Page 51 of Snowbound with the Alpha Wolf
Nosignal.
Now you canpanic.
Oh god, she was so screwed. A bitter laugh escaped her.I’ve finally gained my freedom to go wherever I wish, and I’m going to freaking die on a lonely country road inMontana.
Terrific.
Her backpack had a warm change of clothing and a blanket. Darcy rummaged inside and pulled onan extra-large sweater that Adrian had worn and given to her. Who cared about memories of scent when you werefreezing?
Darcy huddled into the sweater, inhaling Adrian’s fragrance, as tantalizing as cologne, as delicious as homemade cookies. She put her parka back on and then her woolhat.
The headlights on the car began tofade.
Battery was dying as well. Soon, she’d be stuckhere, in a car without heat. In all her close escapes from death, she never imagined perishing likethis.
Fighting a nasty creature from the underworld, yes. Dying from her own stupidity because she’d underestimated the harshness of thisclimate?
Well,no.
If only she had the energy to shift into a wolf with fur thick enough to withstand the cold, or a bird, and fly out ofthe storm. But she’d weakened herself in the mine. Nor had she consumed enough raw meat to turn into a wolf, as most Lupinesdid.
Nope. Here she was, stuck in a human skinsuit.
Minutes passed. Not sure how many, because she was slowly sinking into a morass of pain and icy needles stabbing this too-frail skin. Eyes fluttering, she tried to stay awake. ‘Cause even a toddler knew thatif you fell asleep in the cold, you woulddie.
Distant lights shone on the horizon behind her. She didn’t dare hope. Maybe a kind stranger would at least offer aride.
And then a big pick-up truck rumbled by and pulled slightlyahead.
A tall man, dressed in a warm ski cap and a parka, jumped out of the back seat. He hurried to the passenger door, opened it and climbedinside.
“Hi,” he rumbled in a deep, sexy voice. He picked up her hands, tucking them beneath his armpits. Warmth slowly stole overher.
“H-hey,” she mumbled. “H-how d-did y-you f-findme?”
“I worried about you. We all did. When I saw the rental was missing, I asked Darius and Samantha to search for you. We tracked the GPS on your phone until we lost the signal.” Adrian inclined hishead, where Darius and Samantha waited in the SUV. “Besides, there’s only one way back to the city, and this road is it. Come on back to the ranch,Darcy.”
Teeth chattering, she huddled deeper into her jacket, imprisoned by her hands beneath his armpits. Rescue by Adrian wasn’t on her Top Ten list. But it was better than freezing todeath.
“O-only i-if y-ou r-ide in the t-truck’sbed. A-a-shole.”
Sheesh, sounding tough and uncaring was tough when your teeth clickedtogether.
“That’s Mr. Asshole to you,” he said, smiling, and then removed her hands. He wrapped the blanket he held around her shaking shoulders and softened his voice. “Please. We need to talk, and I’d hate to see that cute little ass of yours turn into a chunk ofice.”
Too numb—and hurting—tofight back, she sank into the blanket’s warmth. “T-he r-rental.”
“They’ll send someone for the car tomorrow, when the stormends.”
After he rounded the car and opened her door, she leaned against him, letting Adrian help her out and into the back seat of the truck. A blast of toasty, warm air from the truck’s heater surrounded her. Moaning with pleasure, she huddled into theblanket.
Samantha turned around, passed her a mug of something hot and good. “Drink, honey. It’ll warm you from theinside.”
“And put hair on your chest,” Darius added, looking at her in the rearview mirror. “Justjoking.”
“Ha,” she murmured, not caring, because she’d finally begun to feel her toes once more. Darcy drank. Coughed. Hot apple cider spiked with brandy. She drained thecup and Samantha took it fromher.
Adrian climbed into the truck, tossing her backpack onto the floor. He shut the door and nodded at Darius. “Let’sgo.”
