I'm Not Lion To You

Chapter 2-1

Chapter Two

Kann swung the heavy ax and the steel bit through the wood, sinking into the stump below. The familiar motion was easy. So many things about this world were different from home, but cutting wood. That was the same. It was comforting to have at least a few things be the same. Especially since the entire landscape was frozen and cold nine months out of the year. Or so he’d been informed by Naomi. And unlike Naomi and her mate, he could actually feel the cold.

He grabbed the last two pieces of firewood and stacked them next to the concrete wall of the Jenkins Grocery & Hardware.

The sound of booted footsteps crunching on the hardpacked snow made him turn. The wind was blowing the wrong way and he couldn’t smell anything. But he knew who was coming. There weren’t many people in town as big. Owen came around the corner a moment later. He and his sister Ava were the only bear shifters from Reylea that made it through the portal to Mystery. At least as far as Kann knew. They kept to themselves for the most part, not interested in joining up. Not yet. They lived in a small single wide on the south side of town, close to old Leif’s Gas & Go.

“I patrolled around both buildings already and the storage unit across the street.” Owen leaned against the concrete wall, rubbing his short brown beard with his hand. “No further sign of the cowards.”

Kann growled low. Everyone loved Henrietta Jenkins. It was impossible not to. She was this sweet, spunky, grey-haired lady who doted on all of them and had helped them get started in this town. She had a heart as big as the Denali mountain range.

When wolf shifters had broken into the store a couple of weeks ago, busted up a window, and trashed the place, all of them had stepped up to help, though Kann was surprised by Owen’s involvement. And then when Henrietta’s husband had gotten really sick last week, they’d closed ranks even more, making sure she had whatever she needed.

Just like she’d done for them.

Kann had even volunteered to watch the store for a day so Henrietta could take Charles down to the doctor in Anchorage. The diagnosis for Mr. Jenkins hadn’t been good and it put a grey cloud over Henrietta’s normally chipper personality.

The local sheriff was at his wits’ end to figure out how the wolves got into the store, but Naomi—Col’s recently acquired mate—said it was important that they not try to explain anything and just let the locals think it was wildlife—smarter than average wildlife. At least it had been in the middle of the night and no one had seen them shifting back and forth. If someone had, no one had come forward yet. And Naomi had been watching the internet—whatever that meant.

“It’s good that they aren’t coming back, except…” He wanted to hunt them. To punish them for wreaking havoc in the town. They’d come as animals. Not men. They risked exposure. Hunters were now even more vigilant and purposefully sought out wolves. Set more traps. Naomi had warned them, and she’d been right.

The large bear shifter rolled his neck and his eyes flickered with gold. “True, but I wouldn’t mind tearing a few of them to pieces as punishment.”

“I couldn’t agree more, but Col—”

“Isn’t my Vraka.” Owen’s tone bordered on disgust. The bear shifter thought they were weak or idiots or both for taking orders from a Dragon. For working together at all. For having a mixed blood tribe.

Kann didn’t agree. They were all better off together than separate. Eventually Owen would see that. “Naomi’s cooking is worth it, and Col is a good leader.”

Kann was a warrior. A soldier. He didn’t want to be the one that had to make the hard choices. He was good at taking orders and protecting those around him. He was stronger with a good leader. He and Saul had talked about it several times. Even Tor agreed that Col had been the perfect choice for chief of the Tribe—for the Vraka.

“Don’t worry about patrolling anymore. I’ve got it covered.” Owen huffed and walked away, leaving Kann standing alone next to the cord of wood he’d just cut and stacked. Got it covered? It was strange that the big bear even cared. He rarely talked to anyone. In fact, this encounter was probably the most words he’d ever hear the big guy string together.

Kann sighed and let the frustration roll off his back like melting snow on a metal roof. The bear and his sister would be a good addition to the Tribe. Their group would be stronger with two more members, especially if the wolves decided to make themselves more of a nuisance than they had already. All in good time. With Col only a month into being newly mated, they were all still learning a lot about the world they’d found themselves in. It was so different than Reylea…so much more—complicated.

He tromped around the building and entered through the front double glass doors of the grocery store. Henrietta was nowhere to be seen. Her daughter, Tara, was unloading produce in the back-right corner. “Morning, Kann.” Her long red braids swung as she turned and waved at him.

“Morning.” He waved back and continued to scan the store. It wasn’t like he thought the wolves would be just hanging around inside, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

A door in the back opened and closed with a metal thwack. Moments later Henrietta’s heart-shaped face and bright blue eyes framed with bright pink glasses popped around from behind a shelf. “You finished already, Kann?”

“Yes, ma’am. The whole cord is done and stacked.”

“Wonderful. I’ve hated that I didn’t have any firewood to sell. Charles usually took care of it and…well…”

Kann’s heart squeezed in his chest. The woman’s mate—husband—was ill. Naomi had explained that cancer was a disease that often killed people in this world. It wasn’t something he’d ever heard of. Reyleans didn’t get sick—injured, yes, poisoned, yes, wounded, of course—but sick…that didn’t happen. Some women were sick during pregnancies, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t the same thing.

“It’s no trouble. I’m glad to help, especially if it lets Naomi get a few extras on the grocery order.” He patted his stomach and flashed a big smile. The distraction worked. Henrietta beamed then nodded toward the counter. “I got some of the things she requested last week. They finally came in.”

“She will be pleased. Thank you.”

“Did she enjoy her trip down to Anchorage? Douglas was telling me he’d arranged for Carl to fly them down and back.”

“She was thrilled. As you say, it earned Col many points.”

The older woman laughed and gestured for Kann to follow her to the checkout counter.

“What did she get?”

Naomi loved the Jenkins store, but she was always talking about the huge stores in her hometown of New York and how sometimes she wished for just one giant store. Col had surprised Naomi last week by flying her down to a city called Anchorage on the coast and letting her shop to her heart’s content. Douglas Curtis—the man whose cabin they were renovating in exchange for living quarters—had helped him arrange it with a pilot buddy of his who flew supplies into Mystery for the Jenkins.

First time Col had been in the air without wings.

Kann chuckled and shook his head. Col had later described the experience as truly frightening, but the joy his mate had received from the trip made it well worth it. Naomi had practically been beaming when they’d gotten back the next day. He and Saul and Tor had all pitched in the money from odd and end jobs to pay the pilot. Naomi was the only female in the Tribe and she deserved the best they could give her. That was how a good tribe functioned back home.

“Blankets mostly,” Kann finally answered. “Lots of bedding. Some curtains for the windows.”

“It’s nice to be able to pick those out in person, but you let her know if she ever wants to order something online she can use the store address, and have it shipped to me.” Henrietta lifted a couple of paper bags from beneath the counter and set them on top.

“Thank you. I will.” He wasn’t sure what she meant by online, but he assumed Naomi would know.

Henrietta smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling with the energy he’d missed seeing in her since the break-in…since Charles had gotten ill. She’d been a little better since Tara had gotten back to town. “I still can’t believe how all of you pitch in together. Or how you all manage to live in that cabin together and remain friends.”

“We’re Tr—just really close.” He hoped she wouldn’t notice his flub. “Like family.” And they were like family, even though he and Saul were the only ones who knew each other before coming through the portal. It didn’t matter. They had bonded. Naomi had brought them together. Kept them together.

The bells chimed and Kann turned toward the doors at the front of the store.

His mouth dropped open and he watched, frozen in place as a woman entered the store. A woman he’d never seen in town before…and she was glowing.

All over.

Every exposed inch of skin was luminescent like the lightbulbs hanging on the ceiling above her. It was a soft glow though, not a blinding light. It was more like she’d swallowed pure magick and it was seeping from every pore on her body. He’d seen magick used by the magick-bender who lived in the Lowlands. This soft yellow glow was magick—Reylean magick. Soul magick.

He took a deep breath and tried to focus his bouncing brain. His heart pounded against his ribs like the war drums of his tribe and his stomach fell like he’d tossed it over a cliff.

Mate. Mate. Mate.

His lion roared inside his head and pushed to make him approach her. But Kann couldn’t move. Not an inch. Not yet.

It was real.

The soul call was real.

It was happening right now. To him.

“Welcome to Jenkins Grocery & Hardware,” Henrietta called. “I have to go get a few things from the back, but I’ll be right back.” She turned to him a moment and smirked. “Kann close your mouth before you catch a fly.” Then she scuttled off snickering about boys.

Kann snapped his mouth closed, not even a little embarrassed. He was staring. Anyone would be. Such beauty made his heart threaten to stop beating right then and there.

He’d seen beautiful women…but this…this creature was beyond his wildest dreams. Her dark hair was tucked up beneath an old plaid Sherpa-lined hat, but several strands stroked her cheeks. He wished his fingers could be where that hair touched. He wanted to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. He wanted to know what she tasted like. He breathed in deeply, settling her scent deep into his lungs.

Dark eyebrows highlighted eyes the color of the sky, blue like his, but clearer like a perfectly cut gemstone. A serious mouth with full lips and high cheekbones with a hint of pink. The tip of her nose was red from the cold, and instead of sun-tanned skin like his, hers was creamy white.

The hat she wore looked too big and smelled familiar. It wasn’t hers. The gloves she was pulling off and shoving into her pockets were also too large and for a male. He couldn’t quite place the scent yet, but he hated that she had any other male’s scent on her.

She was his.

The woman—his shuarra—picked up a red basket from beside the entrance and walked to the dry goods area. He shook his head. He wasn’t going to call her that. He needed to fit in with the humans. With Naomi’s help, he’d worked hard to sound more like them. He could do this.

Kann took a few steps closer, leaving Naomi’s groceries on the counter. She disappeared around an aisle, out of his view.

He continued forward, but still couldn’t see her. He took a couple more steps and entered the aisle he’d seen her go down. She wasn’t there either. No one was. The aisle was clear. He went further, past the cereal and crackers.