“Tessa? What are you doing here?” asked Marcus, as he rushed past me, and I caught a whiff of his musky scent and soap. “Sorry, Anthony,” he apologized and shut the door, leaving us alone on the porch.
He wore a black winter down bomber jacket that hugged his trim waist above a pair of jeans that fit his thick, powerful thighs perfectly. His hair was longer, and it brushed his shoulders in thick black, luscious waves.
He looked great. More than great. I’d forgotten how handsome he was, or rather, what the effect of seeing him face to face did to me. Daydreams didn’t do him justice. Not by a longshot.
“Well,” I said, my face flaming, peeling my eyes away from him before I started drooling. I flicked my eyes to his Jeep. “Funny you should ask. It’s not like I planned to be here, but I came anyway. You didn’t give me any other choice.”
“Wait? What?” asked Marcus, and I met his gaze. He shook his head. “What are you talking about? Why did you barge in on Anthony?” He laughed.
Yum. I could stand here all day listening to that laugh. I strained to sober up. “I thought Anthony was you.”
He smiled at me, his thick eyebrows high. “What?”
“Never mind.” My pulse was just a shade faster as I pretended to be interested in the porch’s railing.
Marcus watched me for a moment, a thoughtful expression smoothing his features. His face transformed into a lazy grin. “You’re upset,” he purred and a wisp of his usual, confident self settled in his posture. “You are. You thought that was me in there.” He leaned closer, his gray eyes rolled over my face. “You like me. Really like me. Admit it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please…”
“You looove me,” he teased, his lips parted to show a glimpse of teeth as his smile widened.
Damn. Here he was all mountain-like, manly man—a tall, strong, virile specimen of male.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I said, though my heart practically jumped with joy. I was in so much trouble. Would it be bad if I started clapping?
“You look great,” said Marcus in a voice that sent tiny tingles fluttering in my belly with that damn uber-hot smile plastered on his face. I wanted to take that voice and make it into a cream so I could rub it all over my body.
“Stop.”
“Stop what?” His smile widened, and another wave of tiny tingles erupted.
“Stop looking at me like that.” No. Please don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.
Marcus shrugged. “Can’t help it. You’re so beautiful. Especially when you’re mad. Your eyes darken. Did you know that? It’s damn sexy.” His knowing smile made him a bad boy chief mix—a dangerous and intoxicating mix.
I stood there on the landing, not remembering why I was here or why I should be angry with him.
A new smile hovered about Marcus as he watched me. I was going to clobber him. Only, I started to shiver, so much so, that my lips were beginning to harden like frozen sausages as my teeth clattered. Guess my rush of adrenaline was over, now that I knew it wasn’t Marcus with Rodeo Barbie.
“You’re freezing.” Marcus reached out and touched my right cheek with his hand. It was warm, and I didn’t pull away.
“Mmmm, hmmm.” The soft touch of his hand on my skin sent my blood humming. I didn’t move.
Marcus moved his hand from my cheek and rubbed my arms with both hands. “Come. Let’s get you warmed up. Carol makes an amazing vegan chili.”
I didn’t come here to swoon over Marcus and some chili, but I was about to go all Frosty the Snow Witch if I didn’t get into a warm place in the next few seconds. A few minutes in a warm place with a hot meal wouldn’t do any harm. Besides, I couldn’t feel my lips anymore.
I let Marcus lead me down the stairs and towards that bigger log cabin. Once inside, I was hit by a rush of heat, like I’d just stepped into a sauna. The air was thick with the scent of chicken soup, chili, and burning wood. A large stone fireplace rose at the end of the room, a blazing fire roaring in it. A rocking chair, with a figure sitting in it, squeaked as it moved.
The place wasn’t a huge space, but it was dressed like a restaurant or pub. A dozen small round tables with chairs were placed around the room. Two men sat at the closest table to us, and a woman and a man sat at the table near a window. They all looked up when we entered, their faces hard as they looked me over. But their gazes turned away as soon as they saw Marcus with me. What was that about?
I was still shivering, so Marcus put his hand on my lower back and steered me gently with him over to a bar-like counter made of polished wood.
He pulled a stool out for me. “Here. Sit. I’ll get you something to eat.”
I did what I was told, too cold to do anything else, and watched as Marcus moved down the bar and addressed an older lady whose wrinkled face stretched into a large grin at the sight of him.
Her hair was long and white, pulled back into a long braid, and she wore an apron over her plaid shirt. Her skin was tanned leather, covered in fine seams and wrinkles. She patted Marcus’s hand, poured him a fresh cup of coffee, and disappeared through a door behind the bar.
“Here’s some coffee. The chili is on the way,” said Marcus as he placed the steaming cup on the bar in front of me, pulled out the stool next to mine, and sat.
I peeled off my mittens and wrapped my ice-cold fingers around the cup. The skin on my fingers burned as they touched the ceramic, but it felt nice all the same. Bringing the mug to my lips, I took a sip. Then another. And another. The bitter taste of coffee was divine, and I moaned as the hot liquid poured down my throat.
I instantly felt better.
Once my lips thawed, I asked, “What is this place?” I set the mug on the counter with my fingers still wrapped around it.
“It’s a shifter colony,” answered Marcus, his eyes still holding some of that laughter from before.
“It is?”
“Silverback gorillas,” he said.
I flicked my gaze behind him to the couple sitting near the window. They were both watching me with identical frowns. “Is everyone here a shifter?”
“Yes. Wereapes,” replied Marcus, and I moved my gaze back to him. “Most of them don’t trust outsiders… non-shifters.”
“So, Anthony is a wereape too, then?”
“Yes,” said Marcus, his unwavering stare piercing. “And my cousin.” He unzipped his jacket and dropped it on the empty stool next to him. Muscles bulged from under his snug black shirt, and I found myself unable to look away because part of me wanted to rip it off just to see what was underneath.
I breathed through my nose, trying to shut him out. He hadn’t even tried to reach out to me in three months. It stung. But it was the truth. I was tired of hating him and wanting him. That was a full-time job on its own. Enough was enough.
“I had no idea there were shifter colonies like this one,” I said, reeling in my feelings. “And you have family here, but you live in Hollow Cove?”
“My family’s from the city. But some wereapes prefer to live away from the modern world. They prefer wide, open spaces, surrounded by nature. They don’t want to have to deal with humans… or other paranormals.”
“Like me.” I nodded. “Well, it is really pretty here. Must be spectacular in the summer.”
Marcus shifted on his stool, our thighs touching as he moved closer. “I’m glad to see you.” His mesmerizing gray eyes had me feeling all kinds of things I shouldn’t be feeling right now—like hot flashes.
I raised a brow. I wanted to say so many things to him right now, things I had been thinking about for the past three months. I opened my mouth to reply, just as the older lady came to the bar.
“Here you go, hon,” she said, all smiles as she set down a bowl of steaming and intoxicating-smelling vegan chili.
“Thank you,” I answered, sticking my nose above the bowl and taking a sniff. “Smells divine.”
The older lady laughed. It was infectious, and I found myself laughing and relaxing for the first time since I came to this freezing campsite. I took a spoon and scooped a large portion of the chili into my mouth.
“Wow,” I said, my mouth full. “This is good. You should package it up and sell this stuff.” I put another spoonful of chili into my mouth.
“Thanks, Carol,” said Marcus, as he and she then shared some secret glances.
Carol leaned her elbows on the bar. “This one came to fetch you. Didn’t she? Hmmm. Must have walked for over an hour to be frozen like that,” she speculated with a smile on her wrinkled face. “She’s still young and in good, childbearing years.”
I spit the chili from my mouth. “I’m sorry. What?”
Carol huffed a laugh and disappeared back into the kitchen area behind the bar.
“Tessa, why did you come here?” Marcus’s question pulled my attention back to him. He dipped his head and stared into my eyes.
I watched him for a long moment, trying to stifle the bubble of betrayal and anger that threatened to pop. I failed.
“Why didn’t you ever call me back?” I accused, my heart beating a little quicker, and I hated that. Hated that I’d let my emotions be the boss of me right now, but I couldn’t help it.
“I couldn’t,” he answered casually, like it was a normal thing, like commenting on the amount of sugar he used in his coffee. “Cell phones don’t work here up in the mountains. And there are no phones. No landlines. I would have called you if I could.” Marcus leaned back. “I never thought I’d still be here, to be honest. Things got… crazy.”
“Does it have anything to do with the pile of burning rubble outside?”
“It does,” he answered. “Here, the wereapes are led by an alpha. Like a chief. The alpha is the strongest and takes care of his or her colony, their family.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“Too many alphas.”
“So little time,” I laughed. “Sorry. Bad joke.”
Marcus considered me a moment. “A younger male is challenging the alpha wereape. Another male. They’ve been at it for three months.”
“Does it usually take this long?”
“No. Usually, the older alpha submits to the younger alpha. But Stan is a stubborn old brute. He doesn’t want to submit. He thinks he can continue to be the alpha, but his body isn’t like it used to be.”
I swallowed more chili. “Who’s stronger?”
“It’s hard to tell. Both are massive. But there can only be one alpha per clan.”
“Right.”
We stared at each other, and the tiny space between us felt too hot.
I pulled my gaze away before I did something stupid—like jump him right there on the bar. Yeah, I needed help.
“You still haven’t told me why you came,” prodded Marcus as our eyes met again. His lips curved in the smile of a man liking what he saw. “I wish I could say you came because you missed me,” he continued, “but your eyes say something else.”
How perceptive. “It’s Ruth,” I said, my voice tight. “I came here to fetch you because of Ruth.”
Marcus’s eyebrows knitted in the middle. “Ruth? Has something happened to her? Is she okay?”
I shook my head, my insides twisting with dread. “Not really. She’s been—”
The door to the inn burst open. A big, burly man with the biggest arms I’d ever seen came rushing in. He looked like an action figure.
“They’re at it again,” said the stranger, his focus on Marcus as he came up to the bar. “You’ve got to do something. They’re going to kill each other.”
Fun times.