Page 20 of A Mountain Man Christmas

He ignored her comment. “There’s no one in Alfanger. The village has been deserted for decades. In fact, there isn’t much left of it.”

Just as quickly as hope arose inside her, it turned to ash. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means the village was destroyed. Alfanger used to be populated with elves. It was a thriving society until the village chief at the time disagreed with a dragon clan. It wasn’t long before war erupted.” He was silent for a moment. “The elves lost.”

Any idiot could have figured out that last bit. “What kind of nitwit picks a fight with dragons?”

Amusement flickered across his face. “An overconfident one. People have avoided Alfanger for ages. They say the souls of the dead still haunt the village.” He scoffed. “It’s nothing but superstition, of course.”

“Any reason we’re headed for the village where dragons murdered people? The same village people have been avoiding ever since?”

“We’re not justpeople. We’re desperate.”

Fair enough. “But what are the odds that we’ll be safe in this Alfie’s Hanger place—?”

“Alfanger,” he corrected.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. What if dragons show up or something?”

“You are safe,” Tristan assured her as they stepped around a large tree trunk.

“And why is that?”

“Because,” he replied, “you are with me.”

Oh.A surge of warmth that had nothing to do with the coat she had on crept through her body then. Lyla bit her lip. She couldn’t be mistaken about the air of protectiveness he exuded, could she? First, he’d had his arm around her while she slept. Then he’d just about done everything he could to keep her from plummeting to her doom. And now?

The more she thought about it, the warmer she felt. It was a strange, delicious feeling that filled her chest, traveling from the tips of her breasts, sweeping through her gut, and settling between her legs.Oh, yeah…

Don’t be an idiot,she chided herself suddenly.Don’t forget who you’re dealing with.

Hewasa wanted man, after all. The last thing she needed right now was to start having feelings for an alleged murderer. The risk was too great. She’d had one man betray her in the past. Falling for a criminal of any kind was bound to leave her nursing wounds, emotional and physical—and in this case, the odds were it would be both.

***

Half an hour later, they arrived in Alfanger…or what was left of it.

“Whoa,” Lyla muttered, gazing around.

Tristan clearly had been telling the truth about the war that had ravaged the village decades ago. Enough snow had accumulated over the years to bury most of the village, but Lyla could make out several structures in the area. It was hard to imagine this place had ever been a living, thriving village.

“The war was a brutal one,” Tristan said as they walked through the mounds of snow and debris. “Not a single survivor. It’s why the souls of the dead are believed to inhabit this village. They were all together when they perished.”

Lyla wasn’t so sure anyone could call what had taken place here a war. Whoever the people of Alfanger were, she doubtedthey’d put up much of a fight. The village looked like an all-out air strike had hit it. She got the strangest feeling that what had happened here wasn’t merely a tragedy; it was a warning to anyone who dared to incur the wrath of dragons. No wonder people had avoided this place for so long.

She shuddered. The place was a horrific sight even now. She couldn’t bear to imagine how gruesome it must have been for the villagers decades ago.

“Do you always have wars like this on Frost Mountain?” she wondered aloud.

To her surprise, he nodded. “There have been wars between humans, wars between dragons, wars between entire towns, even animals.”

“You’re kidding.”

“War is a crucial part of nature,” he said, with the air of someone explaining to a sixth-grader. “Violence and death, as much as we hate to admit it, are natural occurrences.”

He had a point, but Lyla couldn’t help feeling a twinge of disgust. “That sounds like something a murderer would say,” she pointed out.

Tristan cut her a sharp look, which signaled the end of the conversation.

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