The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  Forty-five minutes later, the two sisters stood in front of the mirror. Amara wore a soft black dress that hit just above the knees, flaring out from her hips. The straps at her shoulders were thin, with the short-capped sleeves slipping off her shoulders. The thin material clung to her every curve. Her hair, which was dark and shiny, fell in waves around her face. Sadie had put a diamond clip on one side of her hair, and done her makeup with an exquisite hand.

  “Wow,” Amara breathed. She couldn’t believe she was looking at herself. “Sadie…you’ve outdone yourself.”

  “I know,” Sadie replied, beaming. “I’m a genius.”

  “You really are.”

  The doorbell rang, and both girls jumped. Amara gasped, staring at her sister with wide eyes. Her face went pale. “He’s here.” She waited a moment to stop her heart from racing. She had never in her life been this nervous to go out with a guy before. Actually, it was kind of embarrassing.

  Sadie watched her with her head cocked to the side, her pretty face scrunched up in a puzzled expression. “So…are you going to answer it?”

  “What? Oh. Yeah. Right.” Smoothing down her dress, Amara took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Go get him, girl!” her sister called after her as Amara walked down the hall to her front door. “I’ll clean up this mess so you have something, um, clean to come back to.”

  Oh. She hadn’t thought of that. “Thanks,” she said, starting to feel nervous again.

  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Sadie hollered, laughing. Amara grinned. Sadie was only twenty-two, but she knew from experience, there wasn’t a whole lot she wouldn’t do. She smirked.

  This was going to be a fun night.

  Chapter 11

  Nova stood on Amara’s porch, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his black leather jacket. He was the Beta Wolf of the Mountain Wolf Clan. He had fought in countless skirmishes with the Valley Clan over the last decade, in most of which, his side had come out on top. He had faced his mother—who was a formidable presence—after royally screwing up as a boy, and he hadn’t even flinched at the lectures she had pounded into his skull. And yet, here he stood, about to take the woman he had been secretly in love with since he was seventeen to dinner, and his palms were sweating like crazy.

  Go figure.

  Nova swallowed hard just as the door handle turned and the door opened. Amara stood in front of him, irresistibly sexy. His jaw dropped. “Well, don’t you look, um.” Silently, he cursed himself for his lack of words. He cleared his throat. “You look amazing, Amara.”

  He was pleased to see her blush. The scarlet heat looked fantastic against her caramel-colored skin. Amara offered him a shy smile. Damn, she was beautiful.

  Nova held out a bouquet of orange and red lilies. With their yellow centers, they reminded him of the sunset, a time of day he’d always associated with her. His ventures away from his pack to watch her—for her own protection, of course—had always begun at sundown, when it was safer to run through the woods without human interference. The people of Strathford hated wolves, it was true, but they feared them all the same. He had yet to be approached on his way into town.

  Amara took the flowers and buried her face in the blooms, inhaling their sweet scent. The fragrance filled the night around them. “Thank you.” She beamed. “I’m just going to…” She pointed behind her into the house. Understanding, he nodded and she disappeared through the door. She returned a few moments later and took the hand he offered. Her fingers were small and delicate, her skin soft and smooth. Nova had spent years wondering what those fingers would feel like, what the sensation of her skin on his would do to him. The reality didn’t disappoint. Amara’s smile went from shy to coy. “You’re looking pretty handsome tonight, yourself. Where are we going?”

  “I’ve got something special planned.”

  He took her to a fancy restaurant outside of Strathford, where he went all out. Champagne, lobster, the works. He wanted to spoil her. He knew from his years of observation that she hadn’t experienced much luxury and, while he didn’t have a lot, he had enough to make her feel like a queen for at least one night.

  Their conversation was surprisingly easy. He had been worried they would have nothing to talk about, or that he would slip and say something that would reveal how long he had been watching her. Luckily, neither one had happened. What had happened was they had polished off a bottle of wine, enjoyed a fantastic Italian dinner, and were currently strolling through the streets of Strathford on the way back to her place.

  She hadn’t mentioned the wolf attack once, which was strange, he had to admit. He kept waiting for it to happen, hoping he didn’t have to explain any suspicions away. However, she remained stoically silent on the subject. Nova couldn’t help but be pleased. He’d had enough wolf business for the moment.

  It was no longer safe for even the pack to be alone at night. The Valley Clan had invaded their territory, had begun calling Strathford their own, and the attacks between the two packs had been more vicious than ever. But he didn’t need to talk about that with Amara.

  He glanced down at their joined hands. It was amazing. For ten years, he had been wondering what it would feel like to hold her hand. To walk with her through the streets of downtown. To be able to talk to her, to hear her say his name instead of just hearing her talk to other people. And now, miraculously, here he was, doing just that. It was funny how life worked out sometimes.

  Even if he was violating one of the pack’s most important rules.

  After an hour of walking, which felt more like moments, they reached her front door. He walked her up the steps of the porch, trying not to picture her standing there holding a shotgun the night before.

  Amara bit her lip, before turning to face him. Her face was glowing in the porch light. Before he really knew what he was doing, Nova leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to hers.

  Just the taste of her was intoxicating. She smelled of cinnamon and just a hint of something spicy. Her lips moved beneath his, her tongue tentatively probing into his mouth. Nova moaned against her. He had just enough time to revel in the fact that Amara was in his arms at last before their hands were all over each other.

  Amara blindly fumbled with her keys. It was a grueling process. By the time she finally managed to marry key to lock and get the door open, anything resembling Nova’s patience had run out. With her heart beating wildly, she led him to her room and closed the door. He had waited ten years for this moment, and now that it had come, he intended to enjoy every second.

  Wrapping his arms around her, Nova gripped Amara’s hips and hoisted her up so her legs could wrap around his waist. His lips found every inch of skin they could; her lips, her cheek, her neck, her shoulders. His urgency to touch all that was Amara Townsend was overwhelming. Pushing her against the wall, he hiked up her dress while fighting the buttons on his jeans.

  He couldn’t believe his luck. Nemoy was going to kill him. Fuck, Nova thought, chastising himself. Quit thinking about your brother.

  Finally managing to get his pants down, he picked her up, groaning against her when her legs clamped around him. Her warm, wet center pressed against him, and he felt himself get hard.

  He couldn’t believe it. He’d actually managed to get his hands on Amara Townsend. And she was so much better than he’d ever imagined. She was the woman of his dreams, and she had no idea. How was he ever going to explain to her how much she meant to him?

  Breathing hard, he trailed his mouth down her front, peeling the dress down to her waist. He took her breast into his mouth, suckling on her nipple, and loving the way she moaned in ecstasy.

  Gripping her hips, he thrust into her, once, twice. Amara cried out, and he thrust harder. He drove her up, pounding her up against the wall, until she was all but quivering against him. For ten years, he had watched her, falling more and more for her every day, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise. As she shudde
red around him, raking her fingers down his back, Nova knew that if he let himself, what had once been infatuation would turn to actual love.

  It scared the living hell out of him. But maybe it was time to let himself fall. As they clung to each other one last time, Nova pushed them both up to the peak of climax. He came with her, and in that moment, he let himself fall over the edge.

  Chapter 12

  Amara ran her fingers over Nova’s back while he slept. She loved the feel of his silky skin beneath the pad of her fingertips. His muscles were hard and lean, stretched out along his tall frame.

  God, he was sexy.

  How was it that a man like that was interested in a woman like her? Okay, so she wasn’t ugly or anything, but she wasn’t drop dead gorgeous by any means. And Nova was, well, perfect. She slid her hands over his body as lightly as she could, smiling to herself as she recalled the night before. Being with Nova had been the best sex of her life.

  She couldn’t wait to do it again.

  Snoring a bit, Nova stretched and turned over before once more settling back into sleep. Amara smiled. She knew he wouldn’t agree, but he really was beautiful.

  When she was sure he was asleep, she resumed the slow exploration of her lover’s skin. White scars in various stages of healing and age crisscrossed over his back and torso. Amara followed every one. Her fingers fluttered over a relatively new wound that was a mound of angry red skin and new scar tissue on his hip.

  Odd. That was the same place the wolf…

  Amara froze. No. It couldn’t be. That was…impossible. And yet…

  She thought back to the way he moved, as if he owned the night. The confidence had been sexy, but now she was wondering if it was because he saw the world in a different way. His dark, almond-shaped eyes had seemed instantly familiar, but was that because she had seen those eyes staring out at her from a different face since she was fifteen?

  And now the scar was in the same place as the wolf’s wound the night before.

  She stared at Nova. Trepidation whispered down her spine. Could he really be the wolf? If he was, that would mean he had been following her for the last ten years. And that he had saved her life. Twice.

  Amara shook her head, trying to dislodge the idea from her thoughts. It was impossible. People didn’t just up and turn into wolves. It didn’t happen. It couldn’t happen. And yet…

  “Nova, wake up.” She shoved him as hard as she could. He grunted. “Nova, damn it, I said wake up!” She pushed him again, this time with enough force that he almost fell off her bed.

  “What? What?” His movements were erratic and jerky as he stumbled to shake the sleep away. Within moments, he was completely alert. His eyes darted back and forth between her, the windows, and the door. “Amara, what is it? Are you okay? Is somebody here? Are they outside?”

  Amara sat there, watching him, as his body tensed and he searched for danger. Her heart sank. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she did. It was true.

  Nova was the wolf.

  “It’s you, isn’t it?” Her voice was barely a whisper, but she knew he’d heard her.

  His entire face went blank, forming an expressionless mask. The guarded look in his eyes was a far cry from the open, fun-loving gaze he’d had all evening.

  Amara wasn’t sure why that scared her more than her recent revelation. But it did.

  “Is what me?”

  Even his tone was flat. Amara cleared her throat. “You’re the wolf. The one that’s been following me all these years.” Silence. “The one that saved my life only two nights ago.”

  For a moment that felt like it spanned decades, Nova sat there. He didn’t say a word. Then, like it was the most rational thing in the world, he reached for his clothes and began tugging on his jeans.

  “Nova.”

  He pulled his shirt over his head and grabbed his shoes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  She pursed her lips. She wasn’t sure how she felt about any of this. People didn’t just turn into wolves. They didn’t. Werewolves weren’t real. They just weren’t. “Yes, you do,” she replied. Though the entire situation felt ridiculously surreal, she was glad to hear that her voice was steady and strong.

  Nova glared at her. “No. I don’t.”

  “Then why are you leaving?”

  His hand on the door, Nova stopped. She could see the wheels turning in his head, could see him struggle to decipher what she knew and what she’d guessed. He was trying to figure out the best way to lie to her; she knew he was.

  And still, she waited.

  Finally, after what seemed like hours, he heaved a heavy sigh before sitting next to her on the bed. For a while, he didn’t say anything. He just sat there holding her hand and staring at the door. Though, whether he was thinking someone was going to burst in or he was wanting to run out, she couldn’t say.

  “How did you know?” Though his voice was soft, to Amara it sounded like a canon in the darkness.

  She bit her lip. “Your scar. The one on your hip. I saw it the other night after the attack. The wolf—I mean you—had a bloody gash from here to here.” She demonstrated on her own body. “That, and your eyes,” she admitted. “From the moment you walked into Murphy’s, I knew there was something familiar about you.”

  She turned to face him. This time, she needed to hear the whole truth. She needed to see it. “You were the boy that saved me ten years ago. Weren’t you?” Nova nodded. Amara drew in a sharp breath. She had prepared herself for that answer, but it still felt like a shock. It was one thing to wonder about the impossible, but it was another thing entirely to have the impossible confirmed. “Why?”

  Nova paused for a moment, apparently trying to decide if he was going to answer. “I had to make sure you were safe. You were attacked because of me.” And those dark eyes, the ones that normally looked so strong, were tortured. “The wolves that attacked you…there was no reason for it. It wasn’t your fault. You and your friends were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kal and his friends, they were just trying to provoke the pack into reacting, into protecting our territory, so that their Alpha had an excuse to declare war.”

  Amara’s mind fumbled. Pack. Alpha. Territory, for crying out loud. They really did think like real wolves. How much of Nova was human, and how much was wolf?

  “So, all the attacks, all the sightings in the last several years, those were because of a feud between the two packs?” Nova nodded. Amara thought for a second, considering her next words carefully. “And my father?” Her voice was shaky. Despite the years, it was still filled with pain. “He was, um, killed by wolves when I was twelve. From what I was told, it was pretty gruesome.” She hesitated. “They never let me see the body.”

  Nova’s gaze was sympathetic and a little bit guilty. It was clear he blamed himself for the influence of the wolves in Strathford. “That was Callahan,” he told her gravely. “He’s the Alpha of the Valley Clan—the pack that attacked you. Back then, he wasn’t the Alpha. He was a lieutenant looking to gain power. From what I could gather, your father was an important member of your community, am I right?”

  Amara huffed out a tremulous breath. “Yes. He was on the Council. He would have taken my grandfather’s spot as an elder if he hadn’t already passed away.”

  Nova’s eyes filled with emotions. Amara looked away. If she let herself get caught up in that, if she gave in to the tears that built whenever she talked about her father, she may never stop. Nova squeezed her fingers. “I’m sorry.”

  “Not your fault.”

  “Maybe not. But it was still wolf business interfering with human lives.”

  “The night you were attacked,” Nova continued, his voice strained, “I had just started on patrol. My brother, Nemoy, was with me and we were talking. We should have been paying more attention, I know. But we were kids. We didn’t hear them until it was too late.

  “Amara, I swear to you, we got there as soon as we could. But there were five of them an
d only two of us. I’m sorry.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m so sorry.”

  Her voice was gentle and kind. “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not.” He shook his head, completely miserable. “It’s not okay. I had one job, and that was to protect you. I failed.”

  A frown creased Amara’s brow and she balled her hands into fists. It wasn’t fair for him to take on the guilt from the attack. Any of them. He’d ben seventeen that night. “It wasn’t your fault,” she told him, glad to find her voice as stern as it was. “You were a kid.”

  “I was a warrior.”

  “You were a kid. You did everything you could. You saved me. Hey, look at me. You saved me. You saved Becca and Zoe, too. And, even though it’s a bit stalkerish, you’ve been protecting me ever since. I would be dead right now if it wasn’t for you.”

  Nova frowned. “You were attacked because of me.”

  “Nonsense.” She waved his protests away. “I was attacked because Kal and his friends are spineless cowards who try to pump themselves up by victimizing little girls and helpless women.”

  Nova’s lips quirked up at the corners. “You don’t look helpless to me.”

  Amara grinned back at him. “Damn straight I’m not helpless. Now will you quit feeling sorry for yourself and get your clothes off so I can have my way with you again?”

  For about three seconds, he just stared at her. Then he blinked.

  And then the clothes came off.

  Amara had never seen a man strip so fast, but damn, did she admire his handiwork. Reaching out, she pulled him down on top of her, pleased to feel the length of his hard body stretch out on top of hers. She could feel him against her leg, already eager to be inside her. Both of them laughing, they disappeared under the covers once more.

  Chapter 13

  A few hours later, Nova let himself out Amara’s front door. She stood in the doorway behind him, her arm up over her head, leaning against the wooden frame. He had never seen someone look so amazing and sexy in his entire life.