Madison Layle: Falke’s Captive

“Do you two always provide such protective services to the tourists in this town?”

Kelan’s grin was cheeky.

“Hospitality at its finest,” Reidar quipped, making her laugh.

“Besides,” Kelan said, “you said you might stick around. We’re hoping to impress you enough that you will stay for a while…or perhaps return again.”

She nodded, coming to a stop at the hotel’s front door. “A repeat tourist, huh?”

The men released her, and she turned to face them. Both were smiling. Both so devilishly handsome.

“This place is colorful in autumn,” Reidar said, keeping the verbalized topic G-rated, but his gaze hinted at a totally different message. “And in the winter, it’s majestic.”

And I bet you two could keep me warm. Dismissing such thoughts, she took a deep breath, chastised herself for not having the guts to go through with what they might be offering and gave Reidar a grateful hug. “I’ll have to think about that. It sounds lovely.” He hugged her back, dipping his head to nuzzle her shoulder. She gave him a peck on the cheek and then turned to Kelan. “Thank you, both. I had a wonderful night.”

He wrapped her in a second hug, a little tighter than the first, but when she turned to kiss his cheek, he turned too. Their lips met in a brief, chaste kiss that knocked the breath out of her. Before she could cast caution to the four winds, he was the one to pull away, his hands at her elbows to offer support, which she much appreciated.

“It was our pleasure, Beth,” he said, letting go.

She didn’t want him to let go, but she reached for the stability of the door handle instead of him.

“Good night,” she said, pushing the words out with little air.

They wished her the same and watched her walk inside. When she crossed the lobby and looked back, they were gone.

“There is no reason this can’t work. Why aren’t you seeing that it would benefit Catamount Outfitters as well as the entire community by producing jobs the locals seriously need?” Kelan paced the confines of Axel’s living room, while his brother sat so smugly on the leather recliner and didn’t answer.

Kelan had finally gotten up the nerve to approach Axel with ideas to expand the family business, and his big brother—by a whopping three minutes—refused to even contemplate the plan.

“There are a number of reasons,” Axel said. “ Risks that I must consider.”

Kelan stopped pacing and narrowed his eyes at Axel. “Damn it, Ax, why are you so stubborn?

The business might be in your name, might have even been your brain child—though I know at least four of us were in on the planning—but we all bust our asses every fucking day to make it the best in Leavenworth. It’s our company too. You have no right to shoot down good ideas.”

Axel raised his eyebrows and folded his hands over his stomach, looking much too superior and relaxed. “And you have the funds to buy another piece of property and build the warehouse needed for this ‘good idea’?”

Kelan scowled. “The company does.”

“The company?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Kelan slashed his hands through his hair.

“Not only do you need to build the warehouse, or rent the space somewhere, and hire people to run it, but we’d also have to expend the funds to stock the warehouse before we could go online.”

“Why couldn’t we use your old apartment above the store? Knock out some walls, and that could work to start—”

“I thought you and Reidar were going to move in and live across from Torsten and Sindre.”

Kelan shrugged. “It’s not a done deal.” They’d discussed moving out of their fathers’ log home.

They were adults after all and had the means to be on their own, but the homestead was huge, both house and acreage. Too much for their fathers and little sister to handle alone. Still, that wasn’t the only reason Kelan had been reluctant. He also liked his childhood home because, unlike the apartment over the store, it wasn’t in town. It was remote enough that he could shift and go for a run on Falke lands or even cross into the national forest anytime the desire struck without worry.

“I see. So, while you two are remodeling the upstairs and spending company savings on stocking this experimental online store, the business we have now will suffer because two of my best guides will be off on this new project. It’s not as though I can hire anyone to fill your positions in the store.”

How was remodeling an apartment any different time-wise than what Axel and Gunnar had spent supervising the construction of their new home? “You have, including yourself, six guides! We’re all good, and you know it, so don’t try to stroke my ego by calling me one of the best. Jeezus, Ax, I’m not twelve. Besides, Reidar can do the website work after hours. He’s already onboard.”

“I’m not surprised,” Axel muttered.

Kelan’s temper spiked yet again. “If you and Gunnar weren’t so busy with Dakota, there would be enough guides. When was the last time you took a group out, anyway?”

Axel came out of the recliner so fast, with such a look of murder in his eyes, Kelan took a step back. Axel raised a finger, opened his mouth as if to say something, then turned and stalked out of the room.

“Shit.” Maybe implying that Axel hadn’t been pulling his weight on the job lately wasn’t such a brilliant strategy. He eyed the empty chair. His brother wouldn’t be open to any more discussion, so Kelan decided retreat was the best move for now. He’d fucked up, which only fueled his anger over the whole situation.

Kelan headed out the back door and into the woods behind Axel’s home. His steps gained speed as he jerked his shirt over his head and dropped it on the ground. Running, dodging low evergreen branches and jumping over fallen logs, he unbuttoned his jeans and shoved them down. He slowed only long enough to shed his shoes and socks and kick free of his pants. Then, he took off again.

Midleap, he transformed into his catamount form, landing on all four paws. He let out a frustrated yowl and dashed through the woods, going deeper and deeper into the Wenatchee National Forest.

Ever since Axel and Gunnar found Dakota—their mate—the family alpha had changed. Before, Axel’s life revolved around Catamount Outfitters. Now, his entire world seemed to be Dakota. Gunnar wasn’t much better, but at least he came to work every day. Granted the two had been extra busy designing and then supervising the construction of their new home, but they’d completed it before the first hard snowfall. And it was late spring now. Business was picking up as they headed into the heavier tourist months of summertime. But they, or mostly Axel, had remained preoccupied with…he didn’t know. Newlywed honey-do lists or something.

If Dakota worked from home, then so did Axel. If Dakota wanted to go to Seattle for a damned shopping spree, Axel drove her. As if the woman hadn’t lived for years alone just fine in Vegas of all places.

As protective as the brothers were over their baby sister, Axel never tagged along behind Heidi that way. Then again, Heidi would probably flatten Axel if he tried.

Kelan splashed through a stream and scurried up a hill to a clearing. He stopped, breathing hard, and looked up at the bright blue sky and the sun on its westward decline. He growled, snarled, let out another yowl of frustration.

Everything around him seemed to be changing, yet when he tried to make a change in his life, something that would be his , his overbearing family squashed him.

For a fleeting moment, he thought about going. Running. Making a place for himself somewhere.