Untamed Winter

by Cassandra Lawson

  “You’re too quiet,” he remarked, as they walked through the trees. “I know you aren’t used to making conversation, but something tells me you’re thinking about all the reasons you need to get far away from me before I can convince you to stay.”

  “I probably should run from you,” she told him. “Staying makes no sense, and I can only imagine it’s going to make things harder when I have to leave.”

  “The only solution is for you to stay,” he pointed out, sounding perfectly reasonable. “I’m going to have to insist on it.”

  “Really?” she asked, stopping to regard him with a raised eyebrow. It seemed obvious he was teasing her.

  “Absolutely,” he replied. “I can’t allow you to do anything that would cause you pain. What kind of male would I be if I allowed my mate to suffer? Being away from me would be terrible for you.”

  Winter laughed again. “You really are very arrogant, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” he agreed, releasing her hand to reach under the bush where she assumed his clothes were hidden. When his hand emerged with the bag, he flashed a triumphant grin. “We made it before someone took off with my clothing.”

  Once again, she had the strange urge to tease Cord. “Such a pity. I suppose this means I’ll have to leave my clothing on.”

  Cord’s eyes darkened. “Don’t feel like you have to keep your clothing on for me. It is really binding, and I’m sure we’d both be more comfortable if you were undressed.”

  Winter laughed as she shook her head. “We’re just as likely to attract unwanted attention with me undressed. Besides, something tells me you’ll have a harder time behaving if I have less clothing on.”

  “My self-control is excellent,” he assured her as he slipped on his pants and slung the bag with the rest of his clothing over one shoulder. “Fine, I might not have as much self-control if you were naked, but I could live with that.”

  “You’re an alpha in your clan, aren’t you?” she asked, sensing his arrogance stemmed from the fact that he rarely had others question him on decisions.

  “I’m the leader of the local cougars,” he replied with confidence and pride.

  “I’ll bet you’re a good leader, one who would do anything to keep his clan safe,” she said thoughtfully.

  “I would,” he agreed. “That includes you, Winn. As my mate, I’ll protect you and help you in any way I can.” He quickly added, “Sorry. If you stay. We’re going to enjoy our time together without pressure. It’s just hard for me. I’m used to giving orders, but something tells me you’ll never be good at taking orders.”

  She laughed at his sheepish expression, which looked ridiculous on a male as arrogant as she suspected Cord was. “You really are trying to avoid scaring me away, aren’t you?”

  “You haven’t run yet, so I must be doing something right,” he pointed out.

  “Do you really mean you’ll do whatever is best for me?” she asked.

  “Yes. Your happiness and well-being will always be my concern. I’m not saying you need me to protect you. You seem to have done fine taking care of yourself, but I’d fight by your side.”

  “What if what you need to do to protect me and your clan is to let me go?” she asked. “Do you really think you’d be able to do that? As a clan leader, you’re used to people falling in line with what you want. I find it hard to believe you’re not going to try to force me to stay.”

  Cord studied her for a moment. “You’re trying to start an argument. No matter what I say, you’ll argue with me.”

  Winter snorted. “I don’t argue.”

  “That is what you’re trying to do,” he insisted with a grin.

  “I most certainly am not,” she argued before laughing at herself. “Fine, I’m arguing.”

  “Tell me about yourself, Winn,” he coaxed, snagging her hand and guiding her along beside him again.

  “How about if you tell me more about you,” Winter suggested. “How did you become clan leader?”

  “My old clan was under the rule of a brutal leader,” he began solemnly. “It was a dark time for everyone, and I decided something had to be done, so I challenged him. I barely survived the fight.”

  “Really?” she asked, knowing most leaders were simply put in place when the old leader stepped down or was killed.

  Cord chuckled. “No. It’s a pretty boring story. My brother was leader, and the clan got too big. It was decided that I would break off from the original clan, taking some of the cougars with me. Technically, I didn’t take them anywhere. It was my brother who relocated up north with the members of our clan who preferred to follow him.”

  “Do you still see your brother?” she asked.

  “Not often,” he admitted. “I’d like to see him more, but we’re both busy. It’s been a couple months since I last saw him.”

  “It’s good that you’re still in contact,” she remarked.

  Cord squeezed her hand. “Who are you thinking about?”

  “No one important,” she replied, and it was the truth. Her brothers were no longer part of her life, and they never would be again.

  “I won’t push you,” he said simply.

  “But you want to, don’t you?” she asked.

  “Very much,” he agreed. “You’re a challenge, but one I don’t mind.”

  “I’d think, as clan leader, you’d be hoping for a biddable mate,” she stated.

  “Biddable sounds boring,” he said.

  She laughed because it was amusing hearing something like that from a clan leader. “This coming from a male who expects everyone to follow his orders. Don’t try to deny it. I know, as leader, you need respect from your clan.”

  “That is exactly why a biddable mate would likely bore me,” he explained. “The people closest to me shouldn’t be afraid to speak their minds.”

  “Do you have people like that in your life?” she asked.

  “Some,” he replied. “Tell me what it’s like being a mage.”

  Opening her mouth to respond, Winter frowned because she’d been about to say lonely. It seemed strange that she suddenly felt lonely.

  Slipping an arm around her waist, Cord pulled her closer. His lips brushed against hers, and before she could react, he pulled away and grabbed her hand to start walking again. “What can you do as far as controlling nature? Can you make it rain?”

  “Not very well,” she admitted. “That’s one of the reasons I’m having so much trouble restoring balance here. The droughts will only continue to get worse. I’m failing.”

  He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re doing the best you can.”

  “You have a lot of faith in me,” she said with a self-deprecating smile. “I find that surprising when you don’t really know me.”

  “Isn’t that what this afternoon is about? Me getting to know you?” he asked, with an almost boyish grin.

  “I suppose it is,” she agreed. “Doesn’t it seem like we’re just torturing ourselves with something we can’t have?”

  “None of that,” Cord said sternly. “You agreed to just enjoy the day with me.”

  “I’ll try,” she agreed.

  “That’s all I’m asking,” he assured her.

  Winter spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying Cord’s company more than she would have expected. He didn’t simply fight to protect the land for the safety of his clan—Cord genuinely loved and cherished it. His understanding of the stress the land was under amazed her, and she found herself wishing he weren’t an alpha, wishing she could justify asking him to come with her. Those foolish thoughts were what made her realize she needed to leave. Even if he weren’t an alpha, she could never have a mate. The mage had to be solitary. Her responsibilities were too important for her to reject all she’d been taught.

  “What’s wrong, Winn?” he asked. His worried expression making her realize she’d not only lapsed into silence, the easy smile she’d been wearing was gone.

  “I have to go,” she told him, surprised by
the emotion in her own voice. Leaving was hard, but she had to do it. I am a mage. Emotions have no place in my life. She reminded herself since she seemed to be forgetting who she was.

  Pulling her against his chest, Cord kissed her, taking full advantage of her gasp to slide his tongue past her lips and explore her mouth. He groaned as his kiss stole her breath and nearly stripped her of her ability to think clearly. Her body was alive with passion. Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed him back. Cord didn’t fight her. He released her and took two steps back to put distance between them.

  When Cord looked down at her, desire and possessiveness were mixed with a strange sadness. It was the sadness that tempted her to reach out to him, but she was certain if she gave in to that temptation, Cord wouldn’t let her leave.

  “Stay.” That one word spoken in Cord’s raspy voice hung between them.

  “I can’t,” she replied, trying to sound cold in the hopes of reminding herself who she was. “I gave you a day, but that’s all I have to give.”

  “You should leave quickly before my control snaps,” he ground out, his fierce gaze locked on her. “If I find you again, I won’t let you go. I will mark you, claim you, and make sure you never want to leave me.”

  She gave him a sad smile. “You’ll never find me. Thank you for today, Cord, and I’m sorry I can’t be the mate you deserve.” Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away from him. As Winter moved into the trees, she masked her scent, fighting the emotions she was not allowed to feel and almost hating what she was.

  Chapter Four

  November 26, 2116

  Richard had always hated council meetings, but they’d become nearly intolerable since his failed rebellion. The other council members viewed him as a traitor, rather than a man who’d been willing to do what it took for the good of his people. Even those who’d supported his efforts shunned him for fear of being labeled traitors themselves. The only reason he hadn’t been executed was lack of sufficient proof he’d been involved in the recent rebellion. He’d been careful to keep his distance, for the most part.

  The tourists who’d demanded an audience with the council piqued his interest. The moment the tourists walked into the meeting room, Richard knew they weren’t human. The five newcomers had black hair, tan skin, and eyes ranging from deep brown to almost gold. The gold eyes were a color he hadn’t seen before. Still, that wasn’t why he suspected these tourists weren’t human. It was the way they moved with an almost unnatural grace—a grace no human could possess.

  “Tell us who you are and what you want from us,” Celia said from beside Richard. With her brown ringlet curls, blue eyes, and skin like porcelain, Celia looked like a doll. She often went out of her way to display her fangs. The strange contrast to her innocent features made her look more frightening to the tourists when they caught a glimpse of her. Richard often made a point of visiting the tourist areas when Celia was there, simply to see their reactions.

  “My name is Cruz, and these are my escorts, Rafe, Kai, Rhys, and Juan. We have come seeking your help,” the man who’d requested the meeting said with authority. Standing at the front, flanked by two guards, most would assume he was the leader, but Richard had noticed the way he’d looked to the man closest to the back before speaking, making him suspect Cruz was merely the speaker.

  “What is it you need from us?” Eleanor asked, looking softer than Richard had ever seen her. Normally, Eleanor dressed in head to toe white and kept her long brown hair pulled back from her face, bringing attention to the ugly scar on her forehead. Today, her hair had been cut and styled so it swept across her forehead, covering the scar. Rather than her usual white clothing, she was dressed in a crimson robe that brought out the color in her cheeks. She was his greatest enemy among the council. She was one of the few people who could get a strong reaction from him. He’d love to break that bitch.

  “We have been hunting a dangerous killer for many years,” Cruz began. “Our hunt has led us to this land, where we believe she is hiding. We have come to ask your permission to hunt her.”

  There was no missing the disdain in Cruz’s voice. Clearly, he didn’t think they needed to ask permission from the vampire council. He believed they were too good for that sort of thing.

  “We do not allow tourists to hunt people in Fangri La,” Nola replied loudly to the obvious surprise of the tourists. Nola was a tiny woman with dark skin, short brown hair, and nearly black eyes. Her booming voice didn’t match her diminutive size.

  “We must find her,” Cruz argued after sparing a brief glance to the man near the back of the group.

  “If you tell us what she looks like, we’ll search the city,” Eleanor assured him. “She won’t be able to hide here.”

  “She won’t be in the city,” Cruz insisted. “We must hunt for her in the less inhabited areas.”

  “As I’m sure you already know, no one leaves Fangri La when visiting from other countries,” Celia replied. “We do this to avoid risk of exposure to the Moon virus.”

  “There are also many other dangers outside Fangri La,” Yasmine added in her soft voice. With her hood pulled forward, no one could see what she looked like. That was the case most of the time. “We have these rules in place for your safety.”

  Richard nearly laughed at her claim. While that was what they told the tourists, the truth was, they only cared for the tourists’ safety because tourism paid for the supplies they needed from other countries. Everything they did was for their own survival, but they tried to spin it in a way that made it sound like they genuinely cared for the annoying sacks of blood who wanted to make their fantasy come to life by playing with vampires.

  “You would not be able to stop this killer,” the man standing beside Cruz scoffed.

  “That is enough, Rhys,” the man in the back growled, and Rhys ducked his head, confirming Richard’s suspicions about who the real leader was.

  Cruz looked to the man in the back and only continued after the man nodded. “She is not human, and she can control the elements of nature. How do you expect to fight a creature that can control wind, rain, and even lightning?”

  Richard sat up straighter. He’d heard several vampires claim to have seen a woman use lightning to kill someone. He and the other council members had written it off as a lie to hide what had really happened, but now, he wondered if it might have been the truth. That kind of power could certainly be useful. Although, something told him their visitors weren’t telling them the whole truth. They weren’t lying, but they were omitting important details.

  “We’ve had no disappearances from Fangri La,” Celia argued. “Security is something we take very seriously. All visitors have been accounted for.”

  While Richard knew of no tourists who’d gone missing in recent months, there had been tourists who’d disappeared in the past. In the early days of Fangri La, they’d run into problems with feral vampires attacking tourists. That had forced them to work out deals to cover up the deaths. There were still many vampires who hated humans, leading to the occasional murdered tourist, and that was difficult to cover up. Over the years, there had been some foolish humans wanting to explore the forbidden land. They’d had no recent problems since security had been tightened in the tourist areas.

  “I agree,” Eleanor added. “It isn’t possible that your killer is anywhere outside Fangri La.”

  “She is here,” Cruz growled, sounding more animal than man. “Not in this city, but she is somewhere in this land.”

  “If you provide us with more details, we will notify the leaders in our other territories to look out for her,” Eleanor offered. “As I’ve said, I don’t believe there is any way she could be outside Fangri La, but we’re willing to do this to help put your mind at ease.”

  “Should she be found, I want her handed over to me,” the man in the back of the group demanded. Cruz had introduced him as Rafe, and he was definitely the one in charge. “She must return to our homeland.”

 
“I’m afraid that may not be possible,” Eleanor told him. “Naturally, we can send her back to her home country if she’s found in Fangri La, but if the woman you are looking for has in fact left Fangri La, she won’t be allowed to return to her home. We’ll determine if she’s a danger and deal with her appropriately in that situation.”

  Richard watched with fascination as Rafe clenched his fists at his sides. He was angry but still keeping his temper relatively under control, something Richard admired. Control was important to him, largely because he’d had so little of it in his youth. He’d been born human, but had his rights stripped from him at four. In a short time, he’d gone from a child trying to understand why he was dying to a vampire being called a monster by humans. It was a wonder he was able to stomach being near a human long enough to feed. Still, Richard had worked hard to lock away his emotions. There were only very subtle cues to his true feelings, and most would never pick up on them. Rafe wasn’t as good at hiding his emotions, but he seemed determined to control them.

  The arguments continued, but, as Richard had expected, the council refused to allow them to search for the woman outside Fangri La. Doing so risked having the borders closed again. Something told Richard, these strangers were looking for information on the woman rather than permission to leave Fangri La.

  After the meeting let out, Richard had four of his guards follow him to the tourist area. As he approached the rooms where the strangers were staying, he was surprised to find Rafe leaning against a wall in the hallway, waiting for him. The last struck Richard as foolish. While likely not human, the man was still outnumbered, and Richard was certain Rafe had no idea what the vampires were capable of in a fight.

  “Why did you follow me back here, human?” Rafe asked with a mocking grin.

  “I’m not human,” Richard scoffed.

  Rafe chuckled. “Are you telling me you think your disease makes you something other than human? Humans have suffered many diseases since they first began to infest this planet.”

  Some older vampires took offense at the mention of the Moon virus, the virus that had created vampires, but Richard wasn’t among them. It had been a virus that had transformed his life, and while he’d been upset about losing his human status decades ago, he was over it and had no interest in being called human by anyone, something he suspected the man standing before him knew.