Julia Robillard threw her duffle bag into the trunk of her car and looked up. Snow clouds had moved into the smoke colored sky and a chill chased the scent of snow on the air. As long as it held off until she got to Waldron Valley, she didn’t care what the weather did. The sooner she got on the road, the sooner she could get this trip over with. She slammed the trunk shut and looked up to see her sister, Diana, running toward her dressed in only a sweatshirt and jeans with a black case clutched in her hands. What was she doing out in the parking lot dressed like she was lounging in the living room?

“Go back to the apartment before you freeze. I thought we said our goodbyes already.” Julia smiled at her to soften the exasperated tone that came out of her mouth. She was late leaving because Diana had strung out their goodbye. Her sister always seemed to have one more thing to say.

“You’ll need to take this.” Diana skidded to a halt as her breath puffed out of her like smoke. She was making Julia cold just looking at her.

“Why do I need a crossbow? Seriously, all I’m doing is finding our stupid brother.” Julia reached out and took the case from her sister. It would be easier just to take the damn thing than to argue. She popped the trunk and put it inside, between her duffle and the spare tire.

“You can’t be too careful, besides Dad thinks that dragons might be responsible for Kevin’s disappearance. God knows, the precious baby can’t be the architect of his own problems, it’s always something outside of his control.”

“Now Diana, that isn’t the right attitude. Your brother can’t help that he’s an irresponsible jackass.” Julia imitated her father’s deep voice perfectly and her sister burst out laughing. The tone might be the same but the words were definitely not something her father would say about their brother, Kevin. “Dad thinks dragons are the root of all evil, but I bet I’ll find out that Kevin is off drunk somewhere and that he just hasn’t called Dad.”

She slammed the trunk shut for the second time in the past two minutes and went back to where her sister was standing. She reached out and put her arms around her.

“There is something I wanted to tell you. That and the crossbow is why I came out here.”

“You’re going to freeze to death if you don’t go inside.” Julia pulled back and frowned at Diana. Her sister wasn’t normally this clingy. They went off to do odd jobs for their father all the time and it never elicited this response from her. “What’s going on, Dee.”

“I’m getting a bad feeling. Like something’s going to happen, that’s going to change everything. It’s stupid.” Diana gave a shake of her head and pushed a smile on her face. “Are you sure you shouldn’t wait until we know what the weather is going to do?”

“I want to get this over with. Will it make you feel better if I promise to go to Grandma’s cottage if it looks like I won’t make it to Waldron Valley tonight?” When Diana nodded Julia sighed. “Now will you go back to the apartment?”

Diana laughed, having heard the exasperation clearly in Julia’s voice. She turned around and jogged back to the apartment building. With one last glance over her shoulder and a quick wave, she disappeared into the building. Julia turned away and got into the car. It was about time she was getting on the road.

A glance at the sky as she drove to the exit of Lowell Falls told her that her father had been wrong when he’d assured her that the weather would not be a factor. Snow was now starting to fall, not enough to worry about yet, but the weather forecast promised that it was going to be the first major storm of the season. It was a little early for it, but snow in November was not unheard of in these parts. She hoped it held off until she got to Waldron Valley. Her grandmother’s cottage might be a safe place to wait it out, but it was out in the middle of nowhere and she didn’t want to go there unless it was absolutely necessary.

She needed to get this trip over and done with. She’d only been given a week off from work, and there was no way she would get any more time off if things went wrong and she had to be away longer. Her father said it would only be a quick poke around Waldron Valley to find Kevin, and she hoped he was right. Although she'd only had the waitressing job for four months, she really liked her boss and coworkers. It was the longest she’d ever managed to keep a job and she didn’t want to lose it.

The car slid on the road and she focused her attention on her driving. The snow was definitely getting worse and it looked like the weather forecast was right and her father was wrong. She would have to head for her grandmother’s cottage because there was no way she was going to make it to Waldron Valley in this.

She turned the windshield wipers on high as she squinted through the snow blowing directly at the car. There was no point turning around, since the cottage would be closer than her apartment. A road sign came up and although the snow covered part of it, she could make out enough of it to see Rambling Rose Road. She slowed the car to a crawl and navigated the turn. She remembered her father taking this road on the way to her grandmother’s cottage and she was sure she could find it from here.

The car felt like it was moving at a snail’s pace as it plowed through the deepening snow. No snowplow had touched this road yet, since they would be concentrating on busier roads first. It was like she was trapped in a white snow globe, all by herself, while someone kept shaking it to make the snow fly around.

It would be okay, she’d get to the cottage and once she was out of the weather she would plan her first steps in locating her brother. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to track him down. She’d told herself the last time she’d had to go find him that she was never going to do it again. She’d wasted three days of her life only to find him passed out on a friend’s couch, after spending a week obsessing about some girl. She’d told him to get his shit together and apparently he hadn’t yet. This was probably a stupid goose chase too, despite what her father believed.

Gerard Robillard was blind when it came to his youngest child and Kevin had milked their father’s favor his entire life. He’d never taken responsibility for anything and expected to be bailed out of every scrape he’d ever been in. Their father had come to his rescue time and time again, and he’d invariably involved her and Diana in the problems with Kevin.

Julia squinted through the windshield and pushed thoughts of her brother out of her mind. She could say all she wanted, that this was going to be the last time she would race after him, but she knew that wasn’t true. All her father needed to do was snap his fingers and she’d jump to do whatever he wanted. He was her only parent, and the need to please him was strong in both his daughters. Family was more important than anything else and that wouldn’t change.

“So important that you’re going to end up in the ditch for his sake.” Her bitter voice stabbed in the silence of the car and guilt immediately chased after it. Her father needed her and it was her duty to help him. Her family had her back, were the only people she could trust. So she had to take a week out of her life to find one member, it wasn’t too much to ask of her.

The snow blew directly at the car and the vehicle was rocked and buffeted by the wind. She needed to get to the cottage soon, otherwise she was going to be stranded out in this. There wasn’t another vehicle on the road and if something happened, she wouldn’t be found until the spring thaw. A knife’s edge of panic went through her and she deliberately drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly.

“Calm down. Panicking won’t help.” The last thing she needed was to get lost on some back road in the blinding snow. She was going to be fine, all she needed to do was be calm, go slow and focus.

There was nothing but trees surrounding her as she got farther away from the main road. Without landmarks to guide her, she couldn’t be certain that she was going the right way. Had she really remembered this road? Now that she was so deep in the blinding snow, could she really be sure that this was the right road to be going down?

Through the blinding snow she saw a narrow road, which was little more than a track between copses of trees on either side. Something about it triggered a memory and a brief spurt of relief went through her. This was the turn off that her father always missed whenever he’d taken them to see her grandmother. It had to be.

She made the turn down the narrow path. She wasn’t in the clear yet. Roads like this weren’t usually plowed in the winter because it wasn’t used very much. It made the road she’d just come off look like a busy four lane highway. There wasn’t a single track made in the freshly fallen snow and as she forged a path down the road, it only reinforced her decision to go to the cottage for the night. Surely her father hadn’t expected the weather to get this bad. He wouldn’t have sent her out in it if he had, would he?

With a shake of her head she shoved the errant thought away. Her father had specifically told her that the forecaster was wrong and if he’d believe they were right he would never have sent her out in this. Besides, she hadn’t wanted to delay because she wanted to get this trip over with.

She sent up a little prayer that this was the right road. If it wasn’t, she was screwed. The snow was heavy under her tires now and she couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of the car.

Her knuckles ached as she gripped the steering wheel. “Just a little further.”

The drag of the snow on her car caused it to drift to the right. She fought to turn the wheel, to get the car where she wanted it to go, but the snow had given the car a mind of its own. “No.”

Despite her protests and her attempt to point the car in the right direction, the snow pulled it down into the ditch. The trip down happened so slowly that she thought she would get out of it with every second that passed. The heavy, packed snow, combined with the car’s weight made it impossible for her to get away from where the car was drawn. Once it was firmly in the ditch it wouldn’t move.

“This can’t be happening.”

She slammed the car in reverse and tromped down on the gas peddle as her panic took over. The grind of her tires on the snow was her reward for her loss of control and all it did was entrench the car deeper into the snow. A shaky sob escaped her as her forehead came down to rest on the steering wheel. Now what was she going to do?

* * *

Iszak Domokos drew back the curtain on the cabin’s kitchen window and looked out at the blowing snow. It was getting heavier and soon he wouldn’t be able to see outside at all.

Thank God Rickman had brought him here yesterday, otherwise they might have gotten stuck on the road somewhere. Or worse, stuck at the mansion, where he had to listen to his brother, Andor, harp on and on about his curse and his need to find a mate. His brother seemed to be under the misapprehension that Iszak had forgotten the ticking clock hanging over him. If he didn’t find the woman that fate intended for him to be with by the time the Wolf Moon crested the sky in January, he would turn into a blood thirsty, feral dragon. Only death would save him.

He turned his mind away from the thought as he stepped away from the window and let the curtain fall back in place. He had enough provisions to see him through for longer than the week he intended if the snow kept his minion, Rickman, from coming for him at the appointed time. It would set the search for his mate back, which was less than ideal. The short amount of time he’d spent here, with only his own company, had shown him that he was not ready to give up on his life. He wanted someone to love, who could love him in return. If he was here longer than intended, he would have less time to find her. And he wanted to find her. He wasn’t ready to die and he didn’t want Andor to be burdened with the task of killing him. Unfortunately, he would not find her out here, buried in the snow. It would make his life easier if he could.

If he was going to ride out the storm in relative warmth and comfort, he was going to need more firewood. He could get by with minimal creature comforts, he'd been born during the medieval period after all, but he didn’t like the cold. Waking after six hundred years of slumber into this time hadn’t changed the fact that cold was the antithesis of his dragon nature. He could put up with most situations as long as he was warm.

He turned toward the door and shrugged into the heavy coat he’d brought with him. The winter boots came next and he pulled on a wool hat and a pair of gloves he’d found in the cabin.

The snow was heavy under foot as he trudged to the tarp covered wood pile. It was going to take several trips to get enough wood to ride out the storm, but at least once he was finished, he could stay inside by the fire. Already the cold was seeping into his bones and he didn’t like it at all. He usually ran hot but the winter weather was slowly eating away at his natural heat. Good thing he had shelter on a day like today. As soon as he got all the wood he needed he would sit in front of the stove’s warmth. A glance around told him that this heavy snow was not going to go away by tomorrow and he was glad Rickman had thought to give him more provisions than what he would need for a week.

On his last trip to the wood pile, a sound carried to him on the wind. It was a grinding sound, a revving noise that seemed out of place in the howling wind and blowing snow. It was faint enough that it would not have come to him at all if it wasn’t for his superior hearing. What the hell was it?

He dropped the wood he’d gathered back on the pile. Something was wrong. There had been no sign of anyone when he and Rickman had come here yesterday, and he got the impression that this area was deserted at this time of the year. The noise shouldn't be here and he needed to see what it was.

He trudged down the lane toward the road and drew in a deep breath through his nose. The cold air stung the inside of his nostrils and he reached up to rub his gloved hand across them to soothe the icy pain. In addition to the aroma of wet snow, he could smell the faint hint of car exhaust. It was a scent he did not expect because the cabin was tucked away in the middle of nowhere, and the road wasn’t exactly a busy highway. His body stiffened as he pulled his coat tighter against his neck. Someone was out here with him, and while he wanted to go back to the cabin and let whoever it was freeze in the snow, he couldn’t make himself do it.

If this person was a threat to him, it was better if he knew and eliminated them. If they weren’t, perhaps they were in need of assistance. Although, only an idiot would be out in this weather for a casual drive in the country.

The noise stopped by the time he got to the mouth of the lane and out onto the road. Had he imagined the sound, which he now figured was the sound of a car stuck in the snow or had whoever it was given up on their quest to get out? He turned in the direction he’d thought the noise had come from. The snow swirled around him but at least the wind was at his back and he didn’t have to walk into it. There better be someone who needed help out here or he was going to be pissed that he wasted a trip out in this for nothing.

He squinted his eyes against the snow but could barely see two feet in front of him. Straining hard to penetrate the haze of white, he thought he saw something glowing red up ahead.

The snow crunched under his heavy boots and gave his legs a workout as he trudged through it. He could now see the car, which had tipped off the road and into the ditch. Some fool had been out driving in this and had gotten themselves stuck.

“Idiot.” He stopped for a second as he stared at the car. He could just leave this person to enjoy the consequences of their folly, but as more snow swirled around him, he knew he couldn’t do it. This person might have stupidly ventured out into this but it wasn’t worth losing their life over. Something strong must have compelled them to take their chances out in this snow. Either they were as stupid as he thought or they were in trouble. He couldn’t in good conscience let them freeze to death out here.

So much for his solitude. All he could do now was hope he could get them out of the ditch and on their way to wherever the hell they were going. The snow blowing around him told him they were not going to get far but he had to try to get them on their way. Failing that, he would have to offer this person his hospitality until the worst of the weather was over.

The thought of it etched a scowl line between his eyebrows. Whoever it was had better not be the chatty type if he was going to be forced to offer them a place to stay. Even before he’d been asleep for centuries he hadn’t exactly been the social type. His long slumber had put him out of practice and the notion that he might be forced to interact with a stranger for the duration of the storm made him want to turn around and pretend he’d never seen the car.

“Damn it.”

He trudged forward. Whoever was inside was lucky he’d heard them spinning their tires when he had. Otherwise the car would soon have been buried so deep that it would be impossible to see them. They’d certainly done a good job of getting stuck.

Snow had accumulated on the driver’s side window and he reached out his gloved hand to wipe it away. He wanted to get a good look at this idiot.

Once he’d cleared a big enough circle in the snow to see who was inside he drew back in surprise. There was a woman behind the wheel, with her forehead resting on the steering wheel. His heart gave a little leap. Could it be this easy to meet a woman? Had fate decided to be kind and drop her into his lap?

He gave a shake of his head at the thought. He doubted that fate would be that generous but stranger things could happen. He wouldn’t know until he got her out of the car and got them both out of the wind and snow. The last thing he wanted to do was freeze to death and he was certain suicide wasn’t the reason she was out in this weather. At least now the prospect of offering his hospitality didn’t seem as onerous as it had before.

He pulled off his glove and rapped on the window. The woman’s head jerked up and through the haze of moisture laden glass, she turned the bluest eyes he’d ever seen toward him.

Those eyes widened when she saw him. A look of relief crossed her face for a split second, only to be replaced by wariness. He was certain that he looked larger and more intimidating than normal in the heavy coat he wore, but she’d have to get over it. It was too cold out here to go through a production to assure her that he was a good man.

The window came down halfway and her face scrunched for a second as snow flakes landed on her skin.

“Thank goodness. I thought I was stuck alone out here. Do you think you can give me a push out of this ditch?”

She had a voice like warm honey and it melted over him. He wanted to tell her that there was no way she was getting out of the ditch tonight, that it would be better if she came with him. There was a certain cast to her jaw that told him she wouldn’t believe him unless he showed her, so he nodded.

How far did she think she was going to get in this weather, when she’d already landed herself in the ditch already? He figured he'd let her figure that out.

He hunkered down and braced himself against the front of the car. He waited until she’d gunned the engine and made a show of pushing the car. With his supernatural strength he could have have easily lifted the car out of the ditch, but he held that strength back. Freeing her car from the snow was the worst thing he could do for her. It wasn’t safe out here and if she went on her way she would only get stuck again and he wouldn’t be around to help her.

The car was staying stuck, for tonight at least. Once the snow cleared would be time enough to get her out of the ditch. At least he could offer her a place to stay that was warm and dry. She would be safer with him than she would be out in the freezing cold.

He pretended to push one last time. The car stayed where it was and he straightened. He felt no remorse for the charade he’d engaged in. Something about those eyes and that voice did something to him and he wanted to find out more about her.

“It’s no use. The car is not going anywhere tonight.” Fortunately he was a stranger to her and she would not read the lie that so readily fell from his lips. “I have a cabin not far from here. You’re more than welcome to come and wait out the storm there. It isn’t much, but at least it’s warm and dry.”

She bit her lip and appeared to think about his offer. What was there to think about? Either she wanted to be warm and dry or she wanted to freeze to death. Those were the only options available to her.

“Are you sure you can’t get the car out?”

Iszak blew out a sharp breath as his temper got the better of him. He was cold and wet, and the last thing he wanted to do was stand here and argue with a woman who’d left the sense she’d been born with back wherever the hell she’d come from. If she wanted to sit in the snow and be buried in it, that was her prerogative. He’d made the offer of help and hospitality but he couldn’t make her accept it.

“Your car is not going anywhere. Even if it was, how far do you think you’d get in this snow? You are more than welcome to stay at my place. It’s up to you.” When she hesitated, he gave a shake of his head. “Do what you want.”

If the silly woman wanted to freeze to death in the snow, let her. Iszak turned away from the car and began his trudge back down the road toward the warm cabin that awaited him.