The crash of something bolted Elyse up the next morning. Her gaze swung around the cabin as she searched for whatever caused the noise, but she didn’t see anything. Her mind spun as she tried to recall everything that happened. She turned on the couch as she searched for Saxon; had she dreamed him up?
Then she saw the flashlights on the table and heard the crackle of the fire as the scent of burning wood filled the cabin. She couldn’t have dreamed the loss of power and Saxon; he had to be real.
“Saxon?” she called.
Silence met her. Throwing the blanket aside, she winced when she set her feet on the floor, and it took her a couple of seconds to recall her mad dash down the driveway. The glass rattled in the windows as the wind buffeted the cabin. When she rose, she saw snow blowing across the yard, but she couldn’t tell if it was still snowing or if the wind was just blowing it around out there.
She padded into the kitchen and found it empty. Leaning back on her heels, she peered down the hall, but she didn’t hear the shower, and all the doors were closed. Maybe he’d gone to sleep in one of the rooms.
She was about to go in search of him when the back door flew open, and a blast of wind caused her to jump away from the arctic air. Snow fell off Saxon as he stomped into the kitchen with an armload of wood.
“It’s snow in Hell, not fire,” he muttered as he set the logs near the back door. He leaned into the storm to pull the door closed.
“It’s not that bad,” she told him.
He didn’t look at all amused when his gaze swung to her. Snow slid off his jacket to plop on the floor. “I’d rather wrestle naked with an alligator then go back out there.”
She tried not to laugh at the picture his words conjured. “That would be extremely uncomfortable for your twig and berries.”
“You’re not kidding. Those things look rough and pointy. Also, I can assure you, it’s definitely not a twig; it’s more like a tree,” he told her with a wink.
She recalled his obvious erection last night; the man was not exaggerating. Elyse shifted her gaze to the window over the sink. “Did you hear a crash?”
“A tree fell in the woods.”
“Oh. Is it still snowing, or is the wind blowing it around?”
“It’s still snowing. There’s about three feet out there now and more coming. Do you need anything while I’m outside?”
“You’re going back out there?”
When he grinned at her, she almost sat down to fan herself.
“If you want to stay warm, we need more wood,” he said.
She could think of a much better way to stay warm that involved a different type of wood, but she bit her tongue. Turning away, he opened the door again, cursed when snow blew in his face, and descended the stairs. He closed the door and vanished into the storm. She had no idea how they were going to get out of here, or how long they would be stuck here for, but the last time she saw the woodpile outside, there hadn’t been much wood.
The door opened again, and Saxon trudged in with another bundle of wood in his arms. Snow swirled in behind him before he dumped the wood and closed the door. “I hate winter.”
“You’re living in the wrong part of the country then. Although, Florida might not be so good on your sensitive skin,” she teased.
He glanced at her before removing his jacket and hanging it on a hook near the door. He bent to untie his boots. “The sun doesn’t bother me.”
“What? How is that possible? My guards tried to hide it, but I noticed they stayed mostly in the shadows and only came out during the day when it was necessary. The other vamps they brought here only came at night, so I assumed the legend about vampires being unable to tolerate sunlight was real.”
“It is for Savages.” He set one of his boots on the floor before turning to the other. “But vampires who don’t kill innocents aren’t affected by the sun. The more a vampire kills, the stronger they become, but they also become weaker. The more a Savage kills, the less they can tolerate the sun until they can’t go in it at all. Your guards probably hadn’t killed enough to be completely intolerant of the sun, but they were on their way.”
“It’s all so crazy.”
“That’s the vampire world. So, what other vamps did they bring here?”
“Huh?” she asked.
“You said, the other vamps they brought here only came at night. What other vamps?”
She stared at him as she tried to figure out what he was talking about, and then it hit her. If she could, she’d kick herself in the ass as she tried to come up with a response. “Sometimes other vamps would stop by.”
“Why?”
Saxon rested his hand on the wall as Elyse shrugged, but she couldn’t hide the anxiety or fear shimmering in her eyes.
“To hang out with their buddies, I guess.” It was the worst excuse in the world, but she had no idea what else to say.
“They were brought here to hang out with their buddies?”
“What can I say?” she asked with what she hoped was a playful smile while inside, turmoil rolled through her. “Savages are social folk.”
“Uh-huh,” he said.
Those two words made it clear he wasn’t buying what she was trying to sell him.
“Who brought them here?” he asked.
“In the beginning, Joseph. Since then, it’s been different vampires. Some have come a few times, and others only once.”
He set his other boot on the floor and rose to shake the snow from his hair. He tugged his sweatshirt off and tossed it onto one of the chairs. Elyse felt as if the floor dropped out from under her as she tried not to gawk at his broad, bare chest.
Her mouth watered as his muscles flexed with his movements. The etched abs of what could only be called a twelve pack made her fingers itch to run them over his smooth flesh before dipping her tongue into the hollow of his belly button. Maybe she only had sex with those other guys so someone could hold her, but with Saxon, oh with Saxon, she’d be doing it because all she wanted was him.
Saxon was halfway to the sink when the increased scent of cherry blossom filled the room, and her heightened desire hit him like a punch to the chest. He turned his head to find her ravenously watching him.
Before she realized what she was doing, Elyse’s feet glided across the floor to him. He’s a vampire! This is a BAD idea!
But even as her mind screamed this at her, her body kept moving as if it were no longer under her control. Stopping before him, she stretched out a tremulous hand and rested it against his smooth flesh.