Page 4 of Mitchell’s Untamed Mate (More Than Human #2)

T he sound of birds cheerfully chirping woke Tracy from a dream-filled sleep where she was in the middle of the forest wrapped in the arms of a gorgeous, mocha-skinned man that made her want to unwrap every delicious inch of him. She wasn’t sure if the moan that slipped from her was from her X-rated dreams or the annoyance of being awakened so damn early. Muttering a heartfelt curse, she rolled onto her stomach and pulled her sleeping quilt over her head.

The husky, definitely male chuckle coming from outside her tent had her popping her head up in search of the far too cheerful sound. She fought to untangle herself from both her hair, which had come unbraided during the night, and her sleeping quilt. Peering through sleep-blurred eyes and the screen across the tent entrance, she glared at the man sitting next to the firepit.

“There should be a law against birds being up this early. In fact, there should be a law against anything being up this early,” she groaned.

“I take it you aren’t a morning person,” Mitchell responded.

“No. I hate mornings that begin before it is light out. Well, I don’t hate it after I’m up. It’s the waking up part that I hate,” she mumbled before dropping her face into her air mattress. “I hate birds.”

Mitchell laughed at her grouchiness. All she wanted to do was snuggle down under her quilt for another couple of hours. Hell, it was barely even light out!

“This is a long-standing feud you have with cute little birds, then?” he asked.

She rolled onto her side so she could comfortably look at him through the screen. Curling her arm under her head, she sighed. Whether she liked it or not, it was time to wake up.

“Yes. Besides being a very annoying alarm clock at the Goddess-forbidden time of—” she released a loud groan when she lifted her arm and peered at her watch, “five-thirty? Are you shittin’ me? There should definitely be a law against any creature being awake this early. I’m going to talk to my aunt when I get home. Oh, and the second reason is they are poop-bombers. I swear they know I hate them and they target me,” she added.

“Really?”

Her lips twitched at his incredulous expression. “Really. Umbrellas are the only way to protect yourself. Big… and I mean really big… umbrellas.”

He chuckled and poked at the fire. “I don’t have any umbrellas handy, but I think you should be safe. They will quiet down once the sun has risen.”

“Yeah, being the shitty little feathered demons they are, they go back to sleep after they wake up the dead,” she commented with a dramatic flair.

“Can I entice you out with breakfast?” he asked.

She sat up and curled her legs under her. “What kind of breakfast? You’re not going to feed me mushrooms, are you? I have to tell you I hate mushrooms.”

“They don’t have any flavor,” he said.

“Yes, they do. It isn’t the flavor that bothers me. Okay, that isn’t true. I hate the flavor, but what I really can’t stand is the texture. There is definitely something wrong about eating something that grows from dead things.”

“Okay, no mushrooms. How about whatever this is?”

She squinted at the package he was holding. It had a picture of eggs with cheese, peppers, and potatoes. She grinned at him and nodded.

“Yeah, that is good. Were you snooping in my pack?” she asked.

He scowled at her. “No, it was on the ground next to the log. It must have fallen out last night when you were pulling things out.”

“Oh. I didn’t mean…. Just ignore me. I’m not a morning person,” she muttered.

“I can see that. How do I prepare this delicious meal in a bag? And will it look like the picture?”

She explained what to do while she packed up the interior of her tent. By the time the meal was ready, she was stuffing the last of the items into her backpack and rolling out of the tent.

“Did you get any sleep last night?” she asked, taking the cup of coffee he offered with a sigh of relief and sitting on the log next to him. “Oh, this is heaven. The only thing better would be if this came in an IV.”

“What is an IV?”

She chuckled at his confused expression. “Intravenous drip feed. It is where they stick a needle into your arm and drip a solution into your vein. In my case, it would be coffee.”

“Are you serious?”

She threw her head back and laughed. “No, but you have to admit it could help with my grouchy morning issues.”

“I like your grouchy morning issues.”

His quiet comment stirred her inner bear. She could practically imagine the damn thing preening itself. She hid her grin of pleasure behind her cup.

He good.

Yes, he is, she agreed.

“Are you always up this early?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes. I like the morning, before everyone rises. You get to see the world wake up and know that you have another chance. It helps that most of the time it’s not grouchy like you,” he teased before he continued in a more somber tone, “I like the tranquility. As the leader of my clan, I don’t have much time for myself.”

Tracy set the empty breakfast pouch and her coffee cup on the log. She imagined him walking around the encampment of his people before the demands of the day. He seemed far too young to hold such responsibility.

He stirred the fire, spreading the wood until only a bed of coals remained. Her gaze followed him when he rose. He tossed the stick he had been using into the fire.

“I’ll be leaving in the next thirty minutes. If you wish to come with me, you’ll need to be ready,” he said.

Her lips parted with surprise, and she rose from the log. “Where are we going?”

“You wanted to know more about humans, didn’t you?”

She frowned. “Yes.”

He studied her with an intense, thoughtful expression. “The best place to do that is where we live.”

Tracy watched him for a moment before she sprang into action. She broke down her tent, rolled it up, and attached it to her backpack. Mitchell had cleaned her cup and utensil before she packed them away. By the time she returned from refreshing herself, he had cleaned their campsite and concealed where the firepit had been.

“Are you ready?” he asked, shouldering her backpack.

“I… yes,” she responded with a bright smile.

Mitchell’s emotions were a pendulum, swinging between frustration and acceptance. He had realized the inevitable: it was only a matter of time before the shifters discovered the rest of the clan. After Ella’s discovery, there had been an undeniable sense of urgency and fear building amongst the others. The others had bombarded him with their fears after Ty Bearclaw appeared in their village. Introducing Tracy to the others might help ease their fears and she could answer their questions.

They hiked in silence for the first hour. Well, he did. Tracy, he was discovering, had a very inquisitive nature. She stopped frequently, causing him to pause for fear of losing her. He was curious about what she was doing. He soon learned that she was photographing plants.

“Why are you doing that?” he asked.

She looked up from the glowing device in her hand. “I love the diversity. This is Shepherdia argentea, also known as silver buffaloberry. It is?—”

“—tasteless unless you cook it. You don’t want to eat too many of them… unless you want to clean out your bowels,” he finished.

She made a face. “Ew! No, thanks. I bet you know what all the plants are.”

He swept his gaze over the surrounding area.

“I don’t know the names you may call them, but yes, I know most of them. It is important to learn what we can and can’t eat when we are young. We also need to know what plants are dangerous and which can be used for medicines.”

He stopped in front of another plant.

“What is that one?” she asked, coming to stand beside him.

“What does your magic box call it?”

She looked down at the slim rectangular box before grinning up at him. “This is a cell phone. I can call for help if I need to. It gives me information as well. Watch.”

She held the box up and pressed the red button on the flat surface. A duplicate of the berries they were standing in front of appeared. He reached out and touched the flat surface. A strange light wrapped around the berries.

“It looks the same,” he breathed, glancing back and forth between the box in her hand and the plant.

“It’s called a picture. If I press this icon, it will tell me what the plant is and if it is dangerous. This is… Pokeweed.”

“It is dangerous. If prepared correctly, it can help with stiffness in the joints, but only a skilled healer knows how to do this. It will kill you if it isn’t done properly. There is another berry that looks similar to it, but they are smaller and the stems are not as red. The leaves have jagged edges and veins running toward the jagged edges. The berries are dark purple and are tart. You can eat those berries.”

He looked at her when she placed her hand on his arm. Their eyes locked. Once again, he felt invisible threads pulling him toward her. Emotion swirled in her dark brown eyes. Her lips parted and her breathing became more uneven.

“What is happening? Why do I want to kiss you?” he murmured.

“I think it’s called Laws of Attraction. I know I want to kiss you,” she said.

He didn’t move when she took the half-step needed to close the distance between them. Her hands felt warm through the fabric of his shirt. He breathed deeply, enjoying the feel of her hands moving up his arms to his shoulders. When she leaned into him, he closed the distance, capturing her lips again.

Her lips parted under the gentle pressure of his, and he deepened the kiss. Tiny lights burst behind his closed eyelids. He swore he could see shimmering lines of silver and red threads creating an intricate web, connecting them.

As her fingers played with his earlobe, his hands tightened their hold on her hips. He had never considered the earlobe as being an erogenous zone before. Her lips were warm, soft, and addictive, he decided. A shudder ran through him as the threads wrapping around him tightened and he broke their kiss.

“What is happening?”

She blinked and grinned up at him. “I think it is called kissing.”

He scowled down at her and stepped back, placing a couple of feet of space between them. Curling his fingers, he studied her flushed face. He wanted to cup her face and kiss her again.

“I know what kissing is. I felt something?—”

He briefly closed his eyes, trying to grasp what he had felt and put it into words. How did he describe the strange threads gripping and pulling him in? Or the growing need to touch her?

“We need to get moving. We have a lot of ground to cover before nightfall,” he said in a blunt tone.

Without waiting for her response, he swiftly turned and walked away. He needed some time to wrap his head around the events and gain a clear understanding of the situation. As he adjusted the backpack, he took in the surrounding sights, searching for the familiar landmarks that would lead him back to the village. While he longed for a more direct route, the well-being of his clan took precedence in his decision-making. Ensuring that no one could follow Tracy would require taking a less direct route and doubling back multiple times.

They were climbing a steep, rocky section now, and he was analyzing her physical abilities, comparing them to the scary stories of shifters and their physical superiority, their untiring ferocity. He had maintained a pretty brutal pace over the last hour, and it was only now during the climb that she was showing signs of hard exertion. Turning, he was about to offer his hand over a difficult section, but even though she was breathing hard, she was moving along the rocks as if she were accustomed to covering rough terrain. He had noticed that yesterday as well, when he was following her. The gear and backpack he had shouldered this morning looked well-used, which was yet another clue that she didn't always stay in her shifter settlement.

“How did you know where to start looking for us?”

The question had been bugging him for the past hour. She glanced up at him before focusing on finding the best climbing path along the uneven rocks. He climbed to the next section to give her room.

“I have to give the credit to Van and Peterson. They're two of my security guys. It took them a while, but they eventually found where you had taken Ty. That was where I was heading when our paths crossed,” she explained.

“We abandoned that location right after we released your brother. I feared it would be an issue,” he confessed.

“I don’t blame you. I would have too,” she said.

He glanced over his shoulder as he reached the top and waited for her. With a burst of determination, she scaled the last stretch to the top of the ridge and greeted him with a wide grin. His appreciative eyes studied her from head to toe. Her shoulder-length dark auburn hair was a mess of loose strands escaping from her ponytail. Her right cheek bore a smudge of dirt, a remnant of when she had absentmindedly brushed her hair away. Her hairline was slightly damp and her cheeks had a faint rosy tint as she placed her hands on her knees and sucked in deep, calming breaths.

“You don't climb often,” he observed.

She straightened, stretched her spine, and gave him a wavering grin as she fought to steady her breathing and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve climbed any mountains. I think the last time was in the Southern Species of America region of Chile, but that was at least a year ago,” she admitted.

“Have you traveled to many places around the world?”

She nodded again. “Pretty much every continent and region, even Antarctica.”

He motioned for her to sit on a rock. She shot him a grateful smile and walked over to it. He released the clasps on the backpack and slid it off his back. Twisting it around, he pulled out her water bottle and handed it to her.

“There are some energy bars in the front pouch,” she said.

He reached in her backpack and pulled out the bag with the energy bars. He handed her one and sat down on the rock beside her. Through the low brush that grew along the rocky surface, they could see across the massive valley they had camped in earlier. They would have many more peaks and valleys to traverse before they reached his village.

“Tell me about your… world,” he asked.

She smiled. “It’s your world as well, but I know what you mean. There are large cities scattered throughout the world along with small towns, of course. There are ten specific regions governed by elected leaders. Each region can contain numerous states or countries. I live in the United Species of North America. Our leader is Michaela Bearclaw-Kodiak.”

“She is related to you?”

Tracy nodded. “Yeah, my aunt. She kept our grandmother’s maiden name. The Bearclaw and the Kodiak’s lineage is part of the aristocratic, or old-money, families.”

He frowned, trying to picture what she was saying. “This gives your family power and prestige?”

She laughed and looked at him under her eyelashes. “Yes, lots of both. My aunt knows how to use it, too.” She sighed and leaned back a little. “I’ll admit I’m spoiled. The Bearclaw estate consists of our home, which has two-hundred and thirty-one rooms—I know because I’ve counted them. Ty and I were always getting lost. Fortunately, Martha and our parents have an excellent sense of smell. There are 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, three kitchens, 65 fireplaces, a library, a bowling alley, a theater, and a large indoor swimming pool. There’s also a winery, stables, and formal gardens that surround the estate. My favorites are the mazes. There are three different ones, and the gardeners are always changing them up so it is impossible to memorize them.”

“You must have a very large family to need that large a home.”

“Nah. It is just my parents, brother, and me—and my grandparents when they aren’t on some adventure around the world, which isn’t often. I haven’t been around much either the last couple of years. Aunt Michaela comes and stays there when she feels like killing members of her cabinet or congress. I can’t blame her for that. She has the patience of a saint, dealing with them.”

His lips twitched with a sympathetic smile. “I understand. It is that way sometimes in the village. Everyone demanding something, and then when I make a decision, they want to argue with me.”

“Sounds about right. The world outside of all this can be big and noisy, but it is also very beautiful. I think the biggest thing I love is the green zones. Each region is required to maintain a seventy-five percent green area. This helps prevent the destruction of our natural resources. Each city must seek approval for expansion. It’s the same for smaller towns. Each state or country owns the green areas,” she explained.

“And your people are happy with this?” he asked.

She released a dry chuckle and shook her head. “Not all of them. There are some who try to push their luck. It doesn’t go well for them—most of the time. Corporations are fined heavily if they are caught, or even shut down in the most egregious situations. They are required to have a scientist and a government advisor on their boards. We learned a long time ago what can happen if...”

Her voice faded and she shot him another look before turning away. He could tell she had been about to say something she didn’t think he would like. He twisted on the rock so he could see her face.

“What happened a long time ago?”

She sat forward and rubbed her hands on the material covering her knees. There was an intense, yet sad and faraway, look in her eyes, as if she were seeing something that he couldn’t. She bit her lip before she turned to face him.

“There is a theory that the reason humans and shifters went to war was because humans were depleting their natural resources and had to encroach on the shifters' lands to keep up with that level of consumption,” she explained.

His eyes narrowed. “Do you have proof of this?”

She swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, I do. My studies were in human anthropology and archaeology. I’ve always had a fascination about humans, ever since I was a little girl and my dad took me with him on my first dig. I’ve traveled all over the world, searching for human artifacts and lost civilizations. In every single one, I’ve found the same thing—villages abandoned after all resources were completely depleted.”

He swallowed and rose. Walking over to the edge, he looked out over the vast forest. Trees covered the valley up to the ridgeline on the mountain where nothing could grow because it was covered in snow year-round. In his mind’s eye, he could imagine what it would look like if every tree were stripped and nothing but barren rock was left to the elements.

Humans were not the same as they had been. The few that remained tried very hard not to disturb the areas where they lived. They used only the deadfall as fuel for their fires. They hunted and gathered over large areas, taking only the bare-minimum so it wouldn’t be evident they had been there. Their homes were made from materials that would return quickly to the earth after they left.

It took almost becoming extinct to learn how to live with the Earth instead of killing it, he thought with dismay and sadness.

He looked down when he felt Tracy’s hand against his arm. Returning his focus to the forests, he tried to harden his heart. He didn’t want her pity or sympathy. Humans were strong, resourceful, and had learned a hard—but valuable—lesson.

“We need to get moving. We have a long way to go before it gets dark,” he stated, moving away from her so he could retrieve her backpack.