"Sure thing, big guy," Natalia purred. She watched Grant's tail wag harder and tried not to take advantage of his distraction. She knew how dangerous it was to play with a wolf's mind. Especially when they were as powerful as him.
But, God, he was beautiful.
Grant heard her voice, and his ears swiveled forward. He looked up into her face. She smiled. "I highly recommend shifting to your human form. Claws might be good for ripping, but feet are better for balancing on trees."
Natalia looked him over. Few people could get this close to a warg in its battle form and live. Most of them didn't have the strength to hold back the animal within. Grant shook his head, his dappled gray fur rippling across his body. His eyes narrowed, and he growled low in his throat. Natalia took a step back, afraid of what was about to happen.
"I'm not as tall in my human form. I'll fall if I change," he finally ground out.
Natalia ran her fingers over her chin, contemplating all the options. She'd never seen a more dangerous creature look so afraid. She wanted to do something. But what?
Grant made an odd noise in his throat as a stiff breeze washed past him, causing all the branches to sway. The movements were natural for her, and her body adjusted to the swaying without a second thought, much like a sailor in the ocean. But Grant was frozen. His body wouldn't move.
"It seems like you have two options. You can let go and drop to the branch you are standing on," she said. Grant shook his head again, vehemently. "Or you can shimmy over to the trunk and shift to your human form. Either way, I will do what I can to help you down."
She moved closer, putting her hand on his shoulder, though she had to stand on the tips of her toes to do it. Standing next to him, the top of her head barely cleared the bottom of his rib cage. Funny, he looked so much shorter when she was in the trees.
Natalia wasn't sure what she was going to do. The wind had died down, and the trees stopped moving, but he was still locked in place. She squeezed in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.
"Hey, we are going to get you down." Natalia put emphasis on the words. She crouched between his feet. "I'll help you move these. You work on the hands, ok?" Then looked up to see if he was listening to her. Big mistake. Impressive mistake.
Natalia's head snapped down, looking at his feet again, trying to hide the vivid blush that flooded her face.
"It's your fault I'm up here in the first place," he said.
"Oh, is it? I remember minding my business when you tried to attack me."
She heard him snort.
Shaking her head, she put her hand on his left foot first. Was it a paw? Some sort of odd mixture of the two, really. "Move this one first, then the other. We'll make our way over to the trunk."
Grant didn't answer, but she felt him shift slightly beneath her fingers. Natalia kept her eyes on the ground, focusing on moving his foot.
"That's it, nice and slow," she cooed. She took her time working his other foot over. It took forever, but her back hit the trunk of the tree. Natalia stood, grabbing a smaller branch behind her, and leaned back to give him space.
"Ok, now, we need to shift you to your human form." Natalia kept her voice low.
He nodded. His head tilted to the side as he studied her. Natalia's heart rate picked up. This was so dangerous. She needed to get him down safely.
Grant took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His body vibrated, fur melting into skin, bones moving, and muscles shifting. As Natalia watched, he stretched, the tension in his shoulders easing. The last thing she saw before his human form appeared were his long legs flexing as he shifted.
The changes in his stature brought her eyes to chest level with him. Unfortunately, his change in proportions also meant she was standing only inches from him. His hands were still clenched into fists. Natalia had no idea what she should do next. She could feel his presence all around her, like a blanket of warmth, or a storm of thunder. The opposing feelings excited her, making her shiver.
"I'm sorry," she blurted out. Grant blinked and looked down at her. From this close, she could see the flecks of gray and white in his eyes, the little tilt to the snow white eyebrows above. The whole black and white look he had going on really worked.
"For what?" he asked.
Natalia was taken aback by how gentle his tone sounded.
"Well, for getting you stuck up here. I should have just lost you in the lower branches." Natalia reached out, placing her hand on his arm.
Grant looked at where her hand touched his arm. Then he looked back at her. Hastily, she snatched it away.
Natalia could see his nostrils flare as he inhaled. A strange feeling rushed through her stomach. His gaze locked with hers, and Natalia felt a blush rise in her cheeks. She tried to look anywhere else, but he followed her line of sight.
"What are you looking at?" she asked.
His mouth pulled into a crooked smile. "You keep looking that way; I thought perhaps you saw something alarming."
Natalia sighed. He was such a weirdo. And yet, he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. It must be the roughness of his features, his piercing eyes, or his large, muscular body. Maybe it was the entire package. She really needed to get out of here before she did something stupid.
"Get me down from here and we will consider ourselves even, then," Grant said. The way he leaned his head down, until he was only inches away from her ear, made her want to squirm. She could feel the warmth of his breath as it tickled across the side of her face.
Natalia's heart raced, and her skin flushed. She wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss him. "Ok."
Another breeze ruffled the treetops, breaking the moment and sending a chill down her spine. Just another reminder summer would be over soon.
"All right, let's get you out of here." Natalia grabbed onto the branch behind her again, this time wrapping her arm around the trunk. "The next branch is just under you. Hold on to the trunk and use it for balance. Remember, you have the vine just in case."
Grant nodded as he shifted his weight forward, using the tree trunk to steady himself. Natalia kept her eye on him, watching carefully for any signs that he would slip. She was glad she'd given him the vine. It seemed to help his confidence.
Slowly, with a lot of huffing and cursing, Grant made his way closer and closer to the forest floor. They had reached the thicker, more sturdy branches now. Natalia felt a little better about things. This was still a dangerous situation, but they had picked up speed, jumping from one branch to another now.
"You're doing great," she called out. Grant's eyes darted to her face and then back to the ground.
Natalia adjusted her head to get a better look at him. He was staring straight ahead, focusing on his steps. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell by the way he held himself, the way his shoulders were pulled tight, that he was tense.
She placed her hand on his shoulder. His muscles tensed further, and he stopped moving. Natalia frowned. "What's wrong?"
He took a deep breath, and Natalia felt his muscles relax beneath her palm. "Nothing," he breathed.
Natalia let go of him and moved away. She kept her eye on him, making sure he always had a next step down and finding the easiest path possible. When they were about twenty feet above the ground, he jumped off the branch, landing in a crouch.
Natalia let out a relieved sigh. Her whole body was shaking from the adrenaline rush. That's what she told herself.
Parking on the branch over his head, she looked down. "Are you ok?"
"Fine!" He called up to her.
Natalia sighed. She looked up, gauging the sun overhead, trying to calculate how much time she would have to finish her research before going back to her camp. Standing, she shook out her arms and mentally prepared herself for the climb. She was exhausted already.
"Wait, where are you going?" Grant asked.
Natalia turned back around to face him. "What do you mean?"
"We have a truce, don't we? You can come down to the forest floor and I'm not allowed to trap you."
Natalia took a deep breath. She knew this was a bad idea. She really should get back to work. "Grant, I—"
"We were up there for hours. I'm starving and I can't imagine you are much better off."
Food. Now he had her attention. Natalia straddled the branch and looked down at him. "What do you suggest?"
"I have a camp close to here, with a rabbit stew that's been cooking for most of the day over the coals." Grant pointed his thumb behind him. He held out his arms, motioning for her to drop.
"Fine, but you have to put some pants on," she responded, swinging around the branch and letting go. It had been so long since she'd eaten meat. That was temptation enough.
Grant caught her in the cradle of his arms. "Why? Don't like what you see?"
Natalia felt her cheeks burn. His face was inches from hers, and he had the most devilish smile. "No, it's just..." She shook her head. "You're naked."
Grant grinned. "My clothes are still on the other side of the trees. And I am hungry."
"Ok, fine." Natalia smiled. Her stomach rumbled in agreement.
He started walking. She made a sound of protest, squirming to get away from him. "Put me down!"
"If you insist," he laughed and dropped her legs, setting her down gently on the forest floor. It has been so long since she'd been on solid, stationary ground. She took a few steps, adjusting to her new equilibrium.
"Thank you."
Grant smiled. "Just this once, gnat."
Natalia followed as he walked away, enjoying the view far more than she would ever let on.