Finally, Mitchell rose to his feet and stretched. Ella stood up, as well. She started when she felt Mitchell’s arms wrap around her waist and turn her gently toward him. Her breath caught when he lowered his head and brushed his lips across her slightly parted ones.
“What did you do that for?” She asked in confusion.
“To say thank you for being you, and for a nice evening. I’ll be over tomorrow afternoon to help you with your lodging,” Mitchell said, releasing her and stepping back. “Have a good night.”
“You, too, Mitchell,” Ella whispered, lifting a hand to touch her lips.
She watched as Mitchell walked across the narrow clearing. He quickly climbed the tree he had chosen and disappeared. Shaking her head, she banked the fire to preserve the coals for in the morning. The sound of a branch snapping to her left had her twisting and reaching for the lance she always kept close. In the darkness, she swore she could see a pair of familiar eyes glaring back at her.
A soft curse escaped her. Glancing over her shoulder, she silently moved behind the tree and stepped into the forest. Her eyes locked with a pair of fierce brown ones.
“What are you doing here?” She hissed under her breath. “Do you have any idea what would happen to you if the others knew you were here?”
Ella’s words died in a startled gasp when she felt herself being pulled into a pair of strong arms. The cry on her lips was captured by the hot mouth that covered hers. A shudder ran through both of them. Her fingers tightened on the tight muscles under the thick sweater. She could feel the furious tension pulsing through Ty’s powerful body and knew in that moment that this man was nothing like Mitchell or any of the other men she had ever met.
Chapter 10
Ty’s gaze narrowed on the two figures sitting across from each other. He unashamedly listened to their conversation. It hadn’t been that difficult tracking Ella after she had left his campsite earlier. In fact, he was the one to scare the pheasants that she had killed. His appreciation for her skills as a hunter soared when he had seen her reach for the sling hanging from her waist and quickly downed two of the birds.
He had watched her earlier with the knife and knew that she was skilled with it as well. Afraid he would frighten her, he had stayed quiet. Something also warned him that she would not be happy that he was tracking her. He couldn’t help it, he had to know where she was going and his curiosity as a researcher just made it worse.
Ella’s small village came as a surprise to him. It was nothing like what he read about in the history books. Humans had existed in small villages similar to the shifters during the early periods. It was one of the reasons it had been so easy for the shifters to kill them.
He had watched from the shadows as she moved through the village. Shortly after she arrived, a group of hunters had returned. He had watched in fascination as they were greeted with enthusiasm for their bounty and then quickly set to work cleaning and dressing the deer with primitive tools.
His gaze had followed Ella as she quickly did the same to the two pheasants that she killed. She carefully gathered all the feathers in a large woven basket. She laughed and chatted with several of the children that watched her with curiosity before they lost interest and ran over to the other hunters.
From where he crouched, he could see the beginnings of the lodgings they were constructing in the trees. He was surprised to see most of the construction appeared to be done by the older women of the tribe. Ella lived slightly apart from the others. She quickly started a fire and soon had one of the pheasants roasting over a low bed of coals.
He frowned when he saw a male walking toward her. The frown darkened when he heard the man ask if he could join Ella for dinner. His bear, who had been curious before, was now on edge. Ty could feel the hair on his nape standing up.
Ty and his bear had both willed the man not to return, but he did. He began to relax while he listened to their conversation. A delighted grin curved his lips when Ella stood up to the male and told him that she thought of him as a brother, not a mate. It took everything inside him not to get up and do a jig of triumph. That delight evaporated when the male kissed Ella.
He hadn’t planned on letting her know he was there, but the low growl of displeasure had escaped him before he could smother it. He slowly rose when he had seen Ella turn and glance at the woods. She heard, or felt, his presence. Their gazes locked; his with a furious need to possess, while her eyes were wide with shock and dismay. He silently moved further into the shadows, his jaw tight with determination while she glanced warily around her before stepping into the woods.
“What are you doing here?” Ella hissed under her breath in dismay. “Do you have any idea what would happen to you if the others knew you were here?”
The moment she was close enough to him, Ty reached out and swept her into his arms. He captured her gasp with his lips, silencing her. His left arm remained locked around her waist, holding her to him while he raised his right hand and tangled it in her hair.
He was shocked by the intensity of his need for her. There was something about her that not only woke the beast in him, but it ignited the fire of a primitive need within him. He wanted to claim her as his, and it shook him to his core.
Ripping his lips away from hers, he buried his face in her neck and drew in a deep breath. His arm tightened around her when he felt her tremble. Her hands slid down behind his back and she gripped his sweater.
“Ty…,” she whispered, frantically drawing in the chilled air. “You can’t be here. Please, if you are found....”
“Shush, I won’t be,” he muttered against her neck. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. “Who is he?”
“Who is who?” She asked, confused.
“The man… Who is he? What is he to you? You said you thought of him as a brother, but he kissed you,” Ty growled in a low, harsh voice.
He pulled back far enough to stare down at her face. In the faint glow of the moonlight, surprise and amusement crossed her face before she scowled up at him.
“Are you jealous of Mitchell? How long were you listening to our conversation?” She demanded.
“Long enough,” he admitted, without answering her first question. “Who and what is he to you?”
“He’s a friend and the leader of our clan,” Ella retorted with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head. “He’s like a brother to me and I think the kiss was just to see if there could be anything between us. The elders….”
Ty slid his right hand along her jaw and cradled it in his palm when she started to turn her face away from him. He could see the troubled look in her eyes.
“The elders…,” he prompted when she didn’t continue.
Ella drew in a troubled breath. “We’re a dying species, Ty. They just won’t admit it yet. They want to force the young to marry and have children. I don’t want to bring a child into this life, knowing that there will be no hope for them. It may be selfish, but I won’t.”
“Ella,” Ty started to say before he stiffened and turned his head toward the village. “Someone is coming.”
Ella partially turned. “It’s Jayden. Go! I’ll… I’ll come to you tomorrow. Don’t come back here. I’ll come to you,” she urgently whispered.
“Ella,” Ty growled.
“Go, Ty. I promise. I’ll come to your camp tomorrow,” she muttered, stepping away from him.
He bit back a curse and stepped further into the shadows. Ella called out a quiet greeting to the other young woman. A flash of recognition hit him. It was the woman from the edge of the pit – the one that had tranquilized him with his own gun.
He waited until they both disappeared from sight. Turning, he quietly retraced the path back to his camp. He shoved his hands into his pockets as a stiff breeze cut through the trees.
We need to take her. It getting cold, his bear grumbled.
“I know it’s getting cold,” he muttered softly. “Do you think I can’t feel it?”
He kiss her. What if he tak
e her as mate anyway? His bear fretted.
Ty pulled a hand out of his pocket and tugged at the collar of his sweater. His hand fisted for a moment at the thought of the male claiming what was his. He knew it was barbaric, but it was the way of their world. You could take the man out of the beast, but you couldn’t take the beast out of the man. What was his was his – period. He would fight and die to protect his mate.
“He won’t,” Ty promised in a grim voice.
*.*.*
Ella stood along the edge of the forest once again looking at Ty’s camp. Well, actually, her gaze was glued to him. He was pacing back and forth like a caged bear. For a brief moment, she almost turned and took off. She would have if he hadn’t suddenly stopped and turned in her direction. A shiver ran through her body at the piercing intensity of his gaze.
Swallowing, she slowly stepped out from behind the tree. The wind had picked up and she could feel the change. They would get their first brush of snow tonight.
Last night had been a very long, torturous night for her. As much as she dreaded what she had to say, she had decided that it was time to convince Ty to return to his world and forget that she and her people existed. The feelings he evoked in her were confusing, and they scared her. She watched warily as he strode toward her.
“You came,” he stated.
“I said I would,” she replied in a clipped tone. “You shouldn’t have followed me.”
“I had to,” Ty grunted, coming to a stop a few feet from her.
She shook her head. “You need to leave,” she muttered, stepping around him and walking toward the fire. “If you had been discovered, they would have killed you.”
“Why? I haven’t done anything to them,” Ty said, twisting to follow her.
Ella threw him a look of disbelief. “Surely you are not so naïve to think that just because you’ve done nothing it will keep you safe. You are a beast – an Other. You are a threat and would need to be silenced,” she explained in exasperation.
“You know that I’m not,” Ty replied in a quiet voice.
Ella leaned her lance against the boulder and wrapped her arms around her waist. Her eyes burned, and she felt tired and confused. Neither feeling sat well with her.
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” she finally said, staring moodily into the fire before she looked up at him. “You need to leave today. There is a storm coming. It will snow tonight, and it would be best if you are gone before that. You are not prepared for it.”
“I’m not leaving without you!” Ty ground out in a harsh voice. “Do you think I could just pack up and leave? I know what the weather is like. I can survive it in my grizzly form a hell of a lot better than you can. I saw your lodging, Ella. A stiff wind would blow it and you out of that damn tree.”
Ella straightened and glared at him. “I have lived my entire life among the forests and mountains, Ty Bearclaw. I know how harsh the winters can be and the risks involved. I’ve watched my family and friends die. Our world is nothing like yours. Go away. Forget us,” she snapped, waving her hands in the air in aggravation.
“No,” he said in a calm, steady voice. “No.”
“Argh! You are driving me crazy! I am trying to keep you alive! Don’t you understand that?” She argued.
“What do you think I’m trying to do for you?” He shot back.
Ella stared at him in silence before she shook her head and bowed it. She wearily rubbed at her brow. How could she convince him to leave her be?
Why is it so hard? She silently asked herself.
“Ella,” Ty murmured, coming to stand in front of her.
“What?” She asked in a clipped, husky tone, not looking at him.
“Will you look at me?” He asked gently.
“No,” she replied with a sniff.
“Why not?” He asked, the sound of amusement in his voice warming her.
“Because,” she retorted in a barely audible voice.
She briefly stiffened when she felt his hands slide up her arms. The urge to step into his arms, to bury her face against his warmth, was overpowering. All she wanted to do was lean against him.
“Because why?” He finally asked.
Giving in to her need, she relaxed against him and buried her face against his chest. The warmth of his body and the rich smell of the forest clung to his sweater. She bent her arms so that she could rest them against his chest.
“Because I don’t understand any of this,” she admitted in a husky tone. “You are a beast – an Other. I’m a human. We should be killing each other, not… not… snuggling and… kissing.”
Ty rested his cheek against her hair and stroked her back. While he didn’t see the issues with their differences that she did, that did not make them any less relevant. She was right about one thing, though. He was not prepared for the snow that was practically guaranteed to fall tonight.
“I want you to introduce me to Mitchell,” Ty suddenly said.
“What?!” Ella asked, recoiling in shock and surprise. “Are you crazy? They will kill you!”
“Not if you introduce us. Once he understands that things have changed, it might be different,” Ty insisted, holding her by her forearms. “Peace has to begin somewhere. You and he both admitted last night that your clan couldn’t survive out here. I’m telling you that you don’t have to live out here any longer. Times have changed, and so have we.”
Ella shook her head. “Ty, what if you are wrong?” She whispered, her eyes darkening with fear.
“What if I’m not?” He insisted. “Let your people meet me.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, it is too dangerous!”
“Then I’ll introduce myself,” he stated, suddenly releasing her and turning away.
“What?! Where are you going? Ty, you can’t just walk into the village!” Ella called out in frustration.
“Watch me!” Ty replied in a loud voice, heading for the forest.
“I should have killed him and saved myself from all of this aggravation!” Ella muttered as she grabbed her lance and took off after him. “Ty, wait up!”
*.*.*
Ty fought the grin curving his lips, but knew he had failed when Ella shot him yet another dirty glance. He would be shocked if the entire village and half the valley didn’t hear them coming from the way she was knocking the brush out of the way. She had tried to stomp, but the stab of pain from her ankle quickly reminded her that she needed to be careful.
“It’s not funny,” she muttered angrily.
“You’re adorable when you’re mad,” Ty replied, grinning at her.
“Will you please be serious? They are going to kill you!” She hissed, stabbing at another branch.
Ty raised his eyebrow and stared at the hole in broad leaf. If the rest of the village got as angry as Ella, she was probably right. He absently slid his hand down to the pocket of his cargo pants. His fingers reassuringly brushed over the satellite phone he had pocketed earlier.
“I hope not,” he admitted. “If I show them I’m harmless….”
Ella turned around and glared at him. “Are you? If they see you in your shifted shape, what then? Do you think having a grizzly bear in the middle of the village is going to make them feel safe and cozy?”
“I won’t let my bear out,” he promised. “Ella, it will be alright. You’ll see. Times have changed.”
“How many humans do you know, Ty?” Ella whispered, staring up at him and allowing him to see her fear.
He reached up and brushed her hair back from her cheek. “None,” he admitted. “Except for you. I would never harm you, Ella. Never.”
“How can I know you mean that?” She asked in a husky voice.
Ty was about to reply when he heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. Ella heard them just seconds after he did and turned back to look at the narrow path leading into the village. The footsteps slowed as the young woman caught sight of them standing on the trail.
“Ella,” Jayd
en whispered, swallowing and lifting her bow up.
“It’s alright, Jayden. He’s with me,” Ella announced, stepping in front of him.
“Why?” Jayden asked in a hard voice.
“He wants to talk to Mitchell,” Ella said, lifting her head and staring back at her friend. “Put the bow down. He won’t hurt us.”
“That’s not what the stories say,” Jayden bit out in a suspicious voice.
“Put the bow down,” Ella ordered, walking toward Jayden. “He hasn’t killed me yet, and I really doubt he is going to do it now.”
“Maybe he just wanted you to lead him to the rest of us,” Jayden hissed back, glaring at Ty.
“I already know where the village is,” Ty responded with a crooked grin. “I followed Ella yesterday.”
“Oh,” Jayden muttered, staring at him when he walked by her with a nod. “Wait, that doesn’t mean anything!”
“What is going on?” Ella asked, ignoring Jayden’s last comment.
“What? Oh, Mitchell wanted me to find you. Anna said the storm is going to be here sooner than tonight. Mitchell wants everyone to get prepared for it. He has been working on your lodging. He said if it isn’t ready by tonight, you’ll be staying with him,” Jayden replied with a smirk at Ty. “The elders want Ella and Mitchell to get married.”
Ty flashed his teeth at Jayden, biting back a chuckle when she jumped to the side and gave him a wary glare. He knew she was just baiting him. What she didn’t know was that he had overheard Ella and Mitchell’s conversation last night. The grin on his lips turned down when he also remembered the kiss that Mitchell had given Ella before he left.
“How does Anna know the storm will be here sooner?” Ty asked, picking up speed when the two women in front of him did.
“Anna is one of the elders. She can feel the change of weather in her bones,” Ella replied. “If she says the storm will be here sooner, then it will be. You should return to your campsite and call for help. It will be dangerous once the storm moves in.”
“I’m not leaving,” Ty stated firmly. “I’ll help you get ready for it. I’ll be damned if you’re staying with Mitchell.”