Frost Bitten by Eliza Gayle Page B

Christ’s sake. If anyone would be
hunting around here it would be her.
    Fortunately,
she’d already scoped out the entire property around the small
cabin. She’d been assured by the rental agency that she would
be completely isolated with many miles between her and the nearest
humans. Exactly how she wanted it.
    Daisy’s
gaze swept around the room one last time, accounting for any
potential outcome. While it had gone dark outside she’d not
needed to bother with the lights. The glow from the fireplace
provided more than enough illumination for her exceptional eyesight.
    Daisy
eased the back door open and slipped outside and into the cover of
the brush surrounding the back deck and far edge of the property. Now
the scents of the intruders hit her full on. Male both of them and if
she had her scent right, and she usually did, they were cougar
shifters.
    She’d
been informed of the territorial nature of the shifter clans in the
area so she’d made sure to steer clear of what could be
considered their land. Now they were at her back door and certain to
have scented her by now as well.
    Shit.
Fuck. Damn .
    This
was about to get complicated. For a few seconds she considered
shifting and going on the attack. They outnumbered her but she had
confidence that in a fair fight she could likely take them both.
Except…
    She
pressed her hand to her stomach and prayed for some divine
intervention. The minute they scented her heat the frenzy would
begin. She hung her head and dug deep for a shred of control. She
wasn’t the animal, she could control this. She repeated it over
and over. Willing it to be true.
    A
gust of wind blew snow in her face, freezing on impact with her skin.
    Yeah
this cold weather snow crap can bite me .
    The
two men grew close enough for her to hear voices but not yet make out
the words. Whatever their plans, they obviously were not trying to
sneak up on her. Idiots. If she were the stalker and they the prey,
they’d practically rolled out the welcome mat. Their skulls
would be crushed in minutes.
    She
crouched low and leaned against a tree. The sturdy trunk would give
her the leverage to jump when and if she needed to. An owl hooted in
the distance. She had no idea what time it was, considering the
position of the moon was shrouded by the storm. Any minute now, the
cougars would emerge from the tree line and she’d have to do
something drastic to stop them from getting too close.
    Daisy
inhaled deeply and counted to five before she slowly exhaled. Being
in heat heightened her senses and emotions, especially fear. The last
thing she needed to do was overact and land herself in hot water with
the locals.
    “ You
coming Seth?”
    The
deep voice of the first to step into the clearing carried easily to
her ears. She tensed, waiting for him to hit her line of sight.
    “ Don’t
be an ass, Trent. I had to stop and examine those claw marks. Did you
notice the perimeter is freshly marked?”
    Yeah
they knew what they were walking into. Who would blame her for
protecting herself?
    When
she spotted the first one her breath caught in her throat. Damn, he’s
big…
    Easily
over six feet, his shoulders reminded her of a linebacker they were
so wide. Like her he was covered head to toe in winter gear.
    “ We
were right about the smoke. Plenty of smoke coming out of that
chimney.”
    The
rumble of his voice slid over her like butter on a warm pancake. Mmm.
She really loved pancakes. Her stomach rumbled at the thought. She
hadn’t eaten much on the trip and since she’d hit the
mountain she’d been obsessed with the cold that wouldn’t
ease up.
    The
second man emerged from the trees carrying just as much gear. He
matched the first in height although his shoulders were a fraction
leaner. She swallowed thickly. Taking them both down would be a hell
of a challenge. For a brief second she considered other options but
she wasn’t much of a sweet talker and running wasn’t
going to happen.
    One
hundred yards and