Page 23 of A Mountain Man Christmas

Lyla scoffed at the thought. Who was she kidding? This was just one of the “fun” dangers of being a bounty hunter. She just wished they’d put it in the brochure when she signed up:The perks of becoming a bounty hunter include cool weapons, handcuffs, and you get to hunt people down. The dangers included shortened life expectancy, becoming infamous among the supernatural underground, and finding yourself trapped on a freezing mountain where you’ll spend the rest of your years—or days. Nothing to worry about. Sign up today for only $11.99!

I should be dead by now,she thought,somehow or other.

But meeting Tristan had kept that from happening. He’d fed her, tried to protect her from the cold, and saved her life. Tristan was the only reason she was still breathing right now.

Still, that didn’t mean he was entirely safe, did it? He had his own baggage, like the murders he was wanted for. And then there was that curse he’d mentioned. Lyla had to admit, she’d had some trouble wrapping her mind around it. Apparently, his entire bloodline had been cursed with the ability to shift into monstrous wolves and kill anyone they could find. She shuddered at the thought. That was a level of cruelty that would make even Theophilus Hill clutch his heart.

If that curse had somehow manifested itself again, then he was more of a threat to her than she’d realized. Not only would it make him guilty of the murders, but it meant she was in close proximity to someone who could slash her to bits in a matter of seconds.

Unless she was wrong, and he was really innocent.

She dismissed the thought from her mind, taking a deep breath of the cold night air. How long had she been out here?She should probably head back to Tristan before he woke up and noticed she was gone.

This time, she did scoff. Why did she even care about that? They weren’t cuffed together anymore, and she wasn’t obligated to him anyway.

“I could take off from this village right now,” she muttered, “and it wouldn’t even make much of a—”

A low growl cut off the rest of her words.

Lyla went instantly rigid. The sound had come from somewhere behind her. Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck rise, she turned around slowly. She couldn’t see much besides the snow-covered ruins of the village. Farther ahead, though, she saw the woods, the trees silhouetted against a dark sky.

She frowned. There was nothing around. Had she imagined that sound?

She’d started to turn away when she heard another growl. Lyla’s eyes widened. Okay, she’d definitely heard it this time. Something was out there, lurking in the woods. Before she could try to figure out what it was, the growl was followed by a series of heavy thumps.

Holy sh—

There was a soft rustle, and Lyla thought she detected movement in the trees. Unsure whether to inch closer or take off back to the cabin, she remained on the spot, staring, open-mouthed, as a pair of glowing eyes appeared between the trees.

“What in the world…?”

The creature drew closer. In the soft moonlight, she caught a glimpse of it. Her breath faltered in her throat. It washuge, even from a distance, its body covered with pale fur. It took another step toward Lyla, its snout opening to reveal two rows of sharp teeth.

Chapter Eight

The Big Bad Wolf/Bounty Hunter Smackdown

“It’s a werewolf!”

It took Lyla a second to realize the shriek had come from her. She sounded less like an excited parent-to-be at a backyard gender reveal party and more like a Tokyo resident screaming, “It’s Godzilla!”

It wasn’t a prehistoric titan that stepped out of the woods toward her, but the sight of the creature was just as petrifying. The closer it came, the more she realized just how huge it was. On all fours, the wolf was nearly as tall as she was. Its fur bristled in the moonlight, its jaws open wide. Those gleaming eyes remained locked on Lyla, leaving no doubt as to who its target was.

The hunter had become the prey.

The wolf let out a snarl and stepped even closer.

Run!screamed a voice in her head.

Despite the terror building up within her, she retained enough presence of mind to turn and flee. Another cry escaped her lips, incomprehensible even to her ears, as the wolf bounded after her, its snarls echoing through the lifeless village.

Left!

She darted left, leaping over a pile of rubble. She stumbled once or twice but quickly regained her balance, powering through the narrow path among the ruins. Behind her, the wolf charged through the debris like a battering ram, knocking aside everything in its path.

It was getting closer!

Oh, crap, oh, crap, oh, crap!

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