Page 9 of Recipe for a Curse

Chapter 4

Apounding on the door barely roused me, but the movement around me had me blinking into the dark of the room. The fire had faded to little more than a few embers, and I could feel the chill where the blankets didn’t cover my face. But Rio was up and moving as though we’d been caught doing something much more intimate than sharing a blanket.

The pounding came again. “Hello?” I heard a familiar voice call.

“It’s Zach,” I told Rio, and scooted upright, wincing when my ankle screamed at me. “Stupid ankle.”

Rio opened the door, and I was surprised to see the snow piled up midway in the frame, but Zach stood below the steps, bundled up like an Eskimo, with Sean behind him. Both of them held flashlights, the giant blinding kind. Zach’s light fell on me and I could see his relief.

“Are you okay?” He demanded.

Rio stepped back, but it took a bit of work for Zach and Sean to get through the door. Zach actually shoved at the piled snow, pushing it outside the open doorway and trying to tramp off the boots he wore. Sean stared at Rio, a frown on his face.

“I’m okay,” I said. “Just hurt my ankle. Rio was helping me keep warm.” I sort of realized then, that I was still in nothing but my undies and the hoodie I’d borrowed. “My clothes were wet,” I offered weakly. It did sort of look like we had a little tryst or something. But I didn’t think Zach was the sort of guy to judge me.

“Frozen,” Sean said as he picked up the stack that Rio had folded for me. “The pants are like ice.”

Rio kept his distance. I wanted to reach for him, assure him everything was okay, Zach and Sean wouldn’t hurt him, but maybe he wasn’t that used to being around people.

“It’s best you take him home,” Rio said softly. “It’s not safe out here.”

“Let me get that fire stoked,” Zach said. “You don’t have any other heat?” He looked around the place and I could tell he was assessing things with that contractor gaze. “My guys are on break but could probably be up in a few days to do some repairs.”

“I have no money to pay them,” Rio said. “It’s fine. Just take Montana home, please. He should be warm and safe, not out here in the wild.”

Zach seemed to want to protest again, but Sean touched his shoulder and shook his head. Sean moved to my side and reached out to peel the blankets back over my injured ankle, of which my foot was still sticking out. His examination was similar to Rio’s, gentle and thorough. “Not broken,” he said.

“Torn ligament,” I said. “Rio thinks. He was a combat medic and an EMT.” I defended as though Sean was somehow attacking him. Sean took off his coat and handed it to me. “You’ll get cold,” I protested.

“I’ll keep us warm as we walk,” he promised. “Let’s get you home.” He got up and took the flashlight from Zach, who knelt down to lift me. Odd, how Rio was smaller through the shoulders than Zach, but had seemed to lift me easier. Zach straightened and I clung to his neck, worried about my bare legs and the cold. At least it didn’t look like the wind was whipping anymore.

“Do you want to take your supplies with?” Rio asked, looking toward the kitchen and the stock of groceries.

“No,” I said. “I’ll bring you more in a few days. You’ll be okay? Keep the fire going? Stay warm?”

“I’m fine,” Rio said, not sounding fine at all. He went to the kitchen and handed Sean the empty cooler. “I appreciate the food.”

“I’ll bring more,” I promised as Zach carried me out the door, Sean following. I tried to smile at Rio in assurance, but he closed the door behind us. It hurt a little to have him slam that door closed, like he couldn’t get rid of me fast enough. I hoped it was the fact that people were in his space that bothered him, and not me specifically.

Sean pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, seemed to pretend to draw on it, then handed it to me. Instantly I was warm, even with the wind still swirling some snow around us. “Hold on to that while we make our way back,” Sean instructed. “And let me know if you get cold. I’ll have to renew it then.”

I stared at the paper in my hand. It didn’t feel like anything other than paper. “How…?” I had a dozen questions, but Zach’s grip on me tightened and we headed down the path, barely visible in the newly fallen snow.

“I won’t be able to get your car out yet. Not until they plow the roads,” Zach said. “Anything you need from it?”

I never left anything of value in the car. “Some groceries for Rio. It was too much to drag along the path. A few things for the manor.”

Odd how fast the trek seemed to be when I wasn’t dragging a bunch of food. That fast we were through the trees and I could see my car in the distance, and Zach’s truck.

“I’ll call my guys. See if we can get some repairs done. No one should live like that,” Zach said, sounding angry.

Behind us, a howl broke through the sound of the wind, a long wail of a wolf. Something else I’d learned from the classes at the manor, the difference between a coyote and a wolf. That was a wolf, close too. My grip on Zach tightened.

“Hungry wolves are not good things,” Sean said somberly.

“Will Rio be safe?” I asked. “There were wolf tracks near the path to his place. I recognized them from the classes.”

Zach kept us moving but looked at Sean. “We’ll get him more food,” he promised.