The Reindeer's New Year Love Available Now

Hello

Just a quick note to let you know there is a new Reindeer story available now - read the blurb here and read an excerpt below.

Lots of more stories are on the way, and I'll be in touch soon

Take care

Elizabeth

*

Riker inhaled sharply. Reindeer. The young woman was smaller than the average reindeer cow, and maybe a little curvier - a lot curvier put in his interested wolf. She was sopping wet, her hair plastered to her head, and her clothes clinging to her. She also appeared to be missing a shoe.

The female took a moment to straighten her clothes – as much as she could – before she started limping toward the bar. Riker watched her in the mirror. There was a determined lilt to her expression, only marred slightly by the unease in her eyes. She had to be as aware as Riker of the fact that she was the only prey in the bar. A quick flicker around the room told him that everyone else was starting to realize it too, and many males were starting to show an interest. In backwood places like this, where predators dominated, prey girls were considered easy pickings, and she certainly was a pretty young thing, even in her disheveled state.

Riker focused on his beer, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she approached the bar. The bartender gave her a leery look and ambled over to see what she wanted.

“What?” he grumbled.

Riker rumbled softly and the bartender flinched. The female flicked her eyes to him. She blinked for a couple of beats and licked her lips before slowly returning her attention to the bartender.

“May I borrow your phone?” she asked only slightly croakily.

“Broken,” grunted the bartender.

“Oh.” She seemed to deflate a little. “Is there a payphone near here?”

“Motel three miles down the road, they have a phone.”

The unhelpful bartender ambled away to wipe some severely smudged glasses, lest she ask anything else. She sighed and drummed her fingers on the bar. She caught sight of her appearance in the mirror behind the bar and winced, then she caught Riker looking at her in the mirror and she inhaled softly.

“You can borrow my phone,” he said quickly.

He was almost embarrassed that she had caught him looking at her. Almost embarrassed by the fact that he couldn’t seem to stop looking at her.

The female turned to look at him, and she licked those damn, plump lips again. “You have a signal?” she asked a little breathlessly.

Riker turned as well, leaning one arm on the bar, trying not to react to the fact that he leaned in something decidedly sticky – this place really was the pits.

“Yeah.”

Hunters got special phones designed to work anywhere and any time. He was pretty sure that his phone would still be working come the apocalypse.

Her eyes dipped a little and her cheeks warmed to a blushing pink as she smiled. “Thank you, that would be very helpful.”

Riker hesitated at the smile, and even his wolf was a little taken aback. Pretty nothing, she was an absolute stunner, and surely everyone else was noticing it too.

He pulled out his phone and moved closer to her. His keen senses told him her breathing increased as he moved nearer to her. But while his ego would like to say she found him attractive, he suspected it was more likely she was scared of him. Even he couldn’t deny that a grizzled wolf shifter in his early forties and covered in scars was hardly the most welcome apparition to a lissome young reindeer.

Stopping a foot from her, he held out the phone. She looked up, her eyes met his, and as her eyes flashed to the darkness of her inner beast’s, his flashed amber. She looked down and quickly took the phone.

He remained standing, still as a rock, as she phoned and enquired about a tow truck. He carefully looked around the unusually quiet bar. Everyone was paying far too much attention to their drinks. They were clearly listening to every word she said, clearly interested, clearly waiting.

Riker rumbled lowly in warning. A few of them – the smarter contingent of the room – flinched and really did focus on their drinks. The less smart sneered.

The female glanced up at him but didn’t miss a beat as she argued with whoever was on the other end of the line. The upshot was that no truck was coming out to her immediately. No, he didn’t suppose they would. There was flooding in the nearby area due to the rain, and he supposed they were prioritizing people who were stuck in their cars in the floods – lest they be swept away.

“Tomorrow morning?” she breathed. “But… but… that’s…” She sighed and pursed those pretty lips. “Yes, of course, you’re right. Yes, I’m in no danger, I suppose.”

Though, she glimpsed around the bar as she said it, so, clearly, she wasn’t oblivious to the males around her.

“Okay, fine, I’ll call you in the morning.”

Dejectedly, she ended the call and handed the phone back to Riker.

She blushed even more as Riker stared at her.

“Car broke down?”

She nodded.

“Can’t get to you until morning?”

She shook her head.

“You got anyone who can come pick you up?”

She winced. “I just broke up with my boyfriend, and my brother is… who knows where.”

Riker glared past her as a coyote shifter ambled up to the bar and stood a shade too close to her. She wrinkled her snub nose as the smell of the coyote hit her. He was all sweat, cheap cologne, alcohol, and a severe absence of soap.

“What’s your name, darling?” asked the coyote.

“Oh ah, it’s umm, Anne,” she replied, though without much conviction.

The coyote leaned over her shoulder and she visibly shivered. “You can stay at my place, darling,” he slurred.

Clearly, he was hammered, else he wouldn’t have the balls to approach her while she was talking to Riker.

“Thanks, but…”

“C’mon, darling, I’ll show you a good time.”

He made some frankly obscene motions with his hips, making his table of friends snicker. They were drunk too.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re very drunk, otherwise you couldn’t possibly think that would sway me.”

“Don’t be a bitch,” hissed the coyote as he tried to grasp her arm.

His inner wolf howled indignantly. Riker snarled and grabbed her, pulling her out of reach and toward his chest. She too tried to evade the coyote’s grasping hands and moved toward Riker, colliding with his chest.

“Oh, umm, sorry,” she stammered as she pressed against him, trying to move away.

Riker ignored her and held her steady. “Get out,” he growled.

“Me?” she breathed.

“Get. Out.” He snarled at the coyote.

The coyote scowled at him, puffing out his small chest – as if he was about to challenge him or something. The wolf inside prowled, hoping for a chance to tear a piece off of this insignificant male who would dare even look at the beautiful reindeer.

Riker didn’t move. Just stared at the coyote, ignoring how nice she felt writhing against him. The coyote tried to swagger and his friends started getting to their feet, started moving, just in case a fight broke out. Though whether they would join in or just flee to the door was undecided.

Finally, under Riker’s unwavering stare, the coyote submitted and backed away.

“Bitch isn’t worth it anyway,” he muttered.

“What?” Riker snapped.

The coyote let out an eep and fled through the door. His friends tried to nonchalantly follow, though it was obvious that they were fleeing too. His wolf sneered.

“Umm…” she started.

“Come on. I’ll give you a ride to the motel.”

“Oh ah…”

Riker spun her around and steered her to the door. He grabbed the sodden case she had been dragging and propelled her outside into the rain. She squeaked at the heavy rain, but he didn’t slow down, merely hurled her into his truck, and didn’t breathe out until he was driving to the motel.

“This is kind of you,” she said, still a little stunned by how quickly things were happening.

Riker grunted. It wasn’t like he could leave her in that bar. If the coyotes weren’t waiting outside for her, then one of the other mealy-mouthed idiots would have made their move. He was just being a good guy. That was all it was. Well, there was a first time for everything.