Page 23 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
Meanwhile, Gabriel arranged kindling and logs in the stove with practiced hands. Within minutes, a small flame flickered, then grew in the stove’s belly.
The flames illuminated the planes of his face, softening the hard edges that had been there during their drive.
The storm roared outside, rattling windows and whistling through the cabin’s old frame. They’d be here all night, maybe longer.
Suddenly the questions that had been building inside her couldn’t be contained anymore.
“Gabriel,” she said quietly, settling next to him on a worn sofa next to the stove.“What’s Electric Blue? And what happened in Granite Gap?”
He stiffened. When he finally turned to face her, his expression was guarded, pain visible in the tightness around his eyes.
“I was afraid you’d ask about that.” He leaned back, running a hand through his snow-dampened hair.“Electric Blue was the premier nightclub in Granite Gap. And what happened there is why I left Colorado.”
As soon as he said“nightclub,” Kymberlie had an idea about where his story was leading.
Gabriel’s voice grew flat, clinical, as he continued.“My pride First, Elias Harcourt, was also the city’s mayor. He ordered me to overlook serious safety violations at a nightclub owned by our pride Second. I refused.”
His golden eyes flickered with remembered anger.“I filed safety violation reports, issued citations, even contacted the state Division of Fire Prevention & Control when Elias and the others wouldn’t let me shut down the club. But before the public safety folks could investigate, there was a fire during a live show at the club. The sprinkler system failed—exactly as I’d warned it would. Thirty-seven people were injured. And a seventeen-year-old girl died.”
Kymberlie’s breath caught. Her wolf whined in sympathy.
“After the fire, my citations and reports mysteriously disappeared from city records. Elias and the entire pride closed ranks.” His voice dropped to a near-whisper.“They made me the scapegoat. My career, my reputation, everything I’d built… gone. And a family lost a daughter who was just a month away from her high school graduation.”
“So, that’s why you’re being such a hard-ass now,” Kymberlie said softly, pieces falling into place.“You’re trying to prevent another Electric Blue.”
Gabriel nodded, his mouth set in a thin line.“I’m just lucky I saved copies of all my paperwork, so they couldn’t file criminal charges against me. After that, I left the pride, and spent a few years on the road, doing freelance safety consulting. When the Lemhi County Fire Marshal position opened, I jumped at the chance to start over in a shifter community. I was hoping for a fresh start, but shifters like to gossip.”
Kymberlie felt her heart twist.“Thank you for telling me.”
The fire crackled, valiantly trying to push back the cold, but a sharp chill still seeped through the drafty cabin. Gabriel noticed her shiver.
“I run hot in my sabertooth form,” he offered hesitantly.“I could help keep you warm… if you’d like.”
The suggestion sent a jolt through her. To curl up with him in their animal forms—it was intimate in a way that transcended mere sex. Her wolf whined with need.
Kymberlie nodded, rising to her feet. Before she could chicken out, she stripped, too cold to worry about modesty. She saw Gabriel’s fiery gaze follow her movements before he politely looked away.
Her wolf form burst forth in an effortless ripple of muscle and fur, the transformation smooth and instinctive.
Gabriel’s shift took longer. His breath hitched as bones ground and reshaped, his body convulsing as ancient magic pulled him into his sabertooth form. When he finished, he growled in relief.
His sabertooth shape was massive, with thick, pale-gold fur marked by dark brown rosettes, a shaggy dark gold mane, and long, curved canines.
In their animal forms, they settled in front of the wood stove. She curled against his magnificent chest and felt his thick tail draping protectively over her flank.
Her wolf had never been happier than right now, snuggled into Gabriel’s big, fluffy cat form, their breaths synchronizing as the storm raged outside.
This is where I belong, Kymberlie thought contentedly, and snuggled closer.
∞∞∞
She awoke to golden sunlight streaming through the cabin’s frost-laced windows. Somehow during the night, her wolf form had ended up completely encircled by Gabriel’s long feline body. His wide front paws held her close against his chest, as if she were his personal stuffed toy.
The fire in the stove had burned down to a few glowing embers, yet she felt deliciously warm, cocooned in his thick fur. She stretched, feeling contentment purr through her veins.
Gabriel’s sabertooth stirred, glowing golden eyes blinking open to meet hers. For a moment, they simply gazed at each other, animal to animal, a wordless communication flowing between them. His massive head dipped, and he gave her muzzle a long lick with his rough tongue. The caress sent a shiver through her body.
Gabriel shifted first, his sabertooth form rippling and receding as his human features slowly emerged. Kymberlie watched, mesmerized by his slow, painful-looking transformation. When it was over, he lay panting on the rung, sunlight gilding the hard planes of his body and catching the golden hair furring his chest, arms, and legs.
