Snowbound Snuggles Page 7

  Cacey shifted into her human body as she sprinted to the front door.

  I swung left toward the back. There, I discovered a window opened just enough for a small child to climb out. From inside, Cacey’s cries were serrated and slicing. I trotted closer. No forced entry, no scratch marks or torn clothes caught on the window frame. Tianna had left of her own accord, probably lured outside by her father.

  Other scents bombarded my nostrils: wulfkin, youngsters, burning wood. Which one belonged to Cacey’s daughter?

  Last night’s snowfall covered any recent tracks. Behind the cabin sat a wooden shed, embraced by white powder and low-hanging branches from a lofty pine. The double doors stood ajar. Up close, it became clear someone had snapped the lock open. I trotted inside, and the light from behind me revealed a snowmobile, along with an empty spot for a second one. I’d bet my right leg that Daan had taken the other snowmobile.

  I head-butted the door open, staring at fresh tracks near the doors.

  Footsteps caught my attention. I looked up to see Cacey, wrapped in a blanket, and Anja, wearing a robe, hurrying toward me. “The second mobile’s gone!” Anja’s words strained.

  In seconds, I embraced my human form. “Did you hear anything this morning?”

  Anja shook her head. “With Eelis out hunting, I was too busy chasing the girls, who refused to change clothes, and making breakfast.”

  Cacey said nothing. Tears streaked her cheeks as she stood there, trembling.

  I approached her and took her into my arms. She quivered against me. “Anja, please bring me something that belongs to Tianna. A toy, her scarf, something.”

  She nodded and ran into the house.

  “I give you my word, I’ll find Tianna if I have to tear apart every inch of Finland.” I held her tight as she sobbed into my chest. The crying killed me as much as it left me feeling helpless. Nothing I said improved the situation. Normally, I’d run away as far as possible from weeping women, but now a crane couldn’t pry me from comforting Cacey. Dry her tears and find her daughter. Maybe I was going soft, but I didn’t give a shit as long as I could protect the girls.

  When Anja reappeared with a red sweater, I pressed the fabric to my nose, deeply inhaling. Perspiration and sweet clementine. Beneath that lay Tianna’s wolf—the distinct fragrance of fresh kindling spiked with juniper—as unique as a fingerprint.

  I handed the sweater back to Anja and sifted through the surrounding smells—the fireplace smoke from the chimney, vanilla rice pudding. Amid them wafted Tianna’s scent.

  “I’m coming with you.” Cacey’s lips clamped together in a mutinous line.

  “No, you’re not. Stay here in case she returns.” Before I lost Tianna’s scent, I called to my wolf and shifted, ready to do what I’d trained for my entire life. Brute force and tracking down enemies were my forte.

  No hesitation. No emotions. Just hunting.

  I swerved around the house and bulleted into the forest.

  Twenty yards away, the repetitive taps of paws on snow found me. I skidded to a halt near a gigantic birch tree dripping with icicles, my muscles taut. The breeze carried the familiar sweet honeysuckle perfume, enveloping me. A growl rumbled in my chest as Cacey thundered closer. When she halted, snow covered my face from her momentum. Thanks.

  For a wild moment, I had believed she might stay put, but her lifted chin and pointy ears proved me wrong. Blood matted her fur below her neck from the earlier knife wound. Until we found her daughter, she’d refuse any aid. I couldn’t help but admire her tenacity and determination. Many others would crumble.

  I nudged my head along her ribs and released a low-pitched growl, the kind I’d use with the pack under my command. Follow me, and we’ll be fine.

  Unfazed, she catapulted forward. I chased her.

  I filled my lungs with fresh air, confirming Tianna had headed southeast. The faint horizon glow offered me enough light to penetrate the dark forest. Keeping a vigilant ear on Cacey, we stormed ahead.

  When my lungs couldn’t take it any longer, we came to a stop. Cacey’s chest heaved with each inhale.

  I claimed my human side, the warmth vanishing as my wolf receded deeper within me. My bones realigned, my skin stretched, and I shook away the last bit of wolf with the barest amount of pain. Wulfkin were resilient that way.

  She followed my lead. “We’ve been running in circles for half an hour. I can’t detect Tianna anymore.” Her words labored while her fisted hands pressed to her stomach.

  I took her into an embrace to chase the chill from of her body. “Look, return to the house, and I’ll keep tracking.” I hunted better alone, no need to worry about her.

  “No.” She ripped free from my hold and stumbled back a few steps, her cheeks red and her chin shivering. “I’ll die before I stop searching for my little girl.”

  Her stifled voice had my throat tightening, reminding me the time one of the wulfkin training under me lost his father to a bear attack. Despite his loss, the young wulfkin refused to a take even a day off, insisting that if he remained behind, he’d drown in grief.

  “Fine. But there wasn’t a struggle. Your daughter didn’t scream, or Anja would have heard her.”

  Cacey’s gaze narrowed as she focused on the trees, still hugging herself. “I rarely let her see Daan and me arguing. Or the time he twisted my arm so hard he snapped my wrist, or the multitude of other incidents. She has little reason to fear her father.” Her response hardened as if putting up a wall. “But make no mistake. Tianna’s in danger, and the only reason Daan’s interested in her is to make me suffer.”

  The blend of hatred and dread lacing her voice was a hand around my heart, squeezing. No one ought to live with such fear, ever, and any male who harmed a female deserved worse than death.

  Rubbing my arms from the chill settling into my flesh, I paced between two trees to keep warm. “Okay, so where did they go? Daan’s on a snowmobile, and he’ll try to take your daughter as far away from you as possible. He’s not stupid; he knows you’ll hunt him, and—”

  “And he won’t want to scare Tianna because that draws attention.” The wintery wind froze me, and I no longer felt my toes.

  Her eyes widened. “She wouldn’t leave to return with Daan to Denmark. Unless . . . I’m such an idiot.” Her words drifted on the breeze, and her body vibrated with the transformation back into a wolf. Within seconds, she wore her golden pelt with white stripes and sprinted past me.

  “Yeah, don’t share your plan with me.” I jumped into my wolf body, and in no time, I found her darting through the woods. Wherever she headed was a start, a clue. I hoped we picked up her daughter’s trail there.

  After another long run, I caught the glittering twinkle of lights ahead. We’d reached the city of Rovaniemi. The place was massive. If I were Daan, I’d return to my hometown. Or a familiar location where I could hide with Tianna.

  Cacey took a sharp right, away from the grunting of engines and the pungent stink of humans.

  When we came to a dead stop, we stood in front of a sea of cottages. The terra-cotta buildings reminded me of gingerbread houses topped with icing. My stomach groaned for food. I pushed aside the instinct. Eating could come later.

  Soft orange light glowed from several windows. Must be the slow tourist season in Santa’s Village. Cacey had mentioned her daughter dreamt of experiencing her first Christmas in Susi. But did she believe her ex would bring her here?

  If he had made Tianna such a promise, he wouldn’t keep his word. Scum rarely did. But with the desperation behind Cacey’s eyes, who was I to rip away her hope? Besides, we had no other clues, so we’d do this. But the first point of order: clothes.

  I studied her as she focused on a house where a family was emerging onto the front porch. Beyond them lay the main road with a parked bus. Tourists started early in the morning in Santa’s Village. Several square buildings made of stone and wood were visible in the distance. Each had elongated pitched roofs, decorated with strings of fai
ry lights. On our right, lines of Christmas trees stood like wooden soldiers, leading into Santa’s Village.

  I nudged Cacey to follow me. If Daan was here, I’d sniff him out. We trailed the outer rim of the tourist houses. The pine needles carpeting the snowy ground cushioned my soles. When we reached the main road, Cacey stayed by my side. Her fur and warmth against me provided a strange sensation of protection that washed through me. As my wolf had claimed last night, she was ours; I knew it deep in my gut. Whether she agreed or not was a different matter, but right then I knew she meant more to me than any other female I’d met. Our wolves had connected on a primal level, and the notion of not being near her was like losing a limb.

  Nearby were no cars and humans. I sprinted across the road, Cacey on my heels.

  A scream.

  Shit. Was that Tianna? I shuddered but not from the cold.

  Over my shoulder, I locked eyes with a pear-shaped woman. She pressed a small child to her bosom, her voice a stringent alarm bell.

  Shit timing because being chased by humans wasn’t going to help us. If anything, it might alert Daan to our whereabouts. Cacey and I darted between two enormous pines surrounded by shrubs. Without the dark, we’d be outed quicker than leaping salmon in breeding season. We targeted a tiny tree-style house, painted in red and green stripes.

  A whistle echoed from behind, along with male voices and heavy footfalls.

  Fear ricocheted up my back. Any delay gave Daan more time to escape, and that wasn’t happening.

  I burst into a cluster of tall shrubbery, branches tugging my fur, poking me in the eyes. When I emerged on the other end, I froze. A towering metal fence blocked our path. I couldn’t scale it even as a human, especially with the curled barbed wire on top. Beyond it lay an army of trees: our salvation.

  Cacey whined and bumped into my side, then made a mad rush alongside the fence.

  Sounds behind us told me someone was closing in on our location. Two options: shift into humans and explain why we’re both naked . . . or run. The latter was my sort of plan. No time to be taken into custody for indecent exposure.

  “There they are!” a loud voice erupted.

  I twisted around for a quick glimpse. Two uniformed men with rifles rushed in our direction. Their presence was a nail scratching across my skull, reminding me of the danger they posed, their questions wasting time, Cacey falling apart.

  Up ahead, I sighted the elf houses again. I swung right and charged headfirst into the door. Hurt like a bitch, but didn’t open.

  Cacey snarled, and I jerked my attention her way as she vanished inside a similar hut. I scrambled in after her and rammed the door shut. The barest hint of light came through the tiny, fan-shaped windows. Shelves and boxes filled the large space, big enough for two or three people.

  I transformed, and Cacey did the same, our breaths on high speed. Her elbow bumped into a large box and knocked it off the ledge. My pulse thundered, and I leapt forward, but the box slipped through my hands.

  A loud crash resonated.

  I flinched. Dozens of plastic candy canes scattered across the floor and clattered, making enough noise to attract attention.

  “Over there,” a man said.

  My gaze swept the room. To my right, a pile of clothes covered a box. I grabbed pants and a shirt and tossed them to Cacey. In haste, I held the top over my head and forced it over my body, then reached for the slacks. Green? I struggled to pull them up my thighs and finally tugged the stretchy fabric over my hips and waist.

  The moment I turned around, I realized Cacey wore the same outfit—a freakin’ elf’s costume. I grabbed the huge box to fix the mess at the same moment the door burst open, guns pointed in our direction.

  I pushed in front of her, in case these humans were trigger-happy.

  “What are you doing in here?” the man with a handlebar mustache asked. The guy behind him shook his head, smirking.

  “We’re just taking a small break from work.” I lifted a hand, showing them my palm in a peaceful offering, but the moment I heard fabric rip, I dropped my arm. Elves apparently only came in one size—small.

  “I’m reporting this. We have designated lunch rooms for staff.”

  Fuck, that was the worst outcome. Looked like these guys were getting locked up in the elf house.

  Cacey slid in alongside me, her arm brushing against mine. “We’ll clean this up and return to work.”

  Handlebar guy stared at her, his gaze lingering over her body. Last thing we needed was security arresting us. “Wild wolves are in the park, and everyone’s been asked to help.”

  “We didn’t know.” Cacey’s eyes widened. “Thank you for warning us.”

  Handlebar guy nodded, but said, “Hurry it up and get out of here so we can lock the place.”

  I licked my lips, driving away the urge to lock these guys into this elf house while we escaped. “We’ll be out in a sec. Cut us some slack.”

  The second man gave me a once-over and shook his head. The long pause of silence squeezed my chest. “Get to work now.” The pair backed up and bolted away.

  “We need to leave before more security return.” Cacey shoved past me and vanished around the corner.

  Glancing at my clothes, I cringed. The frayed pants reached my knees, while the top rode up my stomach, creasing across the chest. “Hell.” I rummaged through the leftover outfits, tossing them on the ground. Nothing my size. Cacey wouldn’t wait for me, and I couldn’t let her face Daan alone.

  Fuck it. I dashed after her.

  Chapter Eleven

  CACEY

  Snow crunched beneath my borrowed boots from the elf shed. I sprinted past an oversized snowman and darted into the Santa Claus office building. A rope barricaded the stairs for Santa’s Toyshop to my right. The arched entry stood shut. Presents littered the foyer’s corners. Tianna loved the gift store every time we had visited, especially the miniature wooden doors covering the back wall. She insisted tiny folk lived inside, and the single thought of never experiencing this with her again was a noose around my neck. Each breath tightened the rope.

  Without a soul in sight, I rushed back outside where the elf costume I wore fluttered in the breeze, giving my skin a bluish cast from the cold.

  Wrapping my arms around my chest, I surveyed the empty path. White powder coated everything. A few people hurried into stores this early in the morning. Probably the guards ushering everyone inside from the wolf scare.

  “Where are you, baby?” A morning wind swished around me, bringing with it Vincent’s scent. I headed right and followed a foot-worn snow path dotted with Christmas trees. I passed a house made of ice. Tianna loved to run her hands over the smooth surface. And she’d do it again when we visited the village. No way would Daan win.

  I curled my hands into fists as the cold closed in around me. I hate you, Daan. My heart throbbed with dread. Would I ever see Tianna’s face again, hear her laughter, make her sausages and hash browns for breakfast? Listen to her ramble about the latest cartoon while she helped me slice the potatoes.

  A mock village with stores and Santa’s workshop lay farther along the path. Fairy lights adorned the houses, along with old-fashioned street lanterns, illuminating the darkness.

  Sounds of laughter floated through the air, light and chirpy.

  Tianna!

  My breath caught inside my lungs, and my sights homed on an enormous ornament in the shape of a Christmas bell. I rushed in that direction. The light scattering of snowflakes kissed my cheeks, but my chest tightened. I swung around the shiny red piece and came to a sudden halt in front of a man sitting on a bench with his two sons.

  Everything inside me shattered, and nausea swirled in my stomach. My knees wobbled. Tears smudged my cheeks as I trudged away, my limbs heavy, feeling as if I were alone in this world. My soul crushed, and all memories turned bittersweet.

  Movement at the corner of my eye caught my attention. Vincent sprinted past, his shirt riding up his sides as he ran.
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  He’d found something. I chased after him, passing the souvenir stores and various elf workshops. Every inhale and exhale quickened.

  In the distance, a figure in a black coat emerged from behind a reindeer merry-go-round. Daan! He hauled our daughter by an arm into the open. Her face was twisted in agony, her hair tucked into her beanie, making her look even smaller next to Daan’s six-foot frame. Her mouth opened, but a fit of sobbing sounds came out. She looked scared, but not alarmed.

  Rage overcame me. Any other time, I would have screamed. I flew toward them, my fingers tingling with the urgency to grab Tianna. Every emotion inside heightened on the avalanche of hatred and fear and anxiety crashing through me. I ran, and pain stabbed inside my head. Not a word or breath. I couldn’t.

  “You’re too old for this crap, and our kind doesn’t celebrate this stupidity. We’re leaving.” Daan’s demeaning voice reminded me of the numerous times he’d patronized me. But he had zero right to treat my daughter the same way. He yanked on her arm again.

  Vincent was closing in on Daan and Tianna.

  She still wore her pajama pants, the ones with wolves printed on them. She was dressed in her snow boots and a bomber jacket. Her dark hair fluttered beneath her red beanie with the pom-pom on top. “Don’t. It hurts. Mommy said you’re never too old for Christmas.”

  Although the wind bit at my face, I scrambled closer, disregarding the pain. My body tingled to take Tianna into an embrace for eternity.

  “Well, your mom’s a—” Daan’s head jerked in Vincent’s direction, his hunched form frozen.

  Tianna twisted free from Daan’s grasp and stared my way, a smile tugging her lips upward. “Mommy’s here. Mommy!” She waved a hand.

  Daan stood, his shoulders squared, mouth parted for a smidgen of a second. His hand grasped Tianna’s, and he dragged her behind him. Her screams were blades to my heart as she lost her footing and fell. Daan wasn’t releasing his hold. Her tiny body flipped and bounced across the snow as he broke into a run.