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I ran my hand up his horn. His hooded eyes closed, as he basked in the sensation. “Thank you for protecting me.” I wasn’t sure how to say the other feelings I had, but hopefully he could feel them the way I felt his.
He kissed my cheek. “You’re mine. I’ll give up my life before I let anything happen to you. Go to sleep. We’ll have a long day tomorrow.”
Iopened my eyes to a canopy of leaves and branches. The sound of crunching snow and crackling debris hit my ears when I stretched. Instead of laying in a bed surrounded by Sebastian’s body heat, I shivered on the ground in a forest of trees so tall that their crowns blocked out most of the light overhead. I stood on shaky legs. My body still ached from what I had done earlier with Sebastian. The densely packed snow on the ground came up to my ankles. My eyes trailed down my body, and I realized I was naked. How did I end up naked in a forest in the middle of the day?
There was nothing around, so I picked a direction and started walking. Every step felt as if I was walking on pins and needles instead of snow. After walking for what seemed like forever, my feet eventually went numb. Exhaustion set in, and I started to panic.What if I got hypothermia?I didnotwant to find out if the urban legend about dying in your dreams was true. I swallowed my fear, pushing myself to keep going. No one would find me if I stayed here.
I reached a large clearing with tree stumps. All of the trees must have been chopped down. Smoke plumed above the trees on the other side of the clearing. Smoke meant a fire, and someone had to build it. Fires usually didn’t spring out of nowhere. My heart skipped a beat. Finally some hope. Hopefully there was a person who could help me. I had no clue how to explain wandering around in the woods naked, but the important thing was I wouldn’t be naked for much longer.
I walked until I came up to a small, one-story log cabin, the bark still on the outer facing sides of the logs. Whoever built it probably used the lumber from the clearing. The rustic feel made me think of apple pie, and my stomach growled. I had worked up an appetite after marching around in the snow. The smoke wafted out of a stone chimney on the top of the house, and I desperately wanted to go inside. I hesitated as I approached the door. What if the person inside didn’t want to help me and turned me away? Or worse, never let me go? I had somehow gotten out of one Stockholm situation and didn't want to get kidnapped again.
My arms were beet red, and my feet were completely numb. I had no clue how I was still standing and breathing. If our bodies were truly made of seventy plus percent water, I should be an icicle right now. I had no choice but to knock.
I firmly tapped my knuckles against the door twice and shouted, “Hello! Can someone help me?”
A tall, clean shaven man opened the door. His head only cleared the door jam by a couple of inches.What is it with all of these tall men coming into my life?His tanned face was calm, and his warm smile welcomed me. He didn’t seem surprised at all to see a naked woman on his doorstep.
“Hi…” I said.
“You should come inside, it’s freezing out here, and your entire body is shivering,” he interrupted as he averted his eyes. “I can get you some clothes. Sit down in front of my fire, and you can tell me how you ended up out here… in your current condition.”
His voice was mellow and throaty with a light southern accent, like he had been away from home long enough to lose some of it. Familiar honey eyes, sharp cheeks, and a button nose sat on his oval face. His bronzed skin was flawless, giving him a timeless look. I felt a sense of deja vu, as if I had met him before. His hair reached his chest, falling in a lion’s mane of glossy, curly ringlets. Envy scratched at me. I wished my own curls looked that perfect. Not a dry hair in sight.
“Thank you so much. I have no clue how I ended up in the woods, naked. I don’t make a habit out of walking around outside in the nude,” I laughed nervously. I normally had no issues talking to men, but I felt so unsure of myself talking to him.
“There’s always a first time for everything.” He chuckled as he shut the door, and handed me a blanket he found on a nearby armchair. “So you have no clue how you ended up in the middle of the Catskill Mountains alone with no clothes or travel supplies?”
“No, I was in bed passed out, then I literally woke up shivering in snow. The Catskills are in New York, so at least I’m in the same state,” I said as I wrapped the blanket around myself to cover my nudity.
“Where do you hail from?” He gestured to a chair by the fire, and I sat down. It felt good to sit on plush, comfy furniture in front of a roaring fire instead of sitting in the snow to rest.Now my poor coochie could at least thaw out.
“New York City, Brooklyn. Go Mets!” He looked a little confused, but smiled. He probably supported the Yankees.
“Why don’t you sit tight, and I’ll get you some food. Anything you can’t eat?” He was so considerate. I was so hungry I’d literally eat garbage.
“No food allergies, but thank you for asking.”
He walked through a wooden archway, into what I assumed was his kitchen. I looked around the room. The cabin definitely had a rustic vibe. Everything–the tables, chairs, bookcases, and shelves–was made of wood except the couch I was sitting on and its nearby twin. A pristine copy of Betty Smith’sA Tree Grows in Brooklynrested on his end table. A quick perusal of his bookshelf revealed that although he liked the classics, he had good taste in books. I could see him taking good care of them all and using a bookmark instead of dog-earing the pages like a lunatic. A beautiful animal skin rug laid on the floor. I knelt down, making sure the blanket covered my lady bits, running my hand through the soft, velvety fur. This seemed like a paradise away from home. Sitting and reading in front of the fire would be a dream come true.
“I got you some venison chili. Here are some clothes you can wear,” he said as he set a warm bowl of food, a soft sweatshirt, and a pair of sweatpants down on the end table, on top of his book.
“You have no clue how much this means to me. I was so scared I’d walk forever in those woods, not finding anyone, let alone someone so nice. Oh, I realized I didn’t even tell you my name. I’m Diana.”
“Diana, it’s nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand. I wrapped the blanket around myself so it wouldn’t fall and made sure to give him a firm handshake. “My name is Azazel. I would always help someone lost in the woods. When given the chance to do something, I always try to do the right thing.”
Azazel seemed like a man who was strong in his convictions. “How about I turn around and give you a chance to change. Then you can eat, and we’ll figure out what you’ll do next.”
When he turned around, he crossed his arms. It gave me a chance to notice how strong his back muscles looked bunched under his blue flannel shirt. He wore thick denim jeans that hugged a tight ass. Was I perving on a man who saved me from freezing to death? Yes, but I didn’t care. I think not noticing would be ruder. The sweatshirt hit midthigh, and the sweatpants were a little tight, but I was thankful for them anyway.
“I’m dressed now.” I sat on the couch again, pulling the blanket across my lap before I dug into my chili. He sat on the same couch, leaving a cushion of space between us.
We sat in silence for several minutes while I ate. I tried my best to keep some semblance of manners, but it was difficult not to inhale the whole bowl at once. I was borderline hangry and the chili was delicious.
“So give me more details. What were you doing before you woke up in the woods?”
How could I describe my current situation? I didn’t get a bad or dangerous vibe from Azazel, but I also didn’t want him to think I was insane. I didn’t believe that witches and demons were real until yesterday. He may not believe me, and I really needed a place to stay until I could figure out my next move.
“Well, I had to leave a bad situation, so I went to stay with friends.”That was one way to describe them I guess.“They’re intense, and I’m not really sure I can live with them. They need my help with something, but I’m not sure I’m able to help them, or even want to. They seem to think I can, though.”
