The Haunting of the Mountain (Mountain Men of Whispering Winds #9)

2. Stone

Chapter 2

Stone

“What the fuck?” I mutter under my breath as I rub at my chest, dropping my pack onto the ground. Whatever hit me wasn’t heavy, but it was pointy and that sucker hit me square in the nipple.

I pat my chest, my nipple screaming and throbbing against my shirt. It’s wet. But so is the rest of me. Jesus, am I bleeding? Who the hell was that? And why does it look like I just walked in on some satanic ritual? Why are there so many candles?

My entire cabin might go into flames if I make one misstep. I bend down, grabbing whatever the hell struck me in the tit.

“Ouija board. Great.”

I stand back up, sighing as I survey my cabin. It’s not the first time I’ve returned to some unwanted guests. My nephew is supposed to look after it while I’m on extended hunting or guide trips. Guess he wasn’t expecting me to come back early. Neither was I, but I didn’t want to get caught in this storm. I’ll be speaking with him after I figure this situation out.

Something falls behind the door in my bedroom, and the intruder mutters something I can’t make out. I scrub my beard and stand up, heading toward the rocking chair. This is the last thing I want to deal with. All I want is a good night’s sleep but it’s not in the cards for me.

Something crinkles beneath me as I sit down. I pay it no mind, unlacing my boots. Just as I begin removing one boot, it crinkles again. My imagination gets the better of me and I reach for it.

“ Jesus, ” I sputter when I see the weird fucking doll in my hand, launching it across the room, regretting my decision immediately when it strikes a couple of candles and knocks them over.

I hop to my feet, struggling to move with one boot on and the other half off. I swear if I roll my ankle or this cabin burns down…

Thankfully, neither happens. I right the downed candles and then toss the creepy ass doll back onto the rocking chair.

After finally pulling off my boots, I sink my face into my hands and rub, trying to wake myself up from this dream. Who the hell did my nephew invite here? What insane ritual are they trying to perform with the Ouija board and doll, well past midnight and with more candles than some religious vigil? Halloween brings out the crazies, and I think I’m stuck inside with one.

I drop my boots at the door and then lock it as thunder shakes the cabin walls. I might be making a mistake locking myself up with whoever this is. I’ve fought beasts before but this is different. And as I make my way to my bedroom, carefully navigating the maze of candles, I’m getting a little nervous.

I pause at the door. The cabin is too quiet. All I hear is the wind and rain slamming against the cabin. I knock and then chuckle softly. Can’t believe I’m knocking on the door like I’m a visitor. There’s no response, so I knock again.

“Hello?”

“Stay away,” I hear faintly. “I-I’ve got a camera.”

The hairs on my neck and arms stand up, tingling at the sound of her voice. It’s sweet and feminine and does a number on my body. I swallow but my mouth is bone dry. It takes me a couple of seconds to refocus.

“A camera?” I pause as a smile forms on my lips. “Mind if I brush my beard before you photograph me to death?”

My heart starts pumping, anticipating a response. No. Needing one. I want to hear that voice again but I’m met with silence.

“Look,” I say, scratching my head. “This is my cabin. I don’t know what my nephew told you. I’m not exactly sure what you’re doing here with your Ouija board and creepy doll but I’ve had a long day. You bloodied my nipple and the only way…” I pause because I get a funny feeling. I press my ear against the door and it sounds like the storm’s inside the cabin.

I rattle the door handle but it’s locked. No matter. The door doesn’t lock fully. All I need to do is shake it and the latch should… click.

I push open the door but she’s gone. The window is open, and I can vaguely make out a slight figure running toward the tree line and it sends my heart into overdrive. She’s going to kill herself out there.

I rush for the window, barely stopping myself from diving through it. Knowing my luck, I’d knock myself out. Break my shoulder. And I can’t have that when she’s out there. After a little grunting and maneuvering, I fall on my face in the cold, wet grass.

I make it to my feet, still bare, but I don’t mind and race after the girl. My heart lurches when I see her slip and fall, crying out as I close the gap and slide onto my knees next to her.

“Jesus, are you trying to get yourself killed?” I rasp through ragged breaths as I scan the parts of her that I can see for injuries.

She’s soaked to the bone, shivering with her back turned to me as she clutches her leg.

I reach for her shoulder and pull, and when I see her face, I can’t breathe. It’s dark out here, but I swear I’m staring at an angel. She’s gorgeous. Fucking beautiful with her pale skin and cherry lips and eyes so blue I swear they’re ice. But the look she’s giving me is anything but icy. It’s fiery and I feel the burn spread all over me.

“The exact opposite, actually” she gusts, trying to push herself away from me.

I grab her by the ankles, riveting her in place. “Could’ve fooled me. You’d freeze to death out there in this weather.”

She struggles against my grip but I’m not letting her go.

Never letting her go . She’s mine.

The voice shoots out from the depths of me. It startles me enough that I loosen my grip, and then again when I’m shot in the eyes with something liquid.

“Holy water,” she screams, tossing a squirt gun at me as she breaks free.

When I finally wipe the water out of my eyes, I see a blurry outline of her, hobbling off into the forest like she’s in some horror movie.

I pound the ground and then stand up. I consider calling after her, but it’s clear nothing I can say will change her mind. No matter. I’ll have to take a more direct approach to protect her.

“Let. Me. GO!” the girl screams, banging on my back as I carry her up the steps to my cabin.

I grunt a response. Not going to waste breath until she’s inside. Need to get her out of those wet clothes, clean her up, and make sure she’s not hurt. Once she’s warm and taken care of, we’ll figure things out. I might even share some of that cobbler I’ve been saving with her.

“You’ll never get away with it,” she says as I unlock and then open the door, slamming it shut with my foot.

I shake my head. “With what? Saving your life?”

“Saving my life?” She thumps me again.

“Could you stop that?”

She groans. “You’re the one who’s trying to kill me.”

Sighing, I turn around, bolt the door, and then set her gently down on the couch before heading to the kitchen. I flip the light on and grab the kettle, filling it with water.

“I’ve got peppermint or chamomile. Have a preference?”

I turn my head to meet her gaze and my slight annoyance fades. She’s far more beautiful in the light. She’s more than an angel. She’s a gift. A precious, shivering gift that needs to be taken care of.

She opens her mouth but doesn’t respond, closing it a few seconds later.

“Peppermint it is,” I say, retrieving a couple of tea bags from the cabinet and plopping them into mugs.

When I glance back at her, she’s moved one cushion closer to me. Progress.

“I think we might’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.”

My pant legs slosh and my wet feet stick against the wood floor as I move toward her.

“Maybe,” she says, reluctantly. “Are you going to kill me?”

I snort. She’s got an active imagination, but I don’t blame her. It’s a long way to civilization, and I’m not a small man. A few of my clients have joked that if I trace my lineage far enough, I might find a missing link to Bigfoot.

And when I head into Whispering Winds, I notice how some people look. Tourists mostly. They’re not accustomed to the men who live up in the wildlands of the mountain. We’re a rough breed. Big. More beast than man.

“If I’m a killer, I’m doing a poor job of it. But…” My words catch in my throat. Her scent is intoxicating. Incapacitating. I’m at her mercy. And those lips—the way her teeth drag across at them as she scans me…

One taste. Just one ? —

I shake my head, sighing as I sit next to her.

“You’re the one who broke into my cabin. I’m not the one on trial here.” I can feel her eyes bore into the side of my face. “And that ritual you were doing?” I gesture at the candles. “I think I’m the one who should be worried.”

“I didn’t break in.”

I turn to meet her gaze, her cheeks flushing as she lowers her head. Glad to see some color return, but I’d like to see more.

“I booked this place online. Well, my friend did. Who I can call at any moment,” she adds quickly, and then for good measure. “She knows about you.”

I snort. “Yeah? Pretty sure your cell phone has been sitting right there this whole time.”

I gesture to the phone and for a brief moment, I think she might lunge for it.

“Feel free. But there’s rarely cell service here. And with a storm like this? Not a chance.”

I lean back, rubbing my beard as I watch her in my periphery like she’s a scared stray. I don’t want to spook her. All I want is to get her out of her clothes. Get her warmed up in a hot shower. Tend to that leg. It’s driving me crazy that I can’t get close enough to her without her cringing away.

“So, I guess I’m stuck inside a cabin with a friendly killer.”

I swallow.

“And I’m stuck inside my cabin with a cultist.”

She snorts. “That wasn’t a ritual. Okay, the candles and Ouija board might’ve been a little over the top.”

“And that creepy doll?”

“That thing was forced onto me. I want nothing to do with it.”

That’s a little more reassuring. Although, I wouldn’t mind if she was part of a cult. Sign me up if it means I’ll be with her a little longer.

She hops off of the couch. I nearly rush after her, thinking she’s risking another escape but then she returns, thrusting the doll at me.

“Burn it.”

“And have it come crawling out in the middle of the night trying to find me?”

“It will make me feel a little safer,” she says.

That voice. That damn voice is my weakness. It’s so sweet and sexy and paired with her gorgeous face and—I swallow. I shouldn’t be thinking about her like this. We just met. She still hasn’t told me why she’s here. And she’s way too young. Not to mention, she’s not sticking around.

I take the doll as I stand. Our bodies brush and I breathe in her scent fully as she lets out a soft gasp. My mind damn near blanks. I’ve barely touched her and my body is firing on all cylinders. I’ve never felt so alive. Not even a night sleeping under the stars makes me feel like this. Nothing…

But then I remember the doll in my hand and I move past my girl. My girl. I’m already trying to claim her. I’m done for.

My fingers wrap around the handle on the wood stove. It whines as I turn it, wrenching it open. I toss in the doll, close the door, and then glance over my shoulder. “The curse has been lifted.”

I turn back around, watching the doll begin to smolder, feeding the dying embers as she chuckles softly behind me. When I turn, I see a smile. The first smile on her face. It makes her more heartrendingly beautiful. A surge of protectiveness fills my chest. I need to get her out of those clothes. Need her warm and dry. Need her… I need to calm down.

“Thanks,” she says softly before shivering.

Another jolt. Another wave. “Get out of those clothes.” It comes out before I have the chance to even think. Shit. I growled that too.

She knits her eyebrows together as the rest of her face scrunches.

Yeah, I’m an idiot, but I dare any man not to be in the presence of this girl. I can barely think let alone speak as I stare at the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Her expression transforms into a playful one, and I can breathe again. “That’s a little forward,” she says.

I clear my throat. “I meant you should get out of those wet clothes. You’re shivering.” I nod to my bedroom. “Shower’s over there. I’ll get you something to eat while you warm up.”

“I ate earlier.”

“How about some dessert?”

My voice is low and rough. I’m fighting to keep my eyes from following the curve of her slender neck, down her chest, rising and falling, and across the rest of her body and signaling the kind of dessert I’m thinking of right now.

But I can’t help myself. I allow myself a glance and it sends an electric charge through me, sizzling and burning and settling high in my stomach.

“Dessert sounds great.” She bites her lip, and for a brief moment, I think she’s the one sizing me up.

Take a look, sweetheart. Take whatever you want because it’s yours.

I don’t know if it’s the lack of sleep, the long trek through the mountain in the storm, or finding my cabin inhabited by a stranger that’s making me feel so crazy. I don’t even know her name.

I grunt in response because I don’t trust myself to speak anymore. She moves past me and I breathe in her heavenly scent, leaving me all wobbly. Another breath like that and I’ll be on my knees.

“I’m Kyla, by the way,” she says, pausing in the doorway.

“Stone,” I grit out.

She stares at me. “Stone?”

I nod. “Have a brother named Flint. Another named Bull. Short for Boulder, of course.”

“Of course,” Kyla says, shaking her head, smiling. “Naturally,” she mutters to herself before turning around. She glances back at me once before disappearing behind the bedroom door.

I blink and I can see her silhouette in my mind. As I hear her wet clothes hit the floor with a thump and the soft pad of her feet against the floor, my mind runs wild.

Her curves, every irresistible inch, taunt me like a mirage. There’s nothing here, and I’m a fool to think otherwise.

I should take her back to town tomorrow. Reclaim my cabin. But the truth of it is that I don’t want her to leave. And the only thing I want to claim is her.