Page 13 of Corey
A man lay in the snow. At least, she thought it was a man from his build. Broad shoulders donned in a thick jacket, long legs encased in worn denim and big, booted feet.
He wasn’t moving and she couldn’t tell what might’ve happened. God, was he dead? She sincerely hoped not. Despite her initial reluctance to venture closer, she realized if he was breathing, he needed help. And that trumped her fear.
Rushing over, not knowing what to expect, she stopped beside him. She couldn’t see much of his face since his head was turned, but she did see he was breathing. Logs were scattered beside him, and she guessed he’d been carrying them when he collapsed.
“Um, excuse me, sir? Can I help you?”
Just when she thought he wasn’t going to respond, he rolled onto his back and moaned. The first thing she noticed was his thick, dark beard covered in snow, and sinfully long lashes that brushed the tops of his cheeks. When those lashes fluttered open, she found herself staring into the most stunning ice-blue eyes she’d ever seen. They momentarily focused on her then rolled back in his head. His face looked really flushed.
Releasing her overnight bag, she knelt down, not exactly feeling threatened by him, but still clutching her pepper spray. Just in case.
“Are you hurt?” she asked, looking him over. She really hoped he said no. He was a big man, and there was no way she’d be able to get him up and into the house on her own.
His gorgeous eyes opened again. “Hi,” he rasped. His deep voice had a rusty quality to it, as though he hadn’t spoken in far too long.
“Hi.” Her stomach did a strange little dip.
Now what? She couldn’t leave him all by himself in the snow. A year ago, she’d seen the best and worst of humanity, and through it all, she’d held onto hers. When someone needed help, she would do her best to provide it.
“Ah, I can help you into the house,” she offered, “but I’m going to need you to get up.”
He extended a gloved hand and she grabbed it, hauling him up into a sitting position.
“Fell down,” he murmured, looking a little confused as to why he was on the ground.
“Yeah, it looks that way.”How long has he been out here?At least he was dressed more warmly than her. “Can you stand?”
He nodded, dragging himself up off the snowy ground. Planting his booted feet, he swayed slightly, and Sera grabbed his sleeve. Wow, he was even taller than she first guessed. At least six two or three.
“Steady,” she murmured, ducking beneath his arm. “C’mon, let’s get you inside.”
Together they turned, the man leaning on her, and began walking toward the cabin. But once they reached the porch steps, Sera abruptly halted.
“Oh, shit,” she hissed, seeing a wolf wander around the corner of the cabin. It was already up on the porch, its full attention on them. The creature was beautiful, but terrifying. She cursed her rotten luck and quickly thought over everything she’d ever learned about wolves. They didn’t usually attack and weren’t truly vicious. Or, crap, maybe she was thinking of coyotes. Either way, her alarm bells were ringing, warning her to proceed with caution.
“Um, sorry to disturb you. You look like a wolf, but you’re probably some kind of shepherd, right?” Hopefully. “A friendly husky mix maybe?”
She could feel Loki moving around in the backpack, as if he sensed danger. But when she stepped back, the man tightened his hold on her shoulders.
“That’s just Storm,” he rumbled, not appearing concerned at all.
“Storm?” Was it his pet? Or maybe he just fed it, kind of like a squirrel? It had a name, so obviously he knew it.
When the man started up the stairs, Sera swallowed hard and avoided making eye contact with the creature. Its piercing yellow eyes unnerved her. When they reached the porch and stopped in front of the front door, the animal walked over, moving right up beside the man.
Oh, hell, her heart nearly stopped beating. He wasn’t planning on letting the creature into the cabin, was he?
He shoved the door open and the wolf paraded right into the cabin as if he owned the place.Great.Tucked beneath the man’s arm, trying to keep him upright, she kept a cautious eye on the wolf as they stepped inside.Please, don’t let me be mauled.
“Oh, my God, it’s freezing in here,” she declared, pausing to reach for the door and swing it shut.
“Heat broke,” the man uttered.
He was leaning on her, a little too heavily, and she grunted as she guided him over to the leather couch and let him slide off her. He plopped down on his ass then dropped back on the cushion, making the most pathetic sound. When he looked up at her, his expression tortured as though every single hair on his head hurt, she lightly pressed a hand to his forehead. A shiver racked his big body.
“You have a fever,” she announced, glancing over as the wolf—no, from this point on, she would refer to him as a shepherd mix because that made her feel much better—stalkedcloser. The man’s incredible glacier-colored eyes slid closed. “Um, sir?”
No response.
