“Cozy place,” I said, looking at the fire crackling to my left.
The small table next to the door had an empty plate on it, so I guessed we must have interrupted him just after his dinner. To the right was a bed, and in the back a small kitchenette.
I circled around a loveseat in front of the fireplace and sat down on the hearth, the heat warming my back.
Pure bliss.
Christian stayed by the table and kept an eye on Joe, who disappeared from my line of sight to go through his things. He tossed clothes at Christian, who handed them to Blue through the open door.
“I suppose you people want food,” Joe grumbled, scratching his wiry beard. His round belly proved he wasn’t doing too shabby living in the middle of nowhere.
“A hot drink will be more than enough,” Viktor said.
Blue walked in, one hand gripping the faded trousers. Joe’s oversized shirt swallowed her up, and her long hair was still tucked in the back.
“Well, well,” Joe said with measured interest. “What do we have here?”
“My name is Viktor Kazan. This is Blue, Christian, and Raven,” he said, gesturing in our direction.
Joe was probably three times Blue’s age, but that didn’t stop him from painting on a boyish smile and moving in closer to get a better look. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Blue nodded.
“I’ll get right on that coffee,” he said with a renewed pep in his step.
I glanced around at the cabin. “Where’s the bathroom?”
Joe laughed and put the kettle on the woodburning stove. “The outhouse is behind the cabin a ways. If you gotta go, be sure to use the stick in there. Spiders aren’t a problem in winter, but you never know what creepy crawly will climb in there at night to get warm.”
Christian gave me a sardonic smile.
Joe was likable, albeit eccentric, as evidenced by the mounted bat head over his bed. When I peeled off my socks to look at my feet, I was surprised to find they hadn’t turned black as I had imagined. My skin prickled and burned with the sudden introduction of heat, but maybe drinking some of Temple’s blood had protected me during my second jump in the water.
Not that I’d ever want to drink Vampire blood again.
Christian said Vampire blood was unlike any other. His certainly was, but Temple’s was foul. Maybe Temple’s blood was too thick and heady with emotions, but knowing that not all Vamps would taste as delicious as Christian came as a relief.
The kettle whistle startled me out of my stupor. Viktor and Blue took a seat at the table while Joe passed out speckled blue cups and filled them with coffee from his pot. Christian wanted no part of it. He leaned his back against the door and shook his head when Joe offered him some.
Joe pivoted around and came over to fill my cup. “I only buy instant. I don’t have electricity to run one of them fancy coffee machines.”
“Thanks.” After a few quick slurps, I set it down beside me on the hearth. It was bitter and tasted like he’d made it yesterday and just reheated it.
“We don’t get many falcons out here,” Joe said, one arm crossed over his middle, with the cup in the other hand.
Blue wearily drank her coffee, eyes drooping and a yawn hovering on her lips.
“If you don’t mind, my friend will need rest soon,” Viktor said.
“She can sleep in my bed.”
Blue’s eyes flashed up to Viktor in protest.
“Nyet. That won’t be necessary. We would prefer to sleep by the fire where it’s warm.”
“Is she yours?”
I concealed a smile while rubbing my feet and ankles.
“You are also a Shifter?” Viktor asked. He probably already knew, but it steered the conversation away from Blue.
“Born and bred.” Joe cackled. “That’s why I like it out here. Ain’t much competition when it comes to land. I’ve been around a long time, and most Shifters migrated to warmer climates. Easier to hunt, not as much wood chopping, they don’t have to deal with snow. I don’t mind the cold. But sometimes it gets a little lonely up here, if you know what I mean.”
Viktor stood up and helped Blue to her feet. “Come lie down.” When she reached the loveseat, she collapsed, her eyes already closed. Viktor unfolded a red-and-brown blanket that was draped over the back of the sofa and tucked it around her. When he finished, he touched her cheek. “Sleep, my dear.”
Joe twisted his mouth to the side and moseyed back to the stove. “I ain’t got pillows for everyone. This isn’t a hotel.”
He walked a few paces and snatched one from his bed. Viktor watched him like a hawk as he circled the couch and tucked it beneath Blue’s head. Joe lingered for a moment, and when he lifted a lock of her hair to his nose and smelled it, Viktor seized his arm.
“We appreciate your hospitality, but we need sleep before we leave at first light.”
Joe straightened up, eyes still on Blue. “I forgot how good a woman smells.” Then his gaze swung over to me.
Christian stepped forward. “I’ll thank you to keep your hands off the women.”
“Pardon me?” Joe said in clipped words, gaze snapping around. “I don’t like your tone. You think I’m the kind of fella who rapes women? Vamps like you make me sick. And don’t get too snuggly in here, because you’re sleeping outside.”
“Not necessary,” Viktor said. “He’ll stay out of your way.”
Joe pointed at the bat head on the wall, eyes still on Christian. “I don’t like anything with fangs. That one tried to take a bite out of me last winter. You want a spot in its place? My old cabin’s forty paces that way,” he said, pointing toward the fireplace. “You can hole up in there unless you’d rather stand in the snow. But that thought creeps me the hell out, so do me a favor and keep out of sight.”
Christian looked like he’d been through this song and dance before, so he tipped an invisible hat on his head and left the cabin.
Joe didn’t come across as a bad guy—just a recluse who’d spent too many years living on his own. In any case, it didn’t seem right to cuddle up by a warm fire while Christian got the boot. Especially when we both knew that Joe’s rule also applied to me.
Dammit.
I stood up and headed out. Viktor didn’t try to stop me, but Joe said something as I slammed the door.
“You don’t have to do this,” Christian said, watching me put on my boots. “The cold doesn’t bother me, and he doesn’t know what you are.”
I grabbed my jacket and put it on. “Where you go, I go.”
His dark brow arched, and he headed in the direction Joe had pointed. The trail wasn’t as shoveled as the others, but it was fine.
“Do you think he’s serious about spiders?” I asked. “They can’t live where it’s below freezing, can they?”
“I suppose that’s why they want to warm up against your arse.”
“Shit,” I murmured, picking up a stick. “I might as well get this over with. Why don’t you get a fire going while I make a quick detour?”
“What’s the stick for?”