Page 46 of Mystery in the Mountains

“What is it?” Sunny asked.

“I don’t know . . . Something feels . . . off?”

If you didn’t know about magic or that Asher was a shifter, you wouldn’t be able to tell, but Sunny could easily see the wolf in the man.

“I’ll be right back.” He stood, slipped his shirt over his head, and toed out of his boots.

Next thing Sunny knew, Asher was slipping off his pants.

Damn.

Desire coiled deep inside of her.

He walked over to the edge of the meadow before stooping and shifting into the big black wolf she’d come to know. The wolf sniffed before trotting into the woods. As he did, a breeze blew her hair around her face. As the wind died down, so did the motion of the trees. That was odd. Hopefully Asher would know what that was about.

As she waited for him to return, her thoughts wandered. She wished she knew what he was feeling and hoped the easiness of the way she was feeling around him was a good sign.

She tipped her head back and let the warmth of the sun fall on her face, the trickle of a distant stream calming her.

This meadow had been her favorite place for most of her life. She was pulled out of the peaceful moment by a cold, wet nose nudging her arm.

She turned to find what others would be terrified of, but this massive black wolf flopped on the blanket and put its head right in her lap. As she gave it a good scratch behind the ears, it lifted its head and licked her nose.

“I’ve missed you, Puppy,” she said as it rolled to his side, offering its belly. “Oh, you want belly rubs.”

She gladly petted the massive animal before it got up and trotted back to the forest.

Next thing she knew, Asher was coming out of the forest. Naked.

Nudity in this group of people was nothing. They were stashes of clothes all over for when they randomly became a wolf—or a bear, in Abe’s case. But having had not been around it in a long time, she wasn’t quite as desensitized.

“What was it?” she asked as he made his way back to the blanket.

“I still don’t know. It’s weird.”

He stood there, naked, like it was nothing, and Sunny was about to explode.

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

“Oh . . . umm, yeah . . . I guess I’m just not used to this anymore,” she said, gesturing to his body before looking away.

“Oh,” he said, shaking his head. “Sorry.”

“No, I mean, it’s fine. I just . . . sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you naked . . . or anyone naked, for that matter.”

Asher slipped his jeans on before sitting on the blanket. “A long time since you’ve seen anyone naked, huh?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been gone for years. It’s a little jarring.”

“Wait . . . You haven’t seen anyone naked in years?”

“No. I’ve been gone.”

Why was he confused?

He just looked at her, mouth agape.

“What?”

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