hard and nodded. She believed me. I put the car in gear
and peeled out of the gravel parking lot, tires spraying dirt behind us. We sat
in stony silence for the thirty-minute drive from her apartment back to my
house tucked deep in Wild Ridge Forest. I took the back roads and winding
trails until there was nothing beneath my wheels but soft earth.
Nora would never have been able to find her way back here alone. That
she was willing to put her trust in me now lent more proof to the instinct I
had about her. I would have to know for sure, and the risk of that scared me
almost more than Simon or the others coming back. When we finally made the slow
turn uphill, Nora’s breath caught as the massive cabin jutted out from the
hillside. I saw it through her eyes then. It must have looked like some sort of
rustic castle to her. And beauty trusted the beast to bring her home.
I pulled into the garage beneath the house and cut the engine. Nora sat
frozen. When I called her name, she didn’t move. I knew what she thought. It
was written all over her face and stiff posture. I came around to the other side
and opened her door for her. She knew as well as I did that her life would
never be the same. Hell, neither would mine. It hadn’t been since the moment
she reached out and ran her fingers through my fur as I slept in the woods that
day.
“Come on,” I said. “You’ll be safe inside. Then we can talk.”
Nora looked up at me; her pure blue eyes seemed to see right through
me. She chewed her bottom lip then finally reached out and took my hand. She
felt warm and soft and strong all at once. I saw a flicker of excitement widen
her eyes at my touch. She felt what I felt, even if she didn’t understand what
it meant. And I had no idea how I could explain it to her. She gave me a slow
nod then stepped out of the car. I led her inside.
Nora hugged her bag in front of her chest as she looked around. I
suppose to an outsider like her, this place was overwhelming. I wanted it big
and airy, with unobstructed views of the ridge beyond. I’d never meant for any
outsiders to see it. My heart lurched as she gasped and smiled. She walked up
to the bay windows in the front and put her hands on the glass. I walked up
behind her, shoving my hands into my jeans pockets to resist the urge to take
her in my arms.
We stood still and silent, watching the sunset through the glass. The
sky blazed with a warm pink glow. Nora pressed her forehead to the window and
inhaled. A tiny pulse in her temple slowed, and that made me glad. I didn’t
want her to be scared. When I told her everything, she would be, but for now, I
could steal this one moment with her before everything changed.
She turned to me first, her wide, blue eyes searching my face. She
reached up and hovered a delicate hand near my cheek, then thought the better
of it, closed her fist, and brought it to her side.
“I have questions,” she said simply.
“I know.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
I smiled. “I know that too.”
“What happened? I mean, my apartment. What was that?”
God, it would have been easier if she’d started by just asking me about
the bear.
“Let’s sit down.” I pointed to the L-shaped couch I had facing the
window. She nodded and sat at one end, her back straight. I took a spot a few
feet away from her and rubbed my hands on my jeans. My heart thundered in my
chest just from being this close to her. Energy rumbled through me. I think she
could feel it too, because her breath hitched and her eyelids fluttered.
“It was dangerous for you to trespass on ridge lands,” I said, trying
to find the words to explain in a way that wouldn’t overwhelm her.
“The pictures,” she said. “The ones I took at the pioneer cabin. I
think someone was looking for them.”
I nodded. I realized I had just as many questions for her as she did
for me. “Damon and Aaron Spence aren’t people you should trust.”
Nora raised a brow. “But they’re not
and peeled out of the gravel parking lot, tires spraying dirt behind us. We sat
in stony silence for the thirty-minute drive from her apartment back to my
house tucked deep in Wild Ridge Forest. I took the back roads and winding
trails until there was nothing beneath my wheels but soft earth.
Nora would never have been able to find her way back here alone. That
she was willing to put her trust in me now lent more proof to the instinct I
had about her. I would have to know for sure, and the risk of that scared me
almost more than Simon or the others coming back. When we finally made the slow
turn uphill, Nora’s breath caught as the massive cabin jutted out from the
hillside. I saw it through her eyes then. It must have looked like some sort of
rustic castle to her. And beauty trusted the beast to bring her home.
I pulled into the garage beneath the house and cut the engine. Nora sat
frozen. When I called her name, she didn’t move. I knew what she thought. It
was written all over her face and stiff posture. I came around to the other side
and opened her door for her. She knew as well as I did that her life would
never be the same. Hell, neither would mine. It hadn’t been since the moment
she reached out and ran her fingers through my fur as I slept in the woods that
day.
“Come on,” I said. “You’ll be safe inside. Then we can talk.”
Nora looked up at me; her pure blue eyes seemed to see right through
me. She chewed her bottom lip then finally reached out and took my hand. She
felt warm and soft and strong all at once. I saw a flicker of excitement widen
her eyes at my touch. She felt what I felt, even if she didn’t understand what
it meant. And I had no idea how I could explain it to her. She gave me a slow
nod then stepped out of the car. I led her inside.
Nora hugged her bag in front of her chest as she looked around. I
suppose to an outsider like her, this place was overwhelming. I wanted it big
and airy, with unobstructed views of the ridge beyond. I’d never meant for any
outsiders to see it. My heart lurched as she gasped and smiled. She walked up
to the bay windows in the front and put her hands on the glass. I walked up
behind her, shoving my hands into my jeans pockets to resist the urge to take
her in my arms.
We stood still and silent, watching the sunset through the glass. The
sky blazed with a warm pink glow. Nora pressed her forehead to the window and
inhaled. A tiny pulse in her temple slowed, and that made me glad. I didn’t
want her to be scared. When I told her everything, she would be, but for now, I
could steal this one moment with her before everything changed.
She turned to me first, her wide, blue eyes searching my face. She
reached up and hovered a delicate hand near my cheek, then thought the better
of it, closed her fist, and brought it to her side.
“I have questions,” she said simply.
“I know.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
I smiled. “I know that too.”
“What happened? I mean, my apartment. What was that?”
God, it would have been easier if she’d started by just asking me about
the bear.
“Let’s sit down.” I pointed to the L-shaped couch I had facing the
window. She nodded and sat at one end, her back straight. I took a spot a few
feet away from her and rubbed my hands on my jeans. My heart thundered in my
chest just from being this close to her. Energy rumbled through me. I think she
could feel it too, because her breath hitched and her eyelids fluttered.
“It was dangerous for you to trespass on ridge lands,” I said, trying
to find the words to explain in a way that wouldn’t overwhelm her.
“The pictures,” she said. “The ones I took at the pioneer cabin. I
think someone was looking for them.”
I nodded. I realized I had just as many questions for her as she did
for me. “Damon and Aaron Spence aren’t people you should trust.”
Nora raised a brow. “But they’re not
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