Page 2 of The Moon and the Hunt

Interesting.

She shook her head, drops of water sprinkling down onto the floor. Flexing her fingers at her side, she felt the prickling of her nerves as the feeling returned to her hands.

His body heat radiated across the room, and her skin prickled with anticipation. She couldn’t take her eyes off the looming figure leaning against the door. Tall and broad-shouldered, he was easily a foot taller than her. His face was half-covered by a bushy black beard, and his expression remained passive, though his eyes were dark orbs that watched her every move. Longer, shaggy hair fell around his face, curling at the ends where the snow melted. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

Adeline’s eyes flicked to the vein at his neck as he swallowed. Pressing her lips together, she fought against the urge to lunge and bite the man’s neck. And, though any other woman should be afraid to be alone in a cabin in the woods during a snowstorm with a strange man, she felt a little thrill knowing she could easily overpower him despite his size and bulk.

“I apologize for intruding,” she said, her voice demure. The man crossed his arms over his chest, his forearms flexing underneath his jacket. Her mouth watered as the tips of her fangs came in, and she swallowed a few times before continuing, hoping the pause added to her ruse of distress. “I’d been walking for hours, trying to find my way back to town when the storm hit.”

If she played her cards right, not only would this man let her weather the storm, but he might even let her feed off of him so she could get her strength back. The axe glinted in the soft glow, the steel edge sharp enough to make her wary.

The man shifted nervously on his feet. His gruff voice raked down her spine. “Walking for hours?”

“Yes.” Adeline turned slightly to face him. “We were crossing into Switzerland when our carriage was attacked by some highwaymen.”

That was not entirely the truth, but it was probably for the best that she should not elaborate. At least, not at first. Not until she got a better read on him.

“You’re quite far from the pass.” He jerked his chin to the window. “It’s been decades since we had problems with rogues attacking.” Tight-lipped and unconcerned, he shifted his weight, favoring his left side. Her eyes flicked to where the axe handle slipped from his leg and knocked into the door, then back up to his amber-colored eyes.

“I wouldn’t know,” she tried to sound unconcerned about the holes he was poking in her defense. Adeline refused to let her nerves take the best of her, especially since her glamour wouldn’t work in her weakened state.

A little white lie couldn’t hurt, she thought. Then said, “I have never been this far south before.”

“Hmm,” he nodded. The man pushed off of the door and headed to the fireplace. Grabbing a few logs, he squatted down in front of the embers. He stacked the wood in the center of the grate, tucking some kindling in the center, and blew a few times until the flames caught.

Adeline held her breath, knowing the next few minutes would decide her fate.

She hated relying on man’s cantankerous nature.

ChapterThree

Rolf blew a few more times, the fire roaring to life with each breath. The flames crackled and leaped in front of his face, and he sniffled a few times as his nose thawed.

The woman was lying. Never had he met a worse liar. Not even the highwaymen were this transparent.

He almost laughed but then remembered that shehadwalked for hours in this storm. Why she was walking, he’ll ask later. But until then, where else was she supposed to go? She would freeze lest he provided her some reprieve. Besides, if what she said had any inkling of truth and the vagrants were back despite how hard he worked to keep his woods - yes,hiswoods - safe, he didn’t want anyone out there in this storm with a chance of running into them.

The woman cleared her throat, and it shook him from his thoughts.

"I thought, perhaps, that I could weather the storm here?" she asked.

Rolf shoved another log on the fire, watching as the bark sparked as the flames licked inside the crevices of the wood, and stood up slowly.

Grunting, he turned to the beautiful stranger.

"I don't see if there's much of a choice." He jerked his chin toward the window. Despite the sun rising on the horizon, the storm clouds blanketed the world within its depths—a muted grey light filtered through the window.

She nodded, swaying slightly. The floorboards creaked beneath her shifting weight, and Rolf stepped forward, grabbing her arms to help her balance. The scent of amber and petrichor enveloped him, and as her eyes snapped up to meet his, he found he was lost within the icy blue of her stare. His breath hitched, and the hair on the back of his neck raised.

"You're freezing," he breathed. "Here."

Guiding her to the fire, he let her go briefly and crossed the small room to grab a chair from the corner of the cabin. He placed it close to her and helped her to sit.

"Thank you," she sighed, and this time there was nothing but gratitude behind her words. She sagged into the seat, her lids heavy with exhaustion. Her hands fumbled with the laces of her shoes, but her fingers were stiff. "Do you mind?”

Rolf nodded and knelt to help her untie the boots. Her fingers grazed his, and she felt so cold to the touch that he worked to undo them as quickly as possible. He slid them off and placed them near the fire to dry out. As he turned around, the woman had slumped against the back of the chair, asleep.

Mumbling under his breath to the sleeping figure, he said, "I hope you don't mind, miss, but I'm not about to let you freeze to death.”

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