heart leapt at the news. “Do you know where I can find Mr. Dragomir?”
The girl shrugged and took a step back, eager to leave. “You’ll find him somewhere about town.”
Jules waited until the door shut behind the girl before she turned to the window and the beautiful, dangerous mountains that rose up to the clouds.
They were dangerous because they contained the highest concentration of large carnivores in all of Europe. But the beauty with its vast array of flora turning the rock walls into multicolored canvases, was breathtaking.
Or so she’d read and seen in pictures. Jules was excited to get a closer look at the peaks, gorges, and valleys first hand.
Her father was somewhere on those mountains, and she wasn’t leaving Romania until she found him.
Chapter Two
Cristian Dragomir couldn’t shake the iron claws of dread around his heart. Many times his parents had gone off into the mountains, but always they returned. Always. Two weeks had passed since they left, and there was no sign of them.
He had scouted the foothills and found their trail, but it traveled deeper into the mountains. He’d returned to gather more gear to follow them, because he knew what no one else in Brasov did – it wasn’t wolves killing people in the mountains.
But he was going to make sure he found whatever monster was there and kill it before it could harm anyone else.
Cristian noticed the coach stop in the street. He slowed his steps as he crossed to get a better look at the lady in a stylish gown of soft blue and white stripes. Her chestnut hair was tied away from her face and a straw hat with matching ribbons perched on her head. Even from a distance, Cristian noted how her eyes took in every detail, as if she searched for someone.
And then he heard her voice.
An Englishwoman traveling alone. She wouldn’t survive long in Brasov, but Cristian didn’t have time to tell her, not when his parents were missing.
He moved on, the Englishwoman quickly forgotten as he began to round up his supplies. It was just a short hour later when she stepped in front of him on the street.
“You’re Mr. Dragomir, yes?” she asked softly.
He took in her eye-catching petite frame and bountiful curves. Her voice was smooth as silk and more seductive than any woman’s ought to be. Her heart-shaped face held high cheekbones and large, expressive eyes the color of sherry, framed by thick lashes. She held his gaze with determination.
He knew he could pretend not to understand her as most in Brasov had done, but she had a tenaciousness that caught him off guard. Too many in Brasov liked to go through their lives pretending they didn’t know what was in the mountains.
There was a knowledge in the sherry gaze that watched him, a knowledge that said she understood Brasov. Or at least was willing to try.
Unsure why he would take the time, Cristian said, “I am.”
Her lips lifted in a grin of relief, and his heart skipped a beat. “Fabulous. I was told you know those mountains better than anyone.”
Cristian’s gut urged him to turn and forget the alluring woman before him. Immediately. But her smile had him rooted to the spot. “We all know the Transylvanian Alps.”
Her brows rose at his words. “Let me put it to you plainly, Mr. Dragomir.”
“Call me Cristian,” he interrupted before she could continue. “My father goes by Mr. Dragomir.”
She glanced at the ground. “Forgive my manners. I’m Juliann Little, the daughter of Professor Little who came to Brasov six months ago.”
“I remember the professor.” A sick feeling grew in his gut because he knew what Miss Little was about to say next.
She licked her full lips nervously. “You see, Cristian, my father wrote me constantly to let me know of his research. His last letter, well, held a note of fear, but also a declaration that he’d found something. Subsequently, I’ve heard nothing from him. It’s been three months since I’ve gotten a letter, and that
The girl shrugged and took a step back, eager to leave. “You’ll find him somewhere about town.”
Jules waited until the door shut behind the girl before she turned to the window and the beautiful, dangerous mountains that rose up to the clouds.
They were dangerous because they contained the highest concentration of large carnivores in all of Europe. But the beauty with its vast array of flora turning the rock walls into multicolored canvases, was breathtaking.
Or so she’d read and seen in pictures. Jules was excited to get a closer look at the peaks, gorges, and valleys first hand.
Her father was somewhere on those mountains, and she wasn’t leaving Romania until she found him.
Chapter Two
Cristian Dragomir couldn’t shake the iron claws of dread around his heart. Many times his parents had gone off into the mountains, but always they returned. Always. Two weeks had passed since they left, and there was no sign of them.
He had scouted the foothills and found their trail, but it traveled deeper into the mountains. He’d returned to gather more gear to follow them, because he knew what no one else in Brasov did – it wasn’t wolves killing people in the mountains.
But he was going to make sure he found whatever monster was there and kill it before it could harm anyone else.
Cristian noticed the coach stop in the street. He slowed his steps as he crossed to get a better look at the lady in a stylish gown of soft blue and white stripes. Her chestnut hair was tied away from her face and a straw hat with matching ribbons perched on her head. Even from a distance, Cristian noted how her eyes took in every detail, as if she searched for someone.
And then he heard her voice.
An Englishwoman traveling alone. She wouldn’t survive long in Brasov, but Cristian didn’t have time to tell her, not when his parents were missing.
He moved on, the Englishwoman quickly forgotten as he began to round up his supplies. It was just a short hour later when she stepped in front of him on the street.
“You’re Mr. Dragomir, yes?” she asked softly.
He took in her eye-catching petite frame and bountiful curves. Her voice was smooth as silk and more seductive than any woman’s ought to be. Her heart-shaped face held high cheekbones and large, expressive eyes the color of sherry, framed by thick lashes. She held his gaze with determination.
He knew he could pretend not to understand her as most in Brasov had done, but she had a tenaciousness that caught him off guard. Too many in Brasov liked to go through their lives pretending they didn’t know what was in the mountains.
There was a knowledge in the sherry gaze that watched him, a knowledge that said she understood Brasov. Or at least was willing to try.
Unsure why he would take the time, Cristian said, “I am.”
Her lips lifted in a grin of relief, and his heart skipped a beat. “Fabulous. I was told you know those mountains better than anyone.”
Cristian’s gut urged him to turn and forget the alluring woman before him. Immediately. But her smile had him rooted to the spot. “We all know the Transylvanian Alps.”
Her brows rose at his words. “Let me put it to you plainly, Mr. Dragomir.”
“Call me Cristian,” he interrupted before she could continue. “My father goes by Mr. Dragomir.”
She glanced at the ground. “Forgive my manners. I’m Juliann Little, the daughter of Professor Little who came to Brasov six months ago.”
“I remember the professor.” A sick feeling grew in his gut because he knew what Miss Little was about to say next.
She licked her full lips nervously. “You see, Cristian, my father wrote me constantly to let me know of his research. His last letter, well, held a note of fear, but also a declaration that he’d found something. Subsequently, I’ve heard nothing from him. It’s been three months since I’ve gotten a letter, and that
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