~ EXCERPT BELOW ~
Kann is a lion shifter from another world. Literally. Even though he’s learned how to walk, talk, dress and sound just like everyone else in Mystery, Alaska, he still can't find his mate.
Until she walks right into the local grocery store. Her blue eyes and killer legs make his lion stand up and roar.
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Penny stepped from the wing to the razor-narrow metal ledge, avoiding the flap of the wing on her way down to the tarmac. The tall burly pilot came around from the other side and smiled at her the way she imagined a dad would. He had short salt and pepper hair and lines around his mouth that spoke to years of smiles. It was why she’d approached him in Anchorage.
“You’re not going to tell anyone you brought me here, right?” She shoved her bare hands into her pockets and breathed slowly. The air was like ice in her lungs. In her hurry to escape she’d forgotten gloves and a hat. Stupid.
“Brought who?” His mouth turned down, like he wanted to ask a question but was second guessing himself. “I just deliver groceries and hardware to the Jenkins.”
“Thanks.”
“Where’s your ride?”
“It’s not that far, is it?” Normally she would’ve researched everything before making a single move, but she’d just run. There hadn’t been time for more. She certainly didn’t have a ride.
“You can’t walk to town. It’s damn near twenty below out here. You’d be dead before you made it the first mile. You’re already as blue as a sheet of ice on the bay.”
“Is it that far?” She hated being a burden, even if Carl didn’t seem to mind.
“Yep, too far. Come on.” He gestured toward a parked white box truck. “I’ll drive you in.”
She looked at the road. The wind this far north of the ocean bit way worse here than it did in Anchorage. He was right. She had no business walking and shouldn’t have even considered it an option.
The familiar smell of salt in the air had been replaced by the scent of spruce, because instead of an ocean, there was just a sea of snow and trees. It wasn’t unpleasant…just different. The same familiar mountains lay in the distance, except now she was on the north side of the Denali National Park instead of looking up from the south.
“You comin’?” He called out from ahead of her a few yards.
“Yes, thank you.” She forced her feet to move forward. Only hours ago, her life had been normal. She’d had a great job at Vicenti Inc, as one of the lead weapons research developers in the world. She’d had a great boss. Jake had been all smile and charm.
Except it’d been a lie.
Today she’d seen Jake, suave debonair professional businessman, kill people. She shuddered a little, remembering the bloody scene that had made her flee Anchorage during her lunch break. Her heart did a little flip-flop and her stomach threatened to vacate its contents.
Vicenti used their guns. She’d been developing weapons for criminals.
She took a calming breath and swallowed down her nerves. Jake was barely realizing she’d left by now, and he couldn’t possibly have followed her. She’d watched carefully for tails. Watched for anyone.
Her teeth chattered as she climbed into the cab of Carl’s delivery truck. He finished loading the boxes from the plane into the back and then climbed into the cab next to her.
“Dammit, girl. You’re already freezing aren’t you?” he asked, peeling off his gloves and hat.
“I—can’t—”
“You put those on for right now. I know you don’t want to talk to me about what’s really going on or what you’re hiding from, but if you freeze to death it’ll all be for nothing and I won’t be able to live with myself, especially since it was me that brought you to this tiny slip of a town.”
Her chest tightened, and her eyes welled with unshed tears. “Friends call me Penny.” She pulled on his gloves and tugged the Sherpa-lined hat onto her head. Everything smelled like peppermint and gunpowder. The latter might not have comforted a typical person, but the scent of gunpowder made Penny feel safe. That burning bite in her nostrils after firing a gun on the range made her pulse race and adrenaline spread through her system like someone had injected her with superpowers. “Thank you.”
“You’re right welcome, Penny. You got enough money for a place to stay? Food?”
She nodded. “Yes, I do. I’ll be okay. Thank you.”
He leaned over a bit and pulled something from his pocket. Penny’s eyes widened at the sight of the wad of cash she’d paid him for her seat on his plane. “You take this back. I was coming to Mystery anyway and having company on the plane was a treat.”
“I didn’t really talk to you.” She didn’t take the money. Which was dumb. She needed every dollar she had. There wouldn’t be any more, not for a long time. Growing up as a foster kid, though, she’d learned people usually want things in return for doing nice things, especially when related to money.
He shoved it at her chest instead and chuckled. “No, but you were a good listener.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.” His voice was light and warm and jovial, reminded her of getting a hug from Santa that one year at the mall when she was nine.
Her fingers curled around the precious bills. Having it back would make getting started in town a lot easier. “Thank you.” Tears pooled in her eyes again. She sniffed and wiped the corners before they could trail down her cheeks.
“You’re not going to tell anyone you brought me here, right?” She shoved her bare hands into her pockets and breathed slowly. The air was like ice in her lungs. In her hurry to escape she’d forgotten gloves and a hat. Stupid.
“Brought who?” His mouth turned down, like he wanted to ask a question but was second guessing himself. “I just deliver groceries and hardware to the Jenkins.”
“Thanks.”
“Where’s your ride?”
“It’s not that far, is it?” Normally she would’ve researched everything before making a single move, but she’d just run. There hadn’t been time for more. She certainly didn’t have a ride.
“You can’t walk to town. It’s damn near twenty below out here. You’d be dead before you made it the first mile. You’re already as blue as a sheet of ice on the bay.”
“Is it that far?” She hated being a burden, even if Carl didn’t seem to mind.
“Yep, too far. Come on.” He gestured toward a parked white box truck. “I’ll drive you in.”
She looked at the road. The wind this far north of the ocean bit way worse here than it did in Anchorage. He was right. She had no business walking and shouldn’t have even considered it an option.
The familiar smell of salt in the air had been replaced by the scent of spruce, because instead of an ocean, there was just a sea of snow and trees. It wasn’t unpleasant…just different. The same familiar mountains lay in the distance, except now she was on the north side of the Denali National Park instead of looking up from the south.
“You comin’?” He called out from ahead of her a few yards.
“Yes, thank you.” She forced her feet to move forward. Only hours ago, her life had been normal. She’d had a great job at Vicenti Inc, as one of the lead weapons research developers in the world. She’d had a great boss. Jake had been all smile and charm.
Except it’d been a lie.
Today she’d seen Jake, suave debonair professional businessman, kill people. She shuddered a little, remembering the bloody scene that had made her flee Anchorage during her lunch break. Her heart did a little flip-flop and her stomach threatened to vacate its contents.
Vicenti used their guns. She’d been developing weapons for criminals.
She took a calming breath and swallowed down her nerves. Jake was barely realizing she’d left by now, and he couldn’t possibly have followed her. She’d watched carefully for tails. Watched for anyone.
Her teeth chattered as she climbed into the cab of Carl’s delivery truck. He finished loading the boxes from the plane into the back and then climbed into the cab next to her.
“Dammit, girl. You’re already freezing aren’t you?” he asked, peeling off his gloves and hat.
“I—can’t—”
“You put those on for right now. I know you don’t want to talk to me about what’s really going on or what you’re hiding from, but if you freeze to death it’ll all be for nothing and I won’t be able to live with myself, especially since it was me that brought you to this tiny slip of a town.”
Her chest tightened, and her eyes welled with unshed tears. “Friends call me Penny.” She pulled on his gloves and tugged the Sherpa-lined hat onto her head. Everything smelled like peppermint and gunpowder. The latter might not have comforted a typical person, but the scent of gunpowder made Penny feel safe. That burning bite in her nostrils after firing a gun on the range made her pulse race and adrenaline spread through her system like someone had injected her with superpowers. “Thank you.”
“You’re right welcome, Penny. You got enough money for a place to stay? Food?”
She nodded. “Yes, I do. I’ll be okay. Thank you.”
He leaned over a bit and pulled something from his pocket. Penny’s eyes widened at the sight of the wad of cash she’d paid him for her seat on his plane. “You take this back. I was coming to Mystery anyway and having company on the plane was a treat.”
“I didn’t really talk to you.” She didn’t take the money. Which was dumb. She needed every dollar she had. There wouldn’t be any more, not for a long time. Growing up as a foster kid, though, she’d learned people usually want things in return for doing nice things, especially when related to money.
He shoved it at her chest instead and chuckled. “No, but you were a good listener.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.” His voice was light and warm and jovial, reminded her of getting a hug from Santa that one year at the mall when she was nine.
Her fingers curled around the precious bills. Having it back would make getting started in town a lot easier. “Thank you.” Tears pooled in her eyes again. She sniffed and wiped the corners before they could trail down her cheeks.