Page 17 of His Winter Wonderland

Because of her, that light in his gaze was about to dim. A feeling of guilt bubbled up inside of her. Winter sighed. If she could avoid killing him, she would. Problem was, that glint of hope was going to force him to attempt to kill her. Nothing she said could keep him from trying to complete his final task.

Another sigh escaped her. Dark Eyes was going to have to die tonight. Perhaps she'd stare at him for another moment or two before killing him. Winter folded her arms over her chest and continued staring her would-be attacker up and down. He reminded her so much of him. But that was impossible.

Her dream lover wasn’t a vampire. He wasn’t anything, because he wasn’t real. Still, the feelings this creature raised in her were so similar to the feelings her dream lover brought out of her. Stop thinking about Rhen, Winter chastised herself. Now is not the time for that. Focus on the creature sent to assassinate you.

"So, this is the kind of riffraff they’re sending these days?" She said as she eyed him, wishing he’d lift his chin so she could see his face clearly and dispel the feeling that he was her Rhen. Like Rhen, he was of medium build. Though he was wearing a long sleeve white shirt, she could still tell he was ripped from the way the shirt fit his frame.

Not beefy like some creatures she'd seen. Not scrawny, but not muscles on top of unnecessary muscles like some. He was just right. Like Rhen. And like Rhen, he was taller than her. And that was saying something, because she was above average height for women around here.

However, in her realm, she was considered borderline short. That had always irritated her. What she lacked in height, she made up for in strength and ingenuity. She was proof that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. She'd dropped creatures far larger than this vampire. Taking him out wouldn't be a problem.

So, why was she hesitating? Just do it, Winter. Before he can use his vamp speed to attack, just whisper a spell that will bring him to his knees. All it would take was a few words. Or she could conjure a ball of fire and use it to end him. His kind didn't like fire. There were so many ways to kill and she excelled in almost all of them.

And yet, she still found herself unable to utter a spell that would end him. "What's wrong with me?" She mentally questioned. "I know. I'm trying to heighten the excitement. It's been so long since I've had an assassin approach me. I want to savor it. That's why I haven’t ended him yet."

Made sense. Plus, he hadn't answered her question yet. "I'll ask one final time, vamp. How do you want to die?"

He still didn't answer. But he did lift his chin and smile. A wicked grin spread across his face and her heart did something strange. It started to beat faster than ever before. She placed her hand against her chest and stumbled backward. What the hell? Her eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?" He carried the scent of a leech. Yet, he had to be weaving some type of spell over her. Because… because…. He looked exactly like her Rhen. "Answer me," Winter shouted, heart still racing.

He opened his mouth, revealing an impressive set of fangs. After showing them off, he said his first words to her. It wasn't the actual words he uttered that shocked her. It was the sound of his voice.

"I'm sorry, witch. But today won't be the day that I die, again."

That voice! The smooth, husky sound of that voice! She'd heard it somewhere before. In her dreams. Her eyes widened. Could it be? Had she possibly done the impossible? Had Winter Warren, Goddess of War, the bringer of chaos and destruction, finally found her dream lover?

Now that she was laying eyes on him in reality, the words her Creator spoke to her centuries ago came rushing back to her.

Every creature has a mate. Whether they want one or not. For our kind, for Goddesses our mates can either save us or destroy us. More often than not, they seek to destroy us. Therefore, it’s safer to end them before they have a chance to end us. You’ll know you’ve found him when your inner spirits unite as one and claim him.

Winter shivered when War and Vicky spoke in unison.

“Mine,” Vicky growled.

“Mine,” War purred.

“Mine,” Winter whispered. It was really him. He was alive in real life. And she’d found him. He spoke again and the sound was like music to her ears.

"We can do this the easy way, or, we can do this the hard way? Either way, you're coming with me,” Rhen said.

Winter smiled. Today was this vampire’s lucky day. She was going to let him live. She could barely contain the excitement coursing through her. Winter couldn't recall the last time she'd felt this kind of excitement. It felt almost as good as going to war felt. She never expected the Fates would gift her with a mate of this caliber.

Yeah, he was a vampire. But, she'd let that part slide. That was his only flaw. And now that she recognized him as hers, she no longer considered that a flaw. So, what he was undead? At least he had all his teeth. Some men on this plane did not. Winter resisted the urge to touch her hair or stare down at her clothes to see what she was wearing.

If she'd known she'd meet the man of her dreams tonight, she would've worn something different. He was still glaring at her. He hadn’t recognized her yet. Winter stepped forward, stepping into the clearing, allowing the moonlight to illuminate her also. She could hardly contain her excitement.

Eyes brimming with tears she said, “Nice to finally meet you.”

Chapter Seven

Rhen

Her scent called to him.

But it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. This was his last mission. If he succeeded, he would be allowed to leave the Frostlands. Of course, The Deciders would do whatever they could to make him fail. Even, delve into his deepest thoughts and pull out his weaknesses. Her. The woman of his dreams.

She couldn’t be his target. The creature before him must be a shape shifter. Even if The Deciders weren’t the one who invaded his thoughts, this creature could have. And she was taking on this form, thinking it would soften his stance. Thinking it would make him go easy on her. Not happening.