Taming The Hunter

Hmm...

Dane smiled at the woman through a tight jaw.

“Will it be a problem for you to stay in our fine little town for a bit? There are hotels along Highway 10, not far from here. Oh! And there’s the Winter Fantasy Ball this evening over at the Bleekwood mansion. You might stop in. I suspect the local girls would love to marvel over such a fine, er, studious fellow as yourself.”

Dane nodded appreciatively even as he felt the back of his neck heat. A geriatric flirting with him? It was sweet. But a week in this icebox? He wasn’t sure his sand-and-surf blood could manage that long without freezing.

A biometric safe. Just his luck.

On the other hand, he did favor a rousing adventure. Learning to survive in the icy tundra? Sign him up!

He shoved a hand in his pocket, where he touched the comforting curve of a plastic Bic lighter. He always carried one with him. He wasn’t a smoker, but when he became agitated, he calmed himself by flicking it over and over.

Hey, to each his own.

He palmed another cookie and bit into it. “Tell me the best place to stay around here?”

Chapter 2

“Oh, Eryss! You look gorgeous!”

Eryss Norling turned to spy her coworker Mireio Malory flouncing toward her in an eighteenth century ball gown, replete with a pink powdered wig and décolletage cut low enough to make promises without a single spoken word. Eryss hugged her and smiled at Mireio’s signature sugar-candy scent, then tucked a stray bright red curl up under her friend’s wig.

“You must be Marie Antoinette?” Eryss guessed.

“Natch,” Mireio said, with a flutter of her lush false lashes. “She’s my spirit animal, you know.”

“I thought that was a mermaid.”

“That, too! And in a poufy dress! But look at you, all silver and blue and looking like the Snow Queen herself. Love the wig.”

Eryss adjusted the too-tight tinsel wig with a tug above her ear. She’d found it at the local costume shop just down the street from the brewery. “I wanted to get into the snow fantasy. Winter is my season.”

“And you never feel cold. Always so warm.” She clasped Eryss’s hand and squeezed. “See? You’re warm as toast. And my tits are in desperate need of a nice warm sweater. Or I’ll take a handsome male head lying on them if I can manage that. The eligible bachelor pickings tonight are slim. Have you seen Valor?”

“I think she headed to the kitchen to check the keg. We should have enough Iced Kiss for tonight, but there’s a lot of people here.”

The ice beer they brewed had a high alcohol content—and a touch of wintergreen mixed with quartz gem elixir—and they served it in shot glasses shaped like icicles.

The town’s annual Winter Fantasy Ball, held in the Bleekwood mansion every January, had been featuring The Decadent Dames’s microbrews for four years, as long as they had been in business in Anoka. Eryss was proud of their beers, but despite the rumors, she’d never confess that the four witches who owned the place also stirred in a bit of magic with each batch.

“I’m heading home,” Eryss said. “Your eligible bachelor count is correct. Unfortunately. And I’m restless. I need to ground myself in the conservatory.”

“Still having those dreams about the man? I thought you were going to cast the anacampserote?”

“I did perform it on solstice eve. Haven’t had another dream until last night. I dreamed again of the great love I once lost. I can never see his face. It’s a portent, I know. But with the spell cast, I should be able to recognize his soul should he come into my life. Though, you know, it might not be today or tomorrow. For all I know, it could be thirty years from now.”

“I don’t think so. You will find your great love when you are still young. Maybe you’ll get him for your birthday?”

Eryss turned thirty in a week.

“Sure, maybe. But I am in no mood to wander these bleak halls in search of some steamy man flesh. It isn’t going to happen tonight. I’m restless because I—aggh, I just need some hot and heavy sex, you know?”

“Darling, I know.” Mireio fanned her bosom and cast a glance about the ballroom, where the band had just ripped into a bouncing jitterbug. “There aren’t many men left in this town we haven’t served at the bar.”

“And after getting to know them from across the bar,” Eryss added, “I want to clock half of them over the head.”

“You’re telling me. We should drive downtown to Minneapolis one night. On a man hunt. Or try Tinder!”

“Ugh. Dating apps are for hookups.”

“Yeah, but sometimes a hookup is all a girl wants. You know? But wait, maybe you don’t know. You’re the one looking for the happily-ever-after. Oh, sweetie, you’ll find him.”

“I know I will.” Eryss chuckled at her friend’s hopeful dramatics. Friends would never admonish one another for wanting some mind-blowing, no-strings-attached sex once in a while. She hugged Mireio. “Oh, you are freezing.”

“It’s the décolletage, don’t you know.” She ran her fingertips over her corseted bosom. “I can never stay warm in winter. Remind me why I live in Minnesota?”

“You were born here, and you love the changing seasons.” Eryss took Mireio’s hands and held them together between her palms. “Warmth,” she whispered with intention.

“Thank you,” Mireio said. “I felt that magic all the way to my toes. But just so you know, if your plan to open another brewery out of state comes to fruition, I vote for California.”

“Me, too. And it is on my list. I’ll see you tomorrow at the brewery.” She kissed Mireio’s cheek, being careful to avoid the little black heart patch. “I’ll make sure Valor has the new keg in place.”

“See you tomorrow!”

Valor had indeed already replaced the spent Iced Kiss keg with a new one. That, along with the half keg of the Uff Da IPA Lot, should last for the remainder of the evening. That beer name had been all Mireio’s doing.

On the way out, Eryss said her goodbyes to everyone. She knew many and many knew her because they frequented the brewery. A few knew her because they’d had occasion to believe and had been desperate. A love spell here. A breakup spell there. The repulsion spells against violent lovers were always difficult but necessary. Those who received the benefits of her craft kept their mouths shut, guarding Eryss’s secret.

It wasn’t easy being a witch, even if the town she lived in was the official Halloween Capital of the World.

At the top of the stairs that fronted the mansion, she stepped out onto the patio where a bonfire toasted partyers regaled in myriad costumes. The air was warm and tainted with ice and burned oak. Dozens of people stood around the fire with plastic champagne goblets and beer mugs in hand. Among the elves and witches and faery princesses were snowcat racers (the easiest way to bundle up and dress in a sort-of costume without looking out of place), loggers (lots of flannel and thick, warm boots)—oh, those lumbersexuals—and one daring caveman who wore a fur Fred Flintstone number that strapped over one shoulder. Poor guy, he might develop frostbite in places he’d never imagined possible.

Chocolate and marshmallow oozed out between graham crackers as s’mores were handed around. A game of ice bowling was set up along the side of the patio. The balls and pins had been chipped out of ice harvested from the nearby Mississippi River. Laughter sprinkled the air as if it were crystal snowflakes. The evening could be magical—if a girl had a man on her arm with whom to share those sweetly tempting s’mores.

Yet Eryss was an introvert and didn’t feel at all guilty about leaving the party early. She’d come to make nice with the locals because area businesses and the city council always invited the brewery to Anoka events, and—okay, she’d had the gown. Why not use it?

Though she wouldn’t have minded dancing, if any man had asked. Of course, she might have had to hang out near the dance floor for that to happen, and well, introverts didn’t tend to do such things.

With a nagging hankering for gooey marshmallow and chocolate teasing her, Eryss turned and was roughly bumped into from the side. “Oof!”

Though a deflection spell teased the tip of her tongue, she wisely held off from speaking the words. She and her fellow witches did their best not to flaunt their craft at public events.

“I am so sorry.” The man’s cold hands gripped her forearms to steady her. “I wasn’t looking. That was entirely my fault. I slipped on the ice.”

There was no ice on the fire-warmed concrete steps, but Eryss wasn’t about to point that out once her gaze landed on the man’s face. Deep brown eyes were shadowed by thick black brows. She had never seen such a rich iris color and thought perhaps there were also glints of gold winking back at her. A five o’clock shadow brushing his jaw emphasized an exquisitely masculine bone structure. Thick coal hair, swept messily back from his face, screamed for her to touch the loose curls that tickled those red ears.

And suddenly, her heart performed a skip and every part of her being stood up in recognition. Was he...?

“I’ve been looking for you,” she murmured in awe.

“Uh...you have?”

Giddy warmth flooded her heart. Her veins. Her skin flushed and she—well, she felt it in her very soul. This was the man. The one.

He had to be.

“Oh, what?” Eryss shook her head out of the deliciously muddling awe and back to reality. “Sorry. Did I say I was looking for you? I mean, uh...” What to say? She couldn’t come right out with the revelation that she suspected he was her long-lost soul mate. Just because the man gave off smolder vibes did not make him receptive to her beliefs of reincarnation. “You need a hat,” she decided quickly. “Looks like your ears are burning.”

He gave a funny wince. Obviously, he’d picked up on her comment, but wasn’t going to press. “They are. The blood vessels in my ears have started to constrict and blood is being shunted away from my extremities—ah. Ha-ha!” His smile revealed bright white teeth and squinting eyes that captured Eryss as if a love spell had been cast. “Sorry about that. I have a tendency to expound on silly things. Suffice it to say, I’m from the West. Didn’t expect it to be quite so cold.” He touched an ear and winced again.

“We call it frostbite here in Minnesota.” She marveled over the lingering laughter in his smile. Wonderful. And he was hers. Maybe? Yes, he had to be. But how to know for sure? “We should step over by the fire.”

“Yes, but you seem to be on your way out?”

Her gaze wandered to his broad shoulders, down the white shirt, rolled to his elbows to reveal a manly dusting of dark hairs on his—oddly, tan—forearms, and to the thick veins that corded the back of his hands. Leave now when she’d just stumbled into the man she’d been waiting for?

“Leaving? Heck, no! Will you join me for a hot chocolate?”

“I should be honored to share libations with such a lovely queen,” he replied.

Libations? The man most definitely was not the standard bar slug or even a hipster (the brewery’s standard customer). And Eryss remembered that she had been feeling horny not too long ago. How lucky could a girl get to find her soul mate and have him be übersexy, as well?

When he offered it, she took his arm and allowed him to lure her over to the bonfire. They found a spot close enough to warm their hands but far enough away so as not to ignite Eryss’s sparkly skirt. The man with the sudden and seductive laughter got them hot chocolates from the bar posted outside the front of the mansion. It served eggnog, hot chocolate, hot brandy and some kind of drink called a Dirty Snowman. Despite her trade, Eryss didn’t like beer all that much, so she was thankful to sip something sweet with just a touch of alcohol.

“I’m Dane Winther, by the way.” He handed her a paper mug. “I was on my way inside to find my coat, but I suddenly find the need for warmth has dissipated. And I’ve yet to take a sip of this thick brew.” He winked at her. “Must be the company.”

A charmer? She could work with that. “Eryss Norling.” She offered her hand, which he shook. “Stand closer to the fire. You really need to warm those hands.”

He moved closer and wrapped both hands around the mug. After blowing over the hot chocolate, he took a sip. “Norling? I believe that means something like ‘they who come from the north’?”

“Got it in one guess. But I’ve always lived here in the north. I own The Decadent Dames brewery in town.”

“Ah, yes, I noticed that place. Across from the antiques store? I had wondered how decadent a beer could be, but you were closed when I passed by.”

“We had to finish kegging the Iced Kiss for tonight. We’ll be open tomorrow. And I promise a very decadent experience if you try the oatmeal cream stout.”

“I do like a nice dark beer. And chocolate.” He held up his mug, tapped it against hers in a paper-thud toast, then tilted back a swallow. “Mmm...you Minnesotans do know how to do hot chocolate. I think there’s booze in this.”

Eryss smirked. “It’s got crème de menthe in it. We call it a Chocolate Kiss.”

A bemused smile danced in his eyes, and once again captivated by his utter and easy merriment, Eryss swayed, but stopped herself as soon as she felt her body lean toward him, toward his interesting ocean-surf scent. It was a scent she’d recently smelled. But...where and when? Wow, she was really leaning close now. She did not want to scare the man away because he thought she was weird. Or excited over finding someone she had known for ages.

“Mmm, yes, it’s got a touch of mint in it. A kiss, indeed.” He grinned and took another sip.

His eyes actually smiled. And with all that thick, carelessly swept hair that virtually demanded a woman run her fingers through it, could the man be any cuter?

Eryss stepped closer until they stood shoulder to shoulder before the bonfire. The blaze toasted her cheeks. Or was that Dane? She loved the name. Very Nordic.

Did he feel the same way about her? As if he knew her? She jittered on her toes, knowing she stood next to him. The one!

Maybe. She shouldn’t get ahead of herself. She could simply be feeling giddy over bumping into one heck of a hot man.

“I’ll have to stop in to your brewery,” he said. “I find I’m on a forced vacation in your chilly little town. I was supposed to pick up a rare dagger from Stuart’s Stuff, but the proprietor is out of town.”

“Hawaii for a funeral. Isn’t that lucky?”

“I said the same thing, but I don’t think the owner’s sister found the humor in my wishing for warmer weather. Though she did allow me to take a second cookie.”

“Ha! Gladiola Stuart is discerning about whom she allows to have a cookie. Apparently, you passed the test. And I can see why.”

Eryss cautioned herself from drawing her gaze up and down his body in an indiscreet droolfest. She wasn’t that kind of girl. Mostly. She was much more stealthy, and had already checked out his ass when he’d gone to get the hot chocolates. Nice and tight. And no, he hadn’t given any indication that he recognized her in any way.

Chill, she cautioned inwardly. Do not freak the man out.

“Where did you come from?” she asked over her steaming mug. “I’m guessing someplace warmer by your thin shirt and vest? And the tan.”

He palmed his chest. The tweed vest granted him an astute, teacherly vibe, which, when added to the smoldering dark looks, Eryss found intriguing.

“I’m from Santa Cruz, about an hour from San Francisco. I’m afraid the tan is a permanent condition. And I had to buy a warm coat in the Minneapolis airport after I’d arrived. Can you believe I’ve never experienced snow before? And I’m a geologist.”

“You’ll be baptized by fire, or rather ice, here in Minnesota. What branch of geology?”

“Geochemistry. Which means I really like rocks. But I also dabble in botany and anthropological genetics. I like to have options.”

“I guess you do. I like rocks and plants. Genetics is beyond my grasp.”

“It’s my weakest field of study. But the little I know tells me that you had at least one blue-eyed parent to be sporting the color yourself. Gorgeous.”

Eryss parted her lips to speak, but then couldn’t think of a thing to say. He smiled a little when she caught him staring into her eyes. It was a flirtatious moment that made her giggle.

“So what are you dressed as tonight?” she asked.

“I didn’t have time for a costume. Gladiola Stuart told me about the party earlier. I guess you could say I’m a scientist.”

Eryss purred over the steamy chocolate. “I suddenly find myself quite fond of science.”

His brow lifted and a smile glittered in the man’s deep brown eyes. And like that, Eryss’s ovaries did the dance of joy.

“To science.” He offered his mug in another toast.

Eryss tapped her mug gently against his and shivered one of those good, warm-all-over shivers. First handsome man she’d met since the anacampserote, and here she was thinking he was the one.

Or was she overreacting because he was also the sexiest thing on two legs that managed to touch her with his dancing eyes and laughter?

“So you said you’re in town for a while?”

“Seems Mr. Stuart won’t be back for a week. Can you recommend some good restaurants and places to visit?”

“I probably can. But you’ll have to drive into Minneapolis for culture and fine dining.”

“I may do that. If I can find a car rental place. I took a cab here. Though I’m not so sure how I would fare driving on these snow-encrusted streets.”

“It does require some talent to navigate the black ice. But you’ll have a few good days before we get walloped again.”

“Walloped?”

“There’s snow headed our way. It’s going to warm up to the twenties, which provides great conditions for snow.”

“Warm up to the twenties,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I suppose you think that’s downright balmy?”

“Oh, it is.” It was always fun to tease the out-of-towners. In reality, Eryss wasn’t much for the below-zero weather, but she took it all in stride. Living in Minnesota afforded her all the seasons. Too bad winter generally lasted almost six months. “So what kind of dagger would a scientist be looking for?”

“There’s some fantastical lore attached to it, but I’m mostly interested in it because it’s supposed to be thirteenth century. The lore says it was forged with cold iron, and don’t get me started on the fascinating aspects of ancient forged metals. I’ll nerd out on you.”

“I like a nerd.” Especially one smelling like chocolate and mint, mixed with a hint of tweed. “I’m a bit of a brew nerd myself.”

“So you actually brew beer in your little place?”

“Yes, we’re a microbrewery. Me and three other women are all part owners. We’ve been friends for ages.”

“The Decadent Dames. Decadence is such a delicious word, don’t you think? It speaks of glamour and ritual, embellishment and desire.”

“And velvets and silk, and sweet spices and honey,” Eryss chimed in.

“I love that. What about warm summer grass threading between your toes and constellations of fireflies buzzing about the midnight sky?”

“Wow. You really miss summer, don’t you?”

“I do.” He sipped the cocoa. “But I’m learning winter does have its sweetness in the form of a lovely snow goddess.”

“It’s the tinsel hair. You just want to run your fingers through it, don’t you?”

“It’s the whole look. If you were carrying a wand that shot out snow sparkles from the tip, I’d totally buy into it.”

“You’ve seen Frozen.”

“How to avoid it when even the cereal I buy features the characters on the box? But I confess, I did see it. It was for a date.”

“You took a woman out to a Disney movie?”

“I wasn’t my first choice, but I didn’t complain. I got to pick the restaurant, so it was fun all around.”

The man was racking up some seriously sexy, dateable points. And Eryss wouldn’t even begin to calculate how many points he’d earn if he truly did turn out to be her soul mate.

“What kind of food do you like?” she asked.

“Seafood and good wine.”

“I can recommend an excellent Scandinavian restaurant for you to check out while you’re here. It would be a shame for you not to try lutefisk and lefse before leaving.”

“I’ve heard of lefse. A Norwegian staple made with flour and...”

“Potatoes. It’s like a very soft flatbread, and you butter it and sprinkle sugar on top. Roll it up, and have at it!”

“Sounds like a treat. Do I want to know what lutefisk is?”

“It’s seafood. Sort of. Whitefish soaked in lye. But if you cook it right, it’s awesome.” She noticed his distasteful swallow and laughed. “I haven’t eaten it since I was a kid. I know better now.” She winked at him.

Behind them, strains of music echoed out from the mansion. Dane took her hand, the one clasping the empty mug, and she startled. “Would you like to dance?”

Suddenly feeling more ungrounded than she ever had in her life, Eryss delighted in the airy lift to her being. “Yes, please.”

* * *

The winter queen bewigged with tinsel knew how to dance a waltz. And so did Dane, thanks to his mother’s insistence that a well-rounded man could make his way through life with ease and grace. Of course, she didn’t have to know he’d also taken martial arts classes and was a damn good hand at knife-throwing, courtesy of his own desires to round out his life. But as they glided about the dance floor and the song came to an end, he was thankful for the next, slower song so he could hold his partner closer and look into her eyes. Those mysterious blue eyes.

There was something about Eryss that he couldn’t quite put a finger on. She was pretty, but not in a conventional, overdone way where men’s jaws dropped and they stared long after she’d passed. She had flawless skin and bright eyes. A soft pink mouth and no visible blush on her cheeks. And yet Dane felt as if he had scored a dance with the most gorgeous woman in the world, for her attention warmed him to the bone and he was quite sure he hadn’t stopped smiling since they’d taken the dance floor.

He leaned in close, brushing her cheek with his. He should have shaved. But she didn’t flinch or seem to mind his stubble. In fact, she nestled in closer, pressing her breasts against his chest and bringing their hands down so they swayed together in the middle of the dance floor, barely moving.

Yet his heart raced. He felt like the awkward geek he’d once been at high school dances. Nervous. Unsure. Most definitely not as suave as he liked to think he was. Was everyone staring at the fumbling nerd? And yet he’d scored the cheerleader this time, and hell, yeah, he wanted everyone to look at him.

Eryss tilted her head and whispered, “I feel airy when I’m with you, Dane. Not at all grounded.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

“I haven’t decided.”

Hmm...well, he didn’t want her to decide it was the latter, so he clasped one hand across her back and held her securely. Grounding her? He wasn’t sure how that worked, but the feeling took him and all he wanted to do was hold this beautiful queen and forget the unfortunate luck he’d had at the antiques store.

Something about this embrace felt...familiar? It was an odd thing to notice. He’d never met this woman. Surely he would remember those blue eyes. And he’d never once set foot in Minnesota before today.

He’d take the feeling for whatever it was, and count his luck as having turned toward the good side.

When the slow music segued into a bouncy beat, they paused and her eyes sought his. She asked, “Want to come to my place?”

Dane’s reaction went from surprised, to curious, to aroused in a matter of seconds. That had been an abrupt invite.

She didn’t blush so much as glow, even under the silly tinsel wig. “Uh, I think I can show you a little taste of summer. I promise I won’t molest you.”

He intentionally dropped the smirk. “Now I’m disappointed.”

She laughed. “Unless you want me to? Come on. I know where summer lives.”