by Zoe Chant
And there was no competition there.
She didn’t need a man. Sure, it’d be nice, but she wasn’t about to upturn her life to get one. The animals she looked after, on the other hand – they did need her. There weren’t many shelters in this county, and certainly none that had the resources to look after animals indefinitely.
Sure, it meant her home resembled a madhouse at times. She’d long since given up trying to keep muddy pawprints off the rug, anything that was either valuable or breakable was hidden at the top of her wardrobe, and Laurel had chewed her only pair of heels to death...
... But she wouldn’t have changed it for the world.
Or for any man who didn’t understand the depth of her commitment.
Emilia couldn’t help but smile as Coop peered around the doorframe with one of his grubby dog toys dangling from his mouth. That was one piece of training that seemed to have stuck – no dogs in the kitchen! The cats wandered where they pleased, but each and every one of her dogs obediently respected that the kitchen was a no-go zone.
“Good boy, Coop,” she cooed as the kettle whistled, and she poured her tea. As she made her way back out to the living room and settled on the couch, Coop gently rested his head on her lap. Smiling softly as she sipped her steaming tea, Emilia stroked his head.
Coop was one of the dogs she just couldn’t bear to part with. He’d already been an old dog when his family had had to move and couldn’t take him with them. He was so gentle, and it had been clear his family loved him very much – and Emilia had quickly realized she’d be taking care of him personally. Like most of her dogs, he was a mutt, but Emilia was certain he was half Labrador, which explained his gentle nature.
“Who needs anything else?” she said aloud. She had everything she needed right here. A warm cup of tea, a crackling fire, friendly furry companions who loved her –
What was that?!
The massive CRASH! that had just sounded from outside was loud enough to make Emilia almost jump out of her skin, even over the furious howling of the wind.
Coop’s head shot up, sleepy eyes suddenly alert, while, by the door, Laurel and Bob started barking.
“It’s okay guys, calm down,” Emilia said, swallowing hard, her heart pounding. “I’m sure it was nothing.”
Maybe the wind had torn the branch from a tree, or one of her trashcans had been picked up and hurled against the wall, she thought. These things happened – and living alone, with the nearest town a half-hour drive away, it was either get used to them, or spend her whole life freaking out.
Besides, while none of her dogs would ever hurt a fly, Laurel was a big German Shepherd, and Max was so huge and hairy he could have been part wolf. Burglars would definitely have thought twice before bothering her, if they’d spent any time at all watching her house before breaking in.
The occasional bump in the night – or in this case, mid-morning – was nothing to worry about.
But that was a little bit more than a bump, Emilia thought, standing up slowly, her knees shaking just a little.
That had been more like...
More like a bump convention, taking place right outside her window.
Taking a deep breath, Emilia marched over to the door, gently pulling Laurel and Bob back by their collars.
“Hey, I said calm down,” she told them again. This time, they listened, and stopped barking right away. But their ears stayed pricked up, eyes alert and fixed on the door.
“It’s nothing, guys. Come to think of it, I think I forgot to put the trashcans in the shed,” Emilia said – but she already knew she was going to go out there to check. For her own peace of mind, if nothing else. And, she supposed, to pick up her trashcans and put them in her shed, since she’d apparently forgotten to do that before the storm rolled in.
“I’ll be back in a moment, okay?” she said soothingly as she reached for her jacket, pulling it over her shoulders and zipping it up to her chin. Jez and Suzie, her two smallest dogs, had emerged from their place by the heater now to look at her dubiously.
“You guys worry too much,” Emilia grumbled, shaking her head. “But all right.” Whistling, she called out, “Max!”
Max lumbered out of the living room a moment later, all gray shaggy fur and massive paws. Forget wolf – Emilia sometimes had trouble believing he wasn’t part polar bear!
“I’ll take him with me, okay? Just in case the big bad trashcans try to jump out and attack me.”
None of the dogs looked all that soothed, but, Emilia decided, they’d just have to deal with it.
“Come on, boy,” she said to Max, as she pulled her hat down firmly over her head, and went out into the storm once more.
She gasped as the wind hit her as soon as she stepped out onto the porch. Icy needles of snow pierced into every inch of uncovered flesh, and Emilia pulled up her collar even higher to protect her cheeks. It seemed worse than it had even fifteen minutes ago when she’d gone to check on Harvey. With wind this strong, she’d be lucky if her trashcans weren’t halfway across the county by now.
Whoops.
Well, they definitely weren’t where she’d left them at the side of the house, anyway, she thought as she came around the corner, Max at her side. So, halfway across the county it was, then.
Blinking into the snow, Emilia grimaced. She’d really have to get less lazy about putting them in the shed where they belonged. Especially in this weather.
But... wait...
Now that she thought about it, she recalled... she had put them in the shed. It had been last night, after her boss at the grocery store, Janice, had reminded her about the storm coming in.
Frowning, Emilia marched forward. Well, now she’d have to check, just to make sure she wasn’t going completely and utterly crazy.
This is what happens when you live alone, Emilia thought as she trudged forward. You have to go check if your trashcans are where you think they are just to verify your sanity.
Shaking her head at herself, Emilia opened the shed door.
Well, there were her trashcans, anyway, just where she’d put them last night.
And there, on the pile of old cardboard boxes that were filled with old college assignments, old dog blankets, and who knew what else was – was –
What the hell????
Was a large, muscular and unconscious man.
For a long moment, Emilia could do nothing but stand there in open-mouthed shock.
I... I... WHAT??
Vaguely, Emilia became aware of the snow that was blowing down from above, and, dazed, looked up to see a massive hole in the wooden roof of the shed.
Well, I guess that explains the noise, she thought, fighting off the urge to laugh hysterically.
What it didn’t explain was literally everything else.
The man groaned slightly, and Emilia’s attention immediately snapped back to him.
Okay. Okay. First things first.
And the first thing was, no one should be walking around in a t-shirt in this kind of weather, regardless of how they got into her shed.
Emilia gulped. The t-shirt wasn’t doing a lot to keep him covered up – his massive biceps were clearly visible, as were his rock-hard abdominal muscles where the shirt had ridden up. It obviously wasn’t doing anything at all to shield him from the weather.
But nonetheless, she hesitated. Okay, yes. He had the abs of a Greek statue, the jawline of a movie star and the kind of dark brown, softly curling hair she’d always loved on men, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a creep.
And what the hell is he doing in my shed?? I mean, aside from being barely clothed and passed out?
By her side, Max whimpered slightly, before licking her hand where it hung limp by her side.
“What is it, Max?” she whispered, looking down at him.
Usually, Max was wary of strangers – he had to get to know someone before he’d get too close to them. Once he did know them he was the most affectionate dog she’d ever known, and wh
enever a new dog or cat arrived at the house, he’d usually be the first to make them feel welcome, sitting by them – not too close if they were shy – and providing licks if they were wanted. She’d never forgotten the time just after she had brought Antony, Cleopatra and Octavian home as tiny little kittens from an abandoned litter. Within a few hours all three of them had been right at home sleeping on Max’s broad, fluffy back in front of the fire.
And now, Max, far from his usual wary habits when dealing with new people, was trotting forward and pressing his nose into this – okay, extremely hot – guy’s face, sniffing in concern.
A moment later, he looked back at her and whimpered again.
He wants me to help.
She understood it in an instant. Max was worried about this stranger who’d apparently crash-landed through the roof of her shed, three days before Christmas.
Maybe Santa’s been working out, Emilia thought, shaking her head. Or maybe I’m going nuts after all.
Whatever the case, she couldn’t just leave the guy here. That much was certain. He probably had hypothermia – he needed to be warmed up, right away. And much more importantly, he couldn’t be allowed to sleep.
Pressing her lips together, Emilia began unzipping her jacket.
You better appreciate this, buddy, because I do not like the cold.
Shivering as she took it off, she draped it over his... his... well, as much of his himself as she could, before leaning down to look at him again.
Max whuffled a little, obviously appreciating what she’d done. Emilia shivered.
“Hey. Hey, uh, you,” she said, speaking softly.
She didn’t want to surprise this guy too badly on waking up. Especially if he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten here.
She had no doubt Max would act as her bodyguard, but still, she’d rather avoid any kind of trouble if she could help it.
The only response she got was another groan.
Emilia was about to try again, when Max, obviously unimpressed with her efforts, stepped forward – and planted a huge, wet lick across the man’s face.
Well, at least that woke him up, Emilia thought, stepping back as the man’s eyes fluttered open.
They’re golden.
Emilia knew her gasp as she looked into his eyes was clearly audible, but she couldn’t stop herself. She’d never seen eyes like his before – either in color or in beauty.
They settled on her face a moment and seemed to widen slightly, before sliding shut again.
“Impossible,” the man murmured, his voice soft – so soft that Emilia wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly.
Emilia blinked. “What was that? Sorry, I –”
“Impossible.”
This time, she knew she’d heard what he’d said.
What’s so impossible?
Suddenly, she realized how close she was leaning to him.
He shouldn’t be so warm.
The burn in her chest told Emilia she really, really needed to exhale. Giving herself a shake, she clenched her fists. The man’s gaze on her face had been like a touch of sunlight in the coldness of the shed – almost as if, just by looking at her, he had warmed her.
Don’t be so ridiculous, she scolded herself at once. What, the first hot guy to fall through her shed roof and she was losing her head over him? Please!
Part of her – the sensible part of her – told her that she should run back inside right this moment and call the cops. Sure, they were a half hour away even in clement weather, but still.
But the rest of her – the perhaps not-so-sensible part of her – had always prided herself on handling things herself. Plus, she’d always been the helpful type. Show her a stranger in need, and she’d do her best to help out. It was how she’d always been. It was how her parents had raised her: you rolled up your sleeves and you helped people who needed it.
So that’s what I’m going to do, she decided, determined.
Besides, Max had trusted this man – whoever he was – right away.
And maybe she was crazy, but that was good enough for her. Max had never liked her fiancé Tom, after all, and maybe if she’d listened to him sooner about that, she would have saved herself a lot of heartbreak.
“All right then, let’s get you up,” Emilia said. “And inside, where it’s warm.”
She’d just have to... ignore how very hot and how very underdressed he was for the moment.
Not even slightly the point! she thought as she lifted his arm, slinging it over her shoulder. Years of maintaining a country property had made her stronger than she looked – but this guy was big – and heavy.
“Okay, you’re going to have to help me out here,” she grunted as she hauled him forward. “You woke up before. How about doing that again?”
To her surprise, the man groaned a little – but then, she felt some of his weight lifted from her shoulders as he put his own feet down on the ground.
Doing her best to ignore the warmth of him as he leaned against her, Emilia pushed open the door of the shed with her foot, before setting out into the snow once more. Max sidled ahead of her, whining softly, watching them intently.
He really is worried about his guy, Emilia thought as she dragged him up onto the porch. She’d never known Max to get so attached to a person so quickly.
Finally, she was fumbling at her front door, before pulling the mystery man inside, kicking it closed behind her. She couldn’t take off her boots while she was holding him up, so she resolved she’d just have to track the ice and mud across her floor.
Not like it makes a difference, she thought with a wry smile. Twenty-four canine feet tracked worse than this inside every day.
With one last heave, she settled him down on the couch, before covering him with a blanket.
There. No more distracting... all of that... she thought, as she tucked it around his sides, concealing his bulging biceps. Almost immediately, Max hopped up on the couch with him, resting his muzzle on the man’s chest.
“Good boy, Max,” Emilia said, though she was surprised. Had Max ever behaved like this before with a stranger?
And now, to wake him up. And get the story of how he got into my shed out of him.
Reaching down, Emilia patted the man’s cheek. “Hey. Hey. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you sleep. Wake up now, okay? Hey.”
A twist of panic rose in Emilia’s chest as at first, nothing happened. But then, the man groaned.
Encouraged, Emilia went on. “Look, do you need me to call you an ambulance? Because I will, if I have to. I’ve dealt with a hundred cases of hypothermia, but if you’re not going to wake up, then I –”
“No ambulance. Please.”
The man’s voice rasped, but Emilia could hear that it was rich and deep. It sounded like honey and summer... like warmth...
Swallowing, Emilia pushed the silly thought from her head. Be sensible, for goodness’ sake! You’re dealing with a serious situation here!
“If you don’t want an ambulance, you’re going to have to open your eyes,” she said. “And sit up, too.”
Nodding, the man moved to sit up, Max shifting to accommodate him. “I’m up, I’m up,” he said. Then, he opened his eyes, and once again Emilia was struck by the beauty of their color.
“Okay, good.” She licked her lips, setting down in the armchair across from him. “I can’t let you drop off again,” she said, after a moment’s pause. “But that’s just as well. You can stay awake by telling me all about how you got into my shed.”
This better be good, Emilia thought as she sat back in her chair, waiting.
Chapter Two
Rowan
Impossible.
That had been his first thought on waking up and seeing the woman leaning over him.
Impossible, because angels don’t exist.
He realized there was a certain amount of irony in that statement – since, according to most people, he didn’t exist. Griffins weren’t exactly common knowledge even amon
gst other shifters.
Rowan supposed that was fair enough – shifters in general tended to be quite secretive about their existences, but griffins even more so. After all, a bear or a wolf shifter could be seen by a human in their animal forms and most people wouldn’t think twice about it, unless they were somewhere particularly unusual. But a griffin was much harder to explain away, no matter where it was.
Which is why I should have been more careful.
No doubt about it – his foolhardiness had definitely gotten him into trouble this time.
He never should have been flying in a storm like this. But, idiot that he was, he’d thought he could outrun it.
And it wasn’t like I had time to wait, he thought. Though now it seems like I have no choice...
He swallowed. Across from him, the beautiful woman who’d found him after he’d crash-landed shifted in her seat slightly, clearly waiting for an explanation – and he couldn’t say he blamed her.
Hell.
If he hadn’t been a shifter, he knew he’d be seriously injured right now – and she was definitely acting as if he might be suffering from exposure.
Rowan knew he was fine: shifters were tougher than the average human, and he’d never known of any shifter to suffer from the elements. Rain, hail or shine, nothing really bothered them.
“I’m still waiting to hear why – and how – you crashed through the roof of my shed,” the woman said, breaking the awkward silence.
“It’s... a long story,” Rowan said, which was perfectly true. A long story, which was going to be very difficult to tell.
Especially since she’s human.
He could sense it – she wasn’t a shifter. Just like the huge dog sitting next to him on the couch was definitely just a dog.
She wouldn’t be familiar with any of the things she’d need to know for his story to make even the slightest amount of sense. She never would have heard of the Shifter Patrol Corps, or known about their work bringing criminal shifters to justice.
“I’ll bet,” the woman said, her voice flat. Then, she sighed. “All right. If it’s such a long story, I suppose we better get a few things sorted out first. I’m Emilia – Emilia Lopez. And your name is...?”