Another few minutes of this shit, and she’d probably just fall over and freeze to death.
Or worse, I realized with a jolt.
Maddie was no more than ten feet away from a sheer drop-off. The boundary was normally well-marked, but this area of the park was closed for the winter and all the trails were hidden by the snow. She’d wandered too far off the path, and she had no idea how close to death she truly was.
Fuck. There was no time for subtlety. No time to plan a graceful transition and calm explanation. No time to do anything but charge right for her.
I shot through the snow, not stopping until I was right in front of her, blocking her path to the deadly drop-off.
Maddie lowered her gaze from the sky. The instant she saw me, she froze.
“Oh no,” she gasped, so faint it was little more than a whisper of frozen white breath on the air.
The scent of her fear washed over me like a tidal wave.
But the sight of her tear-streaked face? That shit damn near gutted me.
Whether it was from sheer terror or the frigid temperatures or both, Maddie was shivering from head to toe, her cheeks bright pink, her nose running, her lips as pale as death.
She was in trouble. Serious fucking trouble. And in that moment, impossible and crazy as it sounded, I knew without a doubt that Maddie Lockwood had become a hell of a lot more to me than a warm place to bury my dick on Christmas Eve.
I let out a low, warning growl, slowly loping closer, nudging her back toward the service road and away from the drop-off. She took a step backward, then another, but she was scared and cold and uncoordinated, and the next step sent her stumbling to her knees.
I waited for her to get up. To run. To bolt for the cabin, where I could shift and sneak in through the back door, meeting her just in time.
But Maddie didn’t move.
Fuck. Don’t give up on me now, Cupcake. Don’t you fucking give up.
I approached her slowly, nudging her hand with my muzzle, trying not to scare the shit out of her. But judging from her scent, I knew it couldn’t be helped.
She didn’t move, staring at me as intently as I stared at her, the world falling silent around us.
Her blue eyes were wide with wonder.
“You’re… you’re so beautiful,” she whispered, then laughed. The woman actually laughed. When she spoke again, her voice was soft, but sure. “Maybe you’re planning to eat me, but I just had to tell you that. As for my last words… Well, I’ve had a pretty good run, Mr. Wolf. Maybe not as long as I’d hoped, but a heck of a lot longer than anyone thought possible, and that’s saying something, isn’t it? And tonight wasn’t so bad, as far as last nights go. A good meal, a couple of top-notch orgasms…” She laughed again, shaking her head. “And now I’m sitting here talking to a wolf who’s probably two seconds from tearing out my throat, but hey. There are worse Christmas tragedies, right? Burning yourself to a crisp trying to deep-fry a turkey indoors, for instance. Or falling and breaking your neck trying to slide down a chimney in a Santa suit. Death by wolf-mauling on the side of a mountain feels much more badass, so thanks for that.”
Another soft smile, the tears still leaking from her eyes, and then the crazy girl slid off her mitten and held out her hand.
I don’t know what the fuck came over me, but I couldn’t help myself. I licked her palm, then nuzzled into her touch, letting her stroke the fur behind my ears, just like she’d done to Bella earlier.
Even in my wolf form, her touch felt incredible.
“You’re a good boy, Mr. Wolf,” she said. “Maybe you won’t eat me after all. Or maybe I’m hallucinating, or possibly already dead. That seems like the most likely scenario, doesn’t it?”
She lowered her hand, sadness creeping back into her face.
No. No.Fuckthat.
In a flash, I reared up on my hind legs and shifted.
Then, standing naked before her, I held out my hand and said, “You’re wrong about that, Cupcake. I’mdefinitelygoing to eat you. But not until I get you home.”
