Page 25 of Heart of a Dire Wolf
He knew hers, though. “Skyla!” He patted the sleigh. “Light speed, Oskar.”
The sleigh lifted off the snow and zoomed toward her. Two bags tumbled off the back. She barely had time to realize that Nic had shaved, and that he was gorgeous, before he launched himself out of the sleigh and wrapped her tightly in his arms. She hugged him back just as fiercely, then relaxed and just let him hold her while she cried.
After countless minutes, he loosened his hold. “It’s going to be okay.” He looked down at her with a serious expression. “I brought chocolate.”
She laughed and sniffled. “I love you.”
His eyes widened. “Because of the chocolate?”
She stood on her toes to kiss his strong chin. “Because you didn’t give up.”
His intent expression thrilled her as he tilted down to kiss her. Her tongue met and danced with his. The taste of him sent fire racing through her blood.
He broke off the kiss to look up and beyond her head. “Hello.”
She twisted to see Elsa and Gunnar standing twenty feet away. Elsa smiled, but Gunnar fidgeted with barely contained impatience. Reality was back, and, in Skyla’s view, extremely overrated.
She made introductions, then let Nic wrap her in the softest blanket she’d ever stroked and lift her into the sleigh. Oskar, he told her, liked songs with sleighs in them. The portal had opened about five kilometers away, at the border of Fort LeBlanc’s lands.
Gunnar helped Nic retrieve the fallen bags and unbent enough to express interest in Oskar as they made their way back toward the storehouse.
High on one of the three giant conifers that marked the center of town, a giant black raven emitted a long series of squawks. Another landed on a nearby branch and joined in the calling.
Elsa, seated beside Skyla in the sleigh, looked up and smiled. “The Mackenzies fly fast and true.”
“Humph.” Gunnar grunted as he plowed his own path through the snow. “Do not show them your food.”
“Gunnar,” Elsa chided. “They have the same right to be here as we do.”
Skyla didn’t recognize the name, for which she was grateful. One less family to traumatize.
She stole glances at her handsome mate, memorizing the shape of his clean-shaven face, remembering the taste of him, the sound of his heartbeat as she’d cried against his chest. She hoped his outer jacket was snot-proof.
He suggested she stay in the sleigh while he, Elsa, and Gunnar hauled in the contents of the rear seat. She agreed, since the floor and well-padded seat radiated enough heat to feel through the blanket, and her run through town had used up her reserves. Totally worth it, to see Nic, but it made her worthless now. The gentle breeze brought the outdoor smells of autumn right to her nose, without her having to move a muscle.
The next thing she knew, Nic was standing beside her, hand on her shoulder. “Skyla, we’re ready.” He nodded toward the storehouse. “And we have more company.”
She unwrapped from the blanket and stood to stretch. “I think that was an actual nap, and I missed it.”
He looked scandalized. “You don’t take naps?”
“Not since I was a baby.” She sat on the side of the sleigh and swung her legs over. “Drove my parents nuts.” She frowned at the cold, muddy snow on the path.
He stepped closer. “Those shoes… Let me carry you inside. I brought boots and dry socks for you.”
“Socksandchocolate.” She smiled and lifted her arms. “You’re the mate of my dreams.”
He gave her a quick kiss, then carried her inside and let her down next to a padded folding camp chair. “Your throne, my queen.”
She smiled, then turned slowly to see all the work they’d done. She must have dozed longer than she thought. The room was comfortably warm from a stove that radiated plenty of heat and magic. In addition to the full camping setup, complete with more chairs and a brightly lit tent, the room had seven new occupants she didn’t recognize.
Nic handed her a pair of thick, warm socks, with a pointed look at her feet. While she sat and removed her damp athletic shoes and filthy crew socks, Elsa introduced the four Mackenzie raven shifters, siblings and cousins. All their names started with the letter “R,” so she was doomed to never get them straight. Two were a mated pair of snowy owl shifters named Tad and Verna. The last was a bark-skinned dryad named Moss, who sat on a folding stool in the darkest corner, next to the wooden coat rack. She couldn’t read his alien face well enough to know if he was aware that he shared the shadows with spirits.
Gunnar crossed his arms across his wide chest and cleared his throat loudly. “Tell us how our children died.”
Skyla flinched and glanced toward the flickering spirits. “I don’t think you want to know that.”
Gunnar hissed and started to rise from the bench he shared with Elsa.
