Vivian Arend - Black Gold

Gem held out a hand toward him. “Let me take a better look, okay? If this is the leading edge, we might have a chance.”

“What—?”

Ignoring his grip on her arm, Gem slipped through the tent fly and stood as slowly as she could.

Caribou surrounded them as far as the eye could see. The pregnant females, the yearling calves following their dames. An ear twitched in her direction, a couple of heads swiveled. Silence hung in the air for a moment until it was broken by the buzz of a fly and the call of a bird.

Then the entire herd ignored her as the animals went back to nibbling on the sparse June growth.

There was a gentle tug on her pant leg. “I swore I wouldn’t use the word insane again, but I’m very, very tempted.”

Gem twisted slowly to smile down at him. “Trust me, it’s okay. Are you hungry?”

His grimace was hilarious. “Um, Gem, protected animal. You want to go hunting again, I’ll take you out for more bunnies later, okay?”

“Silly. Are you hungry, as in—if you’re not we can get out of this. We’ll have to abandon the tent.”

Complete concentration replaced his earlier concern. “You’re talking about shifting?”

Gem nodded. “We can walk amongst the caribou in our wolf forms. As long as we’re not hunting, they won’t care. It will spook them less than if we make the attempt as humans.”

“Even with the pregnant cows?”

There was a risk. “They’re a lot more skittish right now, yes, but I still think our wolves would be the best.”

He was already removing his boots. “Then get naked, woman.”

She took another slow glance around as she lowered herself back into the protection of the tent. The herd had come in on a more northern route than she’d expected. Shaun was right. Something must have spooked them to make them go off course this far, but then animals’ movements never were completely predictable. It wasn’t as if the yearly migration followed a set road.

As she shrugged off her coat, Shaun reached to help her. His touch distracted her more than simple assistance required. She wiggled in protest. “Timing is everything.”

Warmth crowded against her back as he snuck her shirt from her shoulders and cuddled up close, their naked torsos in contact. “I agree. We don’t really have to leave this exact moment, do we?”

Tempting, but no. Gem mustered her meager reserves and twisted away. “We do. Because the goal is to not rile up the herd any more than necessary. If we start fooling around, they’ll be traumatized for sure by your screaming.”

She tugged off her pants and folded them out of habit before she realized he’d gone dead quiet. Turned to stare into a very wide smile.

“Why, Ms. Jacobs, I do believe you just suggested offering me sex scandalous enough to cause me to scream.”

She kept her gaze fixed on his. “I believe, sir, what I insinuated is that was the status quo…”

Their whole conversation was held at a mere whisper, but the sense of joy spilling through her was powerful enough to make her feel as if they’d been shouting at the top of their voices. They grinned at each, and satisfaction rose higher.

“Thank you.”

He lifted a brow. “For screaming?”

“For believing me. For trusting me about the caribou.”

Even naked, when Shaun tipped his head, he was as elegant as any of the suitors she’d had back home during formal regattas and society dinners. “Your lead, my lady.”

Shifting was always miraculous. Erotic sensations trickled through her, powerful and strong. Not only her limbs changed, but her thoughts, as her wolf rose closer to the surface. She was still Gem, but more. The wolf was real, and honest. Painfully honest—her other half wondered when they were going to get around to the marking business. She wanted permanent proof of her mate.

Gem ignored the canine hussy’s questions and rolled to her feet. She bumped against Shaun’s larger body as he completed his shift. They stroked each other with chin and cheeks for a moment, enjoying the contact between their furry forms.

Then she stuck her nose out the tent flaps again, sniffing lightly. She wanted to let her new, more wolfish scent slowly carry on the air as a warning. That would be the least intrusive method to announce their presence.

Shaun sneezed and the herd swiveled their focus.

Fudge . So much for waiting. Gem took a cautious step forward. Then another. Head held high, body erect.

This wasn’t a hunting gait, she was taking a simple stroll through the tundra. A half-dozen paces brought her within lunging distance of one of the huge caribou. These weren’t the smaller southern herbivores that lived in Georgia. Like all northern animals, these were larger, bulkier. Built for the cold and danger of the north.

The creature could kick her brains out with one well-executed thrust. Gem stood motionless for a long time.

The caribou transferred its weight, then went back to grazing.

She breathed a sign of relief before heading up the trail toward the helicopter. They would have to stay in wolf for a while. Wait for the herd to finish moving past.

They’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but as she worked her way slowly through the now-crowded landscape, Shaun beside her, Gem took in everything she could. The data might not be able to be reported and documented the same as if she were in human form, but talk about first-hand information. She counted pregnant cows, made a close-up inspection of the animals’ coats after the long winter.

There were no words to describe her emotions. This was the pinnacle of her research, albeit not how she’d envisioned it. In wolf form, with a mate by her side?

She couldn’t imagine how her life could get any better. Shaun nudged her lightly, his furry shoulder far higher than hers.

They moved together away from the herd.

Shaun had seen a lot of things during his years in the north, many awe-inspiring. Standing on the summit of a mountain, staring over the tips of the neighbouring peaks as the sun painted the crags with gold and crimson. The skies over Haines filled with enormous bald eagles as they congregated each November. He’d experienced heart-pounding excitement as they’d shot the Tatashini River in kayaks, marveled at the moon-like landscape at the top of White Pass.

None of those situations had ever made him feel like he did right now. Because even with friends along, they’d been a side component to the event. This, being with Gem, was the event. It was so much richer and more—real.

As if he’d been dreaming all his life, but now that she’d woken him up he could truly live.

It took only a few minutes to leave the main mass of the pack. There were stragglers ranging farther out though, so Gem led them until they were far downwind. Her path brought them upward, where they could look back over where they’d come. She sat, staring for a minute then shifted. He followed her lead, the cool breeze carrying the scent of the herd straight toward them.

“I think we’re okay.” Gem pointed to the side where their tent was surrounded. “But we might not be able to get back to our gear for a day or two. They’ve settled in—there’s no telling if they will move on as quickly or sit here for a bit before they decide it’s time to make another push.”

“They don’t smell as if they’re upset.”

She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest as she shivered lightly. “We got out in time.”

Shaun tucked her into his embrace. Hmm, it felt marvelous to have her there. He nuzzled her hairline. “We’re going to have to share body heat.”

An extremely un-Gemlike response escaped her.

He twisted her to face him and gave her a mock dirty look. “Did you just snort at me?”