Page 4

Chapter 3

Adeline

A deline tensed. His rich tenor filled the room, igniting something primal deep inside her chest.

She shook her head, drops of water sprinkling onto the floor. Flexing her fingers at her side, she felt the prickling of her nerves as the feeling returned to her hands.

His body heat radiated across the space, and her skin prickled with anticipation. After centuries of needing to be an expert at reading rooms and situations, she cursed herself for her weakness in this moment. Would he turn her back out into the cold? She could withstand it, of course, but it wouldn’t be pleasant, and the gods only knew what would happen if she had to go back out there in this state.

Maybe he’ll take pity on me.

There had been a few times in her immortal life when she had used her feminine wiles against the weaker sex. Men tended to fall for her traps of seduction and helplessness far easier than women. But this time, she couldn’t leave anything up to chance. If she was going to lie to him, she needed to believe it so fully that no part of her would give away the lie, because his eyes scrutinized every little movement she made.

Broad-shouldered and brooding, he was easily a foot taller than she was. Even leaning casually against the door, his posture was stiff, as if he were readying himself for a fight. His face was half-covered by a bushy black beard, and his expression remained passive, though his eyes were dark amber orbs that watched her every move. Longer, shaggy hair fell around his face, curling at the ends, snow melting from it.

Adeline’s eyes flicked to the vein at his neck as he swallowed. Pressing her lips together, she fought against the urge to lunge and bite the man’s neck. Because, though any other woman should be afraid to be alone in a cabin in the woods during a snowstorm with a strange man, she felt a little thrill knowing she could easily overpower him despite his size and bulk.

“I apologize for intruding,” she said, her voice demure. The man crossed his arms over his chest, his forearms flexing underneath his jacket. Her mouth watered as the tips of her fangs came in. She swallowed a few times before continuing, hoping the pause added to her ruse of distress and would also hide her growing lisp as her fangs fought to emerge fully. “I had already been walking for days when the storm hit.”

If she played her cards right, not only would this man let her weather the storm, but she might even be able to feed off him and get her strength back. And then, only then, would she continue her hunt. It would be no use hunting the vampire’s enemy if she couldn’t even keep her eyes open.

She looked the man up and down once more. He had a vaguely familiar face, but she couldn’t quite place it.

The likelihood that he was the were-shifter seemed small, at best. After all, her research had told her to find ancient dwarf caves along the eastern face of these mountains. She was too far north, still, and this was merely a convenient—and necessary—stop along the way. Three days out from the full moon meant that her time was limited, but she was certain she would find the were-shifter after she was able to rest for a bit.

She just needed to keep her guise up long enough, even if she couldn’t stop the thrill of the hunt that itched in her veins. That annoying, tempting, delectable pulsing of his hot blood threatened to expose her too early. With a final, forceful swallow, despite her mouth being as dry as the desert lands in the south, her fangs finally receded.

Tread carefully.

Adeline shivered as the rest of her body started to warm back up. She kept her arms loose at her sides despite the desire to reach up and touch her neck as she eyed the axe resting against his leg. It glinted in the soft glow, the steel edge sharp enough to make her wary.

The man dropped his arms, tucking his hands into his pockets. The shuffling of fabric brought her back into the moment.

I am so tired. Her eyelids fluttered, and her stomach rumbled.

His gruff voice raked down her spine. “Walking for days?”

“Yes.” Adeline turned away from him, drawn toward the warmth of the fire. She held out her icy hands and hummed as the flames eased away the purpling color in her fingertips, but her ears were tuned to every minuscule movement behind her. She wouldn’t be a renowned killer if she let her defenses down. “We were crossing into the lower mountains when our carriage was attacked by some highwaymen.”

That was not entirely the truth, but it was for the best that she did not elaborate. The simpler the lie, the easier it was to believe. And, besides, he didn’t need to know every little detail. At least, not yet. Not until she got a better read on him.

“You’re quite far from the pass.” The floorboards creaked underneath his shifting weight. She kept her body relaxed—she wouldn’t attack unless it was necessary. He added, “It’s been decades since there have been problems with rogues attacking.”

Slowly, she turned and met his eyes. He was tight-lipped and looked unconcerned. As he shifted his weight, he favored his left side. Her eyes flicked to where the axe now hung loosely from his grip, then she found his amber-colored eyes once more. They bored into her with quiet indifference, but Adeline knew something else brewed underneath his calm exterior.

“I wouldn’t know.” She tried to sound unconcerned about the holes he was poking in her defense. Adeline refused to let her nerves get the best of her, especially since her glamour wouldn’t work in her weakened state. “I have never been this far north before.”

“Hmm.” He nodded. The man pushed off the door, then walked to the fireplace. He grabbed a few logs and squatted in front of the embers. First, he stacked the wood in the center of the grate, and the corded muscles in his forearms flexed as he next tucked some kindling in the middle of the stack. He inhaled, and she was transfixed by his wide shoulders while he blew a few times until the flames caught.

Adeline held her breath, knowing that the next few minutes would decide her fate. This forest was the last place on the continent that she hadn’t hunted. She hadn’t come this far and come so close to catching her prey to bungle things up. The thought of his life source filling her sent her stomach into a wild churning. If she acted carelessly now, it would ruin her chances of besting her maker once and for all. She went through her mental list once more: kill the were-shifters, earn her freedom, find Colin.

Simple.

The world tilted, and her vision blurred as the seconds stretched into minutes. If she didn’t find a safe haven soon, she would have to tear into his neck. And she certainly wasn’t about to drain her only life source while the storm raged on outside, for gods knew how long.

Fuck. Her fangs elongated despite her best efforts to keep them at bay. She hated relying on man’s cantankerous nature.