Land. Solid and unmoving land.

The shore was in sight.

Elianna couldn’t wait to stand on firm ground. Her head still swam from being on a ship for six days, then handed off to a fishing trawler, then to a private boat.  She’d always loved the water and had never expected to be seasick, but two days out to sea the weather had turned vicious.

She’d thrown up so much that her bear had just hunkered down and gone to sleep. She couldn’t have shifted into her animal if the world was coming to an end and that had been the only hope for survival.

At least she’d crossed the ocean with her friend, Captain Lubov, who had explained how she’d be transferred from his ship to two more vessels so that she could arrive in a private craft.

She’d tried to listen to what he said, truly. But they’d been in rough waters already when he started talking, and all she recalled of that conversation was that she’d arrive in the US on Friday. 

The water had smoothed out now, but her head still twirled around, unhappy with her. 

Now this nice man named Arthur, who said he grew up as a mountain lion but preferred the water to mountains, had spent the day fishing. His deep tan supported his claim to be out on the water every chance he got. He’d chatted all day, explaining how he had to keep up appearances even during times he wasn’t out strictly for fishing. Once he caught what he considered to be enough fish, he headed for shore.

His thirty-five-foot boat was nicer than any house Elianna had lived in and he’d told her to make herself comfortable.

She’d curled up on the padded bench seat out in the open and kept quiet as he fished. 

Her bear didn’t even stir when the man pulled in a nice, fat salmon. 

Elianna had eaten crackers earlier. Those came back up.

Late in the afternoon, Arthur said, “I believe we’re safe to go in now.  Before we reach the docks, I’ll slow down so you can change to clothes delivered to me. I was told you would want to blend in.”

She didn’t care about how she looked, but would not be impolite to this man who functioned as part of the transfer network. People were doing their part to allow her entry to this country.

For them she could be nice.  “Thank you.”

Alexandre, on the other hand, deserved a claw across the throat.  “You’re welcome,” Arthur said. “I wish you could eat.”

“I am fine.”  Either that or she would die and right now she didn’t care.  She had been glad to find jeans, running shoes and a lightweight knit pullover to wear.

By the time he motored slowly under the Golden Gate Bridge, which she recognized from pictures as an icon of San Francisco, and maneuvered his yacht into a slip, his boat became a puzzle piece inserted into a marina filled with pleasure boats.

Her heart lifted at being so close to standing on a sturdy dock. 

He opened a doorway in the hull and jumped out onto the dock, then offered his hand.

She accepted it, shaking all over. When she turned to take a step, her head and legs had not agreed on which way to weave. Standing there for a moment, she inhaled a deep, calming breath. Her head appreciated it, but her body thought it still moved back and forth in the water.

She didn’t care. She was on firm ground again.

Arthur hurried back into the cabin area and retrieved her small suitcase, which held all she had left in the world.

All but Nico.

Her heart squeezed into a painful knot every time she thought about him, which had not stopped since leaving Russia. Alexandre had allowed her to see Nico one last time before boarding the ship. 

Her throat closed up, recalling the tiny tears streaming down his face.  She’d sworn to him she would not let him down and she would die before breaking that vow. 

“Are you okay, Miss?” Arthur asked with a load of concern.

“Yes,” she answered, making a point of speaking her English words clearly.  She’d soon find out if all her language studies would pay off.

“Need me to carry the case for you?”

“No. I am strong,” she said with a smile.

“I know. Just wanted to make sure you’re set. I can only dock here for a short time.” 

She needed no help with lifting something so light, but she owed this man her appreciation. So few men had earned it. “Thank you for smooth ride and help me arrive. All was good.”

He beamed.  “I’m happy to do my part.  I was radioed that your driver is waiting at the top of this walkway.  They prefer us to not interact with the next transfer unless there’s a problem. Do you want me to walk you up?”

“No. I will find driver.”

She glanced around as if searching, but they were over a hundred feet from where people milled around on a walkway above the marina. Seeing between docked boats was not easy. 

But Arthur would not leave until she gave him a sign that she saw someone.

She narrowed her eyes even though she saw no one and said, “He is here.” She gave a little wave at no one and picked up her suitcase.

“That’s just great. Have a good trip.” He watched her walk fifteen feet, then climbed back on his boat and started cleaning it up.

Pulling a cheap pair of plastic sunglasses out of her small shoulder bag, Elianna slid them in place. Under different circumstances—and if she felt better—she’d be struggling to hide her excitement over getting her first look at America.

Instead, she was working to quell her anxiety. Taking in a deep breath of the salty air, she moved down the walkway toward the shore. 

Halfway there, her legs shook. She stopped and put the suitcase down to gather herself now that she was finally alone.

As she stood there and looked in earnest for anyone who might appear to be waiting on an arrival, she searched the people meandering around an upper walkway that ran along the shore.

Her gaze was drawn to the corner of a building where a large man leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. 

He’d been looking out over the marina, but at that moment his gaze latched onto her and would not let go.  He stood away from the building, studied her another second, then started straight for her. 

Was that her escort? 

How could he know she was the one he waited for?

It had to be the clothes she’d put on.

She lifted her case and started moving again. Had the clan sent one of their grizzly shifters for her, or had they sent a human? Some clans had associations with humans, which came in handy for times when they couldn’t enter another shifter’s territory.

She maintained her calm exterior, but her hands began to sweat and her nerves sent warning signals throughout her body.

She’d agreed to do this. 

No going back now even if she could.

The more of the man that came into view, the more she realized he was much larger than she’d first estimated.  He had at least eight inches on her, which wouldn’t concern her, but someone had found it necessary to fill him out from toe to head with as much muscle as possible.  The gray T-shirt and black pants he wore ... fatigues? Yes.  They belonged in a military movie. 

He held himself and walked as one not to cross or he’d make someone pay.

Above all of that large body, he had short, dark-brown hair. His whiskey-colored eyes were staring holes through her. 

Some would say he was pretty. 

No.  Wrong word. Pretty did not fit him.  He was too hard and tense for such a soft word.  To call such a man pretty could end with walking away limping.

She dug the word out of her new vocabulary.  Attractive.

Yes, that would suit him.

Or it would if not for his angry gaze.

Did he know about her?  Had Alexandre told his contact here that she was his bastard and a half-breed on top of that?

No, the Romanov alpha would not admit the bastard part. Only time would tell if he had shared the rest. When there was twenty feet left to reach this man, she put her suitcase down and waited. She would like to find out immediately if he had any prejudice against her.

She had no intention of putting up with being snubbed or talked down to while on her way to the bear shifter clan.

Alexandre must have told them she was not pure grizzly.

This driver did not know her. He should not judge her, but she had yet to meet one grizzly or polar bear shifter who had not.

She inhaled and answered one question.

He was a bear shifter.  That made sense.  He was probably from the Boudreaux Clan.  Had he been informed of her plans?

She’d had only one stipulation as part of this deal.

Alexandre gave his word to her in front of his men and said that he would make sure everything was set when she arrived. 

The bear shifter approaching her offered a polite smile that had no heart as he got closer, but he didn’t stop several steps before reaching her as she’d expected. 

When he was next to her, he leaned down slowly, close enough for her to take in a deep breath of his earthy scent. His distinct smell woke up parts of her that had missed contact with a man.

Her sea-tossed brain did nothing to help her.

She couldn’t think of what she’d intended to say only a minute ago. 

Grasping the handle on her suitcase, he lifted it and announced, “I’m Justin. I assume you’re Elianna.”

“Yes.” That was a terrible reply. She barely spoke the word. No confidence came through. 

An energy hummed through her core with him so close. What was that about?

He lost his smile momentarily, cocking his head to the side, then shook off whatever bothered him and said, “Welcome to our country. Ready?”

His words were polite, but cool.

Motioning with his arm for her to go ahead, he waited for her to move.

She managed a nod and walked forward, feeling like a fool for being rattled so easily.  But she had not caused the vibration she still felt tingling in her body.

In Russia, women pulled their own weight, but men carried luggage for a woman as a sign of respect. 

She had expected no male bear shifter to do that for her in this country. Clearly her driver had been instructed to show his best manners.

If he treated her politely, she would do no less. Maybe riding with him would not be as stressful as she had been thinking.  She could feel him behind her as if his heat reached out and touched her. 

She stopped short.

What was she doing, allowing a predator at her back?

“Whoa.” He sidestepped past her, swinging the suitcase wide or it would have struck her. 

She braced for his anger, which she deserved for almost sending him off the dock.

He looked off into the distance, took a breath and asked her nicely, “Is something wrong?”

When he didn’t snap at her, she felt embarrassed and wished for a good night’s sleep so she could get her head in a better place.

She owed this man the truth. “I do not like someone behind me.”

“Fair enough.  What if I walk beside you?” 

She didn’t understand why he was being so polite when she had sensed that he was not happy to be here.  But he had been cordial and she would, too.  “Yes. Thank you.”

He waited until she took a step and fell in next to her. 

She had no trouble staying with him. They both had long legs that covered ground quickly.  What did he call himself? Justin.

She hoped he had been informed that she really had to keep to her schedule. If not, his manners might disappear.

Men, especially shifters, cared only about their own schedules.

If he argued, she would ... what would she do? Threaten to return to Kamchatka when she had no way home?

She should not ask for problems before they showed up.

If Justin hesitated to do as she asked, she would simply request to speak to his alpha and clear up any confusion. He would tell Justin that she was in charge until they arrived at the Clan Boudreaux.

Alexandre had said the American alpha was desperate for new blood, especially female.

But would he want tainted blood?

Elianna shoved that thought away. There were many miles to go before she would allow any discussion of mating.

Was that why Justin had been chosen to be her escort? Had he volunteered to retrieve her so that he could get first look at the new female bear shifter? He’d looked at her as if he’d been curious at first, but after a few words he’d said nothing.

Maybe he’d taken a good look and decided she was not for him.

She was not attractive like Justin, but she was not ugly.

Why did she care?

In truth, she wanted no one as a mate, but that decision would be out of her hands soon.

A hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her to a halt.  “Careful there,” Justin murmured.

At the second he’d touched her, images flew through her mind in a blur of ... running from him.

Or had she been running with him?

She jerked her head around to face him, but her gaze had fogged from the momentary vision.  She mumbled, “Do not touch me.”

He immediately released her, lifting the offending hand as if he’d been scalded.  “My bad. I know you’ll heal, but I didn’t think you wanted to bust your ass out here.”

Confused, she blinked her eyes until they cleared, then looked around and realized a set of three stairs rising to the main walkway were inches from her shins. 

She’d been so lost in thought about her future, she almost walked into the wooden stairway and would have fallen, just as he said. 

What had that vision about the two of them meant?

Was it connected to the one she’d had before leaving Russia, where a bear shifter stood between her and Nico? The images were too confusing and she was too tired to figure out anything.

She would have to think on that later.

Right now she’d made a fool of herself. 

What could she say and not admit to being distracted by thoughts of him in a flash of images, which would mark her as even more strange than being a half-breed?  The longer she weighed her words, the fewer she came up with that were of any help.

Blowing out a sigh that sounded heavy with hidden frustration, he said, “No big deal.  Just be careful walking and I promise not to touch you.”

She mentally kicked herself.  The people she’d known back home liked her and considered her a nice person. 

They would frown at her in disappointment now. 

Turning to Justin, she debated taking off her dark sunglasses, but seeing him stare at her odd blue eyes would not help. “I am sorry. It was long trip and big seas.  Very bumpy on boat. I am not think clear now. Thank you for make me not bust ... bottom.”

He snorted and almost smiled. His mouth didn’t want to join in, but his eyes twinkled and in that moment she changed her mind.

He was not attractive.  He was beautiful. 

She felt like the weathered boards on this dock next to him.

“Apology accepted.  Let’s get you to the hotel so you can grab a hot bath and something to eat, then sleep in. How does that sound?”

She wanted to argue that she would rather get moving on her schedule, but he was correct. She needed at least one full night’s rest to best accomplish her goals, plus he was being very understanding. 

That was more than she deserved after snapping at him.

But he was also the man running with her or chasing after her in that vision. 

“Yes, I would like,” she finally said and turned to take the steps up. 

The image played through her mind again, filling her with a sense of unease.

It had only been for a second, but she’d learned the hard way to never ignore any vision.