Part of the way down the stairs I realized it was a mistake. Walking put one kind of pressure on my feet. Stairs were a different beast altogether. I made it down to the first landing. I sat on a step and held onto the railing. Zeus’s testicles this was hard. But, I was out of my room, and I didn’t want to go back.
Jade and Yuki hovered. I felt so stupid and incapable. My feet were pissed off. My missing toe was really pissed off. I didn’t have proper balance for stairs, and I held on to the rail like a toddler learning how to walk. Damn, I was such a loser.
I didn’t want to cry, but I could feel it starting in the back of my throat.
I hadn’t seen Mark in days, pretty much since the night of the big ‘everyone’s human’ dinner. He slid an arm around Jade’s waist and kissed her. That was good. I’m glad she found someone. Mark was a good guy. Of course, he was—he was pack, and I was biased.
“Need some help?” he asked.
I blinked up at him and nodded. I couldn’t say it out loud, couldn’t ask anyone to pick my ass up and haul me back to my room.
He hunkered in close and told me to put my arms around his neck. “Ready?”
I nodded, and he scooped me up. I couldn’t help but notice he smelled good.
“Um, I thought you were going to take me back up?” I asked as he started going down the stairs.
“You were coming down for a reason. Might as well come on down for a bit. I’m sure you are getting stir crazy in that room.” He had a lovely voice. I wasn’t checking him out, he was Jade’s, and I had more than enough. I was merely observing, having never been this close to him before.
He deposited me on the couch in the lounge area with the big TV.
“Thanks,” I said first to Mark, and then to Jade, who set the IV pole next to me.
Now what? I was out of my room and in the big room downstairs. That had been my goal—my only goal. Now, I wasn’t certain what to do with it.
“Can I bring you anything?” Mark asked.
I looked around and shrugged. “I think, after a bit, I’ll go exploring on this level if that’s okay?”
Mark nodded and left. Jade followed him.
“Oh, that will be great. I can show you where everything is.” Yuki was now my self-appointed tour guide.
“Everything?” I asked. “Like, what’s everything?” I didn’t know what was available around here. I had been in through the front door, and of course, downstairs for the big dinner party, and that was it.
“Let’s see,” Yuki dropped on the couch next to me. This level is shaped like a big X.”
“This level?” How big was the lodge?
She nodded. Pointing slightly to the right she said, “That way is the kitchen and a service elevator downstairs.” She rotated and pointed behind us, to what was the middle of the X shape where a heavy oak-beamed long counter and huge front doors were. “So, that used to be the check-in desk. I guess it still is when they have retreats here. Over there behind those double doors are some conference rooms.”
The areas she didn’t point out were obvious; open seating on the opposite arm of the X from us with a large stone fireplace and an even larger oil painting of what could only be a landscape of Yellow Stone; and a small restaurant-style dining room directly behind us, with another colossal fireplace and painting. Another landscape, this painting featured a beautiful mountain waterfall in the middle of the forest. That must be the waterfalls that gave this town its name.
“There aren’t any antlers in here.” There were no hunting trophies at all.
“I noticed that too. I’m glad because the wild boar downstairs creeps me out.”
“What’s downstairs?”
Another winner from Lulu Sylvian! This is the second in this series and I’m already anxious for the third installment. ~ an Amazon reader
What do you do when your imaginary friends start pestering you with images of sexy male strippers and hot were-shifters? You write stories about them. Well, that's what I did! Oh, and then I combine them and toss them in a kilt for good measure!
Hi, my name is Lulu and I write sexy hot contemporary and paranormal romance. Welcome to my website.
Making the Para "Normal" and the Supernatural Extraordinary.