Page 32 of A Lady's Heart
Slowly, though, other sensations broke through. The cool air turned to cold as the sled moved quicker, a rush of current against her cheeks like a winter day’s wind. The sunshine on her shoulders fought valiantly to offer a cloak of warmth, but the changing seasons were more advanced here in the north than they’d been in Whitehorse. The brilliant light was pretty but a feeble opponent against the encroaching chill.
She was feeling more confident by the time Caden directed her to bring them to a stop at a lookout point above the town. The neatly laid-out streets were bright-coloured dashes against the white surroundings, the Top of the World Highway stretching like a ribbon from north to south.
Caden stopped the motor. The sudden quiet as the others joined them left her ears echoing for a second before they adjusted to the quieter sounds of nature. In the wilderness there were always living, moving things.
Even the wind was alive as they stood and soaked it all in for a moment.
Suddenly Cole was stripping down. “Sorry, guys, but I need a little time in my fur. You’re welcome to join me, or I’ll just run alongside the rest of you from here on.”
Mandy was tempted, but she wasn’t sure what the protocol was. She glanced up to Justin to see what he thought.
He shrugged. “Let’s go for it. Two of us, two wolves. Pretty sure we can outrun their asses.”
Caden stuck out his tongue while he ditched his clothing into the bag on the back of his sled. “You have some sort of fascination with my ass,” he drawled. “I don’t think that’s healthy.”
Mandy hid her amusement. Out of consideration for Justin’s possessive instincts, she turned her back on the others so she could quickly get naked and shift to her fur.
The sensation was amazing, as always, as she changed to the one part of her nature that she’d never fought against or argued with. Her bear washerwhile being something more. More in touch with her surroundings, more willing to take control.
What had been a cool wind a moment earlier was now balmy, and she stretched, catlike, taking a deep breath and lifting her face to the sun.
Justin had shifted as well, an enormous grizzly on the extreme end of thebigspectrum as much as she was on the far side ofsmall. He plopped in front of her, resting his chin on his paws and offering a bearish grunt.
“Whoa, you’re…you. Wow.” Caden paused, bare feet planted in the snow beside her. He seemed to forget he was naked as he remained in human form and stared at Mandy. “I had no idea. Excuse me while I fall all over myself. I’ve never seen a shifter like you before.”
Justin rolled over just far enough to bump Caden in the ankles and send him sprawling to the ground.
The man laughed good-naturedly. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop ogling, but that doesn’t mean I’m not impressed.”
Discomfort slipped in for a moment, and once again she turned her focus to Justin, hoping for a clue of how to deal with Caden’s unexpected admiration.
He’d rolled to his back and was scratching on the ground happily, totally uncaring about the dignity of his position.
Perfect. Mandy followed his example, rolling to the ground and giving herself a firm squirm against the hard-packed snow. The sensation was delicious, and she gave an extra wiggle.
She only felt a little guilty that she hadn’t timed her roll very well when she knocked into Caden’s feet, and the wolf ended up on his back again.
He lifted a hand in the air. “Enough, you two. I give up,”
He shifted on the spot, he and his brother changing into large Arctic wolves, black fur with white markings, Caden with a black muzzle, Cole’s white.
The four of them exchanged a glance before Cole threw back his head and let loose a howl of happiness. Like a starter gun going off, his cry triggered motion, Caden breaking to the right, Mandy following Justin to the left.
They ran. The snow under their feet shook, echoing with low thumps as they moved over the hills wind-like, drifting in one direction before following the contours of the land in another until Mandy’s blood was pumping, and she felt more alive than she had for a long time.
They stopped often, just for a few seconds to look into the next valley or back over the town. It was wonderful and exciting, and she never wanted to stop running, even as she was eager to get back to the snowmobile to try to drive it all over.
The new experience was like a drug on her senses, joy rising that she was there. That Justin was there, and that together they were free to enjoy.
The sky lit up with the colours of sunset as the shortening day of the northern hemisphere slipped toward night. The sun sank slowly behind the western range, fingers of red and gold painting the hills with streaks from the brush of a wild artist.
She noticed another couple of sleds leaving town, following their recent tracks up the mountains. Probably more customers, although it seemed a little late to just be starting out. She didn’t think anything more of it until the wolves took off without another word, racing away and leaving her and Justin behind.
She looked again, and this time a touch of fear rose as she realized the new sleds were on a path that would lead them straight to where she and Justin stood.
Communication while in bear form was a lot more basic, but Justin made it plain something was wrong as he turned to her, crowding her in a move that was clearly protective. He pushed her toward the new tracks left by the wolves—ignoring their earlier meanderings, Caden and Cole had taken a beeline path back to the snowmobiles, the route sending them sliding down a steep hill for the last part of the journey.
Mandy paused at the edge and looked down, caution stilling her feet. At the bottom of the hill, the wolves had shifted, leaping on the sleds, engines roaring as they spun to pursue the intruders without bothering to get dressed.
