Lycan Christmas by S. Yule (best contemporary novels txt) 📗

through the thick treetops. Was he capable of harming others for the sheer pleasure of it? Had he hurt others for amusement? A shiver slid down her spine, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind was adamant that he wouldn’t do such a thing.

Then again, she did like to believe only good things about others. She barely kept a snort from escaping. Maybe she was being a naive fool, but the one thing she could count on was Knox and Rose. They’d never let her near, much less be alone with, Lorent if he was a danger to her. No. He was a man who’d been led down the wrong road in life, probably born into unfortunate circumstances. He had proven by coming to Sanctuary that he wanted to change, that he knew what he’d represented as a rogue had been wrong. He’d made bad choices, and he deserved a second chance.

As her cabin came into view, she turned to him. “Thank you for walking me home.”

He shook his head. “I will see you all the way to your door.”

“Okay.” Well, he had the honorable thing going for him.

A couple dozen more steps and they were at her front door. She turned to him again, and he’d already started away from her.

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Lycan Christmas

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“Lorent?” She waited for him to turn back to her before continuing.

“Would you mind stopping by here tomorrow afternoon so I can walk with you to the Learning Center? I don’t know where it is.”

He nodded. “I’ll be here at one.”

“Thank you.” She watched until he disappeared into the darkened tree line, then peered up at the sky.

The moon hung low and peeked through the thick boughs of the evergreens. Its glimmering, silvery light danced between the branches as they blew in the soft breeze. She shivered. Skirts were not going to be an option for much longer, and she was surprised she’d been able to get away with it tonight after hearing the stories Knox and Rose weaved about the dreadful winters in Michigan.

The breeze picked up, and she wondered if Mother Nature had gotten sidetracked, forgotten it was winter, and was now preparing to remedy the situation with a vengeance. She really didn’t mind the snow—when she was sitting inside a cozy, warm room, sipping hot chocolate, and admiring it from a well-insulated window. However, she would make an effort to embrace it, give it a chance since this would be her life from now until the foreseeable future.

She made her way inside, closed the door, and went to let Puss out of the bedroom. She reached down and picked up the fluffy ball of fur. Puss cuddled close to her chest and started purring.

“Aw, you missed me, huh?”

She stroked the cat on the head and carried her to the kitchen before setting her down. She got a bowl from the cabinet, filled it with water, and put it on the floor for Puss. After rummaging in the fridge—which was stocked surprisingly well—she got out the fixings for a ham sandwich. She found plates in the cabinet and slathered mustard on some wheat bread before piling on the ham, cheese, and lettuce. Once she put everything up and poured a glass of milk, she sat at the small pecan-colored table and began to eat.

Puss sat and watched her, licking her lips every time Melony took a bite.

“Have patience. Yours is coming in just a minute.”

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Lycan Christmas

S. K. Yule

She finished eating, positioned some of the ham she’d placed on the side of the plate when she’d made her sandwich in the middle, and set it on the floor, where Puss began to eat with gusto.

“Hungry, huh? I guess you’re going to get fat here, since you’re probably going to be eating people food mostly.”

She vowed to make sure Puss got a variety of things that were good for her. The ham would suffice until tomorrow. She smiled when Puss finished her meal and sat down to clean her paws. Her pink tongue darted out and in, not missing one tiny spot on or between her toes. Cats were persnickety about certain things, cleanliness being one of them.

She picked up the empty plate, put it in the sink, and started off down the hall, Puss close on her heels. “Let’s go to bed.”

As she lay in the dark room a while later, Puss curled up at her side, she tried to imagine what her life would be like at Sanctuary, but even her imagination wasn’t that big. She drifted off to sleep thinking about how nice it was going to be to have family and friends around.

* * * *

Lorent stood in the deep shadows of the forest watching Melony’s cabin.

The lights had gone out a few moments ago, and he wondered if she was in bed, wondered if she was thinking of him. Why the hell would she be thinking of you? He’d barely spoken a word to her, not because he hadn’t wanted to, but because he was afraid of what would happen if he allowed himself to get too comfortable with her.

When she’d gazed up at the trees earlier before going into her cabin, she’d seemed as mesmerized by their beauty as he was by hers. How could he be destined to spend his life with someone as sweet as Melony? She didn’t deserve the likes of him.

When he’d walked her home, he’d tried hard not to let her scent—the scent that called only to him—tantalize, entice, and fool him into believing he was worthy of her. But his heart, his soul, his wolf refused to listen. They wanted her with a fierceness that bordered on the line of insanity, but his 34

Lycan Christmas

S. K. Yule

brain—always in the background chattering—had argued that he wasn’t right for her. He was petrified that giving in to his emotions and pursuing her would ultimately lead to hurting