“Well, be sure to get some rest.” He handed me the things. “I heard your boss is a real bear.”
He laughed at his own joke. I wondered what kind of bear he was.
“I haven’t paid yet.”
“Yeah, that’s the new-guy discount. Don’t worry, next time you’ll be paying double for a loaf of bread because the next town over is too far away.”
I thought he was kidding, and he probably was, but also, as I walked by and saw some of the prices, it was true. That was what happened when you didn’t have any big box stores. But I didn’t mind. I’d rather go someplace where they knew my name, and I had a feeling that was the kind of guy Sampson would’ve been even if I wasn’t working for him.
I got in the car and used my GPS to go the final distance. To say it was down a road was doing a disservice to the term. The roads were rough and tumble, not quite dirt but not quite concrete either, that was until they became all dirt and rocks. This was definitely more isolated than I anticipated. The forest was thicker, which was good. My dragon could wander around… not fly, but that was okay. He didn’t mind the ground.
Finally, the GPS said I was there. It was the cabin, my new home, which was good, because I was exhausted, I smelled horrible, and I needed sleep. So much sleep. But when I got out, the area didn’t feel vacant, like I’d been promised. I grabbed my phone and checked the email again. I had the correct address. Yeah, I was right. This was the place.
But why did it feel like I was intruding on someone’s home instead of renting an old hunting cabin?
I told myself it was probably the landlord, who hadn’t left the key on the table for me like he promised. I grabbed my backpack with my essentials and went up and knocked. I could hear someone inside and didn’t want to rush in, so I knocked again and a third time.
When the door swung open, standing there, wearing only gray sweats that sat low on his hips, his hair still wet, water dripping down his muscles, was the sexiest alpha I had ever seen. He didn’t look like any landlord I’d ever met. Yum.
3
ZACK
I’d just made my first coffee of the day and was about to enjoy it on the porch when there was a knock at the door.
Great. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with humans wanting permission to hunt on my land and was about to send them off with a scowl and a “No.” I’d allowed people in the past, but they usually pestered me with questions.
I flung open the door to reveal a guy with a huge backpack and a suitcase. My cabin was out of the way and not near a major highway or tourist spots. This guy must’ve been so lost he was probably in the wrong county or state.
His dark hair flopped over his brow, and I was mesmerized by his green eyes. I thought back to Mr. Sampson telling me a mate wouldn’t turn up at my door, and for an instant, I thought he might have been proven wrong.
He’s nice.My polar bear had taken an interest in our visitor.But he's not a polar bear. Be kind to himbecause he stinks.
Why would I be nice to someone who had poor hygiene? But my beast was right. The guy reeked, not of body odor but gasoline. Had he bathed in it?
He could be planning on robbing me. Not that I had much worth stealing.
“Hi. I didn’t realize you’d still be here. Hope I didn’t keep you waiting, but I took a couple of wrong turns.” He was so cheery with a blazing smile, I was tempted to put on sunglasses.
He wasn’t human, but his scent didn’t reveal whether he was a wolf shifter, bear, or whatever. Not that I needed to know. I just had to send him on his way, though his reasoning for bringing his luggage to my door was a mystery.
“Not sure why you brought all your stuff, but there’s no hunting on my land, not this season. Try the guys at the diner in town. One of them might let you.”
I went to close the door, but he wedged his foot in the space. Damn, this guy was trouble, but if he wanted a fight, I’d let my bear out. One glance at his teeth and girth and this guy would scream so loud, the local wildlife would scuttle away.
He put a hand on the door frame, and there was a patch of dry skin on his wrist. I wasn’t sure if it was a birth mark, a burn, or he’d had a tattoo removed. Perhaps he didn’t use enough moisturizer.
“I’m sorry. You’re not the landlord? Are you the previous tenant? Because I was assured you were out of here yesterday so they could clean the place.”
Tenant? Landlord? Clean the place?
“Look, somewhere there’s been a screw-up. I’m the owner and I’ve lived here for years. I’m not looking to rent out my one and only home.” The GPS on his phone must have glitched.
The guy didn’t speak. I wasn’t sure he could. His mouth was gaping, and his eyes were as wide as a human who’d just discovered shifters existed. I glanced over his shoulder, wondering if there was someone else in the car. It was older than mine and in bad shape with rust along the sides. I was surprised it’d made it out here because this road had been the death of many vehicles.
“Where are you supposed to be and I’ll direct you there.”
He flung off his pack and pulled out a stack of papers. “Here’s the lease, the deposit receipt, and my back-and-forth emails with the owner.”
