by Tasha Black
At last the waves ceased and she opened her eyes to find him gazing up at her, looking lovestruck.
“You’re incredible, Ava, so beautiful,” he told her as he crawled up to curl her into his arms.
She pressed herself close to him, unable to touch enough of him at once. She drank in his scent, now mixed with her own, and soaked in the sensation of smooth skin over hard muscle and his incredible warmth.
Dax slid a hand into her hair, stroking and massaging her head as he pulled her into his chest.
Suddenly Ava felt the weight of sleepiness. But this was a happy and satisfied kind of weariness, not the bone-tired she had grown accustomed to.
“Don’t you want...?” she asked, sliding a hand down the ridges of his abs.
“Let’s just rest for a little while,” Dax murmured.
She opened her mouth to argue, but a yawn came out instead.
So she closed her eyes and pictured the snow falling outside, muting the world and transforming everything with delicate flakes that came together to form beautiful drifts.
The snowfall had brought them together in a series of events so unpredictable it almost felt like magic.
Maybe her own magic could be restored, too.
After all, she was ensconced in Dax’s warm, strong arms. Surely this was a sign that miracles could happen.
12
Dax
Dax awoke early with a sense of peace in his heart. At first, he couldn’t place what was different.
Then he opened his eyes and remembered everything.
Ava was curled up next to him like a kitten, the curve of her back tucked into his side. The place where their bodies met was deliciously warm.
Dax hadn’t woken up on his own in over a year. It felt good to be rested, though he missed Mason and Maddie.
He slid out of bed, replacing himself with a large pillow.
Ava stirred but didn’t wake up.
He took a quick shower and headed into the living room to start the fire again.
Once the flames were dancing merrily behind the glass, he went to the kitchen. The mulled wine from last night was still in the pan, forgotten. He smiled as he poured it back into the mason jar.
He was glad that alcohol hadn’t played a part in the decisions he and Ava made last night. They had been a little tired, but otherwise at full capacity. Wine hadn’t dimmed his senses or stolen one instant of his perfect memory of last night.
He pulled out the ingredients for gingerbread pancakes and got to work on the batter. As he stirred, he walked over to the sliders overlooking the woods.
Snow was still falling hard, bending the branches of the trees. The view was breathtaking, like something out of a Christmas card.
He had the first of the cakes on the griddle and bacon crackling in the cast iron pan, when he heard Ava emerge from the bedroom and pad to the bathroom.
She took a mercifully quick shower, appearing in the threshold just as he finished making their breakfast. Her damp hair glistened, and her cheeks were pink from the steamy water.
His heart leapt at the sight of her.
“Something smells amazing,” she said with a rapturous smile.
“Good morning,” he said. “I made you breakfast.”
“Is that bacon?” she asked hopefully, wandering over to the pan.
“Yes, but it’s very hot,” he cautioned her. “Don’t worry, it’s almost ready.”
She smiled up at him.
He opened his arms to her, and she slipped into his embrace.
God, it felt good to hold her.
“It’s still snowing,” she said.
“Yeah,” he told her.
“I miss the kids,” she admitted. “I can’t imagine how you must be feeling.”
“Hopefully it’ll let up soon,” he said, relieved that he didn’t have to hide his eagerness to get home, in spite of the romantic setting.
“We really don’t have to do very much in order to take inventory here,” she said.
He nodded, looking around and feeling suddenly possessive over the place. Did he really want a bunch of temporary guests here?
“Shall I start some coffee?” Ava asked.
“Sure,” he said, turning back to her. “That would be great.”
They worked together to prepare the rest of the meal, then sat down at the counter together.
“This looks amazing,” she said, gazing down at the plate of pancakes, drowning in real maple syrup, crispy bacon on top, like a bow on a particularly delicious present.
“Here’s to us,” Dax said, lifting his coffee mug.
She clinked her mug to his and they got down to the business of enjoying breakfast.
The day moved quickly after that. They explored each room, taking note of the condition of the paint and fixtures as well as the furnishings.
There were relatively few personal possessions in the cabin. Dax figured he could fit all of them in the cab of the truck with them on the way home.
Though some minor updates could make a difference in the rent, particularly removing the wallpaper in the second bedroom, the cabin appeared to be ready to go on the market right away.
“Should I call the real estate agent?” Ava asked.
“Let’s wait until we get home,” Dax told her.
“I guess she’s snowed in too,” Ava laughed.
They had more grilled cheese for lunch and even put on the radio to listen to the weather forecast.
“…snow will be turning to rain in the tri-state area this afternoon, sorry kids, but it looks like there will be school on Monday after all,” the announcer was saying.
“That’s great,” Ava said. “Hopefully we can be home before dark. I’ll bet the babies will be so glad to see you.”
Dax put an arm around her and pulled her in to kiss the top of her head.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“I’m glad you want to get back to them,” Dax said. “A lot of people would rather be snowed in with their new lover.”
“Lover?” Ava echoed in pretend disbelief.
“Girlfriend?” Dax asked. “Everything friend?”
“Everything friend,” she replied. “I like that.”
He kissed her again, this time on the mouth, and the world seemed to fade away.
At last she broke the kiss.
“Come on, let’s pack everything up so we’re ready when the roads clear,” she said.
He chuckled. “Okay, let’s do it.”
By the time they were packed, the snow had turned to rain. They looked outside where the patio around the back porch had been almost washed clean of snow, the slates dark with moisture from the still falling rain.
“I guess it’s time,” Dax said, suddenly wishing they had a little more time.
“Goodbye, cabin,” Ava said, opening the front door. “Oh.”
Dax jogged up to meet her.
The driveway was mostly clear of snow, the macadam cut a dark curve through the trees, where the snow still held fast.
But near the end, an enormous white pine had fallen over it, completely blocking the cabin off from the road.
The tree was far too big for him to even think about moving, even with the added strength he got from his animal side.
They were stuck.
13
Ava
Ava glanced over at Dax.
His jaw was tight with stress. She couldn’t imagine how he must be feeling. She was anxious to get back to civilization, but he was cut off from his babies.
“We should call for help,” she suggested. “If the main roads are clear, I’m sure we can get someone to help with the tree.”
“Good thinking,” he said, sliding his phone out of his pocket.
He tapped the screen with his thumbs, then lifted it to the sky and turned in a slow circle as he watched the screen.
“Shit,” he muttered. “No signal.”
“It worked on the back porch last night, right?” Ava r
eminded him.
He nodded and they headed back inside and out onto the back porch. He held up the phone again and shook his head.
“The heavy snow must have taken out the tower,” he said.
“So what do we do?” she asked. “Do you have any neighbors around here who would have tools and could help?”
“The beauty of this place is the acreage,” he said. “But I have an idea. I think there are snow boots in the hall closet.”
“We can walk to find help,” Ava agreed.
“That would be a very long walk,” Dax said. “I was thinking that if we can walk through the woods, I remember an outcropping of granite up on the hillside. It looks out over most of the valley. We might have a better shot of getting a clear signal from another tower.”
“Sounds like a smart plan,” Ava agreed.
Sure enough, there were snow boots in the closet. They bundled up in silence. Dax patiently helped her with her boots. They were a little big, but an extra pair of socks seemed to do the trick.
At last they headed out the back door and into the yard. It was beautiful in spite of the slackening rain. Snow still clung to the ground in most places and even the lower tiers of the tree branches, as the last bits of cold rain dripped down from the canopy overhead.
She followed him into the trees.
Dax seemed confident in his ability to navigate the woods. Though he had said he’d spent almost no time here, Ava was amazed to see him climbing over dead limbs and making his way around the underbrush with no apparent fears about getting lost.
On and on they hiked, until Ava’s legs ached.
“Are you okay?” he stopped and asked her at one point. “Would you like to rest for a little while?”
She shook her head, too winded to reply.
“Well, I want to rest for a minute,” he said gently.
He sat on a log and patted the spot next to him.
She went to him, glad for a chance to catch her breath.
He put his arm around her. Even through their heavy coats, she swore she could feel the heat of him.
“Sorry, I just got fixated,” he said. “I forget sometimes that not everyone enjoys hiking as much as I do.”
“I like it too,” she told him. “And I appreciate the breather, but I’m ready to go now.”
He grinned at her. “You’re my kind of woman.”
Pleasure heated her cheeks and she broke eye contact, not wanting to distract him with a kiss.
They headed off again, light penetrating the undergrowth until at last they came out on a hillside.
A granite ledge extended over the trees below. Even without climbing onto the rocks, she could see for miles.
“Stay here, please,” Dax said.
In the blink of an eye he had scrambled up.
He held his phone aloft first in one direction, then another.
“Anything?” Ava asked, shielding her eyes from the midday sun.
He shook his head.
“Wow,” she said.
If they couldn’t get a signal here, they weren’t going to get one.
“You feel up to heading back?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said.
They walked in silence. She had a lot of ideas, but none of them good enough to mention.
What if they tried to find a neighbor? What if they made their way out to the main road? What if they tried to move the tree themselves?
It was growing colder outside, and she resisted the urge to shiver, not wanting to make Dax feel bad for bringing her with him.
Without warning, he stopped in his tracks.
She nearly tripped over her own feet trying not to slam into him.
He tilted his head, as if listening for something.
She didn’t hear anything.
Until it was too late.
14
Dax
Dax cursed himself inwardly.
What had he been thinking, taking Ava out here?
It was one thing to wear her out a little when he knew she was recovering from her treatments.
It was another to literally take her out in the woods in the middle of nowhere.
And now they were in real trouble.
The scent of the monster assaulted him. It was coming this way, fast, lumbering through the underbrush, with foul breath and a bottomless hunger.
He had held back from fully claiming his mate last night, determined to take his time before introducing her to his other self.
He’d wanted to let her make the choice to be mated to a shifter.
Now he would have to show her instead of telling her.
Our mate, the wolf roared protectively.
And then he was falling to the ground, shifting so fast that it was his pair of massive paws that hit the soil instead of his hands.
The world slammed forward into every sense as his vision tunneled.
The woods pulsed with life. The wind carried the scent of the threat, with its carrion breath.
Behind him, he heard the harmonics in Ava’s sharp gasp.
The cold blue scent of her fear invaded his mind and the wolf had to shut down the human’s mournful thoughts in order to concentrate on the creature that galloped toward them.
“Dax,” Ava breathed.
He placed himself firmly between her and the threat and stood tall, paws splayed wide on the snowy ground, chest out.
It seemed impossible that his mate had yet to hear or smell the obvious threat that was slamming toward them through the trees.
Just before it appeared in her field of vision she reacted to the explosion of sound, whimpering and stepping backward.
Dax stepped back too, unwilling to be more than a few feet from her. He was glad she had instinctively stayed near him, in spite of her fear. His human was right - she was brave.
Their assailant crashed through the last of the underbrush that separated them and paused, looming over them like a dark shadow, the ragged stink of his panting pluming in the air.
Dax let out a low roar that rumbled from the depth of his belly.
The massive bear rose up on his hind legs in surprise.
Go, Dax told him wordlessly, lifting his hackles. Go and trouble us no more.
The creature stared at him.
Dax snarled and stalked toward him.
The bear was enormous, he had no idea how he would fare in such a fight. He’d tousled with a bear-shifter friend a few times and come out okay, but this was something altogether different.
His wolf was outmatched physically, but he was banking on the bear’s cowardice and sloth.
Just as Dax reached the point of no return, the bear fell back to all fours, turning away from them.
It let out a plaintive roar of frustration.
Dax watched as it lumbered away into the woods to seek food or comfort elsewhere.
Dax turned to Ava slowly, expecting her to run away from him now that the shock was beginning to wear off and the greater danger was gone.
He lowered his head and pulled his ears down, to show her he could be gentle.
“Dax,” she breathed.
He could not believe his senses as she moved toward him.
Her movements were cautious, but her expression was wondrous, not horrified. And her scent was… curious.
He held perfectly still, afraid to move so much as a hair of his glossy coat.
She reached out her hand and stroked the silky fur of his shoulder.
Without thinking, he turned and licked her face.
The sound of her laughter was like a hundred babbling brooks.
She leaned her smooth forehead against his furry one.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered.
His human banged on the bars, begging to come out and explain.
The wolf drank in her scent for a moment more. He would relent in a few more seconds. He knew he would be given his freedom again. Their mate loved him.
Everything was clear.
1
5
Ava
Ava stroked the silky fur and feasted on the warmth of him.
Dax…
It was hard to believe this mighty creature could be the laid-back father she was totally falling for.
And yet his bravery and his extreme gentleness both told her it could be no one else.
Besides which, she had seen it.
She had watched him change, watched him drop down to his hands and knees.
Except they had been paws by then.
And he was enormous.
He was a wolf the size of a small pony, a thing of legends, too beautiful to be real.
And then beneath her hands, she felt him changing again.
Fur turned to smooth skin, and the hand that rested on his shoulder rose to man height.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
His voice was a bit rough, though she wasn’t sure if it was emotion or some side effect of the change.
“This-this is amazing,” she stammered, indicating his body.
He looked down at his body, too.
He was completely naked, his clothing lying in tatters on the forest floor at his feet.
He looked back up at her with a playful smirk.
“I didn’t mean your body,” she said quickly. “That is, I didn’t mean your nakedness.”
She giggled, and he laughed too, a deep throaty sound that made so much more sense now that she had met the animal that shared his body.
“It’s pretty neat,” he agreed.
“That might be the understatement of the year,” she pointed out.
“You’re… taking this well,” he said.
She smiled and looked down.
“I know this is going to sound insane, but this is part of why I needed you,” he told her. “When a person like me finds a mate, it’s intense. Did you feel it too? The bond between us?”
She had felt something. But she didn’t really know what it was.
The idea of being with a wolf was almost too perfect. A mate for life, someone to share her journey with…
“You’re maybe taking it too well,” he amended. “Are you really okay?”
