At some point, she’d pul ed her hat off. Her tangle of golden hair glistened in the firelight like the myriad of stars that surrounded Zaron. He longed to run his fingers through it. To feel its softness once more.

  “If you wanted me off the phone, al you had to do was say so,” she said, avoiding his gaze. “Thanks to that little stunt, Michael is going to be worried sick. I wouldn’t be surprised if he puts together a search party to come find me.”

  He could try, but there was no way Arctos would let the man anywhere near her. The Goddess might not have spoken, but his actions had sealed their fate. Something primal rose inside of him, snarling and growling, determined to fight to keep its claim. Arctos watched her closely, then quietly said, “He would be a fool to start a search in these conditions.” Though he knew that had their positions been reversed that he’d stop at nothing to find her.

  “Mike’s not a fool. He’s a very smart man. In fact, he’s a teacher,” she said. “It was rude of you to hang up on him.”

  “I didn’t,” he said. “You did.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I did no such thing.”

  “He did not know of my existence. He wil believe that you acted of your own freewil .”

  She snorted. “By now, he knows al about you, including what you look like. Al ie’s probably shown your picture to everyone at the party,” she said, her gray eyes melting into worry.

  Good! Arctos was glad that Mike knew, but he made sure not to show it.

  Caitlin glanced his way. “Maybe I should phone him back and try to explain.”

  “And tel him what?” Arctos asked. “That you intend to spend the night with me? Perhaps the males here react differently than where I’m from, but I would not like to hear that my mate was staying with another man,” he said. “Even if it was a man that she has no interest in.” His voice dropped to dangerous levels, al but daring her to deny the truth.

  So much for being stealth on the phone. Yay me.

  Her jaw opened and closed a few times as one excuse after another flitted through her mind. In the end, Caitlin groaned in frustration. “I liked you better when I was asleep,” she snapped.

  Chapter Three

  Caitlin slipped off her mittens and unzipped her coat, revealing a pink, form-fitting long-sleeved shirt. She dropped the coat and gloves into a nearby chair, then unlaced her boots and toed them off, before shimming out of the bottom of her snowsuit. The movement so similar to the moment she’d made when he’d first come upon her.

  Those softly rounded globes once again had his ful attention.

  Arctos’ mouth went dry as he feasted upon the lush curves hidden beneath her protective clothing. He’d known they were there, but he’d greatly underestimated their scale and impact on his senses. His nostrils flared as he inhaled.

  Her sweet musky scent had returned, banishing the sourness that had arose during her phone conversation.

  The delicious aroma now permeated the smal space, leaving him hard and aching. Self-preservation made him retreat.

  “I’l get us some food,” he said in a low rumble. He hoped the hint of anger disguised his true condition.

  Caitlin flinched. “Do you want me to check the kitchen first?” she asked, pointing to the cabinets behind her.

  “Could save you a trip.”

  “I already have. There’s no meat,” he said. “It contains something cal ed beans, but there’s not enough to sustain us if the snow continues to fal .” Arctos rushed past her. “I’l be back as soon as I can.”

  “Wait!” Caitlin grabbed his arm before he made it to the door.

  His whole body tensed at her gentle touch and didn’t relax until she released him. Arctos forced his gaze to meet hers. Big grey eyes locked with his and something inside of him melted. “You have nothing to fear from me. I am not crazy,” he said, before he could stop himself.

  “I know.” Caitlin’s cheeks bloomed with color. “Sorry that you heard that. Al ie can be pretty dramatic, but you didn’t have to hang up on Mike. It wasn’t his fault. He was only trying to help.”

  He nodded and started to leave, but she stopped him again. Arctos swal owed hard and desperately tried to ignore the warmth from her fingers seeping into his arm.

  “Be careful. Okay? You don’t want to have to tangle with another polar bear,” she said, glancing into the darkness. The sharp tang from her fear burned his nostrils.

  Arctos grinned. He couldn’t help it. She may not want him, but she was worried about him. It was a start. He’d never had anyone worry about him. Not since he’d come of age.

  Her concern was unwarranted, yet it stil warmed his two hearts. He brushed her face with the back of his knuckles. Arctos didn’t know why he’d done it, only that he couldn’t resist. He’d needed to touch her like he needed his next breath.

  Caitlin quivered on contact, but made no move to get away.

  Interesting…

  Arctos slowly pul ed his hand back, his fingers tingling from where they’d touched. “Do not fear for my safety, Little Cat,” he said. “Any bear should know better than to tangle with me.”

  * * * * *

  Caitlin’s face glowed with the fire of a thousand suns as she watched him melt into the darkness. Even though the cabin was tiny, she had hoped that Arctos hadn’t heard her mainly whispered conversation with Al ie.

  Sure her friend had brought up a lot of good points.

  Caitlin didn’t know anything about Arctos, including his last name, but he wasn’t crazy. Rude maybe, but not crazy. Why had he hung up the phone on Michael? It didn’t make sense. Maybe he was just tired of listening to her talk about him. Okay, so maybe she had been the rude one.

  The fact that he’d told her that she had nothing to fear only made her embarrassment worse. He’d looked so hurt when he said it. God, she sucked. Talk about ungrateful.

  Caitlin covered her face with her hands and shook her head. Somehow she’d managed to hurt two men’s feelings in one day. First Mike and now Arctos. It had to be some kind of record. She stared at the cel phone and thought once more about phoning Michael back.

  Arctos was right. What would she say to him if she did cal ? Hey, I’m spending the night with a hot mountain man.

  I’ll catch you later. So not going to happen. She’d just have make it up to Mike once she got back to town. Her heart sank. Suddenly the idea of seeing him again didn’t seem as appealing as it had before. What was wrong with her?

  She’d never been fickle in her life. It had to be the stress of the day. She’d worry about it, worry about him later.

  She had more important matters to consider…like how she was going to apologize to Arctos. There had to be something she could do to make it up to him. He’d saved her life after al .

  Caitlin glanced around the smal cabin. Her gaze locked on the two cupboards at the back of the room. He’d mentioned something about beans. She crossed the few steps it took to reach the kitchen and threw open the cupboard doors. One held plates, a few cups, a thermos, and silverware. The other had some coffee, a few cans of chili, beans and dried noodles. More than enough for a meal.

  “Chili-mac it is,” she said, racing into the other room to retrieve the cast-iron pot.

  Pot in hand, Caitlin stared at the door to the cabin as she slipped her boots back on. As much as she wanted to avoid going outside, there was no way around it. She needed snow. She forced herself to cross the room and open the door. Wind whipped her hair around, temporarily blinding her.

  Caitlin pushed it aside and scanned the darkness for predators, but it was impossible to see in whiteout conditions. How would Arctos find his way back? Her heart leapt into her throat, choking off her air. What if he was lost in the blizzard? What if he was lying out there now, freezing to death? Don’t think about it. He said he’d be fine.

  She clung to that assurance as panic wrapped its vicious fingers around her neck. He’l be back. He has to come back. Caitlin forced her feet to move. She quickly fil ed the pot, packing it tight with snow, then slipped back inside, slamming the door behind her. Tears wel ed in her eyes. She scrubbed them away.

  Get a hold of yourself.

  She waddled under the weight of the big pot as she made her way to the fire. A smal hook inside the fireplace poked out of the brick. Caitlin hadn’t noticed it before, but there was no doubt what it was used for. She hooked the pot handle over the hook, added a couple of logs, and waited for the snow to melt.

  Within an hour, she’d downed five cups of coffee and bitten al her nails to stumps. More time passed. Caitlin had never been good at waiting. She much preferred action to sitting around. The wait would’ve been bad enough, but coupled with worry, it became interminable. Caitlin couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this worried. Not even when Al ie had cal ed her and she’d thought there’d been an accident had she been this concerned.

  Why? Something was definitely wrong with her. She barely knew Arctos. In truth, she didn’t know him at al . Yes, he’d saved her life. And yes, she was grateful, but he was a stranger. So why al the fear and panic? Was this some kind of weird Stockholm syndrome? It just didn’t make sense.

  The door handle giggled and her heart jumped. A second later the wooden door swung open. Arctos looked like a ghost coming in from out of the snow. Without his snowsuit, he would be impossible to spot…just like the polar bears. A shudder ran through her.

  Arctos walked into the room and dropped two large rabbits onto the floor. Their eyes met briefly, then he looked at the table she’d set and frowned. Not exactly the reaction she’d been hoping for. It didn’t bode wel for the apology she had planned.

  Caitlin looked down at the plate in front of her. The setting wasn’t fancy, but she’d taken care to make it as nice as possible. She had found a clean sheet in a trunk in the bedroom and some candles in the bathroom. Caitlin used the sheet as a tablecloth and lit one of the candles, placing it in a glass to create a pseudo-centerpiece. It was in no way fancy, but she’d thought it looked nice.

  Arctos shut the door behind him, but otherwise hadn’t moved from the entryway. “What is this?” he asked, in obvious confusion.

  “Dinner,” Caitlin said, her voice losing some of the confidence she’d felt earlier. “I wanted to apologize for earlier.”

  “Apologize for what?” he asked.

  He wasn’t making it easy. “The phone cal , Al ie, Michael, everything,” her voice trailed off.

  His brow furrowed even more. “What is that smel ?”

  “Chili-mac.” Maybe he wasn’t a fan of chili-mac. “If you don’t like it, I can try to cook one of the rabbits.” Caitlin had never cooked a rabbit in her life. Her culinary skil s were better suited to canned goods and microwaves, than fresh foods. The mold growing in her refrigerator at home could attest to that, but she’d give it a try if that’s what he wanted.

  Why was she working so hard to please this man? He was a stranger. After tonight, she’d probably never see him again. For some reason, that made her feel even worse.

  She had to be exhausted. There was no other logical explanation for why she was behaving this way.

  Arctos looked at the pot over the fire, then back at her.

  “I’l wash up and be right in,” he said, then walked back outside to scrub his hands in the snow.

  Caitlin shivered as she watched. Arctos didn’t seem to notice the cold or if he did, he certainly didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get out of it. Which meant that the only reason he’d stopped earlier was because of her. Caitlin’s heart sank. She’d botched this day up and good. Before he walked back in, she planted a smile on her face and dished up the food.

  * * * * *

  She’d prepared food for him like a mate would do.

  Arctos had tried to cover his shock, but he’d failed miserably. While he’d been hunting, he’d convinced himself that the Goddess was mistaken in her choice of mate for him and that the bond had not formed. It made sense given that this woman was already spoken for. He’d heard the man with his own ears. He’d seen her reaction to him.

  Arctos had been determined to come back and keep his distance, then he’d smel ed the food. Its aroma had wafted on the wind, drawing him to its source. It didn’t take long before he realized the scent was coming from the cabin. Stubbornness alone kept him from acknowledging the truth. He’d purposely stayed out an extra hour to prove that she meant nothing to him. And it had worked…until he laid eyes on her again.

  Caitlin had looked so happy, almost relieved when he’d stepped through the door. Her gray eyes had sparkled in the firelight and she’d scooted to the edge of her chair as he walked into the room.

  And how had he responded? He’d froze like a deer trapped by a wolf pack. Even his breath had stuttered in his lungs, as his brain fought to catch up with what he was seeing. Arctos knew that cooking him a meal didn’t mean anything to her. At least not the same as it meant to him.

  But he was having a hard time convincing his beast that was the case. Caitlin now had its ful attention and that was never a good thing.

  Arctos used the time needed to wash his hands to recover from the surprise and get his beast under control.

  Breathing deeply, he let the cold embrace him. Even in his human form, he could barely feel it. His body was made for harsher temperatures than the Earth could produce. He scrubbed his hands and arms with snow until they turned bright pink. Knowing he couldn’t put it off any longer, Arctos turned and walked back into the cabin.

  Caitlin was smiling when he entered, but her scent didn’t match her expression. She had dished up the food while he was out. It smel ed different than anything he’d ever eaten, but he was wil ing to give it a try for her sake.

  “What did you say this is cal ed?” He took a seat across from her.

  “Chili-mac,” she said, then picked up her fork and speared a bite.

  Arctos watched her chew. She made little humming noises in the back of her throat while she did so. It made him wonder what kind of noises she’d make if they made love. He shifted as his flight suit tightened against his groin, then sniffed the food once more. Caitlin continued to watch him, her gaze reserved, but hopeful.

  “Have you ever had chili-mac?” she asked, taking another bite.

  “No.” He met her shimmering eyes.

  “It’s pretty good, if you like chili.”

  Arctos didn’t know if he liked chili, but it didn’t matter.

  Caitlin had prepared this meal for him and he intended to eat every bite. He lifted his fork tentatively. “Smel s good,” he said, not wanting to hurt her feelings. In truth, it smel ed odd. The predator in him wanted meat. Though he detected some kind of meat, it wasn’t anything he was familiar with.

  “What are the red things?” he asked, pushing them around his plate.

  “Beans,” she said and frowned a little.

  He poked at something else. “And the long pale skinny things?”

  “Noodles,” she said slowly. “You’ve real y never had noodles and beans before?”

  He shook his head. “No, this is the first time. My diet is made up of mainly protein.”

  “Ah.” She laughed and her shoulders relaxed a little.

  “You’re one of those kind of guys.”

  Arctos took a bite and chewed it quickly. It actual y tasted far better than it looked. Sweet, yet spicy and ful of flavor. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said, watching her closely. Did she suspect his true nature? Without the final bond, he didn’t know for sure.

  “True carnivores,” Caitlin said as if that was obvious.

  Arctos nodded in agreement. She had no idea how accurate that statement was.

  “I’ve met a few guys like you, but not many,” she said around another bite.

  His lips twitched. He could almost guarantee that she’d never met anyone like him, but he wasn’t about to correct her. Instead, Arctos plunged his fork into the food and looked at her. “I admit I do love succulent meat. The sweeter, the better,” he said, al owing his gaze to slowly scrol over her from head to foot, before reversing direction.

  By the time he finished, Caitlin’s ears were glowing.

  She cleared her throat. “Yes, wel , I’m glad you like the chili-mac.”

  “Thank you for making it,” he said. “Had I known you were planning to prepare a meal for me, I wouldn’t have hunted the rabbits.”

  “How did you catch them by the way?” Caitlin asked. “I didn’t see any holes, so you couldn’t have used your gun.

  Did you use a trap?”

  Arctos shifted again. He’d caught them with his teeth and claws. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he could hardly tel the truth. “Neither was necessary,” he said, noncommittal y. “What are you drinking?”

  “Coffee, want some?”

  “Sure.” He watched her pour the dark liquid into his cup. It was hot and bitter to the taste, but strangely good.

  Arctos finished his cup in record time and asked for another.

  * * * * *

  Caitlin was only too happy to oblige. Arctos seemed to be genuinely grateful that she’d cooked for him. For a minute, she’d thought she had made a huge mistake.

  Fortunately, when he’d returned from cleaning his hands, he’d been in a better mood. It had bolstered her confidence enough to actual y enjoy the meal.

  She stil couldn’t believe that he’d never tasted beans or noodles. Where had he been living, under a rock? Caitlin would never be able to survive on meat alone. She loved noodles too much.

  “So.” She pushed her empty plate back. “Do you live around here?”

  Arctos put his fork down. “No, I’m just visiting.”

  “Me, too.” She grinned.

  “You do not live here?” From his perplexed expression, she could tel he was surprised by her answer.

  “Why would you think that?” she asked.

 

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