Page 11 of Juneau Heat (Urban Heat 1)

Shiya pounced on this information. Polar bears were animals that loved being in or near the water. The correlation interested her.

“We’re traditionally hunter-gatherers, and extend mostly in Southeast Alaska and Western Canada.”

“Cold areas?”

He nodded. “You heard me speak my language to my grandmother. There aren’t that many native speakers of it here in the United States, less in Canada. It’s a shame, but because of it, I made sure to learn and keep it fresh in my memory. Interacting more with English speakers makes that difficult. Except, of course, when talking with my grandmother.”

Shiya flinched. “Your grandmother doesn’t like me. I think I offended her when I didn’t want the potion.”

“Devil’s club juice,” he corrected. “Don’t worry about it. She is set in her ways and is very traditional. Unlike me, she has no need to integrate with society and lives on the mountain. She comes down only to sell her wares.”

Shiya thought she saw frustration in his expression. She patted his arm. “I know how that is. My mother had her ways too. It drove my dad nuts.”

“Had?”

She kicked herself for mentioning her mother, not only because it hurt to remember and she still missed her after five years, but also because of the way her mother died. “She died when I was twenty-five.”

“I won’t push. I can tell it hurts.” He tucked her into his embrace, and her eyes grew moist at the unexpected sensitivity. She let him hold her a heartbeat and then pulled away. Puffy red eyes weren’t sexy.

“So what about your parents? Still alive? Do you have any siblings?” She started walking again, and he followed.

“Yes, my parents are alive. They, like my grandmother, don’t come into the city or the borough often. I have many brothers and sisters.”

“Many?”

“A few.”

“What’s a borough?”

He seemed to search his mind for the answer. “The county.”

“Ah, okay.”

He took her hand, and they continued down the trail. Someone had laid out planks to walk in the damper areas, and in a few flatter spots, patches of snow surprised her.

“So what about you?”

She looked up at him. “Me?”

“Yes, do you have family?”

“Oh, I keep forgetting Birk knows all this about me, but you and I are just getting to know each other. I have two sisters and a brother. My sisters are one year older and two. I guess you could say we’re stepladder kids. My brother is five years older than Sakura.”

His brows rose. “Sakura?”

“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “My mother was into the whole Japanese thing at the time Sakura was born. The word means ‘cherry blossoms.’ Do you know about sakura trees?”

“I can’t say I do.”

“They’re beautiful, and so is my sister.”

He tugged a lock of her hair, sending chills racing down her spine. “She’s not the only one.”

Shiya turned away. “You’re flattering me.”

He stopped her from walking and pulled her back to face him, trapping her hands between them. Kotori leaned toward her until their lips were less than an inch apart. “Is it flattery if it’s true? Or are you questioning my motives?”

“I wouldn’t presume, sir.”

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