Clawed: Wild Things, Book 3 Read online

  “Done. A fire does sound good. But then what do we do? Sit around and pick ticks off each other?”

  “We’ll do what we do best.”

  “Drink wine and gossip?” Nina opened the big cooler and snatched up a bottle. “Oh, no! Domestic wine? Urgh. Now that’s what I call roughing it.”

  “I think you’ll survive. And the sooner we get the camp set up, the sooner we can indulge.”

  “Then let’s get to it, Mountain Mama.”

  The two friends worked in silence for the next hour. Chloe did most of the work to set up the camp, but Nina chipped in by placing a lantern in each tent, then setting the wine and glasses next to the campfire Chloe started. Soon, their work was finished.

  Chloe could sense Nina’s eyes on her and knew what she would say. But, as Nina’s friend, she’d go ahead and let her say it. Just like she’d let her say it a million times before. She filled Nina’s glass, then poured a small amount for herself.

  “I told you he wasn’t good enough for you. I knew he was an ass from the first minute I laid eyes on him.”

  “Yeah, I remember. But I couldn’t help it. He was so nice…at first.” Before he’d started using her. Before he’d cheated on her. “I thought I loved the jerk.”

  “Girl, you have the worst judgment when it comes to men.”

  Nina was right. The men Chloe chose always let her down, always broke her trust. Even worse, lately she’d gotten involved with men who had bad tempers. She shook her head, resolving never to go down that path again.

  “Come on, Chloe. You know I’m telling the truth. Plus, if you ask me, you never really loved Roger. You just got sucked up into his lies and his phony charm. I mean, how can you love a man you never really knew?”

  Had she known the real Roger? Apparently not. Had she ever really loved him? A couple of months ago she would’ve said she did. But she’d known the truth in her gut if not in her head. Why had she hung onto the relationship, anyway? Still, she needed time away from the apartment, time away from the bed he’d sullied with the waitress, time to exorcise the rest of the Roger demons from her mind. “When you’re right, you’re right, Nina.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  Chloe’s life with Roger seemed like a bad dream from which she’d finally awakened. “I guess some of us just take longer to get a clue.”

  Nina downed the rest of her drink, then grew solemn. Her concerned gaze worked its way straight into Chloe’s heart. “I want you to be happy, you know.”

  Chloe poured her friend another glass of wine. “With you as my best friend, what else could I be?”

  “Sheesh, are we getting sappy or what?” Nina looked away, trying to hide her pleased grin, and surveyed the campsite. “Now what do we do?”

  “Whatever you like. Maybe we could take a walk down to the stream? Or a hike up the hill?”

  “Uh, have we met? Walking? Hiking? Those words are not in my vocabulary. Unless, of course, there’s a dance club at the top of the hill.”

  “Okay, then, what would you suggest?”

  “I would suggest you get some work done. You know, as in a little thing called a commissioned painting? I know you’re dying to see the water and sketch some ideas. So go on before it gets too late. We’ll be fine.”

  “We’ll?” Chloe made a show of bending over to check under her car. “Did you sneak in a hot stowaway?”

  “Ooh, I’m sorry I didn’t think of that. But, sadly, no. I meant Mr. Vino and me.”

  “Ah, now I understand. You’re hoarding the alcohol for yourself.”

  “Don’t worry. I don’t think we’re going to run out anytime soon.”

  Chloe swirled the wine in her glass. “You could come along with me.”

  “Are you talking about physical exertion again? No way. I reached my limit getting this place set up. Besides, I’ve got the perfect thing for this situation.” She hurried over to the SUV and pulled out a box along with two compact discs. “I figured you might need some alone time to do your creative artist thing, so I brought along my DVD player.” She held up the CDs and grinned. “See? I’ve got my favorite movies of all time: Married Without a Husband and Brickster’s Big Day Out.”

  “Wow, talk about prepared. Were you a Girl Scout?”

  “Yep. And because you’re so thoughtful to worry about my boredom, I’ll let you take my flask with you. Just be careful. I put some pretty potent stuff in it.” She unhooked the flask from her belt, took a sip and handed it to Chloe. “Besides, you’ll need the alcohol to pour over any snake bites.”

  Chloe started to turn down the offer, but Nina shushed her. “No, don’t. You hardly drank any wine, and I know you’re not much on hard liquor, but if anyone could use a good stiff drink, it’s you.”

  Chloe took the flask, then scooped up her sketchpad and pencils. “So, are you sure you’re good? You really don’t mind if I go without you?”

  Nina pretended to give the idea another moment’s thought before waving her off. “I’m sure. Now get going and sketch your heart out. I’ll be perfectly happy with my movies until you get back.”

  “Great. And don’t worry. I’ll return before dark.”

  “You’d better or those brownies might disappear before you make it back.”

  “Don’t you dare. Think of all those carbs sticking to your hips.”

  “Yeah, but it’ll be totally worth it.”

  Chloe was still grinning when she strode out of the campsite and down the dirt path leading to the stream. Birds and small animals scattered at her approach, and she peered into the underbrush to watch them dash away, then took several sips of the strong, burning liquid. Maybe Nina was right. She could use something more than wine right now. Heat from the alcohol swept through her, releasing the tension in her neck and easing her mind.

  She paused to inhale the heady fragrance of the pine trees surrounding her, then took another sip. Although she liked living in the city, she’d trade her apartment for the mountains anytime. The mountains always made her feel free, able to forget about her worries and responsibilities. She sighed. The forest and her art were all she needed. She took a long drink and thought again. Okay, maybe they weren’t all she needed.

  Chloe let her mind wander, imagining a home on top of a mountain where she could paint beautiful landscapes while her children played around her. And of course she’d have a handsome hubby to warm her bed at night. She sighed and continued toward the water.

  Chloe heard the sounds of the stream ahead and quickened her pace to match the faster beat of her heart. If she could spend an hour sketching the wildlife as they came to drink, she’d sleep like a baby tonight. Only through her art did she find contentment, and the fact that she was getting paid for it made everything even better.

  Chloe broke through the last bushes separating her from the water, closed her eyes, and let the sunlight drench her body with its replenishing warmth. The sun’s rays strengthened her, renewing her spirit and adding to the contented glow the alcohol gave her.

  If only I could stay here forever.

  A splashing noise startled her out of her reverie, and she ducked behind a tree. Parting the branches for a better look, she stared in disbelief.

  “Oh, wow.”

  Chapter Two

  Chloe slapped a hand over her mouth and squatted, making her body smaller. Fortunately, the man standing in the stream didn’t notice her. Instead, he kept his head down, his attention focused on the water, his arms stretched out in front of him and his hands open as though ready to catch a football. She squinted, unsure if she could believe her eyes. Finding a man standing in the stream was startling enough, but finding a naked man standing in a stream was incredible.

  And what a man he was! Her gaze traveled from the top of his head, down his long dark hair, stopping to slide her attention to the left, then the right, to take in the massive width of his shoulders. Her heart pounded, and for a moment she was afraid he’d hear it above the sound of the running water.

>   Muscles rippled as he flexed his upper torso, twisting first to one side, then the other, and yet he kept his legs perfectly still. His back made her think of flesh-covered marble like a Greek statue come to life. His arms, remaining outstretched, were sharply defined, with edges where one muscle connected to another like rocks positioned on top of each other to form ribbons of human granite.

  She swallowed, replenishing her suddenly dry mouth, then prepared to let her gaze slide lower. His broad shoulders tapered to a lean waist, but it was the granite hardness of his chest that took her breath away. The strong, sturdy legs, as thick as tree trunks, supported him as though the water wasn’t the fast current rushing around him but instead a peaceful lake.

  She studied him, fascinated by his obvious comfort in the wilderness. He was a man born of the earth who had remained a part of the earth, a man fully aware of his place in the universe. Moreover, he was an unusual vision, an unexpected gift for an artist. Even if she hadn’t found him attractive, she would’ve appreciated his magnificence and would’ve known that she had to sketch him. To not do so would be unthinkable.

  Going to her knees, she put pencil to pad and began to draw. Within a few minutes, she had a rough sketch completed.

  He moved, striking his hands into the water and stunning her so that she dropped her pencil. Shouting a cry of victory, he straightened up to lift a large fish over his head, then tossed it to the shore.

  She froze and considered what she’d seen. Had he really caught a fish with his bare hands? An image of a bear fishing for trout flashed through her mind. He’d caught the fish just like a bear would. But how? Was he a true wilderness man like those she’d thought existed only in stories?

  A second later he assumed the position he had before, and she forgot her questions. She wouldn’t have thought it possible for anything to be more alluring than his body, but she was wrong. If she’d believed in mythology, she would’ve sworn a god from Mount Olympus had chiseled his face from stone. And then, upon completion, the deity had placed eyes in his face so piercing that she could see the intensity in them from yards away. A smile lifted the corners of his lips, softening his face. Instead of making him seem less manly, the expression only served to increase the power in his face. Here was nature personified in human form. If she could draw him and show his vitality, his magnetism, his raw essence, she would be capturing rugged beauty itself. She retrieved her pencil and started sketching again.

  Her pencil flew over the pad. The fear that either the man would stalk away or she’d realize it was all a mirage that would vanish into thin air propelled her urgency. First his face formed on her paper—albeit hardly doing justice to the masculinity of his features—then she glanced up, ready to take in the rest of him.

  His chest, tanned and smooth, was broad and barreled, reminding her of a professional wrestler. His dark nipples were brown boulders set on top of a mountainside. Strong ribs called for her to skim her fingers along them, then move on to ridge after ridge of his glorious abdomen. She studied his body like the artwork it was, examining the angles, the curves, the complex structures combining to become the simplicity of his form. She tucked her head again and drew.

  Praying that the vision hadn’t disappeared, she dared to lift her gaze. Once again, she started from his head and traveled downward, revising her sketch as she went along until, at last, she gasped at the width and length of him. Like every other part of his body, his cock was impossibly strong-looking and long.

  If that’s how he looks without an erection… Oh, my. She shook away the torrid thought, intent on making him come alive on paper. He was superb, a marvel of wilderness and mankind rolled into one incredible form, and she couldn’t let herself get sidelined with sex-filled fantasies. But damn, what amazing fantasies they would be!

  All at once his image blurred, and she cursed her overindulgence of alcohol. She rubbed her eyes, then looked again and squinted. The man’s image grew blurrier and his body appeared to change, covering the hardness of bone and flesh, and adding…fur? Her jaw dropped and her hand skidded the pencil across the page, scoring a black mark from one end to the other.

  The man before her was changing into something else. Something even larger than he was, wider, bulkier, with brown fur spreading over his body to replace flesh and hair. She gawked, unable to believe her eyes, unable to look away. His face was gone and instead a large snout sprouted with a black nose at the end and long, ferocious fangs extended from his mouth. His long, muscular arms changed, growing shorter, while his hands widened and produced sharp claws.

  “Oh, my God!”

  Still standing on two legs, the grizzly bear jerked his head up, stared straight at her and roared, the sound sending small animals scurrying through the woods. The huge bear dropped to all fours, splashing water high into the air as he lumbered onto the shore. Chloe yelped, stumbled backward, and landed on her bottom. Her breath hitched in her throat and her stomach turned over in fear. Precious seconds ticked by as she stared at the massive creature, both terrified and awestruck by his ferocious splendor. At last, adrenaline flashed alive. Discarding her art, she scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could.

  Chloe pushed through low-hanging tree branches and bushes, her heart caught in her throat, ready to feel giant claws raking down her back. She didn’t dare turn around, didn’t dare stop, but raced on, her mind repeating one word over and over. Run!

  Sticking to the path leading back to the campsite, she no longer had breath to shout for help. Her pulse pounded in her ears and a stitch stuck her in the side, making her whimper, but she pushed on. The ground shook beneath her like a tornado thundering behind her, telling her of the monster’s proximity, and as though her mind had detached itself from her body, she wondered why he hadn’t already taken her down. Her calves tightened from the exertion, and scratches covered her legs and arms, but she ignored the stings of pain.

  Then she tripped and fell.

  She hit the ground, her hands keeping her from landing face-first in the dirt. She sprawled, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. Dirt billowed up to coat her face and fill her nostrils. Stifling a cry, she curled into a fetal position, covered her head with her arms and closed her eyes.

  Please don’t hurt me.

  A giant shadow fell over her, blocking out the sunlight filtering through the forest. Warm breath floated over her as the animal placed his muzzle next to her skin, traveling in a slow move from her ankles to her back. He snorted once, then placed his nose against the nape of her neck. Chloe gritted her teeth against the scream wanting to break free, scrunched her eyes tighter and waited, certain that death was near.

  Her cry did break out, however, when the beast laid a paw the size of a catcher’s mitt against her bare leg. He could have torn her to shreds, but he merely rested the paw on her leg—then shook her as gently as a mother would shake a sleeping child.

  She held her breath, pretended to be dead and hoped he would believe her. Maybe if she was lucky, he’d already slaked his hunger with fish. If not… She shoved the horrifying outcome away, deliberately ridding her mind of any thought save her plea not to be hurt.

  “Rrraar.”

  She released her breath, startled by the sound even though the noise hadn’t sounded dangerous. Instead, the rising inflection at the end had made it sound almost like a question. She dared to look, peeking past the bend of her arm covering her face. Even with fear closing out everything else, she couldn’t help but admire him.

  He was even bigger than she’d thought; an incredible hulk of an animal. The hump on his back identified him as a grizzly bear. Although his brown coat could have passed him for the local brown bear, there was no mistaking the large hump.

  He moved, graceful for such a large creature, and placed his head near hers. Strange, amber eyes stared at her and she gasped, the shock of those intense eyes forcing her to react. Unable to tear her gaze from his, she looked into his eyes. She could see the intelligence in those gold
en depths and something more. Something that reminded her of…compassion.

  Then he lowered his head, sniffed her again and nudged her with his nose. She remained as still as she could. A growl rolled deep in his throat, and with a shake of his head, he whirled around to race down the path toward the stream.

  Chloe remained hunkered on the ground, her arms covering her head for several minutes. At last, the reemergence of the birds chirping in the trees gave her courage to sit up and look around. Other than the huge tracks covering the ground, she could see no sign of the bear.

  She stayed where she was, almost afraid to move lest the beast returned. Gradually, however, her heartbeat slowed and she could breathe easier. She had a number of scratches on her body, and her palms were dirty and scraped, but although her skin was slashed with bright red streaks, the bleeding was minimal. Sighing, she closed her eyes and gave a silent prayer of thanks.

  Conan, goose bumps prickling his bare skin, knelt beside the sketchpad and studied the drawing. The beautiful woman who had surprised him was a fine artist, capturing his likeness with a skill that brought the image to life. But her skill didn’t make the picture any less troubling.

  “Damn stupid.”

  She’d seen him shift and he’d recognized her expression of disbelief. A disbelief that had abruptly changed to alarm. He’d known she would run from him, but he hadn’t anticipated her blind terror, flinging herself through the woods with no regard for her safety, and he’d worried she’d injure herself. Seeing no alternative, he’d chased after her, knowing he increased her panic but unwilling to let her flee without making sure she reached her destination unharmed. Only after she’d fallen could he keep her there, huddled in fear, but giving her time to regain her senses.

  However, the problem remained. She’d seen him change and he didn’t like it, especially since she could draw what she’d seen. He supposed he should be relieved that she hadn’t had a camera. But how could he handle this? Like most were-bears, he preferred to have little contact with humans. He could count on one hand the times a human had seen him shift and now, because he’d let his guard down, another one had.