take me into the mountains. Do you know someone?”

The man cast a quick look around before returning his gaze to her. Once again, his eyes were filled with a lust that she found disturbing. “Perhaps. You are looking for a lover?”

“No,” she firmly stated. “Something else.”

She’s read more than one story about women who traveled to shifter territory in hopes of finding true love. And those that just wanted to say they’d slept with a shifter. She, along with many women her age, had grown up on what Sally had come to believe were just fantasies propagated by the media to make the integration of another species easier. As if women didn’t have enough trouble with the male gender. Now, better looking, more aggressive males who thought they were God’s gift to womankind were thrown into the mix. In her opinion, women didn’t stand a chance at finding their happily-ever-after.

She was not here to find herself a man. Well, technically, she was here to find a man, just not a man to warm her bed. No, she was here to find her younger brother. A brother who had left what she thought was their happy-ish home in Maine two days ago.

The clerk studied her for several more minutes, making her even more uncomfortable. She wondered briefly if he was a shifter. If he was, the only animal he reminded her of was a weasel.

“I know of someone who will guide you.”

She forced another smile, willing to do anything to find her brother. Even stay in the company of this slimy snake of a man longer than she really wanted to. “Will they take me to the mountains?”

“For a price.” Again, another long, dirty appraisal of her attributes.

She took a deep breath in preparation of telling this man exactly where he could put his so-called help, knowing that she might be fucking up the only chance she had of finding her brother. If she couldn’t find anyone to take her, she’d simply go by herself.

Just then a man stepped up to the counter. Sally turned, expecting to see another hotel guest. She knew instantly that this man was not human. His hair was thick and had a slight curl that brushed the collar of the navy blue sweater he wore.

His eyes…those were definitely shifter eyes, she thought. She took a deep breath. He was a classically handsome man as most shifters were, but he was also a man a woman would turn and look at and speculate about because there was a strength about him, a masculinity that was almost overpowering.

“Are you helping our guest, Scott?” Ooh, if his eyes were enough to make a woman think about sex, his voice made her want to yank off her panties and throw them up in the air to get his attention. She chided herself and her unusual reaction.

“Yes, yes, sir. Unfortunately, we are all booked for the night.” The desk clerk cleared his throat guiltily.

“Is that so.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“Yes, we have that big party checking in today.” Sally noted that he lowered his gaze when he answered. “I was suggesting that she go back down the mountain, sir.”

The man threw the desk clerk an almost angry glare. “And you would have sent her out in the storm that is approaching?”

“No, no,” he hastily assured the man.

Sally didn’t know who this stranger was, but she was glad he had stepped up when he did. She had no doubt the clerk had been about to make her an offer she would have hardily refused. She wanted her brother back home, safe and sound, but she wasn’t about to dig a hole for herself. There was no one waiting in the wings ready to rescue her.

She turned to the stranger, holding out her hand. She decided to throw all her eggs in one basket. “My name is Sally Wilder and I’m looking for my brother.”

She gasped as their palms touched, what felt like a bolt of electricity shot up her arm. Her gaze flew to his, and she saw his eyes narrow. Had he felt the same curious sensation? His hand was warm, the palm and fingers slightly rough beneath hers. A working man’s hand, she thought, wondering briefly what he did to create the calluses. His persona held too much sophistication to make her think he spent his days doing, hard, physical labor. Not that he didn’t appear capable of doing such strenuous labor. Just that he…he didn’t have to.

Too aware of the latent strength in his grip, she drew her hand away from his.

Bachar’s animal rose inside him as the woman looked at him. Her brown eyes had opened wide at the sound of his voice. He was used to that reaction from the female gender. He’d been told he could melt a pair of panties off a woman at ten paces with his voice alone. His mouth lifted at the corner, still finding humor in the comment his mother had made so long ago.

When he had seen her enter the hotel, he’d been conducting business with another shifter. He had immediately dismissed the man, and it had taken only two steps for him to cross the room. Now, standing this close, her light and airy scent wrapped around him. For a second he forgot what he was doing. Forgot why he was there. Forgot everything except the sudden discovery of just how appealing sweetness and innocence could be.

Her lashes, thick and dark, fluttered, hiding those expressive brown eyes from his view. Was she as taken with him as he was with her? Did she feel the pull? A pulse quivered in her throat, and he wanted nothing more than to lean closer and press his lips to the soft flesh. To feel her heart race beneath his tongue seconds before he sank his fangs into the delectable flesh.

As she moved, sending the locks of her dark hair tumbling down her back, a heavier concentration of her scent wafted through the air, and he realized instantly, painfully, why he had been drawn to her.

She was his mate.

“Come, we will talk in here.”

He wondered if the kiss he wanted so desperately to give her would be worth the slap she was sure to give him for taking such a privilege. Her gaze met his and the air around him filled with the scent of her attraction. His nostrils flared. If he was not mistaken, she would soon be fertile.

A fertile mate.

That thought brought him back to reality with a hard snap. Just what the hell he didn’t need at the moment. What the hell did he think he was doing? There was too much danger surrounding his pride at the moment to even think about bringing his mate into the fold.

For the last month, a group of humans—The Group—had been terrorizing the tourists and even attacking shifters if they caught them in their animal form alone on the mountain.

He turned and led her to a room off the side of the main entrance. This hotel was designed to mimic hunting lodges of old—with every convenience known to modern man. The room where he led them was no less rich and decadent, exactly as he had envisioned it when the idea had first taken hold. Ten years ago, the government had handed shifters the most dangerous and inhospitable region of the states, hoping, like other people they had driven to near extinction with the same tactics, that the number of shifters would dwindle to nothing.

What they had not realized was shifters would actually thrive away from the mainstream of human population. This hotel was just one of many that he and others had built in this remote area. Built to accommodate the men and women who found shifters fascinating, if not ultimately frightening.

As they walked over the threshold of the room, she stumbled. Instantly, his hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her against him. Her warm, feminine body pressed tightly to his, and an inescapable arousal surged through him.

He did not let go. Could not let go.

She did not step away either. A good sign, his lion whispered.

His head tipped down of its own violation as he sought more of her scent. He felt his cock harden and shifted away before she had more than a brief impression of his arousal. No matter how tempting, he could not give into the lust—and mating desire—that flared in his blood. There was too much at stake for him to lose his focus now.

Not even for a mate.

He stepped back, but not before groaning silently at the sight of her slightly parted mouth. Her delicious-looking pink tongue was just barely visible. Oh, how he wanted to feel that part of her flicking over him, over and over again.

Like his, her eyes were going dark and unfocused with desire. He knew the animal within him was calling to her and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Her sweet innocence was a danger to them all. His cat snarled, rejecting the logic of the man. To the lion, nothing was more important than his mate.

“Please have a seat.”

The strange feeling that had suddenly overtaken Sally disappeared at the sound of the man’s dark voice. Now, just the flush of arousal lingered within her. On command, she dropped down to one of the large leather chairs he indicated. It was next to a large stone fireplace, where a small fire was burning. She could imagine the guests of the hotel surrounding it at night as the snow fell heavily outside.

A man had followed them from the check-in counter and waited at the doorway. Bachar stopped and spoke to him for a moment before joining her and taking the seat opposite hers. Immediately the room seemed to shrink in size. The man was powerfully built, and she wondered what type of shifter he was. It would make sense that he was a wolf, given their location. But that wasn’t the impression she was getting from him. He was somehow fiercer, a larger predator come to life.

 “I am Bachar. How may I be of service?” He was over six feet of honed muscle dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a thick sweater. A perfect addition to the hotel’s atmosphere. She wondered how many women booked a room here just to get a glimpse of him.

Square jaw, full chiseled lips, and brown eyes that had a tendency to turn gold shaded by a pair of heavy brows. His hair was a dark brown, almost black, that fell recklessly over one eye and down the back of his neck.

He was a dangerous-looking male, and everything inside Sally screamed at her to turn around and run until there was a safe distance between them. Like the two thousand miles back home.

“I think my brother may be in your territory.”

“Is he here with a tour group?”

“Um, not exactly. He ran away from home.”

“And you think he is on this mountain?” His eyes were sharply focused on her face, and she tried to breathe normally. She knew shifters could scent deceit and tried to even out her breathing. She wasn’t lying. Just not revealing the entire truth. At least just yet.

“How old is your brother?”

“Sixteen.” She twisted the strap of the backpack she carried between her hands, the action betraying her nervousness.

The woman’s voice wobbled only a little as she spoke and Bachar was impressed. She had come into shifter territory looking for a person who had entered that territory without permission. Yes, tourists were allowed and even welcomed. It was how shifters made their money. But others who tried to hide their presence was another matter entirely.

“He is an adult.”

“No, he isn’t.” She shook her head furiously. “He is still a child.”

“Not in the shifter world.” He watched as she tried to hide the expression on her face. Trying, without much success to hide the fact that she was lying to him about something. As he sat there not saying anything, her distress rose, and his animal took over, offering her reassurance. “We do not harm the young.”

“I know.” She met his gaze, and he was pleased to see that she wasn’t afraid of him. Intimidated a little, but not afraid.

“Are you in charge of the boy?”

She nodded her head, the movement causing her hair to fall around her face. It was such beautiful hair. A thousand shades of brown, it made him itch to tangle his fingers into the silky mass and hold her head still as he devoured her mouth with his.

“Yes. Our parents are dead.”

“I am sorry.” He bowed his head to show his sympathy.

“Thank you.”

The man from earlier appeared, this time carrying a huge tray. He sat it on the table between the chairs, taking a post on the right side of Bachar.

“I thought you might be hungry after your long car trip.” He indicated the plates filled with breakfast pastries and the pot of what smelled like hot chocolate. It looked delicious, and she was hungry.

Oh, yeah, the small voice inside her taunted her. Breakfast isn’t all you’re hungry for. You want to climb onto his lap and see how those luscious lips taste. Feel the strength of his hands on your body as he pounds inside you, making you beg for release. 

“How did you know I drove?

He raised one of his dark brows at the suspicious look on her face. “What other way is there into my territory?”

Well, he had her there. Although she was certain she’d heard a helicopter earlier as she’d driven up the steep mountainside. No doubt the shifters had some type of air transportation being so far away from any major city. It was probably reserved for their special guests. Guests, she thought with a frown, who wore high-heeled shoes and short skirts in the middle of winter.

Another short space of silent and then he asked, “Would you mind pouring me a cup?”

He leaned back against the chair, waiting. She hesitated only a moment before complying with his request—or should she say order. She doubted he’d ever made a request. What choice did she have? This man was the key to finding her brother, so she supposed she needed to be nice to him. Channeling the lessons she learned by reading Miss Manners as a teen, she took a deep breath and tried to erase the image of her hurdling the white ceramic pot at his chauvinist head.

Leaning forward, she used her right hand to lift the pot. It was so heavy, she had to use her other hand to steady it. She appreciated the larger than normal cups the hotel had provided as it made it much easier to fill them. Once she had filled two of the mugs, she lifted one and handed it to the man who held her and her brother’s future in his large hands. She took hers and cupped her hands around it, savoring the warmth. The hotel was large and spacious and somewhat drafty. Looking at the two men before her, she remembered that a shifter’s body temperature ran higher than humans. Seeing them perfectly comfortable in their sweaters, she thought that might be true. Despite the warm coat she was wearing and the heat from the fire, she was still cold.

Or maybe she was just tired.  It had been a grueling two days on the road and before that she’d been on the verge of exhaustion. Between her brother and her job, there had simply been no time for rest. For living.

Taking a sip, she savored the sweetness of the drink. It was the perfect balance of milk and chocolate. She watched as Bachar took a large swallow of his, the muscles in his throat fascinating her. She was surprised he would enjoy such a drink. He looked more like a black coffee drinker to her.

Just to prove she was not completely enthralled by him, she looked at the man standing so silently by his side. “Would you care for some hot chocolate?” She made her voice as pleasant, okay, even downright sexy, as she could. Why? Because she wanted to wipe that superior look off Bachar’s face.

The man gave a small start. She was rewarded for her daring behavior by the quick glance he gave her and the stiffening of Bachar’s body when he realized his guard was looking her over.

Bachar drained his mug and tried to tell himself that this woman with her round body and soft white skin was no different from any other woman. But his hand shook when he set his drink down, and his muscles tightened with the need to touch her.

And he’d be damned if he’d sit here and watch as she made time with another shifter.

“Khalas.” Bachar’s lineage did not originate in the middle-east, but he found using parts of the language stress relieving. He slammed the mug down on the table, glaring at the man who stood beside him. “You are not here to flirt with my men, Miss Wilder.”

Sally took a sip of her hot chocolate. He thought that was flirting? She studied him before she spoke again. “So, will you take me into the mountains?”

“Yes.”

“Bachar.” Tarek started to interrupt him, and Bachar knew exactly what he was about to say. There was no need for the woman to travel into shifter territory. If her brother had not already been found and taken into the care of a shifter, he no doubt would be as soon as Bachar put the word out. And he would now fall under Bachar’s direct protection so no harm would befall him until he was returned to his sister.

“So you will take me?”

“Yes, I will find your brother.” Thankfully, humans couldn’t detect lies. Well, not exactly a lie, but certainly an untruth.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Miss Wilder. I’m not doing you a favor. The mountains, especially now, in the dead of winter, are a dangerous place to be. There are times when the temperature will drop below freezing, and it’s so cold it hurts to breathe. The snow will fall so fast and so furious that you won’t be able to see two inches in front of your face.” He leaned forward. “And let’s not forget about the animals. They’d just as soon eat you as look at you. You have entered shifter territory, Sally Wilder. You best tread lightly.”

“Or what, a lion will eat me?”

“No doubt.”

For some reason, that comment didn’t have the desired effect he thought it would have on her. Instead of the smell of fear he’d expected, a wave of desire flooded the air. Had her thoughts turned naughty as his had done as soon as he’d said the words? He heard the soft grunt Tarek gave and couldn’t blame the wolf shifter. She smelled damn delicious.

Mine, his inner lion roared, wanting to warn off the other male. Mine.

She placed her drink on the table and leaned forward, a look of courage and determination in her beautiful brown eyes.  “I don’t care. I need to find my brother.”

He had to shutter his expression for fear of giving away his feelings. Feelings that he was determined to keep to himself. He could not take a mate now, especially not one who looked as soft and fluffy as the snow that had begun to fall outside. “I hope, Miss Wilder, you do not come to regret those words.”

 

It took only an hour for Bachar to make their—or rather his—travel arrangements. She would go only so far up the mountain. When she met him at the door of the hotel as he’d instructed, he frowned, seeing the small backpack she carried. “Is that all of your luggage?”

Sally gripped the shoulder strap in her hand and tilted her head up. “Yes, I have everything I need.”

She didn’t want to confess that once she’d discovered her brother had run away, she’d simply thrown in a change of clothing and taken off like a bat out of hell to follow him. The rest of her clothing she was wearing, including the completely inappropriate tennis shoes. They provided no warmth against the cold mountain temperature. Besides the clothing, the small bag contained toothpaste and a toothbrush along with some deodorant and a hairbrush. She prayed the man she was about to go traipsing into the mountains with was more prepared than she was.

She had no idea what to expect. She assumed they would travel by car, but she also knew some of the area was completely inaccessible by anything other than foot. No doubt, shifters had no problem traversing the rough terrain in their animal forms. She, however, wasn’t so fortunate. All she had were two rounded legs that were weak from lack of any real exercise. She walked about a mile a day along a well-kept walking path near her home, but that was it. “Yes. I don’t need much.”

Bachar stared at her with those dark eyes that made her tremble. After a moment, he motioned for the man who had stood guard beside him earlier. They stepped aside for a brief conversation. They kept looking back at her, and she had the horrible feeling they were discussing her in some very unflattering way. She straightened her spine, steeling her resolve. She could, and would do this. She had no other choice.

Nick was all the family Sally had. As she had told Bachar, he was sixteen years old. What she hadn’t told the imposing man was that she had raised him single-handedly for nearly ten years. Ever since she was sixteen. She’d managed to keep the fact that their parents were deceased hidden from the authorities, afraid they would take him away from her. And once she discovered he was a shifter, she’d been even more terrified. She knew nothing about raising a teenaged boy, much less one that turned into a wolf.

After another few moments, the two men stopped talking, and Bachar stepped forward. “We will leave now.”

A valet delivered a large four-wheel drive vehicle, but Bachar made no effort to take her bag or open the door for her. He simply strode to the driver’s side to engage in conversation with yet another man. Sliding the strap from her shoulder and preparing to open the door herself, she wondered briefly if he was just an ass or was there something more. He carried with him that sense of power that she naturally associated with shifters. The one that said, I’m a big bad animal, and it is to your detriment if you mess with me. But his power seemed deeper, more ingrained. She had no doubt he was an alpha, but an alpha what? Whatever, or whoever, he was, he was definitely arrogant.

As her hand reached for the handle of the back passenger door, a strong masculine one reached for her bag. Without a word, he guided her to the front of the vehicle. He opened the door and waited for her to get inside. When she hesitated, he looked down at her, his gray eyes curious. “Do you require assistance?”

“Yeah.” Sally rolled her eyes, his complete ignorance of the embarrassing situation she found herself in, overriding said embarrassment. “The seat is like three feet off the ground.”

He looked over at Bachar as if seeking permission to help her and she gave another roll of her eyes. Could nothing be done without the great man’s approval? “Oh, never mind,” she said, trying to push him aside so she could get to the ‘oh shit’ handle. So what if her climb into the oversize vehicle wasn’t going to be all grace and beauty. Nothing about her was graceful or beautiful. She’d long ago accepted the fact that she was a plain, chubby girl with little to offer the male population.

Just as she stepped on the running board, she felt a large hand cup her ass and lift her onto the seat. “What the hell?” She turned around immediately, sending a killing glare the other man’s way.

His expression remained blank as he spoke. “You said you needed assistance.”

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it. What could she say? She had needed help, and his touch hadn’t been sexual, just a little inappropriate. “Well, next time, just take my arm, okay?”

She settled into the seat, giving a soft sigh at the warmth of the heated leather. Now, this was luxury she thought. She waited for the man to close the door.

“What?” she asked when he just continued to stand there with the door opened.

A look of indecision crossed his face. A look she was sure was not common for him to have.

“Be careful of him, Miss Wilder,” he warned. “We shifters love women, especially women as plump and lovely as you are. Bachar is no exception; you may find him even more of a challenge than finding your brother.”