Stranded but not Alone (Midnight Moanings Collection) (9 page)

“Go,” he urged, motioning for her to climb again. “Go higher. Hurry.” The wolves charged his leg just as he got it up on the lowest branch. Their musky wild scent rose in the trees. Simone scurried up higher.

“That’s good, Sim.”

She yelped as she sat on the branch.

“You okay?” he asked. His voice moved over her a blanket of concern.

She shook her head. “I’m okay sat on a broken branch. My butt hurts.”

“Are you bleeding?” His concern moved her.

“Doubt it. With Levis and a hard butt, I’ll mostly likely have a bruise later.” The wolves yipped below the tree. “Get up here higher. They can jump, you know.”

“You’re one brave woman, Sim. You know that?” He moved up two branches.

“When given the choice of being up a tree with a Russian bear or on the ground with a pack of wolves, I pick the bear.”

“Bears eat too,” he teased, his voice graveled and rushed. He peered up at her through the dark night.

“My bear hungry?” she joked, peering down to the forest floor realizing how personal that sounded.

“You got a steak in that Ziploc for your bear?” His tone a touch more serious and she drew in a breath when his fingers ran up her pant leg and squeezed her calf.

She swallowed twice to find her voice. “Ha-ha. I have two granola bars. If you’re nice I’ll share.”

“I like the way you share.”

“Food, Seth, I meant the food.” Simone shook her head thinking of their kiss earlier. He would eat her alive in bed. It was in the way he teased her—he was a bear.

A soft night breeze moved through the trees and helped her hide the chill he sent through her body as he continued caressing her calf. “The wind is starting to pick-up. I hope they leave soon.” She blew into her hand, letting the heat bounce back on her face. “You never said if you wanted the granola bar.”

“Save it. They’ll smell it and never leave.”

“Right. So how do we avoid the dogs once we’re down?”

“They’re wolves.”

“Excuse me, Grizzly Adams, wolves.”

“You won’t like it.”

She angled her body around looking over their surroundings and shaking her head. “Anything’s better than this branch poking me in the behind.” Her foot tapped his shoulder. “What’s your idea, my darling Russian bear?” she joked.

He rubbed her booted foot on his shoulder. “If you’re going to use that phrase, say it right—
liebling
.”

His tone was warmer than she thought it should be. That one word and heat poured up her body as if she were hanging upside down and someone dripped warm honey over her bare skin.

Stay focused. “
Liebling
,” she repeated. “That’s pretty. What does it mean?”

“German for darling, dear, loved one, or any number of affectionate statements. It’s as close to Russian as I believe you will come.”

She was going to catch fire with him around. Her panties were moist as it was.

“Do you have a
liebling
back in London, Seth?”

“Why?” His tone turned to ice.

“You don’t wanna talk about it, fine.”

He wiped off the toe of her boot. “Sim, I’m sorry. No, I don’t have one.”

She moved up a branch.

“Don’t let me push you away.”

“It’s okay, Seth. I have a tendency to get too close to people too soon.”

“Sim, you asked if I had a
liebling
.” His grip on her ankle stopped her. She would swear his fingers trembled. What Pandora’s Box had she asked him to open?

“Seth, don’t worry about it. You’re not obligated to entertain me. I can sit here and enjoy the funky, musty aroma of the beautiful wolves waiting for me to fall so they can eat dinner.”

He eyed her. “If I were closer, I’d break off one of these branches and bend you over my knee.”

“Oh you can forget me sharing my granola bars with you.” Those intense eyes focused on her in the dim light of the forest before he spoke.

“I didn’t mean to snap at you, Simone—a minute ago.”

“I was just making conversation. Concentrate on getting us out of here,” she murmured under her breath. “I’ll reconsider sharing my granola.”

He rubbed her shin through her pant leg. “Would you like to hear my other idea?”

She licked her drying lips. “Sure, how bad can it be?” adjusting her hips on the branch.

“Can you swim?”

The branch shook after she smacked it. “I knew you had that nasty water in mind.”

“You can’t swim?”

“I can swim.” She fumbled through her bag, “Let me put my laptop in a Ziploc bag.”

“You carry your laptop in a Ziploc bag?” He smirked and looked down. She followed his gaze. The wolves stopped jumping and two slept against the trunk. The others walked off an hour ago.

“I keep my toiletries in a Ziploc.” She unzipped her bag, dumped the contents of the storage bag, lose in the duffle. Sliding her laptop and extra battery inside the plastic bag, she turned to see Seth’s amazed stare. “You’d have starved and reeked of sludge if not for my baggies of shampoo and snacks earlier, Mister.”

“Wow, that’s all I can say is, wow.”

Another hour before the wolves moved on and they made their way down out the tree and to the water’s edge.

“Tell me again why we’re taking the water instead of just walking around.”

“You wanna run into the dogs again with your knee like that?” He angled a glance at her leg.

“Wolves,” she poked at him. “Not dogs.” She heated under the thick atmosphere forming between them.

“Like I was saying, the house is on the other side of the hill which is across the water.”

She inhaled and then blew it out. The thought of swimming through icy water did not appeal to her. Fortunate the temperature kept things living in the water close to dormant this early in the season.

He handed her his matches and wallet. “Fit these in your Ziploc.”

In silence, they crossed the path covered in raised tree roots down to the shallow end of the water, keeping an eye out for the wolves to return. The wolves’ scent was unmistakable, musky.

Seth took his bag from her shoulders and hitched it up on his. He said nothing as he turned and started walking again. “Keep moving. The sun will be up soon and this snow will turn to rain.”

“What’s eating you? You’ve been barking at me all night.” She favored her bruised knee, eyeing the ground following the lake’s edge. 

“The hiking cabin is not that far, once we’re over the hill. By lunch we should see the top. ”

“Stop,” she ordered, fists planted on her hips. “What did I say wrong?”

“Watch your step close to the water’s edge. The ground is soft,” he warned. She knew something bothered him, but didn’t push. The next few hours passed in silence. Stepping over rocks and brambles, they walked in silence. Seth looped an arm around her waist when they came to unsteady or uneven ground. However much his mind was distracted, he would stop every so often to check her knee. In the dark he touched her face with a gentle stroke after removing his gloves. Rubbing warm hands over her neck beneath her collar after a two-minute stop, they continued up the hill.

She could see herself camping with him back home. Canoeing the Ausable River, fly-fishing early in the morning.

Simone almost forgot they had strangers on their trail as the early morning darkness began to lift. 

A flock of birds flew by and not one landed by the water, which struck her as odd.

“Seth…” she said, but a crackling sound interrupted any more words. She peered into the dark woods and something stirred low to the ground. 

“Keep walking, Sim, it’s not…” He paused to sniff the air. “Do you smell that?” They both stared at the moving branches in the brush.

“Shh,” she warned, slipping the bow from her back.

“Sim, don’t waste time with that, you’ll…” He stopped, stood transfixed as arrows left the bow one after another. The wolf closest fell forward, an arrow high up on its shoulder before a second arrow pierced the smaller wolf circling its hind leg. Yaps and whining from the injured wolves drove the others into the woods. Two injured from their pack limped to the forest edge and laid on the ground in the dead grass, peeking out from under the snow. They were dying.

Simone patted the knife on his hip.

“You keep me alive and I’ll keep you alive,” she said, shoving the bow up on her shoulders. “I normally use a sixty pound pull, this is at least a seventy-five pound pull,” she shot him a quick glance. “I hate killing animals, especially wolves. They were only doing what comes natural and we are in their home. They were so beautiful.”

“Where did you camp as a child, the rain forest?”

“G-i-r-l does not spell helpless,” she said as he pulled her toward the water.

“Get in the water, little elf. Swim over to the other side of the river unless you’re willing to shoot the rest of them.” Their barks and yelps filled the air more a sorrowful whaling now. She’d killed part of their family, a horrible feeling, one she never liked even when hunting.

~~~

Seth was impressed. Her accuracy in shooting gave him a hard-on. She held little fear protecting them back there. And Simone’s powerful strokes through the dark water with her bag pulling at her from behind kept him in a state of arousal. At the shore he gripped her under the arms helped her to her feet. Whoever was behind this was going to pay for putting her through this, he thought. He looked around, getting his bearings making certain they swam in a straight line across the lake. If not they could be walking in the wrong direction. He led her into the woods.

“You impressed the hell out of me out there, lady.” He held her in his arms and covered her mouth with his, blowing warmth down into her body. The wet jacket pulled body heat from her faster than he could warm her. Removing the jacket, he squeezed as much of the water out as he could before slipping it back on her. “The one good thing about these frou-frou coats,” he whispered, “is that they’re easy to squeeze water out of.” He zipped her in the cold, wet material. He kissed her mouth as her teeth chattered, blowing warmth into her face. “I know. It’s cold. You need something on though.”

He set his attention on the woods, sniffing the air. If the wolves had made it around the lake, their scent would be faint on the cold wind.

Simone’s teeth continued to chatter. He found her bare skin beneath the coat, pushing her sweater up and rubbed vigorously over her stomach, bringing heat to her body. Her shivers were violent. He closed his mouth over hers kissing her deep, feeling heat come to her face. He did everything trying to warm her as he fought the cold stabbing all over his own body. Lifting his face from hers, he pushed stray hairs off her face and his eyes took her in her struggling not to shiver. “You did well, Sim. Real good back there. Now we just need to get over that hill and the cabin should be in sight.”

“Find me a fireplace.” Her voice broke under the chattering teeth. “And I’ll sleep under you again—naked.”

That made him smile. “We’ll get you dry…I promise.”

~~~

Clutching Simone’s shivering body beside his, Seth braced on the porch of the cabin for whoever was to answer the door. It could be his brother himself. The brother his mother has mourned for thirty years. Not a day passed that she hadn’t touched the picture over the mantle in his family home, of herself pregnant with twins. Then the picture beside it of her holding one baby, him, disappointment in her eyes.

He moved a quick gaze around the grounds shrouded in the light of early dawn. A barn perched off to the right. The soft whinny of the horses floated out of open doors and the deep bark of the German shepherd protected the stable. Now the horses made sense.

The front door opened. A tall grey-haired man stood with his head tilted. Simone sighed as warm air filtered from the open door. 

In thick German, the quite man asked, “Mikhail, what happened, son? Did Harriet kick you? You know she doesn’t like to be riding this early in the morning…” the man trailed off, taking in their appearance. His thin eyebrows rose. “Well? Why do you stand there? You both need warm clothes. Come inside.”

“Sir, I’m not Mikhail. My name is Seth Dragoslava and my friend, Simone Daniels, is from the states. Do you speak English?” The man’s eyes widened.

“Some. How is it you resemble my Mikhail?” His English badly broken yet understandable.

“May we stand in front of your fireplace?”

He looked chagrinned. “Bitte, treten Sie ein!”

Simone gave Seth a confused look. “He said, ‘Please, come in.’” She nodded a thank you.

“Look at you two. Did you fall into the lake? You say your name is Seth.” He leaned back into the hallway “Anya, come in here. We have some guest in need of help. Bring towels.”

“I’m sorry to show up on your door step this way. Sir, I’m looking for Mr. and Mrs. Shamochernyi.”

“Josef, what is wrong? You say we have guest.” A petite woman came into the room and seeing Seth, she tilted her head as if she saw the difference then changed her mind. “Mikhail, what happened to you?” she frowned. “Did Harriet run you through the lake again? Son, she doesn’t like to be ridden this time of day, you know that. Go get out of those wet clothes before you catch pneumonia,” she protested, dropping a small basket of towels on the tall stool in front of the counter. Red hair with silver streaks tumbled over her petite shoulders as she faced him.

“Anya, honey, that’s not Mikhail,” the man corrected. “Says his name is Seth Dragoslava.”

“Seth is it…” she said, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling and letting them land on Seth. “Tell me you’re not seeing two women at the same time again? Mikhail, how will we get a proper daughter-in-law with you carrying on as a schoolboy?”

Seth let the bags fall from his shoulder and rubbed vigorously up and down Simone’s soggy-sleeved arm. Anya came forward, helping him get Simone before the fireplace.

“Mikhail, you look a rag-a-muffin. If the other guests see you, they’ll think we’re taking in beggars. And look at this frail child here, shivering the curl right out of her hair,” she said.

Seth tightened his grip on Simone as the woman tried to ease her away from him.