Vivian Arend - Black Gold

“Nah. The only thing that could cause a mess is the food, and it’s all tucked away in bear-proof containers. What about your notes and research?”

“All safely packed up.” She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. “I’d feel more comfortable with that plan. If you don’t mind.”

Shaun hurried to reassure her. “Don’t feel bad you don’t want to live wild for a few days. There are a lot of wolves who grew up in the Yukon who have never done an extended trip in wolf form.”

Gem nodded. “May…maybe someday. I’m not sure, but I think I’d like to. Someday.”

The fluttering sensation in his heart—was that a heart attack about to happen? Or the realization she had just implied they’d be together for long enough for there to be a someday? Even staying in the north?

Shaun tugged her to face him. He had to say it. “Gem—I want you to know…”

“We need to be going, right?” Gem stepped back, antsy. Nervousness surrounded her. “I’m starting to get hungry, and we need to be far away from the herd when that happens. I mean, if the wind changed right now, it would be terrible. You lead the way, okay?”

She shifted before he could respond. Before he could find out why all of a sudden she’d gone from sounding as if she had offered him the moon to shaking the dust from her feet as she fled.

She waited in wolf, tail twitching. Body shivering. He would go insane wondering what was wrong. Nothing physically had changed in the last few minutes. He must have said something to offend her, and the idea stabbed him in two.

“Gem?”

He thought at her as hard as possible. Nothing.

He shifted to wolf, moved to her side and held himself still. Breathing slowly, willing her to calm down. In spite of what he’d done to upset her, he wanted her to know how much he cared.

When she finally relaxed and licked his muzzle once, a tentative touch, he blew out a long breath. Whatever bullet had just passed, he was going to be very careful until he knew what was going on in that complicated head of hers.

They headed toward the chopper, two-plus days of hiking as humans eaten up under their much faster wolf gait. After two hours of travel, they’d already covered more than half the distance back. The still-illuminated sky helped as well, and other than the occasional side trip to nab a snack, they made good time.

Somewhere in the middle of the night they arrived. They were both tired, turning the corner into the clearing where they’d left the helicopter. Shaun was sure sleep was Gem’s only focus. It was pretty much the only thing on his mind as well.

Which was why he didn’t see the trap until it was too late.

A sudden snap rang out, followed by the scream of a rope through a pulley. Gem’s eyes, which had been closing in near sleep, flew open. Her hind left paw lifted in the air, caught in something, and she scrambled away, rolling to the right as hard as she could, all her senses waking up in a hurry.

The wolf that was Shaun howled, and she glanced upward to see him wrapped in a net like a fly in a spider’s web. He warned her to hide, the simple communication they used in their wolf forms enough to get that message across loud and clear. She didn’t bolt into the cover of the low-lying brush, instead dropping to her belly and lowering her head.

The scents on the air and the sounds reaching her ears told the story. There were bear shifters in the area. Their aroma seemed vaguely familiar as their human voices drew closer. She scrambled back, staying low to the ground, hiding where she could keep an eye on Shaun.

“Yoo-hoo, sweet lady. Lovely to finally meet you in person. You’ve led us on quite the trip.” A voice rang out from the right as one of the shifters came into view. A Coleman lantern hung from his hand, brightening the twilight until he and his two companions were easily visible. “You may as well change, Gem. You’re going to be with us for a while, and you’ll be much more comfy in your human form.”

“Didn’t expect she’d travel in her wolf, Bruce. That’s not what the report suggested.”

“Where’s the guide?”

“The guide is right here, you asshats.” Shaun shifted, clutching the netting to pull himself to vertical in the wiggling trap. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let me down.”

“Shit, caught the wrong one.” The skinniest of the three bear shifters came over to stand beside the net, his head level with Shaun’s butt.

“Don’t worry about it, Vince, she wouldn’t go anywhere without him.” Bruce stared at the scrub, his gaze passing within a few feet of where Gem lay hidden. “And we’re not leaving without her.”

“So we’re at an impasse?” the third bear asked.

Bruce turned, his voice lowering. “You’re not going to start that business again, are you? I thought I told you two no more quoting from The Princess Bride or I’d rip your fucking ears off.”

“It’s not my fault this time,” Vince whined. “Norm started it.”

“Sorry, Bruce.” Norm crossed his hand over his heart then pressed a finger to his lips. “Not another word.”

Gem locked her jaw together to stop from whimpering in fear. Shaun spun in a slow circle, the net he was caught in suspended from a cross post that had been attached to the airstrip’s wind-kite tower. The bears had set a trap?

Bruce paced a step closer to Shaun. “Where’s the lady?”

“I killed her and left her body for the crows.” Shaun jerked the ropes harder.

What?

“Idiot! You know how the hell much she was worth?” Norm smacked a fist into Shaun’s back. A harsh grunt escaped Shaun as he attempted to twist away.

“Stop it, he’s bullshitting us.” Vince blocked another kidney punch from landing. “There’s no reason for him to kill her.”

“That’s what you think,” Shaun growled. “You didn’t have to deal with her highness in the backcountry. Now let me down.”

His insults slipped off like she was a duck who had fallen into the Takhini Hot Springs. He was trying to pull a fast one, and she needed to trust him. And help him.

And get them both out of this mess.

Bruce grabbed the net, stopping its steady swing. He twisted the trap until Shaun faced him.

“You’re lying through your teeth. I can smell her on you—hmm, you’re a little taken with the lady. Trying to move up in the world, wolf-boy?”

Shaun glared down at him. “What do you want with Gem?”

“Just doing a job. We caught wind of her arrival the minute she landed in Whitehorse. I hear her family is loaded. There are things we need to do in the next while that require cash. You do the math.”

Gem froze. They were using her to get money? This wasn’t happening. How had she gone from a simple-research-project/spread-her-wings outing to finding her mate and being used as a pawn?

She was not going to let this happen.

Shaun shrugged. “Good luck on that. The finding-her bit, I mean. She’s a wolf, she can shift and go a lot faster than you bears, especially since she knows the territory better than you now. It will be days before you even spot her.” He never glanced her way once, but she’d gotten the message. She could go back to the tent, she could hide and get away—it was true.

But like… hell …was she was going to leave him.

Her mate continued, total indifference in his voice as he baited the bears. “When I don’t call in for the final stages of our flight on time, there will be all kinds of people and pack searching for us. You really don’t want to be doing this.”

“No, I really do,” Bruce insisted. “We need the money, and see, your little scenario with us chasing her for days? Not going to happen. Because I bet she’s watching right now.”