Gunnar Read online

  Twenty-Six

  Jett

  “Come on,” Gunnar said once Melanie and Vera were safely out of sight and scent range. “The sooner we get past Clarksville, the better I’ll feel. Vera’s right. She knows how to take care of herself and Melanie. Plus, I wouldn’t underestimate Mel’s strength either. The Pack isn’t looking for them. They’re looking for me.”

  “Great,” I said, shooting him a narrow-eyed stare. “If that’s a pep talk, you suck.”

  He laughed. “Point taken. Let’s get moving in any event. If we stay here much longer, I’m going to start feeling a different urge that will seriously impede our progress for a while.”

  He gave me swat on the ass that sent a flare of heat through me. Good Lord in heaven, would I ever stop wanting him so much? He took my hand and we started west. Every fiber in my being made me want to go the other way. West led to danger. West led to the patrols.

  Gunnar was silent at first. He moved with quick stealth, staying a few paces ahead of me as we made our way through the woods. The plan was to stay along the river for as long as possible. South of Clarksville, we would hit a town called Cedar Ridge. Once Vera and Melanie were safely out of earshot and on their own way, Gunnar told me the Mammoth Forest wolves had some contacts there. It had been years since he himself had been there, but there may just be a chance to find them.

  My heart raced with the possibility of sleeping in a real bed tonight. It had been weeks and weeks since I had. Vera and I scoped out abandoned vacation homes along some of the less populated lakes. It was risky because neighbors were usually vigilant. But, when Caro got sicker, we’d taken that chance a few times.

  “You’re amazing, you know that?” Gunnar said. He took my hand in his. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met. And I’ve met plenty.”

  We’d been hiking for two hours at that point. Though it was rough going for me, we kept to the densest part of the wilderness. Gunnar’s senses stayed more acute there. I felt an echo of what went through him. Subtle things like a change in the wind, the light staccato of a rabbit’s heartbeat two yards away. He processed it all in an instant, making tiny corrections in our path.

  “I’m not so strong,” I said. “I’m lucky as much as anything else. And I wonder…”

  “Wonder what?” he asked, drawing me to him. I had the stamina to keep up with him so far, but I think he sensed my need to break for a moment. We came to a small, bubbling stream and stopped beside it.

  “I wonder if some of my luck had to do with fate. Everything aligned in my life to bring me to you. Maybe that wasn’t an accident. Fated mates, is that what you called it?”

  He smiled. Reaching for me, he took a lock of my hair between his fingers and twirled it. “Yes.” His answer rippled through me. “But you’ve survived because of what’s inside of you, not because of me.”

  I went up on my tiptoes. “And you’ve survived because of what’s inside of you. Gunnar...Camp Hell. We’d watched that place for years. Men don’t come out of there. Not whole. Not like you.”

  He bristled. We hadn’t talked about what happened to him there very much. I wasn’t sure we ever would. But, it was in him, just like his wolf. I knew his memories haunted his dreams. He murmured in his sleep.

  “There were others. Finn, Jones, Rackham. Good men. I’m afraid about what might have happened to them after I left. The Pack knew we were close. If they died in that hellhole because of me…” His voice cracked.

  “No,” I said. “Don’t think it. It’s not because of you. It’s because of Valent. He’s twisted those shifters into something they were never meant to be. I didn’t believe that until I met you. I saw what happened to my mother and to Melanie. The Alpha did that, or he made it happen. It’s not you. It’s not good men like you. This Finn and Rackham and the other one. No matter what, I know they don’t blame you for anything they faced after you left. I know they cheered your freedom. So, you have to honor them each day by fighting harder. It’s the same way for me. There were twelve of us, Gunnar. Now there’s just the three…”

  I stopped myself. I couldn’t let Caroline’s name fall from my lips. I couldn’t let my hope for her die.

  He pulled me to him. “See? Strongest woman I’ve ever known. There are strong women in Mammoth Forest too. You can help them.”

  “How?”

  He rested his chin on the top of my head. His strong musk filled my head, making me thrum with desire. “You can teach them how to fight the way you do.”

  My throat ran dry. It was the closest he’d come to asking me to reveal my last secret. I wanted to, and yet, I wasn’t ready. Not yet. Gunnar didn’t press. He kissed me, his own lust rising to the surface. Though we both wanted to give in to it, we had to keep moving. We wouldn’t be safe until we were underground again.

  Gunnar kept looking south. I felt a lump in my throat. Vera and Melanie were only a couple of miles out that way running parallel to us. If Gunnar sensed them, he didn’t say anything. If he sensed trouble, I truly didn’t know if we would put them in more danger by trying to help or not.

  Sweat poured down my back and my stomach growled. I was used to hiking for hours at a time, but Gunnar was harder to keep up with.

  “Come on,” he said, turning back. “We’re on state park lands right now, I think. There should be a real live hiking trail through here somewhere.”

  I put my hands on the small of my back and stretched. I ached in every joint but didn’t want to let on. I could hold my own. “Isn’t that dangerous? What if we run into somebody?”

  “I’m willing to take the chance. Maybe just for the next hour or so. We’ll lose daylight soon. We’ve made better time than even I thought we would. We’ll hit Cedar Ridge first thing in the morning. We’ve got kind of a signal worked out when we need help. I’m going to find a place to hide you while I run into town and set it off.”

  My heart flared with alarm. “You mean to tell me you plan on leaving me?”

  He came to me, putting a soft kiss on my forehead. I gently pushed him back. There were some things even he couldn’t kiss away. “It’ll be for an hour, tops. Good chance for you to take a nap. I plan on riding you hard tonight.”

  I swatted at him as he raised and lowered his brow in a wicked tease. At the same time, my own need grew. “That’s what you think. Gunnar, I’m sore in muscles I didn’t even know I had.”

  “Show me which ones,” he said, running a hand down my back.

  “I’m starving. You talked a big talk up there with Melanie and Vee. You hunt. I’ll gather. I saw some blackberry bushes back there. You think it’s safe enough to start a small fire?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I know I’m right about these being state lands. There’s a campground about a mile south of us. I think we can hide in plain sight.”

  I trusted him. Still, the thought of getting too close to anyone who might report us nagged at me. As much as Gunnar’s Mammoth Forest wolves had a network of spies, so did the Pack, and theirs was bigger. But, it became alarmingly clear that if we were to make it to Gunnar’s home base, we would need help at some point.

  He took my hand and we found the hiking trail. We made quicker progress now that I didn’t have to fight back the brush and gnarled tree branches. Just like Gunnar said, there was a campground in the clearing by a small lake. Mercifully, only three RVs were parked in slots along the water.

  “Let me go down and fill up the canteens,” I said. “You’re too big not to be conspicuous. You can start a campfire on that ridge over there. It’s far enough away that nobody will be able to really see us, but close enough the smoke won’t seem unusual.”

  “Go quickly,” he said. “You’re not back up here in ten minutes, I’m coming for you. I don’t care who sees me.”

  “Shh!” I cautioned and pushed him back. “You hunt. I gather. I’m starving.”

  When I turned to face him, he shifted. The power of it took my breath away as always. Gunnar’s great, silver wolf nuzzled my h
and and nipped the air. I sank my fingers into the dense fur at the crown of his head. He swished his tail and ran into the forest. At least he’d had the decency to take his jeans off before he let his wolf out. I didn’t have any more needle and thread to fix them.

  There was a public bathroom next to the boat launch at the lake. Two pickup trucks were parked beside it, but they were empty. Their owners were likely out on the lake. I ducked into the bathroom and checked the bottoms of the stalls.

  The coast was clear. I let the cold water run. Stepping back, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

  “Ugh,” I said, shocked by my appearance. My hair hung wild. It looked like it had grown a foot since I last checked. It hung almost to my waist in thick, black waves. My cheeks had taken on a ruddy color. But, the change in my figure startled me most of all. My body had filled out; I had definition in my biceps. I looked strong, lean, battle-hardened.

  The canteens overflowed and I pulled them from the sink, screwing on the caps. The bathroom had a shower stall in one corner. I peered inside. Someone had left travel soaps and shampoo. What I wouldn’t give for just five minutes.

  Gunnar!

  I hadn’t tried this before. I reached out with my mind. Had our bond grown so strong that he could hear me?

  If you let me take a shower, I’ll love you forever. Five minutes. Promise.

  I waited. At first, all I could hear was the pounding of my own pulse. Then, slowly, faintly, beneath that, a thought popped into my head. My heart fluttered as I realized it didn’t belong to me.

  Five minutes. Or I’m coming in after you. Hell, I’m coming in after you anyway.

  I staggered away from the sink, startled. Holy shit! I could hear him. He could hear me. He said that might happen eventually, I had no idea it would be this soon.

  Peeling off my clothes, I folded them on the wooden bench next to the shower and stepped inside. The water ran quickly hot. I felt like I’d stepped into heaven. I lathered up from head to toe.

  You’re killing me, you realize that? Touch your nipples. They seem dirty.

  “You can feel that?” I gasped. I started to throb between my legs. I did as Gunnar bid, circling my nipples with each index finger. He groaned inside my head.

  Oh. Oh. This was new, exciting, and a little scary. I wanted to go to him. My body thrummed with need. I was eager to explore this new power with Gunnar at my side.

  I took it slow, throwing my head back, I ran my hand flat over my stomach. Bracing myself against the wall, I slid my fingers between my legs. Gasping, I felt Gunnar’s need. His wolf hovered just below the surface, primal, blind with need. I didn’t need Gunnar’s words in my head to tell me what he wanted. I dipped two fingers inside me. My walls tightened around them. With my other hand, I kneaded my breasts. Water sluiced over me, making me slippery from head to toe.

  Gunnar’s unspoken command coursed through me. I touched my sex with the tip of my index finger, tracing circles around it until it hardened to a peak.

  “Oh,” I gasped. Anyone could come in at any time. I smacked my free hand against the wall to steady myself as the rising tide of my orgasm built. I felt Gunnar’s breath against my ear. Impossible. He was here but not here. My mark flared hot, matching the pulse beneath my index finger.

  I worked myself, sliding my fingers in and out. Gunnar was with me all the way. My knees buckled as I came; the water ran so hot. My body shuddered as I doubled over, thrusting against my own hand as I imagined it was Gunnar.

  Soon, baby. Soon. Hurry back to me.

  My legs felt weak as I came back into myself. It was time to go.

  Rinsing the soap from my body, I squeezed the water from my hair. I hated putting my stale clothes back on a clean body, but there was no help for it right now.

  You’re a bad influence. I called out to Gunnar. I felt another low growl rumble through me, but he didn’t answer.

  I slipped on my boots, then gathered my wet hair into a ponytail. It was the best I could do with no towel. With the humidity rising, I’d stay damp for a while. The aftershocks of my orgasm made me tremble as I stepped onto the tile floor. Catching my reflection in the mirror one last time, I smiled. My cheeks were still flushed with unquenched desire.

  On my way, I called out again. How quickly I’d gotten used to answering with my mind instead of my voice.

  But, Gunnar didn’t answer back. I stepped outside. The moon had risen. I looked toward the woods expecting to see Gunnar’s campfire. All I saw were the quick flares of a few fireflies. Summer was on the way.

  Then, a wall of muscle blocked my path. A flare of alarm went through me as Gunnar finally answered. The echoes of desire faded to terror and my heartbeat ripped through me.

  Jett run! Oh, God! Run!

  A pair of red eyes flashed and a large black wolf barreled down toward me. He shifted mid-stride and grabbed me by the arm before I could even scream.

  Twenty-Seven

  Gunnar

  Able Valent was old. Ancient, really. I’d seen him from a distance during the chaos of battle at Birch Haven. I’d felt him ever since in my head, in my bones. Now, I stood face to face with the man.

  He stood tall and straight, unlike other men I’d seen his age. Eighty. Maybe even ninety. He had thick, white hair and a full beard. In his prime, he may have been the biggest shifter anyone had ever seen. Even now, he had maybe two inches on my six foot five feet. His eyes flashed from gold to black. My own vision wavered as he walked toward me.

  “I’ve been looking for someone like you for a very long time, Gunnar,” he said. His tone was so casual, almost soothing with its dark whiskey timbre and measured cadence.

  When I closed my eyes, I could see through Jett’s. A black wolf stared her down. There was something familiar about him as his red eyes pierced through her. She tried to go for her weapon, but something made her hesitate. It was me. God help her, it was me. My own instincts seem to short-circuit hers. Whatever she’d done to stop the beta wolf the other day, she couldn’t do it now. I had to leave her head.

  “It hurts, doesn’t it?” Able said, walking calmly toward me. The urge to shift burned through me. Instinct told me that was exactly what he wanted.

  “Save it, Able,” I said. “I’m not going to join you. I know what you are.”

  I had to stall for time. I had to find a way to let Jett go at least for a moment.

  “It’s ironic,” he said. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Don’t you want to know how I found you?”

  I did. I’d driven him out of my head. The instant I marked Jett, she gave me the strength to break the hold the Pack had on me for good. And yet, as soon as I thought it, Able’s eyes flashed with menace. He couldn’t read my mind. I knew he couldn’t. Still, he looked at me as if he knew everything I was thinking.

  “Gunnar, I know more about shifters than any living soul. I know what drives you. What you fear. What you need. You’re an Alpha. You were born to lead. It’s clouded your judgment this whole time and you can’t even see it. You can’t protect her. You never could.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t need me to protect her. She’s been doing a damn good job of it all by herself.” My fear for Jett exploded inside of me. At the same time, pride filled me. She was strong. She’d faced down the Pack before.

  Kill him! I shouted to her with my mind.

  My vision shifted from Able standing before me, to what Jett saw. She stood stock still, her fingers playing over the handle of her weapon. Could she outdraw him? She was looking for something in his eyes. It held the secret to how she’d killed the red wolf and got the jump on Lowell. But, this one was different. He was familiar somehow. She knew him.

  A hand on my shoulder. Her shoulder. I couldn’t sort out what she saw from what I did. Able closed in.

  “You think you can kill me if you’re strong enough,” Able said. “You can’t. None of you can. Do you know how many have tried?”

  “Why don’t you just do it and get it over with?” I said.
“You know you can’t subjugate me. You would have done it already if you could. You’re old and fading.”

  Able’s eyes flared red and he charged at me. My knees buckled with the urge to shift. I held my ground. Something told me if I gave in to my baser instincts now, he could break me.

  Jett started to panic. I dug my fingers into the bark of the oak tree beside me, gripping it hard enough to draw blood. A hand slid to the back of my neck. No, not my neck. It was Jett’s. The black wolf had shifted. His red eyes still beamed with menace; he pulled her to him, tilting her face up to his. I closed my eyes, but I couldn’t see it. His face was a blur to me. But, his skin burned a path over her flesh as he ran a thumb along her jaw. She recoiled from it. So did I.

  “Careful,” Able said. “You wouldn’t want to make any sudden movements that Sutter might take as a threat.”

  Sutter. My old friend. My betrayer. Memories slammed into place. I outran him. He could never keep up. When he shifted, it was clumsy, slow, ungainly. He was a beta. I knew it then; so did he. I thought I spared his feelings by not mentioning it. I told him lies about how I could help him get better control of his wolf. I couldn’t. Only his Alpha could.

  Pain blossomed in my chest. Blow after blow sent me spiraling down. He thought he could break me. I focused on the dank smell of rotted branches. They curled far beneath my feet in the soft earth. I imagined making myself so small I could slip through the cracks in the concrete floor. Anything to free me from Maestro’s next blow.

  Maestro. Sutter. I couldn’t see him. I could never see him. I could only smell cold dirt and rotted pine. The dragonsteel chains chaffed my wrists and the filthy rag around my eyes was tied so tight my head throbbed.

  Look who’s winning now, Gunnar. Maestro’s thick whisper and fetid breath wafted in front of my face.

  I was right back there. Camp Hell. Had it always been this way? Was all of it a trick of the mind? Jett. My freedom. Had I dreamt it all?