Page 17 of Hostile Holiday

“My home. I need to keep you there until we are ready to sync you to the local time.”

“What?”

“I brought you here a week earlier.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You are going to sync to your body and merge.”

“If I do that, I won’t crash the car and won’t end up here.”

He nodded. “True. But you will be able to do some research and meet your genetic parent. I believe that will assist you when you meet yourself.”

He walked slowly with her, and soon, a very pleasant house appeared in the woods with wild meadows and trees bent in appealing shapes.

An elegant woodland sprite in formal butlery clothing opened the door for them. “Welcome home, Lord Winter. Is this your guest?”

Orla smiled. “No, I am a burr he snagged on a branch.”

The sprite blinked. “Ah. You are the one we have clothing for.”

“I don’t think you are my size.” She looked at him as she walked through the door while Hunter changed back to his bipedal form.

“What?”

“You saidwehave clothing. I doubt the clothing would fit Hunter, so it had to be for us.”

He looked at her as if she was insane. At this point, he may have been right. A hand pressed her back and eased her further into the house. “In you go, Orla.”

The voice sounded different, and a very handsome human man with white blonde hair and laughing blue eyes was standing wearing the leathers that Hunter had been wearing.

She did what any normal woman would do. She screamed and jumped past the butler, pulling her sword from somewhere. “Who are you?”

He looked at her in surprise. “Usually, they prefer the flesh over fur. It is just another face, Orla. Calm down, little star.”

She snarled at him.

“Uh, sir. Never tell a woman holding a sword to calm down.”

Hunter looked at her and grew fur with his muzzle covered in the snowy white fur. “Better, Orla?”

She blinked and lowered her sword then sheathed it, and it disappeared. “Yes. Sorry. I didn’t see it happen, so it surprised me.”

He nodded and said, “This time, watch.” He resumed his human appearance, but now, she could see the familiar under the skin.

“Okay. I like you better with the tail.”

He smiled. “Noted. Now, you need to get changed.”

“Oh. Right. Sweats and stuff.”

“Yes. This is Yesoff. He will help you find your room for while you are here.”

She swallowed and stared at him. “So, you believe in catch and release?”

He smiled. “Not in your case. You have things you need to achieve before Yule, and I am going to walk you through it.”

Yesoff stared at him. “You are, sir?”

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