Page 16 of Hostile Holiday

“Winter star. Oh. Well, I won’t hold you to that.”

He crossed his arms. “What if I want you to hold me to it? Something about you draws me, but there is one thing I am curious about. Do you know what flirting is?”

“Yes. Do I recognize it? No.”

He tapped the edge of his muzzle. “But, you want to touch me.”

“Yes. I won’t be rude, though. It wouldn’t be nice to importune you.”

“Interesting. Might I check one more thing?”

Orla thought about it and nodded. “Sure.”

He put his hands on either side of her hips, leaned in, and pressed his furry cheek to the side of her neck. He growled softly, and she jumped. The sound sent a core of warmth through her to unfamiliar places.

He leaned back and nodded. “That’s what I thought. You aren’t under a purity spell; you are a purity spell.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I have my work cut out for me if you are to be the bride of winter.”

“Am I?”

He took her book from her and set it beside them. It was a new sigil of a snowflake with the heart of a star. “You are.”

“I don’t like the idea of destiny.”

He shrugged. “You would prefer soulmates?”

Orla made a face. “No. Too lazy. People staying together because of fate don’t really have to put in the work to get to know each other and certainly have no reason to develop love.”

She looked up his muzzle into his eyes that didn’t settle on any particular shade of blue or green or brown, occasionally even white and silver.

“That is an interesting take on the situation. I thought women loved being soulmates.”

“They do until their partner declares someone else his soulmate. That is when she realizes it was just a method to get her clothes off. Words don’t mean much; it is actions that matter.”

He nodded. “That’s fair. I had thought you would need to stay to gain control over your skills, but you seem to have that done.”

Orla asked, “Can I get something to eat before you send me back?”

He huffed. “Of course.”

She looked up at him and felt warm and fluttery again, but it was the same way she thought about cuddly toys at the store. She felt at ease with him but wanted to hang onto him. That would fade once she was home.

Chapter Four

Orla stood in the woods with her sweater and the dress back in place. During dinner, Hunter showed her how to cloak her appearance so she didn’t look any different than she had when she left. Her boots didn’t make it. They were trashed, so she wore a concealed set of leather boots from the arena.

Hunter was standing next to her, and she turned to go back toward her car. He huffed and slowly said, “Come with me. We can get you back to safety.”

“Oh, you can talk in that form. Nice.”

He murmured, “Hang onto me, and we will walk.”

She put her right hand on his fur, and he started walking.

“Hunter, where are we going?”

---