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Showering and dressing for bed, I put a plan together in my mind. I’d wait until the bears were asleep and then make my call and tiptoe downstairs. I could have the car pick me up down the street and… And a glance out the window showed me how unlikely that would be. We were a good distance from any other house; in fact, I couldn’t see the next one, and there were no streetlights. For a city girl like me? Wandering out there with not just shifter bears but probably real ones or wolves or raccoons or coyotes or…
No, if I was going to make that break, it would have to be right in front of the house, so I could order the car after the bears were snoozing in their dens and then hope they didn’t hear it arrive. I hated the idea of sneaking away like a coward but it was cowardice making me do it. If they saw me melt down at the climb tomorrow, they’d be so humiliated to be seen with me. I could afford an economy flight home. Barely.
It was for their benefit I was leaving before that happened. Picking up my phone, I sat on the side of the bed and opened the rideshare app. I entered the address and got a notice of no service. Downloading the other rideshare apps I could think of, one by one, I learned that this rural neighborhood outside the city limits was not served by any.
Defeated in my attempt, I had to admit to a measure of relief. Ansel and Edward would have to see me at my scaredy cat worst tomorrow, but I’d try not to make a scene. Flicking off the light, I crawled under the covers and snuggled down for what might be my only night in this house. I was afraid I’d be up all night, but my emotional uproar had worn me out, and my eyes closed.
Sleep was deep and filled with images of all the people I disappointed before and would likely in the near future. I stood at the base of a mountain covered with that birthday cake sprinkle frosting with a staircase that ran right up the side. It was also covered with the slippery frosting and I was being urged to climb. All the people stood around insisting that I do it, and when asked about the harness or carabiners I’d read about, they all laughed and taunted me. I had no way out but to do what they all demanded of me.
But at every step, my feet slipped out from under me, and I got nowhere while my mother and brothers and sisters-in-law called me names and shouted at me to hurry up. Nobody else seemed inclined to climb, only me, and although I hadn’t made any progress that I could identify, I was suddenly thousands of feet in the air, the stairs suspended away from the mountain but still covered with frosting. I gripped the slippery railing and cried out as it swayed. A gale whipped up, and the stairs were suddenly no longer connected at the bottom so it swung and spun. Although I clung as tightly as I could, fingernails scraping through the sticky, sprinkle-infested goo, it didn’t even slow me down. I plummeted, falling backward, arms and legs flailing. I screamed my throat raw. Then suddenly, I couldn’t move my arms and legs. I’d broken them all. I was paralyzed…maybe dead!
“Monroe, sweetheart.” The voice cut into my screams. “Female, wake up.”
Slowly I came back to realize where I was and what was keeping me from moving. Not the bare-chested men on either side of me, looking down with concern. I was tangled in bedding and had thrashed my way into immobility.
Hell. Looked like I didn’t have to wait until morning to make an embarrassment of myself.
Chapter Fifteen
Ansel
I wasn’t sure we should do the climb. Our mate had a rough night with whatever dreams shattered her peace, and I guess we couldn’t blame her. She didn’t seem to remember what it was that scared her so, but being in an unusual situation like this? With people she’d barely met so far from home could make anyone feel out of sorts.
The only good thing was that when we finally managed to wake her up, she didn’t ask us to leave. Instead, she seemed glad to have us sit on either side of her on the bed and hold her hands and talk about little unimportant things until she was asleep again. It would have been amazing to just curl up and stay with her all night, but when her breaths slowed into an easy rhythm, I eased to my feet and took a step away. Edward lifted her fingers to his lips before doing the same. It was the honorable choice. As alphas, we were accustomed to being decision makers, but one of those decisions, maybe the most important one, was to let our female tell us when she was ready for more. She’d already made such a big move just coming here to meet us, and as long as she stayed, we could hope she would decide to keep us permanently. My grizzly and I had already come to that conclusion, and it only took a glance at Edward to see he felt the same. We’d known since we first spoke to her, really, but humans didn’t expect a fated mating. At least, not that I’d ever heard of. They did, some of them at least, believe in something called soul mates, which sounded close but without animals. And judging from what I saw on television, a soul mate didn’t mean forever like a mating.
Monroe was still asleep, and if she didn’t wake up soon, maybe we should just let her oversleep and miss the reservation entirely. It was a good out for something I’d started to believe she might not be as happy about as she’d seemed at first. I finished wrapping some breakfast sandwiches and bagged them up to eat on the road. If we went.
“If she doesn’t want to do it, why did she make the suggestion?” Edward mused, filling a travel mug with steaming-hot coffee.
“You’re not supposed to be reading my mind,” I said.
“I’m not, but what else could you be so focused on? It’s where my mind is as well.” He screwed the cap on. Black coffee with no additives—a sign he didn’t get much sleep. I hadn’t either, not after I woke up to the screams and crashing around that marked Monroe’s nightmare.
“If our mate isn’t into it, it doesn’t really matter why,” I asserted. “We need to ask her straight out and remind her that we can taste lies.”
“What am I lying about now?” Monroe strolled into the room looking as fresh and cheerful as if she’d slept all night without interruption. “I just got up.”
“Coffee?” I held up the thermal carafe I’d filled with drip earlier.
“Yes, but that doesn’t answer my question.” She smiled, revealing a tiny dimple in her left cheek I hadn’t noticed before. “And I guess you don’t need to. I haven’t been up long enough to lie.”
“We were wondering if you still want to do the climb or maybe do something less strenuous today after last night.”
She frowned, brows coming together adorably. “Last night?” Could she possibly not remember? “Oh, the dream. I’m so sorry I woke you. I promise I don’t have a lot of nightmares. Must be jet lag. But I did fall right back to sleep and never woke up again until about a half hour ago. I’m perfectly well and rested, but you two look like something the cat dragged in. Did you have a bad dream too?”
We assured her we had not, and after everyone had a full travel mug, we gathered our things and headed for the car. I was pretty excited about this endeavor, having watched dozens of YouTube videos put up by others who had already visited. While a few, like those who hung by an arm or a leg, put themselves in danger, a person who was properly secured should have no problem as long as they put one foot in front of the other. Three-point holds, even though you probably didn’t need it like a standard climb, would be a good precaution.
Edward drove, and I sat in back for the relatively short journey to The Mountain Climb. The people who ran the venue had signs at the highway turnoff, making it nearly impossible to miss, and after bumping down the dirt road for a mile or so, we came to the low building that held the equipment and a small café. From this angle, we couldn’t see the stairs, and the structure looked quite unassuming considering what it supported.
“We have fifteen minutes before we are due at the safety video,” I reported. “I guess they must have it on a screen inside.”
“I watched it online,” Edward admitted, “and got that signed off. So if you don’t mind, I’ll go get a look at the steps while you two check in.”
“You did?” Monroe thrust out her lower lip in a pout. “Without us? I thought we were like The Three Musketeers.”
I ran my knuckles over her soft cheek, without thinking about it, but she didn’t back off. Instead, she leaned in, eyes half closed. “I like that idea, The Three Musketeers,” I said softly. “Ready for our first adventure?”
“I think so.” She spoke softly but firmly. “As long as we do it together.”
