He’d said they would spend the night in a cabin. But this was no cabin.

The two-story house was made from logs, but it was large enough to accommodate a family. Darcy climbed out of the truck as Adrian parked.

At the entrance, Adrian jingled the keys in his hand. “Ironic, you and I being here. I’ve fantasized about this for some time.” His mouth flattened. “Of course, I did not anticipate being with you here to carry out this kind of assignment. But we are here now.”

He opened the door, brought their suitcases inside and then returned for the four bags of groceries he’d bought on their way here.

Then he flicked a light switch and stepped aside to let her in.

Darcy’s breath hitched with wonder as she explored. She’d expected a rustic shack with running water (when it rained) and rough-hewn furniture.

The cabin had oak flooring and a kitchen with yellow cabinets and floral curtains, big enough for a white table and four chairs. Big picture windows in the living room overlooked the sweeping valley below and the snow-dusted pines surrounding the cabin.

Tufted leather furniture was arranged in front of a river rock fireplace. As Adrian went around turning on this and checking that, Darcy fished her most precious possession out of her overnight bag and set it on the mantel. It looked like…home. All it needed was a Christmas tree and brightly wrapped gifts beneath it.

A real home, where she could kick off her shoes at night, bake chocolate cakes and lie in bed at night with the window open, listening to the snow fall. And then make mugs of hot chocolate and snuggle after a long, slow bout of lovemaking.

Adrian’s intent gaze met hers, as if he saw into her mind. “Do you like it?”

Darcy cleared her throat. “It’s very sweet. Why did you build this?”

His gaze remained guarded. “I was hoping to come here with you one day. It’s lovely in the winter.”

Whoa, that was not what she’d expected. Damn it, the wolf knew how to hit her weak spot. Flowers and flattery never did her in, and neither did jewels or luxury items.

But sweet house, with a yellow kitchen and floral curtains at the window—yeah, that hit the spot.

“The heat is all gas.” He pointed to the window in the dining room. “Tank’s outside. It will take an hour to fully heat the place. I’ll make a fire in the meantime. You’re shivering.”

But not from the cold. Delighted with the house, she tried to play it cool. “A lot of money to spend on chasing a dream.”

“Dreams are the fabric of every life. They’re especially important when all your hopes have shattered.” Adrian gazed up at the skylight. “Those first few months I spent forming my own pack, my dreams kept us alive and pushing forward.”

“Your strength and your determination to keep them safe and protected, kept them alive,” she said softly. “You were the perfect alpha to lead Lupines damaged by their former lives.”

“A wolf therapist. Pull up a sofa.” Adrian rolled his eyes and she laughed.

“You sealed the deal for those under your care, Adrian. Life knocked you down, and you got back up and made it even better.”

“Thanks to you. You saved my life,” he murmured, cupping her cheek.

Darcy ducked beneath his touch. He had an unsettling effect on her, throwing her off balance. “We had a rather dramatic meet cute, that’s all. I did what I was assigned to do. You’ve been harboring feelings for your rescuer because of the intensity of what happened ten years ago.”

“I’m no fool, Darcy. Nor am I some pup with a crush. What’s between us is real and lasting.”

Deep inside, she wished it could last. “Maybe it’s real,” she admitted. “But nothing lasts forever.”

Adrian piled logs and kindling into the fireplace then ignited them. Flames crackled, loaning a cozy warmth to the living room. He stood, dusting off his hands.

“What’s your ideal life? If you could have one dream fulfilled, what would you have?”

Adrian’s voice remained gentle, almost tender. Instead of answering, she went to the mantel and picked up the dog statue.

The statue had been a gift from a family she’d helped, and Darcy cherished it. Cheap, perhaps, but priceless to her because it reminded her of her best summer.

Darcy closed her eyes, remembering the Fae family she’d aided in the Midwest. They’d been scared because their crotchety Skin neighbor had been on the back porch looking through the screen door and saw the mother using white light to heal her son’s lacerated hand. Rumors started to spread.

The family didn’t want to leave. Yeah, they’d gotten careless, but they were tired of being on the move, and the trees in the nearby forest needed their energy to overcome a nasty case of fungus. So Danu had sent Darcy to help abate the rumors. The cranky, nosey neighbor was lonely. Loved dogs and his dog had died a few weeks earlier.

She’d joined the family as a big, goofy Golden Retriever that always got loose and ran into the cranky old timer’s yard and into his house. He’d softened like butter, and three months later, the Fae family and the old timer became fast friends.

She ran away for good after that, leaving the Fae family to pretend mourn, adopt a new dog and coax the old timer into adopting one as well. But wow, those three months living in the heartland of America had been the best.

Darcy knew her dream. Farmland. Iowa, maybe. Fields of corn, big, tall trees that burst into bloom each spring and shed color in the autumn. Small town, where kids jump rope in the street, there’s still a mom and pop drugstore and the local barber where you go to get a quick haircut. Retirees sitting in chairs in front of shops, kids bike riding to school or to their friend’s homes. Red brick buildings, friendly Labradors running alongside their owners as they go jogging. A two-story house with a wood bannister you can slide down, sun streaming through the living room and a front porch with a built-in swing where you can sip a cool iced tea late afternoon or coffee in the morning.

Purple African violets on the windowsill of the yellow kitchen, a screen door in the back that was always banging shut after someone ran outside to play baseball or grab a cold drink. Tin canisters on the counter, shelving for cookbooks with pages smeared with flour, floral curtains at the window, ivy plants topping the yellow cabinets.

Darcy opened her eyes. She set the dog back on the fireplace mantel.

Adrian ran his thumb down her cheek, evoking a shiver of delight from her. For a wild moment, she envisioned herself living with a Lupine like Adrian. A real home instead of hopping from place to place. Maybe a little job, working as a gardener, cutting back bushes and tending flower beds. Someplace to settle down, with a strong, willful, but good-hearted male to hold close, to make love with every night and wake up to each morning.

Never had she felt like this before.

Darcy tired of being alone, roving from city to city, never having anything to call her own except one small bag usually kept in storage.

Hiding her feelings, she gave a small shrug. “What do dreams matter? I made the choice to accept my life and help Others in need. This is my life, Adrian. I’m never going to settle down. It’s impossible.”

Surely her declaration would push him away. But not Adrian.

“Nothing is impossible. If it’s your heart’s desire, it can be accomplished. Danu could free you from your duties. Simply ask.” The strokes down her cheek increased in tempo. “I’ll help you.”

He could not get past the idea that she’d never be his mate. Or anything special to him. It hurt deeply to think she would remain an outsider to everyone else her entire life. And if Adrian knew her roots, he’d never speak to her again. Or worse.

“I don’t mean to seem rude, but I don’t need your help.” Darcy tore away from his grasp, her mouth wobbling. Every bone in her body cried out for his touch. Adrian was pure male strength, a big alpha who could crush cars with his hands. Sex with him would be incredible.

Adrian would no more hurt a woman than he’d kill a puppy. It wasn’t in him.

Neither was it in him to be a loner. He headed a pack, carried the responsibility of overseeing more than one hundred lives. Adrian could never understand her need for solitude, to get away from the noise of life and retreat into a forest to listen to the wind rustle the pine boughs.

Night had started to fall outside. Another shiver wracked her and not from the cold. They didn’t know what awaited them tomorrow in the mine. She felt confident of retrieving the snow crystal he sought, but what if Lars had not truly died?

Adrian rubbed her arms, his grip light against her black-and-white sweater. “You’re cold. Come, let’s eat and get something hot inside you.”

I could think of something that would warm me from the inside out. Her gaze dropped to his groin, and she bit her lip. Need tunneled through her, the more biting need of sexual arousal than pure physical hunger.

As he walked into the kitchen, she remained behind to admire his ass. Adrian had a gorgeous ass, molded and firm. Denim fabric stretched tight against it, squeezing it with every graceful stride. Darcy had an uncontrollable urge to snuggle against him, cup and knead his oh-so-fine butt with her hands. Even better naked. Naked in bed, all that male muscle and strength atop her, his powerful thighs nudged between hers, the slick slide of his thick cock into her…

At the doorway, Adrian paused. Turned. A knowing gleam ignited his gaze. “Getting hot in here, Darcy. Very hot. Especially for the amount of clothing you are wearing.”

She sputtered. “I’m fine.”

“You would feel even better in the bedroom. Under the covers. With me.”

Surely he could not read minds. But he was an alpha Lupine, and scent was part of his nature. Maybe she should have morphed into another lifeform to hide her growing arousal and attraction to him.

“Do you like cats?”

Adrian’s nose wrinkled. “No. Why?”

“Maybe I’ll turn into a cat when you start annoying me. What’s for dinner?”

He gestured to the stove. “Roast lamb with mint.”

“You’re a good cook. Maybe some time you can rustle me up stir-fried shrimp. My favorite.”

“My pleasure.” He bowed his head.

“With lots of curry.”

His nose wrinkled. “Curry? I’m afraid not, Darcy. Curry and I do not get along.”

“Too bad. You don’t know what you’re missing.” She dug into the groceries she’d insisted on helping him purchase and withdrew a bag of corn chips. Darcy ripped open the cover and began munching. She held one out to him.

Adrian shook his head. “Do you know what that does to your insides? There’s enough oil on those to make kindling.”

He snatched the bag from her and marched into the living room.

“Hey, that’s my snack!” she protested.

After removing a chip from the bag, he tossed it into the fireplace. Flames licked the chip and then eagerly consumed it as much as Darcy had.

She gave him a pointed look. “I’m not going to swallow a lit match, so you don’t have to worry about my insides burning up. I like junk food.”

“How a sprite like you survives on barbecued cardboard and oil is beyond me,” he murmured. “Stick with me, and I’ll serve you real food that will make you forget where the chip aisle is.”

In no time, he’d seasoned and prepared the roast lamb, and the smell drifted through the kitchen. He’d added new potatoes to the oven while she made a salad. Raising a brow at the carrots and cucumbers she added, he remarked, “Real vegetables, Darcy? Not chips?”

“Up yours,” she retorted with cheer, though her stomach tightened. Food was a delicate issue with her shifting. Too much of the wrong food and she’d struggle to accommodate a different animal body.

Without making a quick trip to drink the magick potion that enabled her to easily transform, shifting presented a real challenge. But she couldn’t risk a trip now, not under his watchful eye.

While dinner cooked, they went into the living room to look over the map Adrian provided of the abandoned town and the mine. Darcy didn’t like that the mine had one entrance. One exit. If they ran into trouble, they were sitting ducks.

“Are you sure you hid the snow crystal in the back of the mine?” At his nod, she sighed. “And of course you hid it near Lars’s body.”

“No, his body is here.” Adrian leaned forward, pointed to a side shaft. “It’s a long drop down and filled with water. He’s probably rotted by now.”

Maybe. In her thirty-four years, Darcy had learned to never take anything for granted, especially the magick of a powerful alpha who’d originated in the Dark Kingdom. Lupines who’d lived there had exercised their powers and honed them as ninjas sharpened their swords. They were more lethal, and unpredictable, than Lupines who lived among Skins and learned to control their magick and show restraint.

“How long will it take to get to the mine?” Judging from the snowfall outside and the shrinking daylight, they would be under a tight deadline.

“A couple of hours.” Adrian leaned back, firelight casting shadows on his handsome face, his taut jaw. “We leave in the morning. I don’t know how bad the mountain road is. If the snowmobile doesn’t work, we’ll have to go on foot for a couple of miles. There are snowshoes in the back shed.”

Good thing she was in great shape and enjoyed hiking.

“They’ll come in handy. Do you still have that short sword you bought?”

“Packed it in my carryon. Concealed with magick so security didn’t see it.” Adrian gave a lazy stretch.

“Wish I’d have packed more than my knife,” she mused.

He laughed. “My little bloodthirsty warrior.”

Darcy stiffened. “Sorry, I’m practical. In my work, I run into all kinds of threats, unlike the polished females of your pack who think breaking a nail is cause for worry.”

His fingers tunneled through her hair as he drew closer. “Pearls and designer dresses versus jeans and hiking boots. You’d look elegant in anything, but I prefer you just the way you are.” Adrian’s voice dropped to a husky whisper. “Even better in the suit you were born in, lying in my bed beneath the flannel sheets. I would keep you very warm, Darcy.”

She gave a singularly sweet smile. “Adrian, honey.”

“Yes?” He leaned closer still.

“You’re dinging.”

The timer chimed again. Muttering a curse, he sprang up and dashed into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, they dined on Adrian’s gourmet-cooked lamb, which was roasted to perfection. He added a bottle of sparkling water, knowing she preferred not to drink before an assignment.

Darcy reached for her glass. “So, alpha, who does the crystal belong to? Why all this fuss?”

He patted his mouth with the linen napkin. “It belongs to Peggy.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “And?”

Adrian set down his fork, his expression somber. “Peggy’s slowly dying, Darce. It’s her last wish that the gem is returned to her. It contains great magick and is powerful enough to help prolong her life.”

The delicious lamb turned to cardboard in her mouth. Darcy swallowed the mouthful. “Oh, Adrian, I’m so sorry.”

His jaw turned to stone. “I made a promise to her, Darce. I promised I would deliver the crystal to her personally. I wouldn’t risk your life, but you’re the only one I know who has the capacity to find it in your other form.”

Humbled by his devotion to an elder, she swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I am honored to help, Adrian. Anything for Peggy.”

His mouth quirked in a faint smile. “Thank you.”

After dinner, when the dishes were stacked in the washer, he made hot chocolate and brought it out to the living room. For a few minutes, they sat in comfortable silence.

“This is nice.” She sighed. Snow outside, a roaring fire inside, hot chocolate and Adrian, his muscled body clad in a green cable knit sweater, jeans, and socks on his feet.

He set down his mug on the coffee table. Slid an arm around her. Darcy’s breath hitched but not from alarm.

“Could you see yourself settling down with me?” He nuzzled her neck, his warm breath tickling her ear. “Making a home, a life, with myself and the pack? I would always take good care of you, Darcy.”

Gods, he smelled so good, felt so good, his hard body next to hers. For once, she wanted to throw caution to the winds. Damn the consequences. She’d spent all her adult life thinking of others, doing everything to help them.

It was time to help herself. She wanted this, wanted him.

Adrian’s voice dropped into a sexy murmur. “What do you think, Darce?”

She considered. Stroked a hand from his chest down to the waistband of his jeans. Up again.

“I think it’s time we went to bed.” She toyed with a lock of his black hair. “But not to sleep.”