Chapter 1 #2
“Something flew across the road. I was trying to avoid hitting it, and that’s how I’m in the damn ditch,” Liana said. The tremors in her body were overwhelming. Her teeth chattered. She had a winter coat on, but with the current temperatures, she might as well have had on a light jacket.
“It was probably a rogue wolf. They have been causing a lot of trouble up in these parts. Wintertime makes them desperate.” Eddie didn’t look too happy about the wolves.
Liana attempted to control her body, but the cold was seeping into her bones.
“We need to move. Now.” Eddie extended a gloved hand to Liana. She reached inside the car to help her.
Liana tried to shift her weight but cried out at a sharp pain just when she applied her weight to her foot. Liana fell back inside the car. Eddie’s reaction was instant. She crouched and slid her arm under Liana’s knees and back with surprising gentleness.
“Wait. I can do it,” Liana protested. She tried to push her away, but that was like trying to move a brick wall.
“You can’t,” Eddie said flatly. Her amber eyes practically glowed as she watched Liana. “Your ankle may be injured more than you think. Walking on this terrain will make it worse.”
“But—”
“It’s freezing. We don’t have time. After the storm blows over, I’ll come back for your things.”
Someone sure is bossy.
Before Liana could attempt to argue again, Eddie lifted her.
Heat radiated from the woman in waves. Liana automatically leaned into her, welcoming the warmth.
Her scent held faint woodsmoke, pine, and something wild.
Liana’s cheeks grew hot; she realized she had rested her face into the crook of Eddie’s neck while she breathed in her scent.
How embarrassing.
Eddie probably thinks you’re a creep.
Eddie slammed the door shut and stepped away from the car. Snow swallowed them as it whipped sideways. It stung Liana’s exposed skin. The wind howled so loudly. It was like nothing she had ever heard.
Part scream. Part warning.
She tucked her face against Eddie’s shoulder.
“Are you sure you can carry me?” Liana asked. She winced; the throbbing in her ankle worsened.
“You’re light.” Eddie snorted. “And I’m not a puny little human.”
Liana was familiar with shifters. By the size and strength of Eddie, Liana concluded that she must be a bear shifter. Terri, her friend, was a bear shifter, as was her mate.
Still, Liana was impressed by the way Eddie trudged through the knee-deep snow carrying her as if she weighed nothing.
“Keep your head down and hold on,” Eddie shouted over the wind.
Liana did as she was told. She tightened her grip on Eddie’s jacket.
Eddie’s muscle movement flexed with each step, and her breath was steady while her heartbeat appeared to remain calm.
Liana felt the soft pulse from the side of Eddie’s neck.
She nuzzled her face closer and inhaled again.
There was something about the scent of her that made her have thoughts she shouldn’t be having at a time like this.
Inside Eddie’s chest, something rumbled faintly. Something primal, deep with a low vibration. Liana’s pulse spiked.
Was that a growl? Or a purr?
“You’re making a noise?” Liana whispered. The wind had settled down for a moment.
With her shifter hearing, Eddie heard her. “Ignore it.”
The sound would be hard to ignore when it had sent heat spiraling down to Liana’s core.
By the time a cabin emerged through the snow, Liana’s fingers were numb and pain radiated up her leg. Smoke curled from the chimney, while a warm light glowed through the frosted windows. It was a welcoming sight to behold.
Eddie walked up the few steps of the porch. She stomped her feet to knock some of the thick snow off her legs and boots. She nudged open the door and carried Liana inside. Warmth flowed over Liana, and a sigh escape her.
“Thank goodness,” she murmured. The cabin was rustic with log walls, thick rugs, and a stone fireplace with a crackling fire. It was cozy and safe.
Much better than trying to stay in the car.
Eddie set her gently down on the couch near the fire.
She shrugged off her coat, snow dropping to the floor.
She moved liked a predator in human skin around the room.
She first went over to the fire and stoked it, the flames growing.
More heat poured across the room. Liana still trembled, but with the warmth surrounding her, it was lessening.
“Let me see your ankle.” Eddie stalked back to her. That amber-eyed gaze of hers dropped down to Liana’s foot.
“Okay.” Liana first unzipped her coat and wiggled out of it. She winced from the pain that rippled up from her leg as she slid her coat off. She placed it on the back of the couch.
Eddie bent down before her and untied her bootlaces. She held on to Liana’s leg while taking her left boot off.
“Ow!”
Eddie frowned, examining Liana’s ankle and leg.
“It’s just sprained. Not broken but swollen. I have a first-aid kit. I’ll wrap it. You will need to stay off it, keep it elevated and ice it.” Eddie stood upright and disappeared into another room.
While she was gone, Liana struggled but successfully removed her other boot. Thankfully, that ankle was fine.
Eddie returned with supplies and a warm blanket.
She wrapped Liana up who didn’t argue one bit.
It was heavenly and smelled faintly of Eddie.
She left the room, leaving Liana alone again.
She glanced around and took in the simple decor.
There was no television, a few books scattered along the coffee table, and some decorations to give the cabin a homey vibe.
It would appear that Eddie was alone here.
She wondered if Eddie stayed here all year round or was this a getaway home.
It appeared to be remote and out of the way from civilization.
Eddie returned a few minutes later with a mug. She handed it to Liana.
“Drink,” she ordered.
“What is it?” Liana sniffed it. She eyed the bossy female. She hadn’t asked her if she wanted anything, just went and made something. Liana was able to pick up a spicy aroma along with a sweetness to it.
“Honey tea with ginger.” Eddie kneeled on the floor before her and began going through her supplies. “It will warm you up faster and help with the shock.”
Shock. Well, that would explain the shaking.
She sipped it slowly at first. The taste wasn’t bad.
It wouldn’t be something she’d order, but she’d definitely drink it if Eddie thought it would help.
Heat bloomed across her chest. Eddie moved closer to her and cleaned the cut on her temple with a gentleness that didn’t seem appropriate for someone her size.
“You’re lucky,” Eddie murmured. “Another hour out there and you’d be hypothermic. Maybe would have lost consciousness.”
“Thank you.” Liana meant it from the bottom of her heart.
Eddie was right. The odds would have been against her had she stayed out in the car. Eddie’s eyes lifted to hers. For a heartbeat, neither of them looked away. Electricity filled the air. Liana’s breath caught.
Eddie stood abruptly and took a step back. She rubbed her hands on her jean-covered thighs.
“We need to get you out of those pants so I can wrap your ankle properly. Don’t move.” The woman disappeared back into the other room. She sure did give orders without a thought. She must be used to telling people what to do.
Was it the same in the bedroom with her lovers? Heat crept across Liana’s cheeks at the thought. She leaned back against the couch, no longer trembling from the cold.
A shiver rippled through her, but this time, it was because of the way Eddie had looked at her.
Like she’d seen something.
Someone she wanted.
Liana raised the mug and took another sip of the tea. What was she going to do? The shifter had elicited a reaction from her that she’d never experienced before.
And from the howling of the wind outside, they may be stuck here together.
For a while.