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against his
     chest.
    He smelled of perspiration and himself, warmth and spice. Nell’s anger wound through
     her still, and she wanted to lash out at him, claws and all, for causing it.
    At the same time, she wanted to sink into his warmth, where nothing mattered but the
     music and the dance. The noise was a cushion of sound, isolating them, the darkness
     keeping everyone else in shadow.
    Nell risked everything and let her head rest on his shoulder.
    Cormac rubbed his hand through her hair, slowing the dance. Nell moved with him, closing
     her eyes.
    Nice to have someone to lean on. Nell had relied on herself alone for too long.
    The music faded, segued into another song, and blared again. Faster this time. Shifters
     yelled and started whirling, including her son Brody, who’d snagged a young Feline
     for the dance.
    It was too much. Too much sound, too many scents, too many bodies.
    Bears were meant to live in the quiet of deep woods, near the cool of a mountain river.
     What the hell was Nell doing in Las Vegas, in the middle of a pile of Shifters, dancing
     at a club?
    “Want to get out of here?” Cormac said, his voice warm in her ear.
    “Please,” Nell said breathlessly.
    His hand closed over hers, sure and comforting, taking her out of this place into
     the chill darkness and blessed quiet of the winter night.
    “You all right?”
    The parking lot outside the club was freezing, and Nell had nothing but the little
     wrap that came with the dress, but Cormac was beside her, his warmth cutting the cold
     of the January wind. This was the Mojave Desert, blistering in the summer, but it
     could turn bone-cold in the winter.
    “What do you think?” Nell asked.
    “I know what you need.”
    “Don’t you dare say a good roll in the hay.”
    Cormac frowned, as though that had been the last thing on his mind. “No, you need
     to get away and go for a run. Come on. I know a place.”
    “How can you know a place? You just got here.”
    He shrugged. “Eric and his mate told me about a place. In case we needed somewhere
     to be alone.”
    “Eric is an interfering pain in the ass.”
    “He’s Shiftertown leader. Being an interfering pain in the ass is kind of his job.”
    Cormac kept hold of Nell’s hand but walked her on toward his truck, a secondhand F-150
     he’d picked up just today. Shane had insisted they all come here in it. They’d looked
     ridiculous, three large bear Shifters in the cab, Shane lounging in the back. Nell
     was sure the drivers they’d passed had laughed their asses off.
    “How will Shane and Brody get home?” Nell asked as Cormac unlocked the door.
    “Somehow, I think your sons will be just fine. Half of Shiftertown is here. They’ll
     catch a ride.”
    Yes, Shane and Brody were pretty good at taking care of themselves. Brody was one
     of Eric’s trackers—he helped Eric look into problems and acted as a bodyguard if necessary.
     Shane performed similar tasks for Nell, the highest-ranking bear in Shiftertown.
    Where would Cormac come into the hierarchy? Dominance shifts were a huge problem when
     new Shifters moved into Shiftertowns. Things still hadn’t shaken down from the Lupines
     moving in. The Lupine leader was a big wolf Shifter called Graham, who’d been his
     Shiftertown leader before that Shiftertown was closed. Graham and Eric had come to
     an agreement not to battle for dominance, but the tension still ran through Shiftertown.
    Cormac didn’t seem worried about dominance, hierarchy, or any other annoyances of
     Shifter life. He drove confidently away from Coolers and up the Boulder Highway to
     95 and north out of town, before turning onto a smaller highway that led toward the
     mountains.
    In January, Mount Charleston and the surrounding peaks would be packed with snow,
     and Nell was in a close-fitting black party dress with a tiny shawl, and heels. She
     was already shivering.
    “I didn’t bring my skis,” she said as Cormac started winding to higher