I really didn’t want to go back out there alone. Not when I was sure something had been stalking me.
I would just stay awhile, I decided as I continued to watch him closely for any sudden movement, at least to find out where I was and where to stay for the night.
I shut the door, closing out the breeze, and walked toward the long bar against the back wall, taking in the room. Small round tables and chairs peppered half of it, wine barrels decorated the side wall, and a massive, stone fireplace sitting in shadows adorned the other. A closed door sat to my far left and another behind the bar.
Wooden chandeliers decorated with small carvings of bears and mountain lions flickered overhead. There was a quaintness about the place, and a strangeness at the same time that I couldn’t put my finger on. It was pretty late, so I guessed that explained why there were no guests milling around, but still…it felt strange.
“I got into an accident just off the main road,” I admitted and took a seat on a round stool.
“You walked all the way here in the dark? Are you injured?” he asked, turning toward me and filling my glass with ice.
“Just some water please,” I asked, parched from the long walk. “I think I’m all right, but it was quite a hike.”
Around us, photographs of the beautiful forest landscapes dotted the wooden walls. Realizing I was still holding onto the flashlight, I set it near the stool just as a chilled glass of water landed on the bar in front of me.
“Thank you.” I didn’t wait and drank the whole thing in seconds, the chilled water racing down my throat. Then I looked up at the man. He was older than I’d first assumed, with silvery short hair and piercing dark eyes. His short smile tugged his ears outward slightly and gave him an almost approachable feel. He was on the slim side, and the checkered, short-sleeved top he wore hung loosely on him.
“I’m Jim and I run The Lair with my wife, Carrie. She’s gone to bed early tonight, she takes the morning shift.” From across the bar, he bent forward and rested his elbows on the counter, close enough to see the deep lines at the corners of his eyes, the white strands in his bushy eyebrows, the flicker of friendliness in his gaze that I wasn’t used to seeing.
No one had been friendly to me in a very long time…besides Nelly.
I couldn’t think about her.
“Now, you can take one of the rooms upstairs for the night if you want. We don’t get many tourists in this area, so with the kitchen shut, all I can offer you is a grilled cheese sandwich. So while I make that, how about you tell me where you broke down on the main road so we can get you back on your way tomorrow?”
For a second, I was back behind the steering wheel about to hit the tree.
Bang.
I shuddered in my skin.
I mentally shook away the image and focused on Jim, who pushed open the door behind the bar and entered a small kitchen. He left it open so I had direct line of sight to him, a move I appreciated. A warm bed sounded perfect, but was it safe? Did I have a choice?
You always have a choice. Nelly’s voice echoed in my ears. She was the eldest female in Alistair’s pack, and the only one really to care about me. She’d always impart small words of wisdom when no one was looking our way, including telling me I needed to try and leave Alistair…and then helping me make that happen.
Glancing up at Jim, who was buttering the slices of bread, adding cheese, and placing it onto the grill, I said, “I hit a tree not too far from the turn off coming into this town. But there’s no one outside. At first, I thought I stumbled across an abandoned town.” My attempt to smile came out lopsided from disuse, but thankfully, he wasn’t looking my way.
“You’re in Amarok, dear. A place where anyone is welcome and your business is your own. Most folk keep to themselves, and like I said, the woods at night are not safe.” He stepped out of the kitchen and set the plate with the grilled cheese sandwich in front of me, then went back to wiping the glasses on the sink behind him.
I collected the sandwich and bit into it, melting into my seat at how hungry I’d been, his words running through my mind. A town where people minded their own business? The idea intrigued me. With it came a calmness I hadn’t felt in weeks…months…years.
But I’d also learned the hard way that nothing was ever as it first appeared.
It wasn’t long before I finished my meal and Jim showed me upstairs to my bedroom. He was a man of few words, and once he shut the door, I locked myself inside.
A bed with a floral blanket, dresser, table, and chairs by the window. It was simple. A far cry from the lavish sheets I’d slept on at Alistair’s.
It was perfect.
I hurried across the room and drew the white curtains closed. My bag with clothes remained in the car, but for now, I wanted to dive into bed and forget the day.
Stripping down to my underwear, I switched off the main lights and climbed under the cold blankets. I curled in on myself and shut my eyes, pushing all my thoughts aside…everything but the heavy burden of loneliness remained. I nestled deeper into the pillow, breathing in the fresh clean smell with a calming hint of lavender.
Warm tears trickled down my cheeks, and I wiped them with my blanket, wondering how long before the ache in my chest for Alistair eased.
How long did it take to forget a fated mate? My heart pounded in my chest as I rolled over in bed.
I hated myself for feeling anything but hate for him.
I hated how much my body craved him.
I hated that it took me so long to finally escape him.
I hated myself.
Breathing heavily, I tucked myself tighter into a ball, unable to shake the feeling once again that I was indeed cursed.
I had to go somewhere. Now. Urgency pushed me to get moving. The only problem was that I couldn’t remember where I was supposed to go. I’d forgotten.
Lofty pines surrounded me, thick with branches, the scent crisp on the air, while clouds gathered overhead, darkening the shadows. I rubbed the chill out of my arms, staring in every direction for anything familiar.
A sudden, piercing howl rang through the woods.
I twisted around on the spot fast, foliage cracking underfoot, the world seeming to darken so fast.
Where did I have to go? Remember, remember, remember.
The howl came again, and I flinched in my skin at the sharpness of the call.
Wolves.
A sudden glint of yellow flashed between two trees in the distance, like a reflection, except they were eyes.
Wolf eyes.
Fear tore through my chest.
I recoiled, stepping backward, never taking my gaze off the predator.
He watched me…waited. That’s what they did before they attacked.
Just like Alistair. He had tested me, left the door open to our home, given me chances to escape. I only made that mistake once…that was all I needed to learn—he watched me. Broken ribs and a fractured hip were my lesson.
When the ear-piercing howl came again, my heart raced, and out of the shadows, a wolf the color of the blackest night lunged at me, teeth bared, death in his eyes.
I gasped and sat up in bed, covered in sweat, hair stuck to the sides of my face. My heart pounded in my chest. I gripped the blanket, drawing in rapid, shallow breaths, trying to recover from the nightmare. I glanced quickly around the room to make sure I was alone.