He took a step toward her, and she shrank back against the wall as if trying to will herself to disappear within the wooden panels. He raised his hands in plain sight continuing toward her. She watched him, trembling like a cornered animal. Pity and fierce determination seized him. He had to save her. Pain, pure and palpable, peered from the depths of her unblinking gaze. Terror radiated from her trembling body. What had this girl gone through to warrant such a reaction to a complete stranger?
“It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you.” He spoke softly trying not to scare her even worse than he obviously already had. “What’s your name?”
Her eyes widened further turning into giant saucers on her slender face. Tiny shakes of her head told him she wouldn’t be answering the simple question. Her eyes darted to the door as the screams and shouts from the battle that still raged grew louder. He was running out of time, he realized as he glanced out the small window. He turned back to face her, taking a breath before holding his hand out. She plastered herself against the wall, still shaking her head. “I know you’re scared, but if you want out of here, it’s now or never.” He drilled his gaze into her, needing her to comprehend the urgency of the situation. “I’ll give you to the count of five. After that, I’m gone, and I’ll assume you’d rather stay here.”
He started counting.
CHAPTER TWO
Oh, gods, he was going to leave. Her mind spun in turmoil. He was one of those vile creatures she had come to despise more and more over the years, but he was offering to take her away from here. Away from this sad, lonely existence where she sat in this small room and spoke to no one. Just her and her paint as she wondered when the monster of a man would visit her next. A never ending sea of terror that she drowned in day after day. And he was offering her a lifesaver.
“Suit yourself. I’m outta here,” he snapped, turning on his heel toward the door.
She stood and rushed over to him, falling into step beside him. He glanced over at her, his mouth curving into a tiny smile as he nodded. She gulped. Men smiling were never a good thing in her world. It usually came before they did something unspeakable. She was about to run back to the corner when he headed for the doorway, cracking the door open.
He turned back to her, whispering, “Stay close to me, gorgeous.”
Gorgeous? What did that mean? He held his hand out again, as if he meant for her to take it. She inched her way over to him, stepping around his arm. He quirked his brow at her before shrugging. “Suit yourself.” Out the door he went, and she hurried after him.
She gasped as the sharp cold air hit her. She’d left the blanket inside, and she didn’t own a pair of shoes. The ground stung her feet as she stepped through the snow the blizzard had left a few days ago. She followed him as best she could as he weaved around buildings, trying to avoid the crowd of men engaged in battle. And then, she saw him. The monster trudged easily through the snow, and she gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth to muffle the sound. Please, don’t see me. Please, don’t see me. To be mauled by that monster again after being so close to escape…
Her rescuer halted a few feet in front of her as she gasped, turning back to look at her. She hadn’t realized she had frozen in place, her eyes following the monster as he made a beeline around some smaller buildings in the distance. He was on the hunt for his next victim, she saw it in the hard stare of his soulless eyes. As he rounded a corner and disappeared from view, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
“Shit, I should have noticed how poorly you were dressed for this weather.” Returning her attention to the man taking her away from the monster, she tilted her head as he stripped off his heavy coat and moved towards her. She cringed as his fingers brushed her shoulder, placing the warm garment across her shoulders. He smiled at her again, this time more fully, and, even though her heart raced at the sight, at least his smile didn’t look completely maniacal. “Is that better?” he asked her. As if he cared about her comfort or something. She gave him a hesitant nod. Why in the world would he sacrifice his own warmth for her comfort? That didn’t make any sense at all.
For some reason, his eyes fell along with his smile. Hmmmm… he actually looked much nicer with a smile on his face. She never thought she’d ever say that about a man. Most of the men that had ever smiled at her had been downright creepy…or straight-up evil. “Gods, they didn’t give you a pair of shoes? I always knew Blackmoon could be real dicks, but this is ridiculous.” And, then, without warning, he just scooped her up.
She thrashed instantly, her body trembling at the thought of being touched.
“Whoa, babe. Calm down.”
Not a chance. She pummeled him, hammering her fists against his chest. Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me! After several unsteady steps, he finally set her on her feet and she bolted. Can’t let him touch me.
When he fell into step beside her, easily keeping pace with her, she tried to run in a different direction, but everything looked the same. All tall trees, bushes, and snow. Not that she would have had a clue where she was going otherwise.
“You know, I could do this all day. But, for the sake of time…and your feet, it would be a lot easier if you let me lead. You don’t have shoes, so I’m guessing you don’t really have anywhere to go either.”
Slowing, she glanced over at him, finding him watching her while somehow not running into anything. Finally, she stopped, hunching over and clasping her thighs as she tried to catch her breath. Being locked in that building when she wasn’t cleaning clothes or weaving baskets, meant she was not a runner by any means.
He crouched down, gazing up at her and smirking. “Ready to let me carry you yet?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
Her jaw dropped. Was he crazy? He certainly didn’t look crazy…and she’d seen crazy. His eyes were soft and warm, like a crackling fire with shades of copper, green, and honey tones. The longer she stared, the more colors seemed to pop out at her from the depth of his eyes. She shook her head between gasping for air. Tiny lines appeared at the corners of those multi-colored eyes as he smiled again, chuckling.
He drove a hand through his short, brown hair, lifting a shoulder. “Ah, well. I tried.”
Her neck cracked as she tilted her head to the side again. This guy confused the hell out of her. What was his angle? He helps her escape. He gives her his big, warm coat. He offers to carry her. Why? What did he get out of this?
“I’d hate to see you lose a toe,” he said, now removing his shoes.
Seriously? What was wrong with him? She shook her head furiously at him. Stop giving me your stuff, you weirdo!
“No, really. Here. I’ll at least have socks.”
She shook her head again. He rolled his eyes, huffing and thrusting the pair of boots into her arms. She stumbled back, staring up at him.
“Just put them on,” he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited.
Another few moments of her frozen body staring at him. He jutted a finger at the boots. “Before your toes fall off, babe.”
She furrowed her brows at his stupid nickname. He gave her a droll look. “Either put those damn boots on, or I’m carrying you whether you like it or not.”
She sucked in a breath before narrowing her gaze on him as she pulled her snow-covered foot up to slip the boot on. Her tiny feet swam in them, but her frozen toes thanked him even if she didn’t.
He nodded. “That’s what I thought.” He turned and began trekking through the snow. She stuck her tongue out at his back and trudged along after him.
***
Something was wrong with this woman. He didn’t know what, but there had to be a reason for her touchiness. He found himself stealing glances at her as she walked beside him. His coat engulfed her lithe body, the scrap of a dress she wore hidden beneath it, and his boots flopped every time she took a step. Some very male part of him got an immense sense of satisfaction seeing his clothes consuming her tiny body. His eyes finally crept upwards…oh, shit. Busted.
&
nbsp; Her eyes drilled into him, eyebrow quirked, lips pursed. Not uttering a word, but her face screamed, Okay, creeper, knock it off…like now!
He averted his gaze, looking at anything but her. The silence stretched, feeling awkward. “So,” he started. “You never did tell me your name?” He risked a glance her way. She bit her bottom lip, drawing his gaze to them. She looked away, and he snatched the opportunity to study her face. Despite the marks that covered her skin, there was no denying she was attractive. Copper, mahogany, and bright auburn hair shimmered in the moonlight, reaching far past her shoulders. Ivory skin, high cheekbones that were flushed pink from the cold. Small, perky nose with tiny freckles dotting across it. Bright, round eyes framed by a mass of dusky lashes. And those lips…those were what dreams were made of.
She glanced over at him, and he snapped his head away, whistling softly. He caught her rolling her eyes. “You do have a name, don’t you?” he asked.
Giving him a haughty look, she nodded. As if it was unthinkable that she wouldn’t have a name. He shrugged at her. “Well, you didn’t answer, so how was I supposed to know?”
She contemplated that for a moment, and then simply shrugged back. He shook his head and returned his eyes to the path in front of him. “Big talker, aren’t ya,” he mumbled, eliciting another roll of her eyes.
They walked for a while in silence. She seemed to be fascinated by the simplest things. She watched squirrels scurrying up trees with wide-eyed wonder.
“By the way, that painting didn’t do you justice.”
She snapped her head up to him, head tilted, eyebrows quirked.
He chuckled. “I mean, you’re much prettier in person than in that painting.”
Her cheeks reddened even more at the compliment. Pressing a hand against her chest, she shook her head.
“What? You didn’t paint it?”
She nodded.
“You did paint it?”
She nodded again.
“Well, don’t get me wrong. The painting is beautiful.” He leaned a little towards her and she immediately leaned away. “But you’re more beautiful in person.”
Her cheeks flushed again as she shook her head. Apparently, she didn’t like compliments.
He raised his hands. “Okay, fine. I won’t compliment you anymore.”
She let out a sigh and turned away, her hands flying through the air. She stumbled, and he shot out an arm to catch her. She fell into him, her face pushing against his chest. She gazed up at him for a moment, and he smiled. “A little clumsy I see,” he murmured.
Eyes wide, she flew out of his arms, pushing against his chest and swiftly landing on her backside in the snow. He chuckled and went to offer her a hand up. She scurried back, snow flying as she shook her head violently. He pulled his hand back. “Whoa, whoa, babe. Okay, okay. You can get yourself up. I get it. Calm down.”
But she didn’t seem to hear him, as she clamped her eyes shut and kept moving away from him, her head continually shaking. He followed her at a safe distance, not wanting to make her freak out again. Then, her eyes popped open and she stopped. Her eyes fluttered as her head lolled. Oh, shit.
He crouched next to her, catching her head as her eyes fluttered closed. Something warm and wet coated his hand. He pulled his hand away from the back of her head enough to see it smeared in blood. Oh, double shit!
He scooped her up and started running.
CHAPTER THREE
As Torin rushed toward Whitemoon Village, he noticed her hair was streaked with blood. He cursed himself for not noticing the injury earlier despite it blending so well with her hair…and paint. She must have busted her head open when she was slamming against that damned door. Stupid woman!
He passed several villagers on his way to his family’s house in the center of the village, all wearing shocked faces and exchanging hushed conversation. Whatever. The Alpha’s residence was the largest of the village, towering three stories high. He climbed the steps two at a time, almost kicking the door down until his adoptive sister opened the door, an identical look of shock on her face as the other villagers.
“Torin, is everything alright?” Kayline asked, her big blue eyes wide with concern.
Torin shook his head as he pushed past her. “No time to talk, Kay. Later.” He padded up another flight of stairs and down the hallway. His bedroom was at the far end of the hallway, of course. Whitemoon’s only healer, Nikoli, happened to also be a Whitemoon Warrior like himself and had volunteered along with Torin to infiltrate Blackmoon. So, yeah, he’d be no help until he got back, whenever that was.
Setting the red-haired damsel on his bed, he turned to fetch some supplies, catching Kayline staring at him from his doorway. “Get me some warm rags, alcohol, and bandages,” he snapped a little harsher than he meant to. Kayline jumped, not used to hearing him bark orders at her, but swiftly recovered and disappeared down the hallway.
While he waited for Kayline to return with the supplies, he checked the unconscious woman for further injuries. Brushing the hair from her face, he saw that the scratches on her cheek had already stopped bleeding. He moved down her face and neck, moving his coat aside and grimacing when he got a good look at the large bruises forming on her right shoulder and arm. He pressed the area to check for any dislocated joints or broken bones, but snatched his hand back when she groaned loudly. Dammit, where was Nik?!
Kayline scurried back through the door with an armful of his requested goods, dropping them at the foot of the bed. He offered a quick “Thanks” before grabbing a rag and dipping it into the basin of water. Pushing the layers of hair out of the way, he located the source of the bleeding, a large knick on the right side of her head. He washed the blood away, breathing a sigh of relief when it wasn’t as bad as it had seemed. Head injuries always bled like a bitch, but the blood flow was already easing up. He held her tight as he poured some alcohol over the wound feeling her flinch at the sting.
He bandaged her up as best he could with his limited abilities, and Kayline was nice enough to take the dirty rags and water away. His gaze returned to her badly bruised shoulder and he ran a gentle hand over it. Despite his thick coat, her skin was still quite cool. She winced a bit, her eyes beginning to flutter. His stomach jolted, wanting to look into the deep forest of her eyes again. Just to reassure himself that she wasn’t dead, of course.
She blinked, her gaze hazy for a moment until finally, it focused on him. He found himself smiling as the bright green orbs captured him. “Hey, gorgeous. Gave yourself quite a bump on the head, but, don’t worry. I saved you.” He winked.
Thrashing, she tried to scurry back, slamming the back of her head against the headboard. He reached a hand out, touching the side of her head. “Easy, woman. I just patched that head of yours up.”
She rolled away from him, and right off the bed. He heard a dull thud as her body fell to the floor. He sighed. Here we go again. He popped a leg up on the mattress, propping his elbow on it and resting his head in his hand. She peered up over the mattress, her eyes darting this way and that. He smirked, holding back a laugh at how silly she looked.
“If you’re searching for the door, it’s back there.” He gestured behind him. Her gaze followed his hand before snapping back to his face. Back to the door…him…door…him. He shook his head. “If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. You’re not a prisoner here.”
That had her focus on him, but she wasn’t buying it. He raised his hands. “I swear. You can leave anytime, but, really, where will you go? You’ll freeze to death or Blackmoon might catch you again, and then you’ll be right back where you started.” He could see her mulling that tidbit over in her mind. “It’s your choice, though. I’ll leave you alone to think about it, okay?”
And with that, he got up and walked out of the room.
***
Autumn stared at the doorway that the man just disappeared through, tempted to follow him through it and disappear… where? Curse him, he had a point. Where would she go? Th
e only family she had was long gone, a vague image in her mind that she continually materialized in paint. And the idiot man had thought she had painted herself.
She had found herself tempted to break her vow of silence for the first time in three years. But, no. Her voice only brought her pain and suffering. The monster had enjoyed her voice, liked hearing her begs for mercy, her pleas and screams as he violated her tiny body. It was only after she had forced herself into silence that the disgusting pig had slowly lost interest in her. If silence kept the men off of her, then silent she’d remain.
Straightening up, she tapped her foot, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the doorway. A long hallway lay beyond it. It called to her “freedom”, but it terrified her with the unknown. Unable to come to a decision (she’d never really been able to make any of her own beyond what she painted), she looked around the room. It was twice the size of the room she’d been forced to occupy for the last decade or so. And much cozier to say the least. She ran her fingers over the plush brown cover that spread across the large wooden bed. A fire crackled from across the room, a fur rug spread out in front of it. The mantle held several wooden carvings of woodland creatures and a large sword and shield hung on the wall above it. Some of the dresser drawers were half open, and there was an array of random items on top of it. The table next to the bed held a single oil lamp, a book, and a pile of loose coins.
It could use some more color, she thought. An image of a painting that would look perfect above the headboard crossed her mind. She shook the thought away as she neared the doorway. She should leave. She didn’t belong here.
She turned, taking a last look at the room and the warmth it offered. Warmth was something she had no familiarity with, at least not since her mother. And that was a faint memory, getting dimmer every day. Her mother would have liked this room, especially the cute little carvings. She’d always loved animals, even the mice that had habituated the cells with them occasionally.
Kiss of Fire: A Dystopian Shifter Romance (The Whitemoon Warriors #2) (The Whitemoon Warriors Series) Page 2