Wonder: A Soul Savers Collection of Holiday Short Stories & Recipes by Kristie Cook Page A

wee hours of her third morning there, sounds in the woods woke her. She crawled over to the window and peeked out. Her heart picked up speed as she watched three figures move about the woods—male humans. Later that day, she found new traps set out.
    When she came around the corner of the house after traipsing through the woods, she cursed herself for not paying closer attention. A familiar gray truck sat in the driveway, and its owner bounded the steps from the kitchen door.
    Rissa turned on her heel and sprinted for the woods.

Chapter 4

    “Rissa,” Gray called after her, but she ignored him and ran for the woods. Within seconds, he stood in front of her, forcing her to stop.
    Her breath caught as a mixture of emotions swirled inside her. Bewilderment because she’d been running as fast as she could in human form, which was faster than almost any Norman, and he’d not only caught up with her but had passed her. Anger at herself for being so stupid to get caught. Embarrassment because she’d had to sneak around and invade his house in the first place.
    “You’re the one who’s been in the cabin?” Gray demanded, his voice filled with confusion and ... was that relief she heard?
    Rissa didn’t answer. She looked over his shoulder, measuring the distance to the woods, where she could change and run away from here forever.
    “Rissa,” Gray said, trying to capture her attention. When she still didn’t reply, he lunged forward and grasped her wrists in his large, warm hands. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
    Before she could respond, he pulled her forward, into his arms.
    “Thank God I found you again,” he breathed as he hugged her against his hard chest. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I came searching but no one had seen you anywhere ... and I had no clue where you live. I came out here and found you—”
    Rissa wiggled and squirmed her way out of his embrace. Once free, she stepped back two paces, and her head dropped.
    “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I ... I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
    Now Gray remained silent. Rissa looked up at him through her lashes, her hands wringing together in front of her. He cocked his head.
    “Rissa, are you ... are you homeless?”
    She immediately dropped her gaze and stared at the brown grass which had gone dormant for the winter. How was she going to explain her life without giving everything away? There was no way. She needed to run. Now. Get as far away as possible and never return. Never see Gray again.
    “My stepfather kicked me out of the house when I was 16,” she blurted instead, and before she could think about what she was doing, she told him everything. Well, sort of. In Norman terms, anyway. “A couple found me in a city park, about to starve to death—if I didn’t freeze overnight first. They took me in, like a foster kid, and they tried to make me like one of their own. But I never felt right there. They were ... wrong. We had different values, I guess you could say. I tried to run away several times, but even after I was of legal age, they kept finding me and dragging me back. I’d become more like their slave, and they never let me forget that I was indebted to them. A few months ago, I finally got away for good. I’ve been running and hiding ever since. And then you helped me, and you were so nice, but then ... then you were gone and that house, it was just sitting there empty and ...”
    “Rissa,” Gray interrupted, his voice low and husky. Once more, his hands encased her wrists, and he pulled her into him in another hug. “Rissa, Rissa, Rissa. You’re always welcome in my home.”
    Tears stung her eyes by now, and she pressed her face against his chest, refusing to let them fall. Her body trembled, though, betraying her emotions. He tightened his hold around her and pressed his cheek against the top of her head. She breathed his scent in, stronger than what had been left on the blanket, and once again, it