Page 9 of Mated to the Enemy
Features that looked shaped out of steel did their best to contort into something approximating confusion, and a very un-angelic “huh?” slipped from the being’s mouth. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m dying,” she explained. “It’s time to go on to the next life. Are you to take me there?”
A thick-fingered hand wiped his head, sending a shower of static across her vision once more. But still the being looked confused. “You’re dying? Where are you hit?” he asked slowly.
She stared up into eyes so bright, they fought back the darkness. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “Everywhere? There was a blast of light from the guy with the wine bottle in his face, and then I hit the ground. Everything went cold, and now my vision is all static-y, filled with white noise.”
The man—he was very large, she realized when he got closer to her—snorted softly. “Listen, lady, I have some bad news for you.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” For just a moment, a bit of laughter danced behind his eyes, but it was gone again in a flash. Whoever he was, his discipline was impressive. The power of his stare, the way his black hair was cut in sharp lines—it screamedmilitaryto her.
How can you possibly identify that, seconds before you slip into the afterlife?
“Am I going to hell?” she asked lightly.
This time, the big man let out a single bark of laughter. “Some people might say that. You’re going to live, though, that’s what I was telling you.”
“I am? But I’m so cold.”
“You’re lying on cold ground. It’s winter.”
“But my vision!” she protested, not believing him.
“It’s snowing,” he said dully, then reached down and hauled her to her feet without waiting for her to respond.
To Jessica’s surprise, her legs worked, supporting her weight, though they did wobble slightly as she slowly grasped everything else that was going on.
“I made it?” she asked, talking more to herself than to her rescuer.
He didn’t seem to care. He stood just in front of her, and for the first time she saw the handful of cuts on his arms, and across his chest and—
“You’re naked!” she yelped in sudden realization.
“Didn’t have time to dress before coming to your rescue,” he explained.
“Right. Thank you for that.” Her manners were returning, even if her brain was still scattered. “Am I…is this?”
The huge naked man with blue eyes, his hair as black as the night, spread his arms wide, taking in the property behind him that was now filled with light and the sounds of approaching voices.
“Welcome to Ursidae Manor.”
