A Siberian Werewolf Christmas (6 page)

Maggie put her hands on the ground to
steady herself and stood. She looked down at him and then away into
the woods. “I didn’t know she could freeze people. I know she froze
a lioness in Africa when she was there on assignment for National
Geographic. We should go help her. I’m not sure how long she can
hold him.”

“Violet is safe. Dmitry is with her. I
need to get you and the girls back to the lodge.”

“Are you sure? How do you
know?”

How was he going to answer? Maggie was
stubborn enough to run back down the path. He didn’t want her to
see the wolves that probably surrounded Violet.

“I heard the all clear given.” Maybe
this time the truth would work. She didn’t have to know he heard it
telepathically.

“Oh. I guess I missed that.” She
frowned down at him.

Slava grabbed the twins and sat up.
Katya started to squirm away, while Karina held onto him, her
little hand fisted in his shirt.

“A little help, please?” he asked as
Katya managed to escape his arm.

Maggie scooped her up and swung her
into the air. “What a brave girl you are.” She brought the child to
her face for a loud smooch.

Katya giggled and settled in Maggie’s
arms.

Slava looked down at Karina, who gave
him a sleepy yawn before snuggling down against his chest. He
slowly got to his feet, being careful not to jostle the sleeping
child who still held her stuffed wolf in her hands. His heart
flooded with tenderness as he looked at the twins. These little
girls were the pack’s greatest treasures, a promise that their race
would continue into the future.

“Let’s get these little ones inside.
I’m sure their grandmother will take charge of them until Violet
and Dmitry get back.” Slava started down the path to the
lodge.

Maggie looked back toward the way she
had come, biting her lip, and then followed behind him. “You look
so natural with a child in your arms,” she said, shyly. “Karina
must like you to fall asleep so easily.”

“Everyone adores these little girls.
We have all vowed to care for them.”

Maggie easily handled Katya, keeping
the child entertained as they walked back to the lodge.

“Do you desire to have children
someday?” he asked, not sure what drove him.

“Oh, yes. I love children. But if it
never happens, I still have my goddaughters to shower with love.”
She smiled tenderly at the child in her arms and then at the sister
he held.

Maggie would do anything for her
goddaughters—perhaps she wasn’t as dangerous to the pack as he’d
originally thought.

They both grew silent, the only
conversation directed at Katya while her sister continued to sleep
in Slava’s arms. For the first time since the mining accident had
killed his father, a strange sense of peace settled over
him.

§

Maggie played peek-a-boo with Katya.
She couldn’t stop herself from glancing at the man beside her.
Slava held Karina gently in his arms. He looked from the child to
her, and her breath caught.

God, the man should be illegal. He was
gorgeous with the sun shining off his light brown hair and his
hazel eyes glowing with an inner light. Warmth suffused her body,
and this time, she welcomed it. No way could she be cold when the
man looked at her like that. Almost hungry looking, but wary, like
a wild animal uncertain whether she was friend or foe.

She smiled at him, needing to reassure
him. He grinned back before looking away down the path.

“After we get the girls settled, if
you would like, I can escort you into the village,” he
offered.

“Thanks. Maybe later. I’d like to wait
for Violet and make sure she’s okay.” Did he look
disappointed?

“Very well. Perhaps tomorrow would be
a better day.”

“Will you stay at the lodge with me
until Violet gets back?” She didn’t want him to leave. Then again,
maybe he needed to do other important things.

“That would be nice, thank
you.”

Maggie smiled. Yes, that would be very
nice. Her heart thundered in her ears as she looked at the man.
What was it that caused this kind of reaction? Not really caring,
she was glad he decided to stay. Maybe she could get him to kiss
her again.

Maggie, what are you
thinking?

§

At the Alpha Lodge, Slava held the
door open for Maggie to enter and then followed her
inside.

Yelena, Violet’s mother in law, came
into the room from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
“There you are. I heard there was some excitement. Violet will
return in a little while. I think Dmitry wanted to make sure she
was okay in private. If you understand my meaning. Come into the
kitchen, and I’ll fix you some tea while you wait.”

They dutifully followed the older
woman to the back of the house. Smells of gingerbread, cinnamon,
and apples filled the air. Slava gulped as he remembered holidays
with his parents. There would be nothing cooking on his stove this
year.

“Vi is okay then?” Maggie removed the
snowsuit from Katya’s wiggling form.

“Oh, yes. Several of the men scared
the boar away. Slava, I’ll take Karina in a moment. Maggie, put
Katya in her highchair. She can have a snack while we wait for her
to come back.”

Maggie was quick to comply. Slava
stared down at the precious child in his arms and wasn’t sure what
to do. Should Karina’s snowsuit be removed so she didn’t get too
warm? Yelena said she would take the child. However, at the moment,
she was starting water to boil on the stove. Maggie smiled at him
and then patted the bench beside where she sat. Accepting her
invitation, he scooted onto the seat.

“Lay her down here, and I’ll try not
to wake her while I take off the snowsuit. We should at least open
it up so she doesn’t get too warm,” Maggie said.

His wolf answered with a happy wiggle,
and pictures of Maggie with pups in her arms danced in his head. He
blinked and laid the child gently on the bench, feeling suddenly
off balance. Maggie would make a good mother, a good
mate.

Maggie undid the fastenings of the
snowsuit and gently lifted Karina’s head and shoulders as she
peeled it off. With a few more position changes, she took the
child’s snow boots off.

“Do you want to continue holding her,
or we can leave her here on the bench?”

“I don’t want to take a chance of her
falling off. I’ll hold her.” Slava reached for the child and
nestled her down into his arms. With a sigh and a blinking of eyes,
Karina was soon back asleep.

The smell of salt filled the room, and
Slava peered over at Maggie. Once again she refused to look at him.
What happened that she felt hurt? “Forgive me, Maggie. I didn’t
mean to suggest that you would let Karina fall. I know that would
be impossible; no harm could befall these girls with you nearby. I
would feel more comfortable holding her.”

Maggie smiled, and Slava’s breath
stilled.

“Thank you for saying that,” she
said.

Unable to speak, he formally nodded
his head.

“Here is your tea.” Yelena
put two mugs on the table. The familiar smell of citrus filled the
air. “Looks like Karina chose you as one of her favorites, Slava.
She won’t sleep for her Uncle Kolya, the little
doragaya
. I think it’s because his
energy is too bossy. Women like to be coaxed, not ordered around.
Don’t you agree, Maggie?”

“Well, yeah. I know I don’t like to
take orders. A gentle touch is better any day.” Maggie blew over
the top of her mug. “I also like to know where I stand and
sometimes that means giving up some of the control. But you still
need to ask nicely.” Maggie glanced over at him and then dropped
her gaze. Her cheeks reddened.

Slava refrained from commenting. Was
Yelena trying to give him a message? Using a gentle touch had
helped him get through Maggie’s defenses when she arrived. He could
be gentle.

§

Maggie’s face flushed and she bit her
lip. What was it about this man that stirred her up? Right now, he
looked adorable and protective holding Karina in his arms, her
little fist clutching his shirt. He looked down at the sleeping
child and then whispered a kiss across her cheek. Maggie’s whole
body clenched and she splashed a small amount of the hot liquid
from the mug across her hand.

“Ouch,” she yelped before she could
stop herself. She wiped the tea off her hand with a cloth
napkin.

Slava reached over and took her hand
in his, holding it up for inspection. Then he looked at her,
catching her gaze, before lifting her hand to his mouth. Maggie’s
breath caught. Slava lightly licked his tongue over the burn before
blowing on it. Goosebumps raced up her arms, and she
shivered.

“You must be more
careful,
malyshka
. I don’t want to see you injured.”

Unable to speak, she nodded in
agreement before gently pulling her hand from his.

The back door flew open with a bang,
and Illarion ran in shouting, “I heard there was a wild boar, were
you scared? Mama said boars can kill you. Did you think you were
going to die?”

“Illarion, not so loud,” Yelena
scolded, “and what have I told you about slamming the
door?”

“I’m sorry, Yelena. So, Maggie did the
boar scare you? Was he big? Did he have big tusks? I wish I could
have seen him. Uncle Slava, did you see the boar? Did you rescue
Maggie?” Illarion rushed up to the table and gave Katya a quick
kiss on the cheek.

The toddler grinned and stared at the
boy intently.

“Larya
, you are talking way too fast,” Slava said. “Quiet down
before you wake Karina. No, I did not see the boar, and
Magushka
saved herself,
as well as Katya and Karina.”

Illarion looked at Maggie skeptically,
and she tried not to laugh at his open disbelief that she could
have saved herself and the two little girls.

“Thank you for saving Katya and
Karina, Maggie. Katya will one day be my mate,” Illarion said
solemnly.

Maggie looked at the boy. Mate? The
world wavered in front of her eyes as a vision surfaced. An older
Illarion stood before her, holding the hand of a young woman. He
leaned down and kissed the girl.

Maggie blinked. At least this vision
showed a happy future. From what she’d seen, Katya and Illarion
would definitely mean something special to each other.

“Sit down, Illarion. Have
a cup of tea.” Yelena brought another mug to the table. “I should
have some
pryaniki
for you in just a moment.”

“Pryaniki
?” Maggie asked, repeating
the word slowly.

“It is a gingerbread treat made at
Christmas time,” Yelena explained. “You and Slava should have some
too.”

“It sounds wonderful.”

Chapter Six

Slava didn’t mean to waste
the whole afternoon talking and playing with Dmitry’s children and
guest. He chuckled as he remembered how Maggie had helped the
children decorate cookies that would go on the
Yelka
, Christmas tree. She’d needed
to change her clothes after the twin’s exuberance.

Walking into his house, he paused and
looked around the empty kitchen. There were no Christmas treats
cooking on the stove, no tea waiting. With his parents gone, the
house was an empty shell. Pain knifed behind his eyes, and he
clenched his jaw. When would it stop?

Lycans didn’t deal with pain that
continued indefinitely. He needed to shift, to run free of the pain
through the forest. Peeling his clothes off, he called the change.
Lights swirled around him as his bones broke and shifted. Fur
sprang from his skin and ran over his body. Agony washed over him,
and then was gone in an instant. He was better,
stronger.

He was wolf.

Wagging his tail at the utter freedom
and wellbeing that washed over him, he ran out the door and into
the forest surrounding his house. The wind rushed through his fur
and carried so many different scents that his nose twitched. Sixty
lycans resided in the village, each one with a distinctive smell.
More than ten had passed by his house and left their scent trail.
He could follow them or he could run up the mountain.

Making a quick decision, he headed for
the bridge that would cross the river and the path to the high
meadow. He stretched out his body and ran at lycan speed. If a
human saw him, they would see a blur.

Crossing the river, he ran up the
trail, his tongue hanging from his mouth as he panted. As he came
to the edge of the meadow, he slowed and scented the air. The fir
trees lining the path filled the air with their clean scent. In
front of him was a space of pure white. The snow sparkled in the
sun like a field of diamonds.

With a wolfish grin, Slava ran onto
the pristine field, first one way and then another. Tearing up the
snow, he jumped and then rolled, before burying his nose into the
cold powder to lick some up. A rabbit jumped from its hole and sped
away. Slava leapt onto its trail, zigzagging across the meadow. As
he reached the other side, he slowed and let the rabbit escape. His
stomach was still full of Yelena’s cooking.