Defying Destiny (4 page)

several pieces of bacon. She slurped

down half a glass of milk and hurried back

up to her room to collect her boots, cloak,

and most importantly, her sword. Not

bothering to fashion her waist-length hair

in its usual knot, she exited the inn, paused

in the lane just outside, and listened for

the Wolf. Sure enough, a mournful howl

echoed from deep within the forest. The

sound of it stole her breath. Haunting.

Almost anguished. She followed its echo,

traveling the narrow streets to the place

where she had slain the Wolf the night

before.

On the edge of the road, she noticed a

pair of men examining the door of a

familiar shed.

“It’s strange, Stan. The door’s all

busted up, but nothing’s missing.”

“Probably some bored kids looking

for trouble,” Stan commented.

“There are Wolf prints everywhere.

Do you think they could have done this?”

Stan chuckled. “Only if one can lift an

ax.” He lifted the ax in question and

examined it for...
What?
Claw marks?

The other man sighed. “Well, this door

won’t fix itself. I’ll give you a hand.”

When they noticed Maralee watching

them, the heat of a guilty blush crept up

her cheeks. They grinned, offering her a

friendly wave. She nodded at them and

hurried into the woods.

Once inside the forest, she paused,

listening for the cry of the Wolf in the

distance. It howled again, the sound

somber and chilling. Maralee rushed

forward, her hand on the hilt of her sword

as she hunted the monsters that haunted her

dreams.

The Wolf howled again and she

continued to follow the sound until she

was

deep

within

the

woods.

Unexpectedly, the Wolf’s baying ceased

and Maralee stopped, glancing around.

She had been so preoccupied with

following the Wolf’s voice, she hadn’t

paid attention to her course. Her heart

thrummed with panic, but then she

shrugged. Lost was lost. Might as well

continue her search. She could use the

angle of the sun to find her way back to the

village later. She hoped. As desolate as

the place was, it would be easy to miss it.

Maralee decided to continue on her

path, optimistic that she’d stumble across

the Wolf eventually. It was almost half an

hour later, when she did come across

someone. Not a Wolf.

Nash.

He was curled up on a mound of soft

dirt beneath an enormous tree fast asleep.

Despite the traces of snow on the forest

floor, he was naked.

Maralee forgot how to blink. Frozen in

place, she was unable force her eyes from

Nash’s sculpted body. She drank in the

sight of his lean, muscular form,

appreciating her unobstructed view of his

long limbs, firm buttocks, and smooth

back. As if aware of his captive audience,

he changed positions in his sleep. She

gasped as her glorious view of his naked

backside

transformed

into

a

more

shocking sight. Her hand flew up to cover

her mouth, but still she stared. No question

—men were definitely different in
that

area. He didn’t look anything like she’d

imagined. She expected human male parts

to be like those of an animal—concealed.

He was so, well…so,
out there
. Not just

those things, but also the other thing. The

elongated part was, um,
exposed
. All of it

—exposed. And riveting. Maralee forgot

how to exhale.

Nash shivered and curled his legs

closer to his chest.

Releasing her breath, she tore her gaze

from his body and noticed his heap of

clothing beneath the tree. What was he

doing here anyway? She had already

decided he was strange, but why would

anyone sleep naked, on the ground, in the

middle of winter?

Maralee approached his discarded

clothes.
Wouldn’t want him to freeze to

death.
Though as hot as she was all of a

sudden, there was no chance of her ever

freezing.

Maralee

retrieved

Nash’s

brown, leather trench coat and oh so

carefully spread it over his naked body.

His eyes flipped open.

Heart in her throat, Maralee stumbled

backwards.

His eyes widened when they focused

on her. He sat up abruptly. “What in the

hell are you doing here?”

“I…I…” Her face burst into flames of

embarrassment. Avoiding his stare, her

gaze dropped to his bare chest, then flat

stomach, and lap. His coat hindered her

view, but she knew what was beneath the

garment. The sight was permanently

etched in her memory.

He pulled his coat into a more secure

position. She glanced up and met his eyes.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t see anything.”

No, sir. I saw
every
thing
.

“How did you find this place?” His

attention shifted to the rest of his clothes

well out of reach.

“I followed the sound of a howling

Wolf.”

Nash lowered his eyes. “I really am

messing things up,” he said under his

breath.

“Why are you naked?” she blurted.

He looked up at her again, and locked

gazes with her. “Why wouldn’t I be

naked? It’s my natural state, is it not?”

The heat of embarrassment spread

across Maralee’s face once more. She

was certain her eyebrows were singed.

“It’s…it’s cold.” She waved a hand

around to call his attention to their frigid

surroundings.

“I am well aware of that.” He stood

and reached for his clothes.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him as

he bent to retrieve his undergarment,

brown leather pants, thick, cream-colored

sweater and woolen socks. A slow smile

spread across her face.
Nice.
Who knew

men could be beautiful? This one was

probably the most beautiful thing she’d

ever laid eyes on. Or was handsome a

better descriptor? Virile? Lithe? Perfect...

Nash waited for her eyes to stray from

his body to his face before he spoke. “Are

you going to stand there and watch me

dress?”

“I…uh…no, of course not!”

In an exaggerated whirl, she turned her

back, crossed her arms over her chest, and

waited for him to return to decency. She

closed her eyes, ears straining for the

sounds of him dressing. She wondered if

his skin felt different from hers. It looked

different. More coarse. Maybe she should

have touched him when she’d had the

chance. To see what his body felt like.

Whoa, Maralee!
Why did this man make

her think such naughty things? She patted

her cheeks, willing them to cool, so she

could face him without looking like a fool.

His deep voice startled her. “You’ve

seen me naked, and yet, I still don’t know

your name.”

“My

name…My

name…”
Name?

What’s my name?
“It’s…it’s Maralee.”

“Mary Lee.”

“No,
Mara
lee,” she corrected. “One

word. The M- A- R rhymes with bar or tar

or star or…” She realized she was

blabbering.

“You can look now, Maralee.” The

way he said her name was like a gentle

caress to the back of her neck. She stifled

a shudder.

Maralee didn’t really want to turn

around, but decided he would think she

was a coward if she did not. And no one

thought of her as a coward. She refused to

allow it. She faced him and found him

much closer than expected. She forced

herself not to take a step backward and

craned her neck to stare up at him. He was

definitely gorgeous. His jaw was strong

and chin slightly squared. His lips were

narrow; nose slender and straight. Thick

lashes framed wide, intelligent eyes. The

lock of pristine white hair that draped

across his left eye gave him a mysterious

look, and his aura—all danger and power

—made her heart pound, not with fear, but

something she could not define. She

wanted something when she looked at him.

Wanted… She didn’t know what she

wanted.
Something.
There was sadness

behind his golden gaze and she wondered

about its cause. Was he still mourning the

death of that vile Wolf? She suddenly

remembered she wanted to give him a

tongue-lashing.

“How dare you lock me in a shed like

some sort of criminal!” The abrupt change

in her demeanor made him flinch. “I told

you I didn’t need your assistance, I had a

job to do, and you purposely intruded

upon my work. What made you think you

could take charge of me? Is it because I’m

female? If that’s the case then let me

assure you I can take care of myself as

well as, if not better than, any man.”

“I still haven’t decided what I’m going

to do with you,” he said quietly.

“And what, exactly, is that supposed to

mean?”

“I’m trying really hard to hate you,” he

said, “but I find I want to kiss you

instead.”

Her expression must have given away

her astonishment, because Nash laughed—

a gentle sound that did strange things to the

tips of her breasts.

“I know it’s shocking,” he said. A

brief smile graced his lips, which made

Maralee’s heart thunder in her chest. “I

think I’ll take you to my village. It’s best if

I keep an eye on you. Keep your friends

close, and your enem—”

“Why would you need to keep an eye

on me?”

He looked down at her and their eyes

met. Her mind went completely blank for

a moment as he held her gaze with his. It

was as if he had some strange power to

make her lose her train of thought. He

broke eye contact and, after a moment, she

remembered what she had wanted to say.

“I don’t want to go back to the

village,” she said. “I’m trying to find the

Wolf I heard.”

“You won’t find what you’re looking

for here.” He took her elbow and led her

forward.

She found it difficult to concentrate on

his words. He kept saying things that

hinted he knew something about the

Wolves that he wasn’t telling her. Did he

know where they lived? In all her years of

hunting, she’d never come across a Wolf

in its natural habitat. She only encountered

them when they arrived at a human

settlement on the night of a full moon.

Maralee was very conscious of Nash’s

strong hand, which rested lightly on her

elbow, and only mildly aware that they

were moving away from Sarbough, not

towards it.

“That Wolf must be nearby. I heard it

howling all the way from the village.”

“Probably not the smartest thing that

Wolf has ever done.”

He talked about the Wolves as if he

knew them personally. “You are the most

confusing man I have ever met.”

“Understandable,” he said. “The

Wolf’s long gone. Maybe I could help you

find him later.” As they walked side by

side to wherever he’d decided to go, he

took a long strand of her hair and held it

up to his nose to inhale its scent. “Did you

wash your hair?” he asked.

She gaped at him. “What kind of a

question is that?”

He glanced down at her. “You smell

different today.”

S h e
smelled
different? Would this

man’s list of oddities ever cease to

lengthen? Before she could say another

word, a cabin appeared between the trees.

She stared at it as they passed, wondering

if Nash was a woodsman, but when she

turned her head, she noticed more cabins

scattered throughout the forest. From

between the cabins, in the shadows of the

crowding trees, dozens of pairs of amber-

colored eyes stared out at her. They

belonged to the most beautiful children

Maralee had ever seen. The children