With the expertise of a man who’d ridden horses for many years, Nicholai took the bridle in one hand and lightly cradled Kedar’s raven nose with his other arm. He stroked the stallion’s face coaxing him to remain in place as he brought the bridle over Kedar’s muzzle. The horse opened his mouth and took the bit. With deft fingers, Nicholai secured the throatlatch strap, making sure it was not too snug, checked the keepers, then took the reins in his hands. He opened the stall and led the magnificent stallion out into the stable.
Julie approached the pair from the front and carefully rubbed the horse’s satiny coat while Nicholai threw a blanket on its back.
“Ready to go?” Nicholai ran a hand down the horse’s side.
“Didn’t you forget the saddle?”
Nicholai flashed Julie a mischievous smile. “I thought we’d ride bareback.”
“Bareback?” Julie’s eyes went wide. “I haven’t ridden bareback since I was a young girl helping Daddy break in his mares.”
Nicholai vaulted effortlessly onto the horse and extended a hand down to Julie. “Then it is about time you did it again.”
Juliette’s stomach did a flip as he pulled her easily up onto the large animal. She settled onto its back, leaning against Nicholai’s chest. His powerful arms encircled her with their strong protection.
“Hold on tight,” he warned and dug his heels into Kedar’s flanks.
The stallion shot forward, swift and surefooted. The stable faded from view as he dashed through. Nicholai’s body bounced behind hers in tandem with each powerful gallop of the steed beneath them. They leaned over his neck, racing along the property toward the woods.
The wind whipped about her face, making tears well in Julie’s eyes. The scenery blurred as much from the speed at which they ran as from the tears. Nicholai reined in the mighty horse when they neared the tree line and slowed to an easy trot.
The powerful arm around Julie’s waist drew her back against the firmness of Nicholai’s body. Her heart pounded hard in her chest.
“That was amazing,” she breathed. “For a minute I thought you were going to keep him at a gallop through the trees.”
“They are too thick. I would never take such a risk with you, lastochka.” Nicholai gave her a slight squeeze. “Is not the forest beautiful?”
Julie’s gaze swept the landscape. The moon’s rays glittered on the snowy bows. The birch trees stood with their trunks painted white to match their limbs. Thick pine branches held fast under the weight of the new-fallen snow, making them appear as if they wore white blankets made of virginal cotton about each limb. Sparkling mounds cluttered the ground between the trees, hiding the forest’s treasures beneath.
Save the sound of the hooves pounding on the ground, they journeyed through the silent night to a clearing in the trees. Nicholai clicked to his stallion, and with a flick of the reins, the steed increased into a rolling canter up a steep incline. Julie’s thighs pushed against the sides of the horse as she tried to match the new rhythm.
Nicholai’s breath warmed her ear when he spoke. “Not too much farther. It’s right up ahead.”
“What’s up ahead?” Just as the words left Julie’s mouth, they crested over the ridge.
The frozen valley below took her breath away. A glaciate waterfall stood still as a statue against the rocky terrain. The cascading water, stopped as if by magic, reflected the moon’s soft rays and cast tiny prisms on the snow below.
Julie’s breath hitched in her throat. She took in the serene beauty of the land as they cruised at a slow trot. Debris rolled under Kedar’s hoofs. It created a hollow rattle in the night, barely audible to Juliette.
When they reached the valley, Nicholai pulled up the stallion and handed the reins to Julie. She patted the horse’s steaming neck as her lover dismounted with a fluid grace. He turned, grabbed Kedar’s reins, then reached up for Julie. Her thick coat seemed to melt as his strong hands clasped around her waist. She put her hands on his shoulders, and the bulge of muscle under his coat played under her fingers when he helped her down. A thrill went through her body.
Her breath frosted the air in a white plume. The lovers held each other, his hands about her waist, hers resting on his shoulders. Quiet as the moon above, they stared deeply into each other’s eyes. Nicholai captured her lips in a gentle caress that welcomed her to this special place.
When they came up for air, Nicholai spoke first, “Tell me what you are thinking.”
“I’m not sure I can think after a kiss like that,” Julie quipped, her smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“Come, let’s walk. There is much beauty still to see.” Nicholai took her gloved hand in his.
Their boots crunched through the unspoiled snow. Nicholai led her behind the frozen water. With only enough room for them to walk single file behind the falls, Julie ran her free hand against the smooth ice. The frozen water, translucent enough to let light through, allowed her to make her way. She stopped to admire a peculiar feature.
“Look,” she said. “It looks like someone made a heart in the ice.”
She tugged her hand free from his and ran it over the heart-shaped ice. “Are those initials?”
Julie stood on her tiptoes and leaned closer to the ice. She took off her glove and ran her finger along the cold surface. She traced the indentations. The letters N, P, a plus sign, and the letters J, S.
“Did you do this?” When she turned, love sparkled in Nicholai’s eyes.
“Yes,” he admitted. “Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“It can’t compare to you.”
Julie turned again toward the carving. It must have taken him some time, for the letters were deep within the ice. She could not imagine how he had accomplished such a feat. When did he sneak out of the house to do this? It would have taken a while; the ride alone had taken several minutes.
An enraptured sigh left Juliette’s lips, frosting the air. Her Nicholai always surprised her, always did something sweet and romantic. It was one of the things she found endearing, one of the many things she loved about him.
He always made everything seem perfect, just like this place. Beautiful, romantic, a perfect place for her to profess her love to him. The thought gave her the courage she needed to finally say those three little words.
“I love you, Nicholai,” she breathed, turning to find him gone.
Julie whipped her head from side to side. He was nowhere to be seen.
“Nicholai!” she called out, her voice shakier than she would have liked.
“Out here, lastochka.”
As Julie emerged from behind the veil of ice, a snowball landed on her faux fur hat and covered her brunette strands with flakes. Nicholai stood across from her tossing another snowball ominously from hand to hand.
“Got you,” he called, amusement lifting his voice.
“Oh you! I’ll have you know I used to pitch for a softball team. You’re in big trouble, buddy.” Julie bent and scooped a handful of snow. While she shaped it into a ball, Nicholai sprinted away, then turned to lob his ball. It hit with deadly accuracy right in the middle of her chest. Julie gasped and went after him, packing and throwing with precision honed on the ball field.
Nicholai dodged, looking over his shoulder at her, laughing, then he turned on her. Quick strides brought him her way, and he hurled one last ball that hit its mark. His eyes narrowed, and a look of intense passion took his handsome face. He dropped his shoulder and caught her waist, taking them both to the snow in one effortless move.
They sank into the powder. Nicholai caught her wrist as she tried to stuff a handful of the icy slush down his coat. She laughed up at him and pushed up with her heels, rolling them over so she rested on top. They wrestled in the snow, their laughter flowing through the trees, carried by the wind that whipped around them. The snow swirled about their bodies.
“You are so beautiful.” Nicholai gazed down on her with sparkling eyes and ran a finger across
her cheek. “Your cheeks are rosy from the cold. The crystal flakes dance on your lashes as you bat them to get off the snow.” His finger moved over her lips. “Your lips are parted from your heavy breaths. The gesture is sexy beyond measure.”
He lowered his head and kissed her senseless.
Minutes passed with Kedar watching from his place tethered to a nearby tree. They made two snow people, one of which was a well-endowed woman and the other a portly man. Then they circled each other for another battle royale with the snowballs. The time passed quickly, and a slight shiver flowed through Julie’s body when the cold soaked into her bones.
“Your lips are turning blue. Let’s go home,” Nicholai suggested, tucking her under his arm. “I will start a fire, and we can drink hot chocolate to get warm.”
Julie wrapped an arm around his waist and nodded. “Sounds like a good idea to me.”
Nicholai untethered Kedar’s reins and mounted with an easy leap. After handing Julie up in front of him, he clicked to the horse, and with a snap of the reins they were off.
They rode in companionable silence, enjoying the night. Julie’s body naturally bounced in time with the steed beneath them. Nicholai’s muscular thighs pressed against hers as they worked to balance his weight on the horse.
Her mind replayed the night’s events. A smile crept on her face when she remembered the heart Nicholai had carved into the frozen ice of the waterfall. NP + JS. It was so romantic. She wanted to be with him forever, like this, loved and cherished, riding with him through the night.
How she loved his arms protectively around her. Loved the way he treated her as if she was the only woman in the world for him, the one woman he could love. How she loved…him.
Loved him with all her heart, and she could finally admit it to herself. She loved everything about him, his smile, his sense of humor, the way he cared for her. She loved him.
Julie gathered herself, taking a deep breath as courage straightened her spine. “Nicholai, I—”
A sudden, terrified whinny from Kedar interrupted the declaration of love. The steed reared. Slashed the air with his forelegs. Julie grabbed for the stallion’s mane as Nicholai pulled hard on the reins and dug his powerful thighs into the horse for purchase. The arm around Julie’s waist tightened, and he bent her forward over the horse’s neck with the force of his body. They managed to stay astride the mighty steed when Kedar dropped back down onto all four legs.
“What the hell?” Nicholai asked as the horse once again reared, cutting through the cold air with its flailing forelegs.
This time the pull of gravity won, and Nicholai tumbled backward off the horse with Julie still clutched to his front. They hit the ground, Nicholai taking the brunt of the fall. Snow puffed out around them from the impact. Snorting in terror, the steed charged off into the trees, leapt over a fallen trunk, and disappeared into the night.
Juliette rolled off Nicholai and got to her feet. “You okay?”
Nicholai leapt to his feet and brushed off his backside. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Are you all right? Were you hurt?”
Juliette shook her head. “I’m fine.” She scanned the woods. “Where’s Kedar?”
“I’m not sure, but when I find him I’m going to turn him into glue,” Nicholai threatened, wiggling two fingers through a hole in his coat that resulted from the fall.
Julie laid a hand on the man’s forearm. “You don’t mean that. Something spooked him. It wasn’t his fault.”
Nicholai looked into her eyes, and the anger melted from his face. “I would no sooner harm the horse than I would harm you. I need to go find Kedar. Will you be all right to wait here while I go find him?”
“Of course.”
“I will have your word you will stay here on the path. Do not move. I do not want to have to go find you tonight as well.”
“I promise. I’ll wait right here until you get back.”
He ran the back of his hand down her cheek, caught her under the chin, and tilted her head back for a searing kiss that pulled her breath from her lungs.
Nicholai disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Around her, the night fell still and dark as if something had scared off all the animals. She noticed behind her the trunk of a tree rested in the snow. Her eyes roamed over the landscape, noting every shadow, every shape.
From behind the fallen tree, something caught her eye. Was that movement? One of the shadows changed, separated, became two. She squinted, trying to bring the shapes of the night into better focus. Was something creeping through the night? Moving closer?
Chapter 39
When Nicholai walked away from his beloved, he flared his senses throughout the trees to check for any danger. The stallion’s fear came to him while it ran through the forest. But the blank spot worried him most. Of course, he had drunk from Juliette the prior evening, so perhaps there really was a correlation between feeding from his mate and the blank spot.
The way the horse took off at a full gallop, he would be long gone by now, but using his preternatural speed and senses Nicholai knew he would easily find the animal. After a glance over his shoulder to assure Julie could not see him, he took off at a full run through the trees.
Sensing the stallion on the other side, Nicholai slowed his pace as he reached the top of the hill so as not to scare it. Approaching cautiously from the front, he murmured soothing words in Russian. He ran a steady hand down the horse’s neck. Kedar pranced but held his ground as Nicholai rubbed his side. It gleamed with sweat from the hard run. Nicholai faced the animal and stared into its intelligent eyes while he rubbed its nose. In the onyx stare, he saw the fear, the uneasiness. Nicholai sent his emotions over the beast, trying to wrap the animal in comfort, hoping it would calm the horse so he could ride him back to Julie.
Kedar shifted uneasily from hoof to hoof. Nicholai waited for the animal to calm. It happened first in the neck muscles that relaxed under his hand, then he witnessed the change in the stallion’s dark eyes.
Once he believed it safe, Nicholai mounted his steed and took him firmly by the reins. With a flick of his wrists and an easy kick of his heels, he headed back toward the woman he loved.
****
A cold wind hissed through the trunks, rattling the bare branches. The sound made Juliette shiver. She’d been watching the shadow for a while. It moved closer, stalking her low to the ground. She could not make out exactly what it was, but it definitely headed her way. Its predatory movements sent another involuntary shiver down her spine as she strained to figure out what it might be.
It appeared too small to be a bear, too big to be a fox. Her eyes fought to adjust in the sparse light, struggling to see what pushed toward her.
Every instinct screamed to run, but she held her body still, not wanting to trigger the predator. Julie forced the breath into her lungs, tried in vain to calm her racing heart. Julie examined the ground, searching for anything she might use as a weapon in case the animal attacked.
She spied a rock. Not particularly large, but Julie decided it was better than nothing. With the beast continuing closer, she forced her leaden feet to take two slow steps to the side and bent to pick up the stone.
****
Astride the great horse, Nicholai enjoyed the whip of the wind through his hair when a cold terror flooded his body. Juliette is in terrible danger!
Needing to get to his mate, his heels dug deep into Kedar’s flank and spurred the horse into a gallop.
It seemed as if they rode forever until finally Kedar broke through the tree line. Relief flooded Nicholai’s system. They were close, almost to Juliette. He should be able to see her any minute.
As they bound up the trail, Nicholai’s heart jumped into his throat. He clearly saw the wolf, its fur silver in the dim moonlight. His pulse pounded a furious rhythm as it slinked along the ground toward his mate.
Julie took two steps. “No,” he yelled. “Don’t move!”
Fuck! He was too far away for her human hea
ring to detect what he said. He kicked the horse into a full run, sending snow into the air behind them. In horror, he watched Juliette bend and retrieve a rock, giving the wolf the opportunity it had been waiting for. Panic seized him when the beast growled and leapt at his mate.
The snowflakes stilled before his eyes as time slowed to a pace only possible in a time of life or death.
Chapter 40
Nicholai watched in horror as the next few seconds played out in slow motion. The wolf leapt. With fluid movement, his heartmate scooped a rock from the ground. Wolf and woman collided, pushing Julie backward. The wolf’s powerful jaws clamped around her forearm. The hat flew from her head when her bottom hit the frozen ground with a hard crunch. Her breath puffed from her lips from the force of the wolf landing on top of her, driving her back into the detritus. Nicholai dove for the animal, intent on saving the woman he loved.
Its powerful jaws easily bit through her coat and sweater to the delicate skin beneath. The sharp fangs penetrated her sinew and muscle, then lodged in the bone, and Julie let out a scream. The vice-like grip tightened. The bone in her arm snapped under the pressure. It ripped another scream from her throat.
The wolf shook its head, trying to tear the arm from her body. She lost control of the muscles in her hand, and the rock fell to the ground. Its lips pulled back from its teeth as it growled a deep rumbling sound that shook her arm. Her face distorted in pain. A dark stain spread along her coat. The coppery scent of her blood drove the animal into a frenzy.
The wolf released her arm and snapped at her face, its wide jaws aiming for her neck. Julie tried to bring her uninjured arm up to block the killing blow, but her arm barely lifted an inch before it was blocked by Nicholai’s leg as he sailed through the air and took the wolf from her body.
Nicholai wrapped the wolf in his arms and tucked his body around the beast while they tumbled to the ground. They rolled end over end, each looking for a purchase that would allow them to land on top.
When they came to rest, Nicholai lay on his back, his arms tight around the wolf. Its ribs flexed under the pressure. The wolf raised its head and bit into Nicholai’s shoulder. His muscles weakened somewhat in response, the exact opening the wolf needed. As his shout of pain tore through the night, the animal pulled its legs tightly to its body and used its thick muscles to push off Nicholai’s chest. Its claws dug deep, leaving long rips in his flesh when it shoved away.
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