CHAPTER 4

The bear passed Adda easily. Of course, she was still standing there, staring stupidly, so it was no surprise really. The scent that followed him was definitely Shifter, though, not the strong sour musk of an actual bear, and, if she wasn't mistaken, he was rogue, as well. The same Shifter whose bed she had awoken in.

Huh.

He turned, the wide mass of his head glancing back over his shoulder to where Adda stood, gaping. He tossed his snout, clearly commanding that she follow. Behind them, as if orchestrated in timing, the woman's voice broke through the trees, barking commands.

Follow. Yes, that seemed like the best option for now. Perhaps the only option. She pushed herself forward, dashing in and out of the wide trail the bear left, attempting to come alongside him. She needed a better look at this occurrence...a great beast, like the heroes of old. And here she had thought them only children's stories.

After assuring her compliance, the bear faced forward and ran once more, not giving her another glance.

She tried not to feel a little put out that her obedience was taken for granted in such a way, but such thoughts soon left her mind. She learned two new things very quickly: one, that exhaustion had definitely taken its toll on her abilities, she wasn't able to maintain anywhere near her normal speed; and, two, bears were fast.

Forget coming alongside the Shifter, she struggled to stay behind him. The same branches and roots that tangled in her fur and tripped her paws had little effect on him; what he didn't burst through with raw power, he easily avoided.

Alternatively, she seemed to trip over nothing at all. Eventually, she discovered that if she stayed as close to his back end as possible, followed in the wake of his passing, many of her obstacles were misplaced, or destroyed, and only the rare solid root or branch presented itself for her to dodge around.

The shadows beneath the trees crowded together, creating a solid mass of darkness, with slightly lighter areas dappled throughout. Adda's eyes, well attuned as they were, were nearly useless. She found herself, instead, relying more on scent and instinct to guide her.

For a massive creature, the bear-Shifter was amazingly quiet, too. Not silent—a nearby Quatori would hone in on his noise without problem—but, she hoped, quiet enough that the pack couldn't follow them through noise alone. Of course, the pack probably had a tracker or two; they certainly found her easily enough the first time.

The dismal thought kept playing in her mind, a repetitive hoop of doom and despair. How would she ever complete her task with an entire pack hunting her? Wasn't it bad enough she was looking for something she wasn't even sure existed?

They ran for a long time, hours maybe. The pads of her feet became numb, though she suspected one was bleeding, leaving a nice strong scent for her pursuers. She might have taken a bright paint and left a trail of arrows for all the good running was doing her.

The first hints of dawn peeked along the eastern horizon, a paling of the otherwise monochromatic skyline. In the distance, frogs still croaked, and the buzzing of nearby insects was joined by the first tentative notes of birdsong.

Ahead of her, the rustle of brush came nearer and she caught a glimpse of furred lumbering backside. She wasn't sure what the bear-Shifter had in mind, but she happened to be grateful they were no longer running like their tails were on fire.

It is unwise to follow this beast any longer; it would be better for you to run now.

Nex had been silent for the duration of the hard work, so it startled her when he spoke. She yelped slightly and leapt sideways, nearly skinning her side against a tangle of thorny vines that were contentedly choking off the remaining life of a suffering tree trunk.

Where? Adda scrambled back to the path. I can't even see where I am going. I think I'll stick with him for a bit. He did protect me, after all.

*Only because he believes you are innocent.

I am innocent.*

*You really believe he'll think that when he finds out the truth?

Yes?*

Though silence ensued, she could feel Nex's incredulity.

*If you didn't want someone who believes in optimism, you should have inhabited someone else.

If I had, you would be dead. Where's the optimism in that?...foolish notion.*

She grunted at herself. She was far too tired for arguments with a demon in her head, a demon that was turning out to be far more articulate and less vicious, at least vocally, than she had expected. And at the moment, such an unusual turn was less than comforting, and took up far too much of her awareness.

Fur flashed in front of her face.

She skidded to a halt just in time to avoid the embarrassment of smashing into the Shifter's backside. It wasn't enough to save her from what came next though.

Slowly, taught sun-browned skin replaced fur. Well-sculpted hips and thighs appeared in place of the bear's hind quarters as the man stood upright. Great Six.

That had to be the sexiest ass she had ever seen. She stared, unable to help herself. Such perfection. A backside like that was worth following, even to one's doom. Given the way his thigh muscles melded into the perfect round lobes, she would guess that he'd have no trouble keeping up sustained use of the area.

Disgusting. A little consideration for other presences please.

That's easy to fix, get out of my head, Adda countered, but she stopped staring at the Shifter's behind. Mostly because he turned toward her and her attention caught on his other glaring attributes.

Odd that a Quatori could make such a disgusted sound directly into her thoughts.

“We will rest there.”

There was a smokey quality to his voice that pulled funny little strings on her insides, like fingers on an instrument. She forced her gaze higher, across an incredibly broad chest, with tree trunks for arms. Even his neck was thick, but fortunately proportionate. Shaggy gray and tawny brown hair dangled just above his shoulders, brushing against a firm jaw stubbled with at least a week's growth. Wide, sensitive looking lips sat amid the stubble, and, though it was taboo, she followed the line of his cheek until she met his gaze.

Wide eyes blinked back at her, a mixture of green and brown that suited his wild appearance. Like a beast, barely tamed. Intelligence shone in them, too, and, after a moments regard, a single tawny brow raised in question.

Gods save her.

It took a moment to think through the fog of lust that overcame her—which she blamed entirely on being drunk with exhaustion—to realize he was pointing. Up. Straight up the side of a nearly sheer incline.

She glanced from the impossible precipice back to the man pointing up it.

Taking a deep breath, she swallowed.

Many, many things were wrong with her life at the moment; too many to be ogling strange Shifters. Plus, she had already learned that lesson, painfully, and she hadn't even cleaned up the resulting mess yet.

“There is a cave above this rock face,” he pointed again, this time toward a chunk of rock that protruded at an angle. “You will rest there for a few hours while I keep watch...if you think you can climb it.”

Adda studied the cliff. How did he expect anyone to climb that? And she didn't see a cave either.

But he looked serious. Okay, maybe he could climb it...legendary Shifter, indeed. But she certainly couldn't, even if she had been in top shape.

She shifted to her human form—it was hard to make arguments as a wolf. As soon as the transformation was complete, she shook her head.

“I can't climb that.”

Both eyebrows rose now, but whether it was because of her statement, or because it looked like she had been tossed down a few cliffs, she could not decipher. He studied the cliff, and then her, once more.

“I can carry you up.”

A picture of herself dangling over his shoulder, naked, her backside in his face, popped into her head.

“Uh...no. That won't work. We can just find somewhere else to rest. I can go for another hour at least.”

It was a lie, but a necessary one, as far as she was concerned.

“We rest here,” he insisted. “If you will not climb, then you can hold onto my back. It shouldn't take anymore skill than getting you out of those tunnels.”

Adda opened her mouth to protest, but it ended up dangling there as she processed his words.

“You got me out of the tunnels?”

“I carried you, yes. Your sister is the one that collapsed them,” a bemused tone lined his statement.

Collapsed them? That was...extreme...and it sounded just like Lisrith. She tried not to think of the prisoners that had remained in the far reaches of the cavern. They would have been buried with the rest. Innocent men and women, but maybe peace could be found in the situation. They were definitely in a better place now.

She risked a direct look at the man's eyes once more. If he had been there, maybe he already knew of her troubles.

He did not look at her, though, hadn't past that first speculation. Instead, he studied the cliff face, concentration furrowing his brows. At last, he seemed to make a decision, and strode toward the rocks. Reaching up, he grasped a tiny protrusion.

“Coming?” he called over his shoulder.

Huh.

She supposed she owed this man a debt. Two, if she counted the incident with the Shifter pack.

“Why follow me all the way out here?” she approached him, but didn't get close enough to touch. How was she supposed to hold on? All those muscles looked smooth. There wasn't even a squishy part at his waist to dig her knees in.

“You are wasting the little time we have gained.” He turned his attention down the path he had created, as though the Alpha and her warriors might pop into view at any moment.

“Are you sure they will follow us this far?” Why waste so much time and effort? There were plenty of creatures loitering about the forest they could be spending their time dispatching, a fact that Adda had learned firsthand the night Bakkus betrayed her. A most disturbing fact. The Quatori had gained dangerous ground.

“We didn't hide our trail. Illaise will not give up so easily.”

“You seem to know them well. Are they friends of yours?” Maybe even his pack before going rogue? If so she could understand his choice.

“No. Now hold on, or I will climb up and leave you here.”

Adda snorted. “You won't leave me here, you just rescued me...again. It would be a waste of your efforts.”

His forehead thunked forward against the rocks. It almost looked painful and she felt bad for teasing him. He had saved her, and it was her exhaustion they were stopping for, not his, she'd wager. She sidled in closer and wrapped her arms around his shoulders loosely, trying to keep her woman pieces from smashing against him intimately.

“You will have to hold tighter than that.”

“I'm sure I can manage like this.”

“Suit yourself.”

With a great thrust of his legs he pushed off from the ground and her toes were dangling in mid-air. He was right about the grip, too. She decided that falling flat on her ass was more embarrassing than her breasts pressed to his back, so she scrambled up until she was pressed hard against him.

“Wrap your legs around my waist,” he instructed.

Even without the sexual implications, the suggestion made her blush.

“I can hold like this.”

“Maybe, but you're cutting off my air supply and I would like to make it to the top.”

Oh. Well, when he put it that way. She pushed herself up farther, so that her legs were wrapped firmly about his waist. He truly was a giant of a man. Careful not to let go too far, she loosened her grip on his neck.

He had climbed a quarter of the way since she began maneuvering herself and she ventured a peek downward. It wasn't a vast distance below them, but it did encourage her to firm up her grip. She imagined what might happen if they both toppled backward.

She managed to hold mostly still for the rest of the climb, until he encouraged her to climb up him and get herself onto a narrow ledge. It took her some time to manage the feat, mostly because of the aforementioned muscles and their smoothness. She worried that she might have stuck her heel in a few uncomfortable locations on her way, too. When she did reach the ledge, she pressed herself back until there was room enough for him to join her.

Dawn had broken into the sky enough to see his foul expression when he rose, brushing himself off. He did not meet her gaze, a grace of Shifter society, though not one often practiced by rogues. Popping his head over the edge of the ground that supported them he scoured the trail below, almost as though he expected to be followed.

“So...a bear huh?” Adda asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“It is a new development.”

“Does it come with the surly attitude, or is that your own special gift?”

The glare he sent her direction was much deserved, unfortunately. She had done nothing but hinder and make work for the man. She raised a hand in apology.

He was facing the other direction, away from the trail and toward the cliff they...he had scaled. There was a small crack in the rocks, triangular in shape. It sort of made a cave at the back of the ledge. If there hadn't been so many piles of rubble in the deepest parts, she might have been able to hide herself away. As it was, it was more of an indent in the rock than a cave.

He turned to her, the expression on his face daring her to complain, or say something witty, perhaps. Wisely, she kept her thoughts to herself.

After a moment, he relaxed a little, gesturing to the ground, inviting her to sit.

“I will keep watch.”

He strode to the edge of the cliff, and turned himself away from her, as if he intended to do just that. Not a conversationalist, she guessed.

But to what end would he keep watch? He had saved her, and she needed rest and would gladly take it. But then what? She couldn't just haul him along on her desperate quest for a cure, could she? He didn't seem like the type to be hauled anywhere. He seemed more like the type to do the hauling.

*You are correct in thinking his goals do not match up with yours.

Oh? And what are they?*

Silence.

Adda rubbed her forehead and worked her way over to a softer patch of dirt and rubble. The ground wasn't exactly forgiving, but she could see the advantage when it came to defense. She settled herself, digging a couple rocks out from beneath her butt cheeks.

He had relaxed with her compliance, and she studied him again. Everything about him screamed warrior, from his build to his proud stance, so what was he doing rogue in the forest? And chasing after her, of all things?

There had been warriors in her pack, too, though none would have been match for this man. Bakkus sure wouldn't have been. There was something about him that was simply primal, wild, and, if she wasn't mistaken, a little dangerous. Like the forest itself.

She needed to know more about him, especially since, for the moment, it appeared she was dependent upon him. That's what she told herself. The truth was, she simply needed to know more about him. How was it he could seem familiar to her? She felt as though she was trying to recall a dream, one that kept slipping through her memory. Maybe talking to him would make things clear.

Yet it was impossible to interrupt his strong silence.

She poked at the ground some more, disliking the surge of attraction she felt, too. It was stronger than it had any right to be. Such things were foolish. Hadn't she spent days beneath that mountain learning that lesson? Hadn't she foresworn mates, and men in general?

She was tempted to feign strength by sitting up for a while and waiting for him to speak to her, acting as though the entire ordeal hadn't strained her energy and she wasn't on the verge of collapse. She decided against it, however, or rather, her body decided for her. Once sitting, it kind of took control and slowly toppled to the ground, her eyes closing even before she had completed her descent.