A Mountain Man Christmas (Holiday Shifters of Frost Mountain) by Lisa Daniels & Scarlett Stone

Author:Lisa Daniels & Scarlett Stone [Daniels, Lisa & Stone, Scarlett]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-12-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

A Night in Alfie’s Hanger

Lyla didn’t like near-death experiences. They tended to leave you shaken for weeks afterward, and sometimes, you ended up on a shrink’s couch. Unfortunately, they came with the job.

Tristan handed her a large chunk of meat wrapped carefully in a large leaf. Yesterday’s catch. With a murmur, she accepted it, biting into it.

“Not bad,” she said, chewing and swallowing. “Could use a bit of seasoning, though.”

She grinned at her remark. She was lucky to even be alive after nearly plummeting to her death days ago.

She still couldn’t shake the memory of that bridge crossing. The images flashed through her mind every few hours or so: the plank disappearing from underneath her all of a sudden…her legs dangling above a dark void…Tristan grabbing hold of her silhouetted against the orange sky. She’d been on the brink of death, and he’d done everything within his power to save her.

To hell with the handcuffs—she hadn’t even realized they’d still had them on until they were both lying together in the snow. As far as she was concerned, Tristan had saved her life. But she wasn’t about to tell him that. She’d sooner eat a boulder than give him the satisfaction of knowing she felt that way.

“We’re getting closer to Alfanger,” he announced suddenly, stepping over a tree root.

“Gesundheit,” Lyla said automatically.

His brows furrowed. “What?”

“What?”

His jaw clenched slightly, which she found oddly attractive. “Alfanger is a village.”

“Oh, great. It’s been a while since I saw other people on this mountain.” She shot a sideways glance at him. “Present company excluded, of course.”

He ignored her comment. “There’s no one in Alfanger. The village has been deserted for decades. In fact, there isn’t much left of it.”

Just as quickly as hope arose inside her, it turned to ash. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means the village was destroyed. Alfanger used to be populated with elves. It was a thriving society until the village chief at the time disagreed with a dragon clan. It wasn’t long before war erupted.” He was silent for a moment. “The elves lost.”

Any idiot could have figured out that last bit. “What kind of nitwit picks a fight with dragons?”

Amusement flickered across his face. “An overconfident one. People have avoided Alfanger for ages. They say the souls of the dead still haunt the village.” He scoffed. “It’s nothing but superstition, of course.”

“Any reason we’re headed for the village where dragons murdered people? The same village people have been avoiding ever since?”

“We’re not just people. We’re desperate.”

Fair enough. “But what are the odds that we’ll be safe in this Alfie’s Hanger place—?”

“Alfanger,” he corrected.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. What if dragons show up or something?”

“You are safe,” Tristan assured her as they stepped around a large tree trunk.

“And why is that?”

“Because,” he replied, “you are with me.”

Oh. A surge of warmth that had nothing to do with the coat she had on crept through her body then. Lyla bit her lip. She couldn’t be mistaken about the air of protectiveness he exuded, could she? First, he’d had his arm around her while she slept.

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