Page 33 of The Healer

She snorted but slid in, hoping she didn’t break her leg boarding. She said as much.

Jake shrugged. “No worries. I’ll carry you back.”

“To what? I’m the only damn doctor in this town.”

His laughter was husky and peppered with snorts. “There’s a hospital fifty miles north, and we can get Rebel to air-lift you. Though, I’d prefer to crawl to the hospital than fly with that maniac.”

“Jake’s scared of heights,” Dane whispered with a chuckle.

“I heard that.” Jake punched Dane’s shoulder.

“Of course, you did.” He laughed. “Shifters have super sensitive hearing.”

“Wait. What?” she squeaked, blinking at him. She had heard of shifters and vampires revealing their existence, but saving the lives of children had come first. When she had wanted to know about it, it was old news and of no interest to her busy colleagues. “You’re a shifter?”

“Yup, who do you think chewed on your boot.” His laughter rang loud.

What? How had Dane known… Never mind, what mattered more was that Mr. Naked was a shifter. Well, it explained so much. She struggled to swallow past the lump in her throat. Typical her, having tried to save a man not needing her help.

“Let’s just get one thing clear,” Jake growled. “I ain’t scared of heights. Rebel just thinks he’s some sort of hero.”

Over his shoulder, Dane smirked at Jake. “You’re law enforcement, Sheriff. You can’t be lying in front of our new doctor.”

He snorted.

Their back-and-forth banter eased her grip on the steering wheel. She settled into the driver’s seat, taking in calming breaths at yet another adventure she could thank Gran for. How the hell was Ilona supposed to doctor shifters? Despite their human-like appearance, there had to be something biologically or physiologically different about them.

Speaking of maniacs, Dane directed her along a road no one would find if they had a GPS, a compass, and floodlights. Every time she lifted her foot off the gas pedal, he urged her to speed up. Tension petrified her shoulders when the car slid around corners with tree trunks inches from the side mirrors. Sneaking glances at the relaxed passengers, she studied the fear teasing the edges of her mind. Not once had she lost control careening along the snow-covered road. Exhilaration had her laughing as adrenaline flooded her arteries and blurred her perception of danger.

“We’re here.” Dane gestured to her to hit the brakes, and she did slowly, assuming hitting them on snow worked the same on sand.

She released the steering wheel with a sigh. For miles ahead of her lay a blanket of white snow, crisp and unmarred by human presence. Soft winds twirled clouds of white powder, and in the shadow of the mountain was a tower in grays and blacks, bold against the white. Lights shone from within the two-level structure high above the deep green and brown forests skirting the sides of the mountain.

“That’s Echon Mountain, and he’s a fickle bastard. Last winter, he toppled the research tower, and we had to reinforce it during summer. An avalanche buckled its frame.” Jake whipped out his phone to show her the photos.

“What are they researching?” She met his gray eyes then zoomed into the photos, marveling at the crumpled metal, twisted like ropes of licorice.

“Climate change.” Jake slipped his phone into his back pocket. “They bring in revenue and keep to themselves mostly. Bad weather grounded them last week. Poor Mo bitched about them running her off her feet.”

Ilona chuckled. “I wish I was here to see that.” She zipped her jacket closed and climbed out of the SUV, joining Dane at the cliff’s edge. He dropped the snow boots beside her and helped her lace the inner boot and both zones. After slapping on the goggles, he buckled her helmet. Jake adjusted her highback on the board’s binding to a three then clipped her onto the snowboard.

“Close enough?” She laughed then yelped when Dane tugged her jacket tight over her ass, touching where he shouldn’t.

Not that his touch was suggestive, and his posture remained business-like, so he wasn’t hitting on her. Relief flooded her with wonderful warmth. She wasn’t ready for romance, not yet.

As he velcroed her sleeves over her gloves, he gestured to the cliff’s edge with his chin. “We leap off here and carve the slopes, then trudge uphill to reach the tower. But today, I want you to try boarding, nothing fancy.”

She laced her hands and tugged, tightening the gloves as she peered off the edge at a fifteen-foot drop. Her excited gasps became puffs of condensation. “Anything I need to know about the scientists?”

“We’re not visiting them today, but if you run into them in town, they’re desperate for female companionship. Don’t be fooled by their sweet smiles.”

She laughed, wondering what had made Dane warn her off. “I’m not worried.” She gestured to her scar. “Still learning to live with this, and it has its benefits.”

His blue eyes narrowed, then he tucked a curl behind her ear. “You’re stunning, Ilona. No scar can detract from that.”

“Right.” Tempted to snort and roll her eyes like a teenager, she bent to check the clips on her boots, flipped the hoodie over her helmet, then yanked on the cord stopper. Then, with a brave grin she was far from feeling, she threw herself off the edge. Anything to escape the intensity in his gaze.

She swallowed her scream as she plummeted, the drop rushing wind past her face and threatening to tear off her hoodie. Seconds before her board touched down, she bent her knees to absorb the impact. The wind lashed her cheeks, inflamed her scar, but the exhilaration won out.

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