Chapter 6
6
Goldie
I t was the smell of a nearby fire and the sound of crackling wood that roused me.
For a second, I just kept my eyes closed, taking in my surroundings with my other senses. Everything rushed back to me in startling clarity.
Standing by the creek. Seeing three massive bear-beasts looking at me with interest and a lot of heat.
I heard nothing aside from the fire, but I could feel my heart racing a little faster, because I knew I wasn’t wholly alone.
Were they close? Where had they taken me?
Whatever platform I was on was soft, the furs underneath me warm. Another thick covering had been draped over my lower half, and I stretched my toes, realizing they had taken off my boots.
They’d gone to a lot of trouble to keep me comfortable, to make sure I was warm.
That went a long way to easing my worries, but still, the heavy weight of confusion and fear floated beneath my skin.
Although I should be terrified of the creatures, instinctively I knew they’d never hurt me. I knew they were the ones who watched me as a child, who led me back to my cottage when I’d gotten lost.
I never told my parents what happened, always keeping that secret close to my heart, knowing that if I uttered a word about them, it would be dangerous.
For them.
I opened my eyes and slowly looked around. I couldn’t see much from my vantage point, but I could tell I was inside an unfamiliar cottage.
The ceilings were massively high, with gorgeous, natural wood beams running parallel, and exposed wooden framing.
I pushed myself up and braced my hands on the soft fur beneath me. A fire was roaring steadily in the hearth across from where I sat.
I glanced around the room and saw a kitchen off to the side, and although everything was normal in appearance, I took note that things seemed larger.
The counters. The shelving. Even the furniture was slightly larger than normal, as if they were built to fit a larger frame than that of a human.
My pulse started beating a little faster, because I knew where I was. I knew for what creatures this home was built.
I sat on the edge of the platform and listened, but still I heard nothing but the sound of my pounding heart.
To my right were three large chairs, the next bigger than the previous one. Although my head ached from when I fell, and my wrists and ankles were sore, I could stand with little difficulty.
When I stood, my head pounded slightly, but it went away as fast as it arrived.
I stood there and listened, looking around. I took everything in for another second before I made my way into the kitchen, mindful of my still slightly sore ankle, and got myself some water.
I drank two large glasses before I finally set the cup down and braced my hands on the counter, staring out the window. The sun had set, and everything was cloaked in inky darkness. I could hear the howl of wind. The violent pounding of ice and water hitting the glass followed.
I shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold. A chill raced over my arms and legs, because I knew at any second I wouldn’t be alone, that I’d have to face this new reality of what was happening and who—or what—had brought me here.
And as much as that should have frightened me, I felt a strange tightening in my belly.
My heart started beating faster for far different reasons, and my body lit up as if I had touched a hot coal.
I stood, seeing a large hallway off to the side. My feet were moving before I realized what I was doing.
The first door opened up to show a massive bed in the center of the room. The second room was designed in much the same way, but this bed was a little bigger than the previous one.
The last room at the very end of the hallway had the largest bed out of the three.
I imagined the bear creatures sleeping atop them, their big, beast-like bodies sprawled out across the top. My body once again lit up, and every erogenous zone tightened as my blood heated.
I started breathing a little faster and harder as images played through my mind, things I’d never thought about before.
I had just shut the bedroom door when I heard a heavy sound coming from outside. There was a distinct scrape-scrape-scrape of nails against wood. For one second, there was a pause of silence, and then I turned to face the entryway, a clear view of the front door.
I held my breath as I saw the handle turn, then the wood door was being pushed open.
A little whimper of something other than fear spilled from me when I spied three sets of golden, glowing eyes already trained right on me.
Well, it was now or never to figure out what my future held.