My inner demon cackled inside my head.
“I don’t know if we can find something big enough to take us. Even at such short notice,” Emma said with sadness seeping from her voice.
“We’ll find somewhere.”
She looked at me, catching my eye. “I don’t know, Dimitri. Even if we can find a place that can fit three hundred people, they probably won’t have an opening until next year.”
“Money talks, Ms. Hayes. I’ll offer them more than they can dream of, and they won’t be able to say no.” I glared at a human man walking in the opposite direction, who stared at Emma for far too long. He turned his gaze to me and realized I was watching him. Ducking his head, he walked past us.
My demon snarled and stretched inside my mind, wanting to be freed so he could kill the human. I moved back to walk behind Emma, blocking the man from staring at her ass. I glanced over my shoulder and caught him half-turned so he could look at her. He stiffened and turned around, striding faster to escape the threat that I was. I pictured myself plucking his eyes out and forcing him to eat them before I pulled his spine out through his mouth.
Human men were all the same. Pathetic creatures who saw women as less than animals. What infuriated me the most was that my mate gained the attention of these predators. I wasn’t any better when it came to Emma, but she was an exception. She had tamed me and given me these soft feelings for her. I never thought I’d love someone. Now I loved Emma with every fiber of my being and would die to protect her from these filthy creatures.
“What are you doing, sir?” Emma asked as she peeked over her shoulder to look at me.
“Nothing to be concerned about.” I moved to her side when the man was out of eyeshot.
A message pinged on my phone, and I pulled it out of my pocket. Scowling down at the notification, I realized the snowstorm was coming tonight.
Emma’s phone dinged, and I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I guided her down the sidewalk as she checked her notifications.
“Do we...have enough time to go to the store to get some things?” she asked.
“Of course.”
Who had I become? I’d never been this sort of gentle or loving creature. It was beyond me and the limited emotions I’d experienced for so long. I’d never known what love was until her. She brought out the best in me, even though I was still a cold-hearted killer who didn’t regret taking lives.
“Anything for you, sunshine,” I murmured.
Istood outside on the front porch, watching as the snow came down in torrents. Giant, fluffy flakes whipped through the whistling wind. A foot of powder already covered the ground, and the storm didn’t look like it would let up for a while. A shiver rushed through me, but I didn’t want to go inside just yet. This was the first time I’d seen snow like this.
The sun had set, and the streetlights came on, lighting up the darkness. This storm looked like it came out of a movie because of its beauty. A car crept past the house, and I could barely see it because of the snow and trees in Dimitri’s yard. The white powder covered the limbs, and only pops of brown bark peeked through. Soon all of it would be covered.
“It’s so beautiful,” I whispered, astonished.
Maybe we’d get a white Christmas that year. It’d always been a dream of mine since I was a kid. I imagined walking with Dimitri, holding hands and enjoying the scenery.
It was so quiet outside that it was loud. People said silence couldn’t be loud and saying so was an oxymoron, but I guess they hadn’t heard the stillness that came when it snowed. The more that piled on the ground, the more it soaked up noises. I pitied everyone who hadn’t experienced something like this because, wow. It was something else.
I wished Dimitri was with me, holding me to lend his warmth.
The front door opened behind me, and large hands grabbed my waist.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
“You’re going to get sick if you keep standing out here,” Dimitri murmured into my ear.
A tiny smile crept to my face. “But it’s so beautiful.”
“Hmm.” He brought me against his chest, his arms banding around my middle like he was protecting me from the cold weather.
We stood in silence, watching the snow fall from the sky and dance in the strong wind. My face and hands became numb, and my nose ran a little, but I didn’t want to leave.
“You’re shivering,” Dimitri scolded under his breath as he rubbed my arms.
“I’m fine,” I said, my teeth chattering.
He scoffed and pulled me back inside, where the warm air hit me like a brick wall. I trembled with shivers, and my fingers tingled painfully. Dimitri cupped my hands in his and brought them to his mouth. He stared at me with his panty-melting bedroom eyes as he blew hot air into the cavern surrounding my hands. Another shiver wracked me, and I stepped closer to him, tilting my head back to watch him as he did the kindest thing.
