Winter Prey

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The smell of frying bacon and brewing coffee intruded on Kymbria's sleep the next morning. Groggy, she stretched her body, mentally thanking her mother for caring for Risa and allowing her to sleep in. But the moment her eyelids slit, she realized where she was: at the cabin, a monster prowling the deep winter snows, seeking edible prey.

The previous evening crashed into her consciousness with a jolt, and she tossed off the blankets and sheet. Hjak and Caleb must still be here, or at least, one of them. She frowned when she realized she was hoping it was Caleb McCoy working in the kitchen. She'd only met the man hours earlier. Why should it matter if he was the cook?

Then she noticed her luggage beside the door. There was no reason at all why she should care if Caleb was still here. She'd be walking out of his life as soon as she had a cup of that coffee and got her suitcases and dog loaded.

The memories separated into brief individual glimpses of the previous evening.

The sweat lodge and the horrible howls. The journey through the dark, threatening wilderness with an uncommunicative Keoman. Caleb with her at the cabin and the creature leaving the body in front of her cabin. The whispers in her mind. The fright and terror Scarlet exhibited. The missing body. Retrieved by the entity?

Where was Scarlet? Normally, her dog stayed curled up until she had to shove her aside to make the bed. She grabbed her robe and shrugged into it as she hurried into the kitchen.

Caleb glanced at her from where he stood at the counter, dangling a crispy piece of bacon at Scarlet. The setter's dewlaps were drawn back, sharp, shining teeth exposed. For the first time in hours, Kymbria smiled. Someone who didn't know the dog would be shivering with alarm, waiting for those teeth to sink into soft flesh.

Caleb allowed Scarlet to gently take the bacon as he said, "Good morning. I'd ask if you slept well, but I heard you snoring. Hope you don't mind that I made myself at home. It's a lot nicer kitchen over here. I didn't have to build up the fire and jump back into bed until it got warm enough to move around."

She shook her head. The world moved on, didn't it? Had she not been a part of the previous evening and night's events, this would seem like a regular morning, the same type as in millions of households. Delicious morning odors, a nice-looking man in the kitchen. The coffee already brewed and waiting for her.

"I don't snore," she muttered with a grin, more than glad to stave off any discussion of previous events for a while.

Caleb stifled a chuckle at her defense. Probably she did snore. In fact, nurses sharing tents with her had grumbled about that, but she'd grumbled right back at them as to their restless sleeping habits.

"Hope it was all right for Scarlet to have a piece of bacon," Caleb said, interrupting her thoughts. "I couldn't stand her pitiful whine, even after I filled her dog food bowl."

"It's fine," Kymbria said as she headed for the coffeepot. "Just one, though. She's usually satisfied with that. How long have you been up? Did you get any sleep at all?"

He'd set out an extra cup, and as she filled it, Caleb moved the skillet to the back of the stove. "Hjak and I both got about an hour each. Took turns. He's already gone. And you're going to need more coffee today. There's only enough left for one more pot."

"I won't need any more before I leave," she reminded him.

"Oh, guess not." Caleb carried the paper-towel lined plate with the bacon to the table. "But you need to eat before you leave. I even found a grapefruit in the fridge. They're out of season and expensive. Can't let it spoil."