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  “Come here,” Lark called from farther out. “The water is great.”

  Taylor said, “I just remembered I ate all those strawberries.”

  “So?”

  “Humans can’t swim after eating or they can, uh, drown.”

  Very smooth.

  “I never knew that,” Lark said, paddling over to her.

  If she was going to stay here, Taylor knew that at some point she’d probably have to learn to swim. For now, she’d rather Lark not know she was incapable of such a fundamental skill.

  “There’s so much I want to ask you about humans,” Lark said. “I don’t know where to begin.”

  “Haven’t you ever met any humans?” Taylor asked, picking at the tangles in her hair.

  “Only Old Fay, but she didn’t like to talk about human stuff.” Lark angled herself to float on her back. “There’s an abandoned town way down south. I go there a lot to look for things to add to my collection. But aside from that, I’ve never really left the valley.”

  “Wow, you’ve lived here your whole life? I’m jealous.”

  Lark smiled, but Taylor could tell she’d said something wrong. “It hasn’t always been like this. Peaceful, you know? It used to be a very bad place.”

  “What happened?” Taylor asked, her brow wrinkling.

  “It’s a very long story. You probably wouldn’t be interested,” Lark said. Not waiting for Taylor to reply, she went on, “A long, long time ago, the valley was full of all kinds of shifters. It was a lot like things are in the den. We all lived together and got along well enough.”

  As Taylor washed up, Lark recounted a fairly detailed history of the valley. Some of it was hard to follow, mainly because of Lark’s tendency to go off on strange tangents. The gist of it was that a decade ago, a wolf pack had migrated from the east and took over the valley, killing anyone who opposed them. The shifters in the valley lived under their tyranny for several years until Alder and his brother killed their alpha and took control of the land.

  The last part in particular had stuck out to Taylor. The more she learned about Alder, the more she began to doubt herself. If Lark was to be believed, Alder was a leader, a liberator, and a hero. With each new piece of information, Taylor felt the gap between herself and Alder widen, and she wondered what a man like him could possibly see in her.

  “My hands are getting pruny,” Lark announced some time later. “Shall we head back to the cabin?”

  Taylor nodded and they waded out of the water together. Back on dry land, Lark went to hand Taylor a towel, but paused.

  “Oh, cool,” she said, staring openly at the scar on Taylor’s chest. “Did you get that in a fight?”

  Taylor grinned and snatched the towel from her. “You’re so weird.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Glenn had made little progress by the time they returned. Several of the crates had been moved to the porch, but the cabin was still in a sad state. Not wanting to be useless, Taylor rolled up her sleeves and lent them a hand.

  For the first few hours, it felt like they were simply moving junk from one corner to another. She and Lark organized and arranged the crates, while Glenn hauled them back to the den. It was hot in the little house, and Taylor thought she’d probably need another bath before the day was done.

  After a while, they finally started to make some real progress. Behind a crate full of twine and fishing line, she managed to find one of the windows. The glass was broken in one corner, but what caught her eye was the sight of the lake in the distance. As the sun began to sink, it cast an orange-gold light over the surface of the water.

  That was a view Taylor thought she could get used to.

  But as she stared out over the lake, she wondered if it was something she should get used to. There were so many variables to her circumstances. She didn’t know what was happening between her and Alder. She didn’t know what was happening back in the outside world—would the police come here looking for her? She didn’t even know what was happening with those wolves who had attacked her and Alder the night before. She’d tried to broach the subject with Lark, but it seemed like that was the one thing Lark didn’t feel chatty about.

  With so much up in the air, how could she ever feel secure here?

  Taylor continued cleaning, but with less enthusiasm for the project.

  As the sky began to darken, Glenn arrived back for the final haul. They’d only made a dent in the garbage and there was no way Taylor was going to be able to stay there overnight. While she wasn’t keen on sleeping in a cave, she was looking forward to seeing Alder again. Being apart from him all day had made her feel strangely hollow. Definitely not a good sign.

  They each carried a crate back to the den. By the time they were ascending the pathway that led into the cavern, Taylor’s ankle was in serious need of some downtime.

  While Glenn and Lark debated the merits of having thirty jars of blueberry preserves, Taylor noticed several figures up ahead. Three women stood at the den entrance, two of whom were naked. Lark had warned her that most of the pack members didn’t regularly wear clothes in the summertime, but it was still odd to see.

  The woman in the middle had long blonde hair that was gathered in a tight braid that draped over her shoulder. She gazed down at the three of them as they approached, her arms folded under her breasts.

  “Who’re they?” Taylor asked.

  Neither of her companions bothered looking up. Glenn said, “Kale, Quinn, and Beka.”

  “Beka’s the one who’s probably glaring at us,” Lark added. “Don’t look her in the eye.”

  When they reached the top of the walkway, the trio was still waiting for them. The blonde, presumably Beka, was giving Taylor the stink eye. Ignoring Lark’s advice, Taylor stared back, keeping her expression blank.

  Looking at Glenn, Beka said, “What are you doing bringing that trash into the den?”

  Glenn fidgeted under her scrutiny. “It’s just some of Lark’s stuff. We’re clearing it out so Taylor can use the cabin.”

  “I hope you’re not putting that junk in your room,” Beka said. She turned her attention to Lark. “Where’s Alder? I need to speak to him.”

  “He’s probably still sleeping,” Lark said, keeping her head low. “I wouldn’t disturb him. He was up all morning with Taylor.”

  There was something about the way that Lark said her name that caught Taylor’s attention. She’d said it like a taunt and from the way Beka stiffened, Taylor had a rough idea of what was going on.

  Beka brushed past them, her companions following close behind. She called back, “We’re going to the river. Make sure you’re there as soon as you’re done.”

  Lark rolled her eyes as they continued into the den.

  Taylor had about a million questions, but the first thing she thought to say was, “What a bitch.”

  Glenn said, “She’s my sister.”

  “Oh, sorry,” Taylor said, cringing.

  He shook his head. “Nope, you nailed it.”

  “Is she…I mean, are she and Alder, like…” Taylor wasn’t sure how to ask the question in a way that wasn’t awkward.

  Lark snorted. “She wishes. Don’t worry about her. Alder’s all yours. Besides, she’s, uh, sort of with Hale, I think.” Lark shot Glenn a questioning look.

  “Don’t ask me,” he said. “Those two are really messed up. I never know what’s going on with them.”

  They parted ways with Glenn in the central cavern, heading down the dark passageway that led to Lark’s room. On the way, Lark explained that she’d have to join the others at the river. Every evening at sunset, the wolves hunted. When they came back with the nightly kill, the remaining members of the pack were responsible for stripping the carcasses.

  “Wait, so you’re not a wolf?” Taylor asked.

  “Nope!” Lark said cheerfully. “Can you guess what I am?”

  “A badger?”

  Lark laughed. “I’m a raccoon.”

  That was unexpect
ed. But then again, up until today, she hadn’t known there were other types of shifters besides wolves and bears. Hell, she’d been skeptical that even those existed. It was strange to think that there had been this entire world alongside of hers for years and she hadn’t known anything about it.

  Lark’s room was far underground. When they arrived, Taylor leaned against the wall while Lark shuffled around in the darkness. Lark stuck a match, and Taylor came over to watch as she lit a small glass oil lamp.

  “Most shifters have very good eyesight,” Lark said, handing Taylor the lamp. “But even we can’t see in total darkness. I have a few of these. You can have this one.”

  “Thanks,” Taylor said, already looking around the room.

  Lark’s room looked exactly as Taylor had imagined it would: cluttered. It was only slightly more organized than the cabin, though she suspected that would change now that most of the cabin’s contents would have to be relocated here.

  “Here, before I go, let me show you something,” Lark said, motioning for Taylor to come to the doorway. She pointed down the passageway, to where it led deeper into the den. “If you go that way, walk for about three minutes, then take a left at the stalagmite that looks like a thumb, Hale’s room will be your first right.”

  Taylor arched a brow. “Why would I want to go there?”

  Lark grinned. “It’s where Alder is probably sleeping.”

  With that, Lark left, heading off in the opposite direction.

  Taylor stood in the doorway, staring down the tunnel. She thought about what she should do and what she wanted to do and how those two things always seemed to be at odds when it came to Alder.

  She didn’t know what she wanted from Alder or where they were going to go from here, but she did know that she couldn’t stop herself from going to him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The directions Lark had given her were spot-on, but Taylor still felt like she had to be at the wrong room. Cold and eerily quiet, the cavern didn’t seem like the kind of place anyone would want to sleep. The lamp provided some light, but the room was too large for it to illuminate anything but the space immediately around her.

  Taylor considered turning back, but that was when she caught a whiff of Alder’s alluring scent. He was in there. Somewhere.

  The cool stone floor sloped upwards, leading to an upper level of the room. When she got to the top, her feet came in contact with something soft. Looking down, she saw black fur. For one awful moment, she thought maybe she’d run into a bear, but quickly realized it was just a pelt. Heaving a sigh of relief, she glanced up, only to be startled all over again.

  Alder was staring at her, his eyes glowing in the lamplight. He was lying in a bed of furs so large that it stretched out into the darkness. One dark fur had been thrown over his hips, leaving his broad chest on full display.

  Hands behind his head, he gave her a lazy smile. “What are you doing down here?”

  “Lark had to go do stuff,” she said, fully aware that it was a lame answer.

  He tilted his head to the right. “Come lie with me.”

  Not needing to be told twice, she set the lamp down on the floor and tried not to seem too eager as she crawled into the pallet beside him. Alder lifted the fur so that it covered her bare legs.

  “Thanks,” she said. “This room is kind of cold.”

  “It’s the coolest room in the den, and the quietest,” he said in a sleep-roughened voice. “It’s a good place to go when you don’t want to be disturbed.”

  “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

  “I’m glad you’re here.” He smiled again, and this time it did funny things to her stomach. “How was your day?”

  “It was great.” I missed you the whole time. “Lark was great, the cabin was great. Everything was great.”

  With a hand on her arm, he pulled her down onto the furs. She settled into the crook of his arm, unable to stop herself from blushing as he leaned over her. Stubble lined his jaw, making him look more masculine, if that was even possible.

  “You smell incredible,” he said.

  Taylor raised a brow. “You like the smell of sweat?”

  His smile turned mischievous. “I like the smell of a hot, wet female.”

  Whoa.

  Heat blossomed throughout her body, starting in her face and creeping down her neck and then over her breasts. While she was still grasping for something to say in response, Alder leaned down and nipped at her ear.

  “Why haven’t you been with a man?”

  “Um…” She bit her lip as Alder ran his tongue along the shell of her ear. “A lot of reasons, I suppose. Mainly I think I’ve just never felt comfortable enough with anyone.”

  It wasn’t the sex that scared her. It was everything that came after. What if they had sex and she didn’t feel the same way about him afterwards? Or worse, she felt more for him, but he felt less for her? These were the types of thoughts that had always kept her from intimacy in the past.

  “Do you feel comfortable with me?” he asked.

  “No.”

  Alder pulled back to look her in the eyes. “Why not?”

  Taylor braced herself up on her elbows. “I guess I just can’t figure out why you’re into me.”

  She thought that her deliberate stalling would annoy him, but instead he looked thoughtful.

  Slowly, as if he was still trying to make sense of it himself, he said, “When I first met you, I liked that you didn’t know anything about me. You treated me like I wasn’t any different than any other man, and that was interesting to me.”

  “I see,” she said, sitting up a little more. “But I know you now, at least a little.”

  “I think I like that even more,” he said, rubbing his chin. “You know who I am, what I am, and you still want me.”

  She crinkled her nose. “How do you know I still want you?”

  Giving her a wolfish grin, Alder sat up and leaned over her. He insinuated one thick leg between hers, and she could feel that he was very much naked. Without consulting her, the region between her thighs began to throb.

  His nostrils flared. “I can smell it.”

  Alder brought his head down to kiss her. His lips were warm and she couldn’t resist kissing him back. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she wasn’t afraid. Nervous, maybe. Excited, definitely. But not afraid.

  He ran his tongue over her bottom lip and she parted for him, letting him delve into her mouth. As he explored her depths, she ran the tip of her tongue up and down his in a slow, intimate dance.

  There was so much she wanted to do with her hands, but she was only bold enough to trail them over the back of his neck. The gentle touch seemed to incite something in Alder, because his kiss became more urgent and demanding.

  Alder’s hands moved under her dress, pushing it up. Understanding what he wanted, she lifted her arms and he broke away from her lips so that he could pull the flimsy material over her head. In her readiness to get the dress off, she’d forgotten that she wasn’t wearing underclothes, leaving her completely naked.

  Rather than returning to her lips, Alder traced his mouth over her jawline and down the curve of her neck. She got a little apprehensive when he reached her chest, but he seemed far more interested in her breasts than in the scar that ran between them.

  Her nipples had grown to hard peaks and Alder circled his tongue around one before taking it into his mouth. Her toes curled as he licked and sucked the tender bud while his hand kneaded her other breast. She’d always considered her breasts to be average-sized, but his big hands had a way of making them look small.

  Everything about Alder was large, and she knew from the day by the river that his manhood was no different. She could feel his thick erection straining against her thigh and her body ached to have him inside her.

  Leaving her breasts, he began kissing his way down her stomach. It was only once he had spread her legs apart that she realized what he intended to do. In her initial shock, she wasn’
t able to formulate a protest before his head moved between her thighs. Then, when his tongue flicked against her cleft, she couldn’t have asked him to stop if she had wanted to.

  She moaned, arching her head back and grasping at the furs. Alder seemed to know exactly how to lick and tease her sensitive flesh and in no time she could feel herself building towards a climax. She’d had orgasms before, alone in her bedroom while fantasizing about men like Alder. Having the real thing between her legs, playing her clitoris like an instrument, was better on every level and she knew that this time would be different.

  As if he’d just been toying with her the entire time—building her up so she would fall even harder—Alder did something with his teeth that sent her flying over the edge. Pleasure shot through her body in ruthless waves, leaving her spent and trembling beneath Alder’s formidable body.

  When she became aware of her surroundings again, Alder was holding her. He had positioned himself outside her entrance and she realized that he was staring down at her. She reached up, placing her hand on the back of his head and drawing him down for a heated kiss. As his tongue pushed inside of her, scraping past her teeth, Alder tore into her with one hard thrust.

  It hurt—a lot more than she would admit to him later, but she did her best not to show it. She held onto his neck, waiting for him to begin moving, but he remained rooted inside of her. Drawing his head back, Alder looked down at her again, pure satisfaction etched on his face.

  In a low, sultry voice, he said, “I’m the only male who’s ever been inside of you.” His lips twitched, and then he added, “The only male who ever will be inside of you.”

  A shiver rippled over her skin as Alder began moving within her. She brought her legs up to bracket his hips, allowing him more room to maneuver.

  After the initial pain, it did start to feel better, but she was still a little too uncomfortable to climax again. She held on tightly to Alder, burying her face in his neck as the pace of his thrusts increased.