Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
The storm finally broke. It had been three days since that last wave of the storm had dumped what seemed to be an endless amount of snow.
For a long moment, Liana stood at the large window in the living room.
She blinked at the brightness that streamed in through the frosted glass.
Sunlight glittered over acres of snow-laden trees and blanketed hills.
The world had been transformed from raging white chaos to a soft, quiet stillness.
The sky was a bright crystal blue she hadn’t seen since she’d left the airport and crashed the car into a ditch and was rescued by her fated mate.
A love that had found her in the middle of a storm.
If that wasn’t fate, she didn’t know what was.
Behind her, Eddie moved through the cabin with her natural grace that made Liana’s heart warm with love.
These few days together and the sight of Eddie, barefoot, hair damp from her shower, wrapped up in a long-sleeved sweater and jeans, made her stomach flutter like a schoolgirl with her first crush.
Except this wasn’t anything as innocent as that.
The past few days, the claiming had been just that.
Eddie had barely allowed her out of their bed.
Her body tingled in all of the perfect places.
She bit her lip and thought of the intimate moments they had shared.
Her throat still felt a little scratchy from all of the screaming Eddie had her doing.
Her shoulder was still slightly sore where Eddie had placed her mark. Her core clenched at the memory of Eddie’s fangs sinking into her. The mark, almost healed, would forever show that she had been claimed by her alpha bear.
“The truck is dug out and ready,” Eddie announced.
She came to stand alongside Liana. Her amber-eyed gaze swept the yard before coming to settle on Liana.
It flicked to Liana’s shoulder before meeting her eyes.
She smelled of cedar soap and a hint of honey.
“Road will probably be a little rough, but I’m sure we’ll make it fine. ”
“Well, if we slide into a ditch, I know of a bear who has a nearby cabin we’ll be safe at,” Liana teased.
That earned her a chuckle from Eddie. She wrapped an arm around Liana and brought her close. Liana leaned into her, loving the feeling of their bodies pressed against each other.
“Time to go?”
“Yes.” Eddie hesitated for a moment. She studied Liana as if she was waiting for her to change her mind about something. “It’s time for us to go home.”
“Our home?” Liana asked.
That earned her a growl from her bear. Eddie’s chest vibrated from the sound.
“Yes, our home,” Eddie murmured. She leaned down and dropped a soft kiss to Liana’s lips. She lifted her head and smiled. “We need to go or else these clothes will be off and it’ll be another three days before we leave.”
“Don’t tease me with a good time.” Liana laughed.
Eddie’s eyes darkened as her hands slipped down to cup Liana’s bottom. She backed away from her mate and shook her head. Unfortunately, they couldn’t stay here hidden away together forever. They had to return to reality.
“We’ll have plenty of time for that later. After you take me home.”
The last three days had been magical. The storm had trapped them, but it had also gifted them time.
They’d been wrapped up in blankets, learned about each other in the dim glow of the fire, spent plenty of time touching and exploring each other.
Eddie wasn’t always a soft woman, her alpha bear instincts were sharp, sometimes overwhelming, but Liana would have to blame herself.
She had a certainly tested the bear, but Eddie was always gentle when it came to her. Even when she was upset with her.
Liana thought of all the moments she’d come to love.
Eddie brushing snow from her face when they’d gone outside to get fresh air; Liana noting Eddie’s focused alpha look she had when she studied something.
These days in the cabin had allowed them to truly get to know one another.
Liana would always be grateful for the storm and what it had gifted her.
It had given her a new life. But now that it was over, it was time for them to go back to reality. The world would be waiting on them.
They finished packing the little items they were taking with them.
Liana had her belongings from the car. She would call the rental company later to report the accident.
She reached for her coat that had finally dried out and zipped it up.
She walked across the room where her boots were sitting by the couch.
She sat and slid the first one on. She had to admit that her ankle felt a hundred times better.
She’d barely felt any pain. She wiggled it around.
Eddie had insisted on wrapping it again.
She glanced up and found Eddie standing near the doorway silently watching her.
“You don’t need to hover over me.” Liana chuckled. She slipped the other boot on and bent over to tie them up.
“I’m not hovering,” Eddie replied.
“You are. You have checked on my ankle at least twice since you wrapped it. I’m fine.” Liana smiled and held her leg up in the air as if to show off the healed sprain.
“I am just making sure my mate is healing.”
“And I appreciate it. I do.” Liana stood, and again, no pain.
Eddie gave her nod and came into the room and grabbed her bag that was resting on the floor. The cabin had been cleaned from top to bottom. They’d put everything back where it belonged. The hearth was now no longer burning a bright flame. Only a few embers remained with a slight glow.
Liana glanced around at what had been their haven and sighed. She would miss this place. As if sensing her thoughts, Eddie took her hand and brought it to her lips.
“We’ll come back. Let’s get you home.” She kissed the back of it.
Liana gave a nod and snagged her belongings then followed Eddie out of the cabin.
She headed over to the waiting truck while Eddie locked the door.
Once they were in, the engine roared to life.
Eddie guided the vehicle down the long winding drive.
Liana eyed the cabin in the side mirror and watched it get smaller as they drove off.
They arrived at the narrow mountain road. It was still half-buried in places, the edges drifted with snow so deep it looked like untouched cloud banks. Ice shimmered in patches, and every few turns the truck fishtailed just enough to send Liana’s pulse racing.
Eddie drove with a confidence that Liana admired. The road finally evened out, and Liana relaxed slightly. She settled in her seat and watched the scenery blur past in the bright, cold winter colors.
Her phone buzzed faintly in the cup holder. It was the first time she’d heard it make a noise in days. She snatched it up and stared at the screen. There were multiple missed calls from so many of her family and friends.
She had bars for a signal!
“Oh, goodness,” she breathed. “My sister. She probably thinks I’m dead in a ditch somewhere.”
“Call her.” Eddie shot her an empathetic glance before turning back to the road.
Liana tapped on her sister’s last missed call. The phone rang once before it was answered by hysterically crying and shouting.
“Liana? Is that you? Oh God, Liana. Where the hell have you been? Do you know what—I thought—you can’t just…why haven’t you called?”
Liana squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the prickling of tears. She inhaled sharply at the pain in her sister’s voice.
“I promise I’m okay,” she said softly. She wished she would have been able to call her sister. Had the shoe been on the other foot, she would have been a mess, too. She repeated herself at the sobbing that filled her ear. “I’m okay.”
“You just disappeared! Terri and I had the police looking for you, but they said this storm was one of the worst they’d seen in a while. Liana, I thought we’d lost you.”
The words broke something in Liana. The tears flowed down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry.” Liana whispered. “My car crashed. I got stuck out there in the storm. But I…I found shelter. Someone rescued and helped me.”
“Someone?” Jorrie sniffed. “What do you mean, someone?”
She glanced at Eddie who reached over and gave her thigh a squeeze. Liana reached up and brushed the wetness from her cheeks.
“I met someone,” Liana shared. A small smile played on her lips. “Someone I care about…a lot.”
“Liana English! Don’t you tell me you disappeared in the middle of the worst storm in history and come out with a new girlfriend!”
Eddie snorted. She could obviously hear her sister’s side of the conversation. Liana’s cheeks warmed.
“I’ll explain everything, okay? I just need to call Terri next,” Liana said.
“Oh, no! You are not hanging up without giving me all the details!”
“I promise I will call you back once we are settled at her place,” Liana said.
“Her place?” Jorrie shrieked. “We are so talking about this. You better call me back or I am hopping on the next plane out of here to Montana!”
“I promise,” Liana whispered. “I love you, sis.”
“You better! I thought we’d have to start planning your funeral.”
They disconnected the call with Liana pinky swearing she’d call her sister back.
She then placed a call to Terri and had almost the exact same conversation.
After the second call, Liana figured she’d wait before she called everyone else back.
She wiped the tears from her cheeks. She hated that her family had suffered while she had been tucked away in the snowy mountains.
Eddie reached across and entwined their fingers together.
“It will be our place,” Eddie reminded her.
Liana’s heart stuttered. She gave Eddie’s hand a squeeze.
Love filled her chest at the warmth that radiated from Eddie.
Was it too soon to tell Eddie she loved her?
They hadn’t known each other long, but Liana was sure what she felt was love.
The mark on her was definitely proof that Eddie wanted her.
But as a shifter, did that mean love?
“Yes, our place,” she murmured. She’d figure out everything later. Right now, this felt right, and she wasn’t going to miss out on this opportunity with Eddie.
They continued down the mountain road with sunlight glittering across the snow. After all of the chaos it had caused, now it was a peaceful white blanket that surrounded them. It reminded Liana of a new start.
Something she had gained with Eddie. A new life. She looked forward to embarking on her new journey with her mate.