A gust of wind caught her, pelting snow directly in her face. Nose already dripping and cold, her gloved hands scrubbed her face.
With clumsy, half-frozen fingers, she fumbled to remove the lug nut caps with the key that came with the car. It didn’t seem to fit particularly well. Kneeling on the hard asphalt soaked her jeans and ratcheted up the misery of the situation another notch.
One cap was being stubborn and didn’t want to turn. Her grip slipped and the key fell into the slush.
Odessa tilted her face toward the sky. “Why? This isn’t funny,” she said, addressing no one in particular. Karma, maybe.
Headlights appeared in the distance. She moved to the side of the car furthest from the road, having no desire to get sideswiped by traffic. Her oxfords with the sensible, non-slip soles slipped on the snow-covered grass.
The approaching vehicle did not slow and Odessa assumed it would speed past. At the last moment, it pulled to the side. The headlights blinded her. She raised a hand to shield her eyes but could not make anything out beyond the lights.
A car door opened. “Looks like you’re having trouble,” an unseen man said.
She did not recognize the voice. Something about it made her skin crawl. “Triple A is on their way,” she lied.
“In this weather? You’ll be here until dawn.”
Yeah, thanks for pointing that out.
“My father is on his way too,” she said, desperate for this stranger to believe that she was not alone and stranded on the side of the road.
The man edged closer, walking along the driver’s side of the car. She moved down the passenger side, keeping as much of the car between them as possible. With her back to the headlights, she could make out the features of the man’s face. He had silver hair and he wore a dark green coat. She did not recognize him.
“Flat tire? Bad luck there,” he said. “If you have a spare, I can get it changed and get you home to your daughter.”
A chill that had nothing to do with the snow settled over her. How did he know her? Was he a customer from the store? She normally had a knack for remembering her customers. No, this man was a stranger.
Her hand flexed, gripping a phantom baseball bat. All she had to defend herself was a cell phone with no reception.
She could run. She wasn’t fast but she knew all the hiking trails in the area—and some of the off-trail area—better than a stranger, at least.
Not that she could run far without stopping to catch her breath or puking.
She was going to die, wasn’t she? Strangled and abandoned in the snow, just like in those Scandinavian noir shows she loved to watch. Her death would haunt a worn and depressed cop with family issues until he found her killer, but she knew every cop on the police force. She didn’t want friendly and upbeat Rocco to lose his gentle smile.
Yup, she had to live to protect Rocco—and Ruby. Duh. She’d run her fat ass to the ends of the Earth if it meant staying alive for her daughter.
She moved to the open trunk, mentally berating herself for stocking sensible items like a spare blanket, kitty litter, and emergency flares. Why hadn’t she enrolled Ruby in hockey or taken up golf? A set of clubs in the trunk would have been ever so handy to beat the snot out of a strangler.
She grabbed the road flare, squeezing it tightly. “Have we met?”
“Ah, I guess it has been a while. I’m Karl Sommerfeldt, Mads’ uncle.” The man gave a toothy smile, probably meant to comfort her but it just sent a shiver down her spine.
“Mads’ uncle?”
“Yes. I was on my way to see him. You must have been ten or eleven the last time I saw you, running through the woods with Mads like a wildling.”
“That sounds about right,” she said, the tension in her chest refusing to unwind. Fuzzy memories of sitting inside in the house, bored, because Mads was off visiting his uncle in the city, came to mind.
Mads’ uncle, not a roadside strangler. She was going to go home to her baby. Everything would be okay.
She didn’t believe it, though.
“You said you have roadside assistance coming, but I don’t like the idea of you out here on your own. Who knows what could happen?” Karl said. He flashed that toothy smile again, amplifying her dread. “I’m going to change this tire and get you home.”
“Thanks. Sounds good.” She pressed her hand to her chest and swore she could feel her heart pounding.
Karl picked up the tire iron, shaking off the melting slush. He thumped it against his open hand. She wondered if he was going to change the tire or beat her.
Another pair of headlights bore down on them.
Thank you, thank you. Witnesses.
The truck slowed. Odessa recognized the brown and tan paint job of the sheriff’s department. The window rolled down. “You all right there?”
Rocco. Sweet, sweet Rocco with perfect timing.
“Flat tire,” she said.
“Hell of a night for a flat. Need a hand?”
“Actually,” she said, jumping at the opportunity to not be alone with creepy Karl, “my flashlight is dead. Do you have one I can use?”
“Sure thing.” Rocco climbed out of the cab, flashlight in hand.
Karl moved efficiently, not fumbling with the key to the lug nuts, and had the tire changed in no time. Hallelujah.
“That should do it. Good to see you again,” Karl said, sticking out his hand.
She took his hand. “Same. I can’t thank you enough. I was going to be out here all night.”
“My pleasure.” He leaned in, took a deep breath like he was sniffing her shampoo, and that creepy-crawly feeling returned.
“Um,” she yanked her hand away and stepped back, “I’d best be going before the roads are too bad.”
“Drive safe. The roads are getting slick,” Rocco called as he climbed into his own truck.
Odessa rushed into her car and fumbled with the seatbelt. The back tire spun for a second on the snow-covered grass, but the vehicle pulled away without trouble.
Karl’s bright headlights followed her all the home and she couldn’t shake the sense of unease until she was in her own house, behind locked doors.
Mads
Odessa was late coming home. Far too late. She sent a quick message when she left the bar but too much time had passed. As the snow fell faster and covered the roads, his need to verify his mate’s safety grew. Worry painted grim scenarios of her vehicle sliding off the road or plunging into the lake, even though he knew her route home took her nowhere near the water.
The roads were slick. She drove cautiously. Simple.
He paced from the front door to the kitchen in the back of the house. When the snow started to fall, he decided to be a considerate neighbor and salt her front steps. Then he remembered the light in the hallway had burned out, so he let himself in to change out the bulbs. Again, just being considerate. Then he emptied out the hampers and started a load of laundry. He did not paw through her dirty underwear because Odessa would never forgive him, and he certainly did not open the dresser drawer to inspect the neatly folded cotton panties.
His favorites were the black ones with pink polka dots, not that he looked.
And he did not find the adult fun-time box under her bed because that would be an abuse of her trust and privacy, so he basically forgot about the massive purple dildo. He saw nothing. He didn’t sniff it or imagine how delicious Odessa would look using the toy on herself. Totally pushed it from his mind.
Out of light chores and places to snoop, he called her phone, but it went to voicemail. Frustrated, he tossed the phone across the room. The glass cracked as it hit the wall. Worthless, fragile Earth tech. What was the point of a communication device that could not work during inclement weather?
The horn plate at the top of his head throbbed, his antlers demanding to be released. They had not ached in such a fashion since he was an adolescent and they responded to his heightened emotions.
The ancient chronicles claimed that
bonded mates could sense each other’s emotions at a distance. He yearned for the ability to sense Odessa, to know if she felt distress or even irritation at working a long shift. Anything. Her aura had always been open to him, but he needed to be within close proximity to read her.
He needed to see her. He needed to find her.
With a groan, his antlers sprouted. A warm sensation replaced the brief pinch of pain. The familiar weight of his antlers helped him focus. His mate was out in the storm while he waited inside his warm and cozy dwelling. The dishonor of his inaction left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He would find his mate.
Mads flung open the door, already divesting himself of his garments to shift into his four-legged form. Odessa’s vehicle pulled into her garage. A second vehicle pulled in front of the house.
“Put those away, foolish calf,” Karl snapped.
Mads ignored his uncle. Odessa radiated unease and fear. Her aura glowed like a beacon, pulling him to her. He ran his hand through his hair, forcing his antlers back.
“Odessa!” Mads shouted, crossing the snow-covered lawn in his bare feet.
His mate seemed startled. “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt? Or shoes?”
He stood before her, every part of him demanding to embrace her and carry her to his den where he would keep her safe and warm. Her pulse jumped at her throat and the pounding of her heart was deafening.
Mads spread his arms in invitation.
She rushed forward, wrapping her arms around him. Distress and frustration clung to her in a heavy miasma. He rubbed circles on her back, murmuring words of comfort.
“Where is Ruby?” he asked.
“With her grandparents. She’s fine. I had a flat.” Her voice was soft and uncertain, almost weak, and it pained him.
“Fascinating,” Karl said, somewhere behind him.
Odessa’s breath hitched in her throat.
“Fuck off,” Mads snarled. This moment was meant to comfort his mate and Karl upset her. He returned his attention to his mate. “Tell me what happened.”
She pulled away, hands wiping away tears. “God, he’s a creep.” Her eyes went wide. “Shoot. Sorry. If I’m not crying all over you, I’m insulting your family.”
The tip of her nose had turned red from the cold. He could not resist reaching out and lightly thumping the end. “You forget all the times you shout at me.”
“I’m sort of the worst, aren’t I?” A faint smile returned to her face and the miasma faded.
“Never, and if I must be honest, he is disturbing,” he admitted. Karl’s rambling at their last meeting nearly edged into ranting. Mads could not say if his uncle had always been thus or if the years alone from his herd had changed him.
“He creeps me out,” she said. “He stopped to help but, I dunno. I just don’t want to be alone with him. Ever.”
“I understand.” His mate didn’t like his uncle. Fair enough. He didn’t much like his uncle.
She considered him before responding, chewing on her bottom lip. “You have to be cold.”
“I was made for cold climates.” Truly, his reilendeer physiology thrived in the cold, but his human mate would be adversely affected. “Let’s go inside.”
“Inviting yourself in now? Make yourself at home.” Her grin returned in full force, burning away the miasma. Unsullied colors leaked through her aura, shining bright. How could one creature be so lovely?
“Hmm. And I’m also inviting myself along for ice skating tomorrow,” he said.
“Sounds like a date.”
“Because it is a date.”
“Ice skating? I haven’t done that in ages.”
“Then I will not shame your rusty skating with my superior technique.”
She lightly thumped him on the arm. “I’m surprised you can skate with that massive ego you’re hauling around.”
He held back the retort bragging about other massive things he hauled around. “And my massive monkey wrench.” He didn’t try too hard. “I have many talents.”
She snorted with amusement. “I can’t tomorrow. I have to get a new tire.”
That wasn’t a no. “Sunday,” he said. “You, me, and Ruby.”
“You really want to take my kid on our first date? I mean, it’s fine if you don’t. You don’t have to impress me.”
“If I wanted to impress you, I’d be your full-time bodyguard. Nothing would ever frighten you again.” He’d shadow her every step.
“Not happening. I don’t need a bodyguard.”
She did. Her stress hormone levels were still high, clouding her natural scent of earth and rain.
“Don’t be stubborn,” he said.
She shook her head and moved to the house door, opening it. “Now you have to buy me ice cream for that.”
“We’ll compromise. I’ll be your chauffeur,” he called out to her retreating figure.
“Sunday,” she said, the door shutting behind her.
Mads grinned, thoroughly pleased with himself. He had a date.
Chapter 11
Odessa
“I don’t like ice skating.” Ruby crossed her arms over her chest.
“You like roller skating,” Odessa prompted.
“I guess.”
Part of her wanted to cajole Ruby into a good mood but she didn’t want to reward grumpy behavior with promises of ice cream.
“You know,” Odessa said, “I learned to ice skate when I was older than you. I fell so much.”
“Did it hurt?”
Ah, that was the root of her reluctance.
“Nah. My butt bounces.” Odessa gave an exaggerated slap to her bottom and Ruby giggled. “You’re much better at roller skating than me. I bet you’ll learn fast.”
“Promise it won’t hurt?”
“You want me to strap a pillow to you?”
Ruby pursed her lips, as if considering the ludicrous suggestion. “No. I’m not a baby.”
Odessa kissed the curly top of her baby’s head and tried to jam a knit hat over all that hair. A knock sounded at the door. “That’s our ride.”
“Does Mads know how to skate, too?”
“Yup. We used to skate on the lake all the time when we were kids.” Memories of chilly days and the sound of blades on ice brought a smile to her face. It was too early in the season for the lake to have frozen over for skating. The family fun center in the next town over had an outdoor pavilion and ice-skating rink. They did concerts in the summer, ice in the winter, and indoor mini golf all year-round.
“Is this a date?”
“We’re just skating, goblin.”
Odessa opened the door and Ruby rushed out. “Hey, Mads! Mommy’s excited about your date.”
The little tattletale.
“Is she?” Mads grinned.
“She changed her outfit three times.”
“I told you—the right pants are important. I need to move. But the big question is where did you learn to be such a traitor?” Odessa pushed Ruby into the car and fastened her into the booster seat.
Mads circled around the car, inspecting the tires. If he asked for service records and receipts, she wouldn’t have been surprised, but he said nothing before climbing in the driver’s side.
“It was just a flat tire. They happen. It’s not a failure to do basic maintenance,” she said, feeling the need to defend herself. Yesterday, her father went on and on about getting snow chains—which wouldn’t have prevented a flat tire—or buying her a domestic SUV—which also had nothing to do with preventing a flat tire. “And I can drive my own car, Sommerfeldt.”
“But I’m the chauffeur.” His hands gripped the wheel, but his tone remained light and playful. “This is important to me, Muller. Don’t take this away.”
Ruby giggled from the back seat.
“Fine,” Odessa acquiesced. If Mads being silly put Ruby in a good mood, she’d suffer having someone else drive her around town.
“Good,” he said. “I’ve been practicing all thes
e moves to impress you on our date.”
“I told you it was a date, Mommy,” the little goblin in the backseat chirped.
“This is not a date,” she said.
“Stop wasting date time.” He thumped the dashboard.
“You’re not amusing.” She tried to fight a grin as she said the words and failed.
Mads
He followed the navigational instructions from Odessa’s phone. In short order, they were fitting the calf for skates.
“Do you still have your skates?” he asked.
“Me? Heck no,” Odessa answered.
“You loved those neon green skates.”
“Ew, Mommy. Neon? Gross,” Ruby said.
“The color was honeydew, not neon green, and they wouldn’t fit anymore,” Odessa said.
“Why?” he asked.
She gave him a flat look, then huffed with amusement. “I’m sorry to disappoint you but nothing that I wore when I was sixteen fits anymore.” She finished lacing up Ruby’s boots. “There. How does that feel?”
“Stiff.” Ruby stood on wobbling legs.
“Tight but not too tight?” She squeezed the boot at the ankle, as if that could help her discern the fit.
“I don’t know.”
“Okay. Let me get my boots on,” Odessa said, sitting down on the bench.
They arrived in time for half an hour of free skate time before a beginner’s class began. Ruby agreed to try it when the attendant told her that kids her age signed up.
Mads found his center and balanced on the skates. He had not skated since he left Earth. Reilen did not hold recreational activities in high esteem. Physical activity for enjoyment—or any activity for enjoyment —was viewed as frivolous and foolish. A reilendeer’s four-legged form was better suited to traversing snow, ice, and other difficult terrain. To use specialized equipment to enable a two-legged form to move in such a manner was the height of pointlessness.
His father had said as much. Well, shouted and ranted as much.
“Ready?” Odessa’s patted him between his shoulders, derailing unpleasant thoughts of his father. Now was not the time to ruminate on his troubled relationship with Arne. Much as Mads did when he was an adolescent, he’d ignore Arne’s disapproval and enjoy himself.
The Alien Reindeer’s Bounty Page 10