A Siberian Werewolf Christmas (9 page)

“She is pretty. I haven’t actually met
her, but I saw her at the Yule celebration.” Fanya pushed her long
blond hair back behind her ear. “Several of the other males were
scoping her out. She didn’t seem to notice. In fact her gaze never
left your face until Dmitry escorted both Violet and Maggie
home.”

Slava had watched Maggie as well. She
looked lovely in the light of the bonfire. Her hair reflected the
flames, and when she moved her head, it appeared that fire leapt
and danced in the silky strands. Every song he sang last night, he
sang to her. She mesmerized him, until all he saw was
her.

Fanya reached across the table, took
his hand, and gave it a squeeze. “You deserve to be happy, Slava.
Mama and Papa would want you to be. I want you to be. If you have
feelings for this girl then don’t fight them. Go with it. Trust
your instincts, trust your wolf.”

“My wolf didn’t warn me in the mine.
It didn’t warn Papa. How do I know if I can trust my instincts? How
do I know they won’t let me down?”

§

Maggie sat at the kitchen table. She
tried to listen to what Violet and Yelena talked about, but her
mind kept circling back to Slava and their kiss last night. He was
coming over to take her to the village, and if she was honest, she
wasn’t sure she wanted to go. Whenever he was around her head got
all fuzzy. She lost all sense and wanted to throw herself on the
man. He was becoming an obsession. Love wasn’t supposed to be like
this. She envisioned it as a soft glow that grew to a steady blaze.
Not a wildfire that threatened her sanity.

Maggie sat forward. “What was it like
when you met Dmitry? I remember that night in the club. What did it
feel like?”

Both Yelena and Violet looked at her
and then at each other.

Violet rubbed at her chin and then
nodded. “Well at first it was kind of dark and scary. He seemed
like he could consume me with a look. But then it changed to a need
that was almost an obsession. I had to see him, be near him. His
gentleness kept me from thinking I was going insane, as well as his
willingness to admit he felt the same way I did. But it wasn’t a
comfortable feeling.”

“You never said anything that night
while we went back to the hotel.” Maggie tipped her
head.

“I think I was in denial. I had never
had such a visceral response to a man before.” Violet shrugged her
shoulders. “But it is so worth it, Mags. I wouldn’t want to live
without Dmitry, and that’s okay, because he wouldn’t want to live
without me.”

Maggie nodded her head. Visceral
response, yeah, that pretty much described what she felt. It
overpowered her. But she couldn’t wait to see Slava
again.

A knock on the back door had them all
turning to look. The door flew open, and Illarion ran in. Slava
stood in the doorway, his shoulders blocking out the light.
Maggie’s body responded immediately to his presence. Her breath
shortened, and her nipples hardened under the lace of her bra. God,
how she wanted this man. Their eyes locked.

“I’ve come to take you.”

Maggie sighed, if only that were true.
“Take me?” Her voice waivered.

“To the village, like I promised.” He
stepped into the kitchen and closed the door.

“Of course,” Maggie said.

§

Slava walked beside Maggie as Illarion
ran ahead of them on the path to the village. Her scent tickled his
nose. He wanted to pull her into his arms and breathe her into his
body. Instead, he walked and occasionally glanced at
her.

The weak winter sunlight filtered
through the trees and bounced off the snow-covered ground.
Everything sparkled like diamonds. The crisp air carried the scent
of fir and pine trees.

“I loved hearing you last night. You
have a beautiful voice.” Maggie took his hand and entangled her
fingers with his.

He closed his eyes a minute as
everything inside him shifted and then settled into a feeling of
peace. He tightened his grip, never wanting to let her go. “I don’t
play often, but I love music. My mother loved to hear me play and
my sister and I sing. Since my mother died, I haven’t wanted to
pick up my guitar. But Fanya begged me to last night, and I’m glad
she did. I didn’t realize how much I missed letting myself connect
to the music.”

“I love to sing,” Maggie said. “I’m
nowhere as good as you. But I used to belong to a choral group. I
love how the music wraps around you, how your body resonates with
the perfect pitch, and you feel your soul join in the vibration of
sound as it carries you away.”

“You don’t belong any longer?” Slava
brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles.

She looked over at him. “No, life kind
of got away from me. I couldn’t find the time, so I let it
go.”

“Do you play an instrument?” He loved
listening to her talk. Her voice washed over and through
him.

“Oh, no. I took piano lessons when I
was a kid. But I never really learned to read music well. As much
as I love it, I’m not gifted like you are. What about you? Do you
play more than one instrument?”

“I used to play the
Zhaleyka
. Sometimes it’s
called the
Bryolka
. It is similar to a clarinet. But that was when I was much
younger. Like most young boys, I broke mine by fooling around with
it.”

“I’m sorry.” Maggie squeezed his
hand.

“Don’t be, life is for
living and sometimes things break.”
Hhm,
maybe I need to take my own advice
. While
mourning for his parents, he had let life get away from him, until
he was just surviving but not really living. Funny that it would
take a red-haired American to point that out to him.

§

Maggie was so happy she wanted to
dance. She bravely took Slava’s hand, and he didn’t pull away. They
were having a normal conversation, and her heart felt full to
bursting. They walked along the path while Illarion ran and skipped
over the snow. He would occasionally stop and make a snowball and
then throw it at a tree. If it hit, he would crow in delight.
Maggie couldn’t help but chuckle at the child’s antics.

They walked around a curve in the
trail and there it was. The village. Maggie stood frozen in
amazement. An open meadow was home to ten or so log buildings. Each
had decorative shutters, and light fell out of the windows to land
on the snow. Chimneys belched smoke into the air. It was a place
out of time. Several people walked along the snow-covered road,
some with parcels in their hands.

“I need to make a couple of stops to
pick up supplies. Was there something in particular you wanted to
see?” Slava put his arm around her waist and drew her closer to his
side.

“I would love to see some of the
handicrafts. Is there a woodworker or lace maker?” Maggie
asked.

“Can we go by the toy store?” Illarion
asked, running back and grabbing Slava’s hand. “I need to pick
something out for Katya and Karina.”

“Yes to all three. Come, let us go see
the toy shop first. I think Vikenti is working there
today.”

Maggie let Slava guide her down to the
second building that was painted in bright colors with turquoise
shutters and moldings on the windows. From outside she could see
wooden toys of all shapes and sizes, along with child-size
furniture and stuffed animals.

A bell rang as they opened the door
and walked in. A wood stove kept the building toasty, and Maggie
reached up to unsnap her coat. Vikenti, Dmitry’s father, came out
of the back room and greeted them. He had mentioned his woodworking
hobby at the dinner party. Except for his silver hair, Vikenti
could have been Dmitry’s twin. Illarion ran off to look at the
sleds while Slava and Vikenti whispered behind him. Slava slipped
Vikenti some money before they both turned to her.

“What can I show
you,
malyshka
?”
Vikenti asked.

“I don’t even know where to start. I
think I’ll just look around, if that’s okay.”

“Of course. If you have any questions,
just let me know.”

Maggie nodded and then turned to
wander around the room. There were carved animals and wooden toy
soldiers as well as dolls with painted faces. A sleigh pulled by a
horse caught her attention. The details were intricate, with the
horse’s head and legs moving, as it was pulled across the floor.
She fingered the tiny leather reins and the real horse hair
tail.

“Do you like it?” Slava asked from her
elbow.

“It’s a beautiful piece.
But I should find something for the girls.”
And you.

“Dyadya
, do you think Katya would like this?” Illarion asked rushing
up to them with a small wooden wolf in his hands. When the string
was pulled, the head raised, like the wolf howled.

“I’m not sure, what do you
think
Magushka
?”
Slava turned, his eyes sparkling.

She picked up the toy and checked the
construction. The pieces fit very well and if it did come apart
were too big to swallow. “I think this is a very nice present. But
there are so many others. Let’s put this one aside while we keep
looking.”

Illarion nodded solemnly and took the
toy to the counter. They continued their search, trying out
different toys, until finally they picked the best ones. Slava paid
for Illarion’s presents for the twins, and Vikenti made a big deal
of having him pick the wrappings. Maggie paid for hers and it was
decided they would come back for their packages on their way out of
town. As Slava and Illarion headed for the door, Maggie turned back
to Vikenti, lowering her voice, she whispered to him.

“Where might I find
a
Zhaleyka
to buy
for Slava in the village?”

“I know just where to get one. Would
you like me to buy it and bring it to the lodge? That way your
secret will stay safe.”

“That would be perfect. Thank you,
Vikenti.”

“I will see you at the
lodge for dinner,
malyshka
. Enjoy the rest of your
day.”

Maggie waved and hurried after Slava
and Illarion as they waited at the door.

§

Peace settled over Slava. He walked
through the village, holding hands with Illarion on one side and
Maggie on the other. Shopping had always been a chore before today,
but now he enjoyed each new discovery that left Maggie’s eyes
shining or Illarion jumping up and down. He made arrangements for
supplies to be delivered to his house as well as picked up a few
gifts for his family.

At the village gathering house they
enjoyed a cup of tea and a piece of poppy seed bread. News soon
circulated that the single human looking for a mate was in town,
and the gathering house began to fill up. Slava’s wolf rushed to
the surface. His hackles rose with a sense of danger. He glared at
the newcomers, warning them off. When two men began to approach the
table, Slava stood, blocking Maggie from their sight. He let the
wolf show in his eyes and his lip curled back in
warning.

She is off limits until
the Christmas ball. Until that time, you will stay away from her by
order of the Alpha,
Slava sent into their
minds with his telepathic gift. Pain knifed into his head, but he
kept his challenging stare, and the men turned away. He still heard
their grumbling, but no one else dared approach.

“Is everything all right?” Maggie
asked.

Slava hurried to reassure her as he
sat back down. “Everything is fine. How do you like the poppy seed
bread?”

“It’s one of my favorites.” Maggie
took another bite before offering another piece to
Illarion.

The door opened and Kolya stepped in.
He gave a hard look to the men around the room before approaching
the table. “Everything okay? How do you like the village,
Maggie?”

What are you doing
here?
Slava sent.

I heard you warning the
others away. This is not a good situation. We need to get you out
of here. These men are hungry for a mate and don’t like that you
are keeping her to yourself
.

“It’s lovely, so quaint. The people
here are very talented artists. I could shop all day,” Maggie
replied.

You told me to guard her
until the Christmas Ball.

Kolya looked around the
room.
Yes. But let’s be cautious and try
not to stir up trouble.
His gaze returned
to Maggie. “The weather is getting ready to turn. I came to let you
know so you could start back to the lodge.”

“Oh.” Maggie turned to look at Slava
and Illarion before looking back at Kolya. “Well that’s okay, we
were just finishing up. Right, Illarion?”

“Right. Thanks for the
food,
dyadya
.”
Illarion wiped his mouth with his sleeve and grinned over at
Slava.

“It was my
pleasure,
Larya
.
Next time use a napkin. Come. If the weather is turning, we need to
get our guest back home. Maggie, if you are ready?”