Tooth and Claw (Kootenai Pack Book 1) Page 19

  There was a tense moment where Evan was still not sure if he should let me go. I felt Cain’s hand rest on my shoulder, the touch sent warmth straight to my wolf, “I’ll keep her safe, Evan. I promise.”

  Evan’s eyes moved from mine to Cain and he nodded stiffly, “Alright puppies, it looks like Lee wants you around. We’ve been meaning to hire extra help, you’ll earn your keep.”

  Ginger, Charlie, and Olly jumped up to follow the bear into the kitchen. Cain picked up the pack from the bar, “You driving?” he asked me. I nodded and led him to my car.

  “It’ll take a minute to warm up,” I told Cain after turning the blowers on high, “I’ve been saving up for a new one but after-” I stopped talking. I didn’t know how to continue. After the kidnapping? That wasn’t something I’d wanted to talk about, certainly not with a stranger.

  “After what?” Cain asked rubbing his hands together casually.

  “Never mind,” I said pulling out of the parking lot. I turned the conversation into the forest where Evan and I run. I told him about the trails to the lake and I warned him the escape path my wolf had used last time.

  “Where’s she trying to run to?” Cain asked. I felt my demeanor change, Cain noticed it too, “I’m not prying, but I promised the grizzly I’d keep you safe. It’ll be easier to do that if I know where you’ll be darting off to.”

  “She’ll run West towards Montana,” I told him, “But I don’t think she’s going to tonight. She’s never had a normal run with another wolf before. I think she’s excited about it.”

  “Evan didn’t tell us much about you,” Cain said, “Just that your howling was making him miserable.”

  I snorted, “That sounds like Evan.”

  “You two are really close,” he phrased it as a statement of fact, though I could tell he was curious.

  “We are,” I said simply. We were almost to the turn. It was hidden in the dark February night.

  “Bit of an odd couple,” Cain continued, “A grizzly and a wolf. I’m intrigued what your animals think of the pairing.”

  “His bear thinks my wolf is annoying,” I told him, with a chuckle, “My wolf thinks his bear is a jungle gym.”

  “And when you...”

  “When we what?” I asked, “Shift back? His bear doesn’t give two shits about me in human form, my wolf trusts Evan.”

  “Never mind,” Cain said shaking his head. We were there. Cain carried the pack and I showed him the tree to tie it to.

  “I’m still crap at the buckles one handed, so take pity on me and do them loose,” I asked pulling folding my coat and putting it into the bag.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, how long....”

  “Since I was eighteen,” I told him, “It’s fine, it’s kind of an open secret anyway. I ran into a bear trap, got out of it the way wolves have been since the torture devices were invented. Moved to Easterville shortly after.”

  His brows furrowed, “So no pack?”

  I used the distraction of pulling off my shirt to give me time to think. My wolf wanted me to be honest. We both knew she wasn’t weak, but we didn’t know anything about Cain. But Evan trusted him, and we trusted Evan.

  “I was a dud,” I turned quickly dropping my shirt into the bag and moving on to take off my pants. I wanted to hurry up the stripping part, so I could get into the fur and out of the cold, “They exiled me before my wolf appeared.”

  “Ah, the relationship with the bear begins to make sense,” Cain finally started putting his own clothes into the bag, “I’ll be honest that’s confused me since he first called.”

  “His grandpa took me in when I came to town,” I explained moving to my skivvies. The final scraps of fabric between my naked body and the bitter cold, “It took forever, but we finally became friends.”

  “And then more than friends,” Cain finished.

  I shook my head, “I know everyone thinks that, but we’re not. There was this one time a few years back where we tried, but my wolf rebelled so hard and so fast we never bring it up again.”

  “But you love him,” Cain was fully nude now and waiting for my bra and panties so he could close the bag. I quickly stripped and gave them over.

  “Yea, he’s been my best friend and the only pack I’ve had for ten years,” I told Cain, “He goes to extreme lengths to protect me, and I’d do the same for him, if he ever needed the help.”

  “So you’re...” Cain took a step closer to me. There was a heat in his emerald green eyes. Rather than waiting to see where that sentence took us, I released the beast and my wolf burst from my skin. My shift was painless for the first time since leaving pack lands. It was incredible.

  My wolf trotted in a circle then sat and looked impatiently at the new man. She wasn’t sure what to think of him. She wanted me to give her complete control, but I didn’t trust her not to run after Kendrick.

  Cain smiled fully at my wolf, “Lee, you have a stunning wolf,” he crouched down and held out his hand for her to sniff. She walked over and smelled him. He smelled good. He smelled safe. She licked his hand and wagged her tail, “You want to see my wolf?” she yipped bouncing on her front paw and he laughed, “Considering you haven’t run West, I’m thinking you’ll stay put while I shift. I’m not as quick as you. Might be a while.”

  My wolf was patient. She waited. Cain closed his eyes and muttered to himself. A minute later he was a wolf. His wolf was the size of mine, but every bit white as she was black. His wolf took a careful step toward mine and sniffed her. His tail wagged slowly. My wolf rubbed her face along his side, and he did the same to her. Then we ran.

  My wolf wanted nothing more than to run with this wolf, and play. I let her take complete control. Uninhibited, my wolf ran around the forest playing with the white wolf who she’d deemed her new best friend. They ran for hours. It was only exhaustion and the sound of neighboring cars starting in their driveways that drove the wolves back to the bag. Cain shifted first and once the bag was opened and clothing starting to spill out did my wolf release me to skin form.

  “That was a lot of fun,” I told him pulling out my clothes and getting dressed as fast as I could. The early morning air was bitterly cold and I wanted in my clothes and in my bed as soon as possible.

  “It was,” Cain agreed, “My wolf really likes yours.”

  I laughed, “Good to hear, she hasn’t had much experience with other wolves, I’m glad she didn’t do anything too offensive.”

  “Quite the opposite,” I heard Cain mutter under his breath. We were finally dressed and trudging through the snow back to the car.

  “Thank you, truly for coming with me,” I told him, “It’s been so long since she’s-”

  “I should be thanking you, really,” Cain said interrupting me then looking apologetically over the car once he realized he’s done so, “Sorry- I. I think I’m tired. A bit thrown off by the days events.”

  “Do you have anywhere you want to be dropped off?” I asked getting into the car and secretly hoping he didn’t have anywhere he wanted to go for reasons I assumed were my wolf’s, “You’re still welcome at the Tooth and Claw. I’m sure there’s a small corner left to sleep in.”

  I started the car and willed the blowers to blow warm air although I knew it’d probably take them the entire drive to the pub for the engine to be warmed up enough to do it.

  “I’ll take you up on that offer,” Cain said, “On the condition I can sleep in my skin.”

  “I assume by skin you mean human form?” I asked for clarification, he nodded, “Shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll see how Evan arranged the pups. If nothing else, you’re welcome to share my bed.”

  The blowers roared to life blessing us with warm air. I pressed my hand in front of mine and smiled at Cain who was doing the same with his. I drove us home in comfortable silence. We crept up the back stairs. The apartment was quiet but the sound of Evan’s snores, and the soft breathing of Charlie, Olly, and Ginger, all in wolf form curled up together on the co
uch.

  “I’m going to shower,” I whispered to him, “You know where my room and bed are, make yourself at home.”

  “Don’t have to tell me twice,” he said walking right to it. He set the bag and rope in front of Evan’s door, there’d be no way he’d miss it on his way out when he woke up.

  It was only after showering did I realize it. Not once the entire adventure did my wolf think of Kendrick. She didn’t howl for him, like she had every shift since her first. She didn’t give the perfunctory smell for him. From the moment Cain shifted, my wolf’s attention was on him. And it terrified me.

  I dried off and wrapped the towel around me. Cain had already seen me naked, there was no reason to be shy now. He was softly sleeping curled in my bed when I got in. I probably should have made him shower, his greasy hair was definitely going to stain the pillow case. I shrugged it off. Those were problems for early afternoon Lee, not early morning me. I threw on underwear and an oversized t-shirt and crawled into my bed next to Cain.

  He rolled over and wrapped his arm around me in sleep and my wolf relaxed in his hold. Despite his greasy hair and sweaty body, he still smelled good to me. His arms were firm around me, but I didn’t want to escape them. He felt safe. Despite being a total stranger, he felt like home.

  60

  5 years earlier

  “This is happening?” I asked Evan a bit nervous.

  “This is happening.”

  We were sitting in the pub still dressed in our suit and dress from Earl’s funeral. Earl had charged both of us rent the entire time we lived with him. Unknown to Evan and me, Earl had been investing the money. When he died, we got the funds.

  “We’re going to buy the pub, fifty-fifty?” I asked making sure I was on the same page. I was on my third Guinness and Evan was on his third jack and coke, we’d joked about buying the pub before, but it was now or never.

  “Yes, we’re doing this,” Evan said, “The bank is putting it up for sale, we should buy it.”

  “We’re doing this.”

  “Partners,” Evan said, “You deal with the bar, the ordering, and the people, I’ll handle the food and the paperwork.”

  “So nothing new,” I laughed.

  “Except we own it,” he reminded me, “We choose the menu, we decide the hours, we live upstairs. Dibs on Earl’s room.”

  Damn he beat me to it. I spit my tongue out at him, “Ok, fine. I’m in.

  “Partners?” He stuck his hand out to me.

  “Partners,” I shook his hand.

  61

  Present Day

  Evan didn’t say anything about finding Cain in my bed when he woke up. He made breakfast for the three young wolves and waited for me to wake up. Cain was gone from my bed by the time I woke up, but his scent lingered on the bed. Yup, I’d definitely need to wash the sheets. And he definitely needed to take a shower if he wanted to sleep over again, and I hoped he did.

  I dressed for the day and made the bed with fresh linens. Before the bionic arm, this was a two person job, now it was just a chore that took a little longer than when Evan did it for me. Not that Evan washed his own sheets much. I filled up the laundry basket and brought it to the living room, “Anyone have any dirty clothes they want washed?”

  Olly’s eyes flew open and he looked at Charlie who nodded, “Be right back.”

  Olly ran outside and came back with two black garbage bags full of clothes. I turned to Ginger who looked down at what she was wearing.

  “I should have some things that’ll fit you,” I told her, “After you shower, put on whatever fits in my room, we’ll get you your own clothes soon.”

  Cain was sitting at the kitchen counter, his hair was wet, he must have showered. If this puppy pile was going to turn into a long term thing, I’d definitely need my own place. Evan must be crawling out of his skin with this many wolves around. I looked over at Evan who was calm as ever, cooking breakfast.

  “You got any dirty Ev?” I asked him.

  “Don’t worry about me, Lee, I’m good,” he said, “How do you want your eggs?”

  It was a simple question. One he’d asked me thousands of times in our years together. One he’d asked me dozens of times since I got back. But for some reason today it reminded me of Marcus and Kyla. I needed to check on her. She’d been newly pregnant and terrified when I last saw her.

  “You ok, Lee?” Cain asked standing up and taking the laundry basket from my hands.

  I shook myself out of my thoughts, “I’m fine, great even,” I grabbed the bags from Olly, “We have an industrial washer downstairs. You don’t have any delicates do you boys?”

  Charlie and Olly both laughed, “No.”

  “Lead the way,” Cain said. We went down to the pub and I showed him the washer and dryer set up, “You guys go through a lot of laundry?” his question was tinged with amusement.

  “Earl got a killer deal on them when a motel on the highway went out of business,” I explained, “Before these he had rental linens and did his personal laundry at the laundromat. The horror.”

  Cain chuckled watching me load it up. A washing machine designed to fit comforters from a hundred hotel rooms easily fit the laundry of four rogue shifters, a bag of Cain’s clothes magically appeared between the bags of the twins.

  “You’re serious about taking in all us strays?” Cain asked after I added the soap and turned all the dials.

  “Yes,” I said. It was one word, but I’d never been more sure of that one word than I was of anything in my life.

  “Can you afford to?” he asked, “Feeding us isn’t going to be cheap, and once word gets out to other lonely rogues what you’re doing-”

  “I’ll figure it out,” I told him, “The pub’s been doing really great this winter and with the show airing in April, we’ll probably be really busy, busy enough to hire all of you to work in it.”

  Cain’s brow furrowed, “I’m a mechanic, I can get a job and help out. Charlie, Olly, and Ginger are young. I don’t even know how old Ginger is, but she can’t be much older than eighteen.”

  “She’s so skittish, in wolf and human form,” I remarked to him, “my wolf just wants to stand over her and never let anything touch her.”

  Cain’s expression softened, “In another life, I bet you would have been in incredible pack alpha.”

  I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. Cain stiffened noticing the change in my expression, “I said something wrong.”

  I shook my head, “I...” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, “I’m sorry. I’ve had really bad experiences with packs. Evan doesn’t even know the extent of it.”

  Cain took a step closer to me and my wolf urged me to take a step toward him. He wrapped his arms around me, and I wrapped mine around him, “Me too.”

  “My wolf really likes you,” I whispered to him, embarrassed to admit it, “I don’t understand it. I’m sorry if I’m-”

  My words were cut off by the softest lips I’d ever felt gently touching my own. My heart jumped into my throat. Cain’s hand reached up to my hair and kissed me deeper. My wolf brushed my skin pushing me closer into him. It was so confusing. Why did my wolf want this man? Why did I want him? He was a stranger. He was a mystery. But he felt like home.

  We continued kissing. Cain’s hands moved down and brushed the hem of my shirt. I’d never been kissed like this before. I wanted more. His tongue brushed my lips and I wanted to taste him. He groaned into my mouth.

  “You’re a miracle,” he whispered into my mouth before claiming it again. I didn’t understand, and I wasn’t sure I cared.

  The washer buzzed signaling it was done forcing us apart. We’d been lost in kissing each other for the entire wash cycle. I looked into his green eyes, they were rimmed with red. He was holding back tears.

  “I’m sorry, Lee,” he said wiping his face with the back of his hands, “ I shouldn’t have just kissed you like that. My wolf has been going crazy since he first saw you and you’re more incredible awak
e.”

  I blushed, “Don’t apologize, Cain,” my voice was husky, and I barely recognized it, “You have nothing to apologize for.” I reached up and kissed his cheek, “I should move the load to the dryer.”

  “You should,” he kissed my lips again and I was lost in him, again.

  Somehow the wet clothes were put into the dryer.

  “I... I’m mated,” I managed to stutter out, the guilt about the kiss manifesting as I lifted the wet clothes over and over again. It wasn’t fair to Cain, I turned the knobs and started the dryer. I faced Cain who was watching me intently, “Sort of, it’s a really long painful story.”

  Cain moved a lock of my hair from my face and looked down at me, his gaze intense, “I’m mated too,” my heart sank he continued talking, “Her name was Lily, she died,” Cain said his voice cracked and his eyes spilled the tears, “We were only nineteen, and she’d been running with her friends when she was shot by hunters. My pack kicked me out because I failed to protect her. I’ve been on my own since.”

  I stroked the tears from his cheek, “I’m so sorry.”

  “Me too,” he said, “Lily was a force to be reckoned with. We were training to be the next Beta pair. I was working on my car when it happened. I should have been there. I could have-”

  He bent into me and let me cradle him in my arms. He was in pain and all I wanted to do was fix it. But there was nothing that could fix grief. After several minutes he sat up straight, “Oh goddess, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t hav-”

  “Kendrick,” I said quietly, “mine’s name is Kendrick. And if I thought he cared half as much about me as you care about Lily now...You’re a good man, Cain. Your wolf is a good wolf. He made mine forget-”

  “Tell me about him,” Cain said. He was speaking softly but I knew he genuinely wanted to know. My heart was pounding. I wanted to tell him. I chewed my cheek. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

  “He was the first of our year to get his wolf,” I said, “ And he didn’t claim me. I told you last night that I was the dud?” I opened my eyes to see Cain nodding indicating he’d remembered, I told him the whole story. About growing up the dud, the trap, all the way to Earl finding me at the gas station. Cain’s intense green eyes stayed on me, his jaw flexing as he listened.