Ash

A girl’s scream pierces through my sleep. Heart racing, I jump from my bed, tearing down the stairs from my apartment above the five-car garage. Cold air bites at my chest when I step outside, snow and wind whipping harshly around me.

Another cry. Followed by the distinct sound of growls and barking.

She’s close.

Ignoring the sharp pain that slices through my bare feet as they scrape against ice and snow, I grab the first weapon I see, an axe, and move quickly towards whatever crisis lies ahead.

A flash of red through the white blizzard is my focal point. The girl’s pale face and large brown eyes meet mine when I barrel through the trees towards the edge of the Redmond’s large property.

Ella.

The hood of her red jacket is caught on the steel fence. A silver wolf surrounds her, lips curled back over large fangs that drip with saliva. It crouches low, moving forward, and lets out a threatening growl.

Terror strikes through me as I watch the animal position itself to pounce, eyes flashing gold when they catch the light of the moon.

Adrenaline pounding through my veins, I bound over the fence, dropping in front of her and swinging the axe towards the snarling beasts.

“Watch out,” she screams, when the animal lunges at me.

The blunt end of the axe hits the animal with a sickening crunch.

A snap.

A snarl.

One wrong move and the beast sinks its fangs into my calf.

I grit my teeth, and strike out with the axe, sending it whimpering backwards. I swing again, hollering madly and driving the wolves back into the shadowed forest.

When I turn back to Ella, her eyes are wild, her breathing rough and uneven.

“You… you were amazing.” Her gaze trails down my bare chest, then back up to my face, and her tongue darts out across her bottom lip.

Fuck.

“Are you hurt?” I demand, moving towards her, reaching out to unsnag her hood from the fence.

“I-I don’t think so.” Her lips tremble, dark auburn hair whipping around her heart-shaped face.

I give a harsh nod. “Can you climb?”

She glances at the fence. “I think so.”

Hands on her hips, I help her over. Then, with less agility than I had before, I climb over myself, grunting when I hit the ground as pain shoots up my leg.

“Was that… was that a wolf?” She asks, voice wobbly.

My nostrils flare at the innocence behind her dark eyes. How many years has the girl been coming here to visit her grandmother, and she still thinks this place is as safe as the boarding school she attends ten months of the year.

“Yeah, that was a fucking wolf, and it would have devoured you if I hadn’t heard your screams.”

She flinches.

“What the hell are you doing out here?”

The quick glance away, and the red that creeps into her cheeks tells me everything I need to know. There’s a boy involved.

Every protective bone in my body goes on high alert. Not that I have any right to feel that way. She’s nobody to me. Just the stubborn, over-pampered granddaughter of the woman I work for.

The girl is beautiful, yes. But she’s young. And way out of my league. Not to mention that she seems terrified every time she comes into my presence. Even now, her eyes dart apprehensively over the ink that marks my bare chest.

But right now, it isn’t fear I see in her eyes, instead I see something that shouldn’t be there—lust. The pure, innocent hunger that could have even a grown man on his knees begging for one taste.

Shit.

My cock twitches, but my brain screams danger.

“Let’s go.” I grip her arm, and start to pull her towards the house.

I’m pretty sure I’ve lost all feeling in my feet. My leg is pulsing, blood caked into my ripped jeans and freezing against my skin.

“You’re bleeding,” she says, concern in her voice.

“I’ll be fine.” After a few stitches, and half a bottle of bourbon.

At the garage, I release her and toss the axe up against the side of the building.

She glances up the hill toward the main house, then back to me, fingers twisting together. The wind still whips around us, cold and daunting, but the way she’s looking at me sends fire blazing through my veins.

“What?” I growl out.

Another small flinch, then she straightens her shoulders and meets my gaze with more confidence than a girl her age should have. “Thank you.”

I grunt. “Get inside before you freeze to death.”

Turning towards the door that leads up to my apartment, I don’t wait to see if she obeys. I’m fucking freezing, and the only thing that’s going to warm me up tonight is the bottle of Jameson waiting for me upstairs.

The crunch of snow behind me warns me she’s following me.

Shit.

“You’re…” She breathes out a shaky breath and follows me up the stairs. “You’re not going to tell on me, are you?”

Flinging open my apartment door, I make a beeline for the kitchen cupboards, pull out a bottle of whisky, and take a deep swig, before slowly turning and leaning against the counter.

Ella stands in the doorway, eyes roaming around the large room. She’s never been up here before, at least not since I’ve lived here. And she shouldn’t be here now.

“No, kid. I’m not going to tell your grandma that you snuck out in the middle of the night and almost got yourself killed by a pack of ravenous wolves.”

She pulls her hood back, exposing her flawless features, the thick mane of dark auburn hair falling over her shoulders, and juts her chin out. “I’m seventeen. I’m not a kid.”

“You’re acting like one if you have to sneak out.” I rake my fingers through my hair and take another swig straight from the bottle, the liquid finally starting to warm the cold from my bones. My lips pull up over my teeth, and I snarl, “When you don’t have the common sense to protect yourself from danger.”

Usually my prickliness sets her running in the opposite direction, but not tonight. Tonight, she seems dead set on driving me insane.

She moves into the room, hand reaching out to trace the edge of the wooden footboard of my bed. It’s the only piece of furniture I brought with me when I moved here. An antique piece that used to be my parents when they owned the ranch on the northeast side of the property.

Back when my family actually had something more than a black cloud of debt hanging over their head.

It’s why I’m here now, working like a dog for minimum pay. But it’s a job. And I need the money. Rancher turned groundskeeper. It’s not ideal, but at least I have a roof over my head, and enough money to send to my sister each month.

The work is easy. At least it is when Ella isn’t here distracting me and making me question every reason why I hate the Redmond family.

The girl is standing at the foot of my bed, big, looking around with those innocent eyes like she has no fucking idea what I want to do to her. And if I wasn’t a better man, I might give into those dark, wicked cravings.

I take another long swallow, not taking my eyes off her.

“Ca-can I have some?” Her gaze is on the bottle, and she takes a few steps towards me.

Yeah, the girl didn’t know danger when she was standing right in front of it.

I hand her the whisky and she takes a deep swallow, her eyes water as the burn hits her throat and she hisses, “God, that’s awful.”

Grunting, I take the bottle from her hands, ignoring the warmth that spreads up my arms when my fingers brush against hers.

“The wolf… it bit you.” She’s close now, her gaze darting across the ink on my chest and arms, and I can see her fingers itching to touch me, to trace the patterns.

I swallow the groan that vibrates in my throat.

“It’s just a flesh wound,” I lie, knowing I’m probably going to need a couple of stitches, which I’ll do myself once she finally leaves me in peace. “I’ve had worse.”

Her brows draw up. “You’ve been bitten before?”

“My family owned a cattle ranch. It was part of my job to hunt down the predators that threatened our herd. I had a few run-ins with wolves, coyotes, even a few mountain lions, and the odd bear.”

“Wow.” She’s looking at me like I’m a fucking superhero, and not the predator that wants to devour her whole.

The pull between us is almost tangible.

Fuck. I need to get her out of here before I do something stupid.

“You should go,” I growl out, glaring at her.

“Do you want me to look at it?” She bites her bottom lip and glances down at my leg. “If you take your pants off—”

I groan, and her eyes widen. She licks her lips, and leans in. Like a moth to the flame, she has no idea how close she is to getting burned.

Yeah, too fucking innocent.

The girl is a goddamn siren sent to tease me.

I wrap a tendril of her hair around my fingers and give a small tug. “You want to tell me why you were out there all alone?”

She glances down, pink infusing her cheeks. “I was supposed to meet someone.”

“Supposed to?”

“He didn’t show.”

“A boyfriend?” Every muscle in my body tenses at the thought.

“No.” She shakes her head. “I mean. Well, I thought… maybe. I met him a couple nights ago at a soiree my grandmother was hosting.”

I have no clue what a goddamn soiree is, and I’m pretty sure I have no desire to. Most likely it was just another name for one of those god-awful parties the rich throw for any excuse to dress up and flaunt their wealth.

She’s fidgeting now, dark eyes downcast. “He…”

The small shaky breath she exhales tugs at something in my chest.

“What?” I demand, making her flinch, and her gaze pulls back to mine.

She gives a small shrug and more pink floods her cheeks. “You wouldn’t understand.”

I grunt, “Try me.”

Her shoulders straighten, and her face goes serious. “I thought he might be the one.”

“The one?” Possessiveness flares.

She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, a flash of uncertainty crossing her expression, before saying, “My first.”

“First?” I fucking hope to hell she isn’t saying what I think she is. “First what?”

“First everything.” She lets out a frustrated breath. “I’ve been stuck in that horrible prison my grandmother calls a boarding school for so long that I never get to do anything. Do you know there’s no guys there… at all? Except for the principal and a few teachers. But they’re old, and…” She lets out a deep sigh. “I’m the only one of my friends that’s never been kissed. That’s never been…”

“I get it.” Leaning back against the counter I drag a rough hand through my hair.

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

I don’t know why either, but every word that tumbles from those lush lips only intensifies the ache in my cock.

A low, muted growl rumbles up in my throat. “That’s not something you give away to just anyone, Red.”

Raw energy pulses between us. Because the primal part of me wants to claim her innocence. To devour her and make her mine.

“Why not?” Her hand reaches out to touch the ink on my chest, and I catch her wrist.

“Because you deserve better.”

“Everyone’s always telling me what I need. What I should want. Maybe I just want to choose for myself.” Her other hand snakes up, palm flattening on my abs, then she leans closer, her body pressing against mine. “What if I want danger… excitement?”

My cock is rock hard, pressing painfully against the denim that restrains it.

Only a fucking saint could resist an offer like that. And it’s been a long time since I’ve had my halo.

I skate my hand around the back of her neck, my fingers tangling in the hair at her nape and I tug, just hard enough to make her chin tilt up, her gaze meet mine.

“Is this what you want, Red?” I say roughly against the shell of her ear, sending a tremble through her body. “You want me to bury my cock inside of you? To lick that sweet pussy until you’re screaming my name?”

A small whimper is her only reply. And I can feel the fear that mixes with innocent yearnings.

“Run away. little girl, before I decide to take you up on your offer.” I inhale her scent, closing my eyes and struggling for some control. “But trust me, sweetheart. I don’t play childish games.”

Her breath hitches, and I feel her body tense, like she finally has a clue about how much danger she’s actually in.

Good.

I release her, dropping my hand, and watch as she takes a few quick steps backwards.

“I-I should go.”

“You should,” I agree, keeping my expression hard. No way I’m going to let this girl know just how much she’s gotten under my skin.

“Tha-thank you for saving me.” She stumbles towards the door, pulling her hood over her head.

“Red.” The command in my voice is clear, and she stops, glancing nervously over her shoulder, brown eyes wide when they look at me. “Be safe. There are more than just wolves out there ready to devour you.”

Confusion washes over her expression. So young. So naïve.

Again, something primal inside of me growls, wanting to protect her. To keep her. To make her mine.

Foolishness. She belongs to a different world. One that I’ll never be a part of.

She shoves her hands in her coat pockets and nods, then disappears down the stairs.

I grab the bottle of whisky and down half the bottle because it isn’t just my leg that’s throbbing now. The ache in my cock is going to be a hell of a lot harder to get rid of.