* * * * *
It took some convincing, but she managed to persuade Davinia to accompany her for tea at Golatia’s house two days later. Ellie had spent most of her time stuck in the cabin, and she was bored stiff. It wasn’t polite to simply invite themselves over, but the woman’s invitation had been open-ended. Something about the other woman suggested she too was lonely, and Ellie didn’t think she would mind the imposition.
“I don’t know,” Davinia said for the tenth time, as they approached Golatia’s small cabin. “I don’t even know this woman. I think it’s best if we keep to ourselves.”
“Davinia, you’ll never fit in with these people if you hide in your house.” She threaded her arm through her friend’s and walked forward, bringing her along. “She’s a nice old woman, and she specifically told me to bring you along.”
“Okay.” She gave a heavy sigh, but her steps didn’t falter as they walked onto the porch.
Ellie knocked loudly, figuring Golatia’s hearing was probably bad too. It was a long time before the door opened.
“Sorry, dears. I knew you were coming, but it still takes me a time to rattle my old bones from the kitchen to the door.” Golatia stepped back to give them room to enter.
Ellie wondered if she had heard right. “You were expecting us?” Had the woman been preparing for their visit every day, only to be disappointed?
“Yes, Ellie. I knew you’d finally convince Davinia she was welcome.” Golatia grasped Davinia’s hands. “You’re welcome anytime, child. Come sit, and I’ll bring in the tea.”
“Let me,” Ellie said quickly.
Golatia nodded, allowing Davinia to assist her to a rocking chair.
Ellie walked into the kitchen through the living room. The floor plan of the cabin didn’t provide a break between rooms, other than doorways. There was no door barring the kitchen from the living room.
She saw a tray on the counter, and her eyes widened when she counted three cups and saucers, and six biscuits. Golatia really had prepared for their arrival. She shivered, remembering the other woman’s strange words about having faith in her man. Ellie had seen some extraordinary things in the last few years, and she couldn’t discount the idea that Golatia had the gift of Sight.
She lifted the tray and carried it into the living room, setting it on a large coffee table made from a slab of trunk from an ancient tree. Whoever made it had sanded the wood and added gloss, but allowed its natural imperfections to shine through. An uncountable amount of rings swirled around it, making it impossible to guess the age of the tree the table had come from. “This is beautiful.”
“Oh, yes.” Golatia leaned forward to touch the smooth wood. “Rica made that when he was just a cub, learning at his father’s side.”
Ellie poured the tea, smiling at the affectionate term for Rica as a child. “He has a gift.”
Golatia nodded. “Of course, so does Davinia’s man. Their father taught them everything about the art of wood. Their family’s been intimate with the ways of wood since before I can remember.”
Ellie passed them both a cup before taking one and leaning back into the chair she had chosen. “Did Rica make your door?”
“Yes, he made Mrs. Cosminstan’s door. Either he or Viggo make all the doors. They sell them too,” Davinia said. “The others in the Pack gather the wood and prepare it for use from its raw state. Some farm for our needs and sell the remainder, but the main economy is supported by Rica and Viggo.”
Ellie should have been making neat mental notes, but all she could think of was Rica’s skilled hands shaping wood into art. It wasn’t long before the wood in her mental image melted into flesh—her flesh. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, struggling to compose herself.
“I have something for you, Davinia.” Golatia pointed to a chest in the corner. “Go and fetch that for her, would you, Ellie? It’s not good for her to be lifting in her condition.”
Ellie got to her feet and retrieved the small trunk. It was ornate in its design, with Golatia’s name carved into the chest. “This is gorgeous. Did Rica make it?”
Golatia laughed. “No, ‘twas his grandfather’s brother, back when he planned to court me. Unfortunately, Ivan lost the challenge for me. I mated with Yuri, who died the next winter, before I ever conceived. By then, Ivan had moved in with his brother Victor and his wife.” Sadness flashed across her face, but then she shrugged, and the emotion disappeared. “It’s all in the past, while your little one is the future.”
Davinia eyed the chest. “Should I open it, Mrs. Cosminstan?”
“Golatia, and yes, open it, child. Everything inside is for you.”
She opened the chest, and a gasp sprang from her. Davinia lifted a tiny baby outfit, crotched from the finest yarn. “Oh, it’s beautiful.”
“Mind, they might have yellowed a bit with age. I haven’t pulled them out in years.” Golatia winked. “There never was a young woman I wanted to have them until now. If they’ve aged, you can bleach them easily enough, but you’d best get it done quickly.”
Davinia lifted her head from examining the other garments. “Thank you, Mrs.—Golatia. I’ve yet to finish any of the clothes I started for Ylenia. My fingers aren’t nimble with sewing, and the order I placed from Bulgainia didn’t arrive before the snow blocked the pass.”
Ellie had fastened on Golatia’s words about bleaching the clothes quickly. She opened her mouth to ask about it when the old woman turned to look at her. There was a hint of worry in her expression, and she pursed her lips after shooting a glance at Davinia.
Ellie got the hint and held her tongue as Davinia talked about the baby. Before she knew it, more than an hour had passed.
“Oh, we must get back, Ellie. Viggo will be home soon.” Davinia was slow on her feet when she got up and walked to Golatia. She pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered something that sounded like, “Thank you.”
Ellie followed suit, waiting until Davinia had returned to the trunk and gathered up the stack of baby clothes before kneeling beside Golatia’s rocker. “You know things, don’t you?”
“Yes.” She grinned, displaying her remaining teeth and a large amount of pink gums. “I know many things, and some I can tell. Some I can’t, and some I just plain won’t.”
“Is her baby coming soon?” She was careful to keep her voice to a whisper.
A troubled expression crossed the old woman’s face. “Very soon, and she’ll need you, Ellie.” She lifted Ellie’s hand and squeezed it. “You think you know why you’re here, but that isn’t the only reason. No, indeed. There are many reasons for why things happen.” She released her hand. “Now, off with you both. I need a nap. I’m not as young as I used to be.” The words must have amused Golatia, because she cackled. “Come see me again soon, the both of you.”
She lowered her voice to a whisper, shooting a meaningful glance at Ellie. “Bring the little one.”
Ellie stood up, deciding not to pressure the other woman for answers. She had plainly said she wouldn’t reveal everything she knew. Golatia was old, but she was too sharp to trick into answering what she didn’t want to answer, and too close-mouthed to reveal more than she wanted to. It was with a strange feeling of dissociation that she followed Davinia from the cabin, grasping an armful of baby clothes.
* * * * *
Ellie found herself unable to sleep. She tried finding a comfortable spot, but eventually gave up. She decided to make notes in her journal to pass some time until she felt sleepy. She slid from the bed and padded across the cold wooden floor to the closet, where she had hidden her journal.
As she passed the window, she looked out. She froze when she saw Rica standing outside in the square. The way the moon backlit his frame gave him a melancholy air. She had the compulsion to join him. Although she tried to stop herself, she couldn’t seem to rein in the impulse. She slipped her feet into the boots and left the room quietly. She decided the parka would cover enough of the pink flannel gown to still be modest.
She paused at the front door to grab her coat and slid her arms into it as she left the cabin. Her feet crunched through the snow, which rose to the level of her boots or higher in places. She shivered in the bitter cold and knew she should turn back, but couldn’t get her feet to obey her.
By the time she reached Rica, he had turned in her direction. His expression was neutral as he watched her walk toward him. It was below freezing, but he wore nothing except a flannel shirt and jeans.
When she was beside him, Ellie had no idea what to say. Why had she come out here to join him? It had been an illusion, his loneliness. Yet, she couldn’t just turn around and walk away without saying anything. “Couldn’t sleep?”
He grunted.
She took that for a yes. “Me neither. I’m worried about Davinia.”
That sparked a glimmer of interest. “Why?”
“Golatia said she’s going to have her baby soon.”
The change in his expression was startling. It went from inscrutable to gentle. “You’ve met Golatia?”
She nodded. “She’s very kind, isn’t she?”
“Yes. She helped raise Viggo and I after our mother died.” Rica sighed. “She’s good with children.”
“Do you have any?” What made her blurt out that question? She already knew he didn’t have a wife. It seemed unlikely he was divorced, living in this environment.
He shook his head. “I haven’t mated yet.”
“Oh. Why not?”
He lifted a brow. “You’re inquisitive.”
She gave him a coaxing smile. “Don’t tell me you’re the stereotypical stubborn male who never answers questions or reveals anything about himself.”
He hesitated a moment before answering. “I haven’t felt the compulsion to join with a woman.” His voice had dropped an octave, and his eyes seemed to focus on her breasts, revealed by the unzipped parka.
She licked her lips, sensing a change in atmosphere. “I see. Does that mean you’re…inexperienced?”
He laughed. “It means I haven’t found a woman who touched my heart. There have been a few who touched my cock, of course.”
She was startled at the bluntness of his speech. A blush crept up her neck, and she cleared her throat. “Uh, what are you waiting for? How will you know when she has touched your heart?”
His sigh was long and drawn out. “When I was younger and asked about such things, Golatia told me I would just know.” His expression bordered on brooding. “She didn’t tell me what to do when I knew the feelings couldn’t be right.”
“Hmm.” A wind gust blew under her nightgown, bringing a rush of cold air that washed over her panties. It did nothing to soothe the heated flesh inside the material. She couldn’t recall the last time she had felt such an intense and instant attraction to a man. She ached for him to reach for her, but knew she couldn’t let him. If she had understood him, he couldn’t allow himself to reach for her either. It was frustrating to know he shared the attraction, but was equally helpless to act on it. “I should go in.”
“Why did you come out here?”
She shrugged. “It’s silly.”
“Tell me.”
She licked her lips, which had chafed in the cold air. “You seemed lonely. I…” She shrugged again and turned away from him. Logic compelled her to run back to Davinia’s and put as much distance as possible between herself and this temptation. Yet, she made no move to pull away when his hands cupped her upper arms, and he pulled her back against his chest.
“I am lonely in many ways, Ellie. I want to find my mate, the one woman meant only for me.” Her head spun as Rica’s head lowered, bringing his mouth to her ear. “I ache for her,” he said in a rough whisper. One of his hands moved to cup her breast, through the opening in her parka. The soft flannel was an unbearable abrasion against the sensitive peak when he thumbed her nipple.
She closed her eyes and relaxed against Rica. When he thrust his cock against her lower back, a moan escaped her. She felt his cock spasm, and her pussy convulsed with sympathy. She wanted to turn in his arms and feel his lips on hers again. Not in punishment or anger this time, but with perfect passion. The crotch of her panties dampened when he squeezed her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
His mouth moved down her throat, leaving breathy kisses in its wake. She moaned again when he nipped the bend where her neck met her shoulder. “Rica.”
He lifted his head, and his hand moved from her breast. He continued to hold her for a long moment, and then his hands fell away. “You should go inside.”
She turned to look at him, with confusion in her eyes. “Rica—”
His eyes were sad, and his fingers were gentle when they pressed lightly against her lips. “This wouldn’t work. I have responsibilities to the Pack. Certain things are expected of me. I can’t do this.”
She found herself nodding. Inside, she was numb, although a tear splashed down her cheek. It felt like goodbye when she turned away from him and hurried back to Viggo and Davinia’s. It was ridiculous to feel actual physical pain at the separation. He meant nothing to her. They had shared a brief moment of loneliness, and nothing else. She tried to believe that, but her heart still ached when she entered the cabin and closed the door behind her.
Chapter 4