A Winter Romance

Excerpt

The man screamed and fell backwards. Sero lifted his arms in what he hoped was a peaceful gesture.

The man wore a too-thin green jacket, tight leggings, and ridiculous-looking boots. The leggings encased his slender legs almost obscenely and would provide no protection from the snow. The boots had a slight heel. Completely impractical clothing for this time of year!

The man clearly didn’t belong here. And if Sero didn’t get him out of the snow, he’d probably freeze to death soon.

Sero stepped forward. The man’s eyes widened in terror as he scrambled backwards through the snow. It probably didn’t help that Sero was almost naked at the moment, only wearing a small loincloth. But then, he hadn’t planned to come across some fool in the forest.

“It’s all right. I won’t hurt you,” Sero called out, trying to be heard above the wind. “My name is Sero. We should get you to shelter before more snow comes.”

The man’s mouth dropped open, and he looked around, eyes wide. “More snow?”

Sero frowned. This was a light snowfall. This man was clearly out of his depth if he thought this was bad.

“I have a cave. Will you come?”

The man nodded. Any fear he had of Sero seemed not to outweigh his fear of freezing to death. The man’s blue lips trembled. In fact, his whole body trembled and shivered. Not a good sign. It was lucky Sero had found him when he had.

Walking closer, Sero reached out his hand. The man took it, and Sero pulled him to his feet. The gloved hand was soft in his own. Sero didn’t recognise the fine material, but it was far too thin. Sero grimaced. How could the man be so foolish to dress so inappropriately for the mountains at this time of year? As a human, he was fragile and easily affected by the cold.

Sero wore practically nothing, but he was half-oread and had acquired the nymph trait of not being affected by the cold. True, he didn’t particularly relish the idea of being out in a snowstorm or a blizzard. He’d much rather be cosied up by a fire at home or in his cave, but he wouldn’t freeze and die like a human.

Pushing down his annoyance, he turned and walked off. The man followed closely on his heels as if worried Sero would disappear into the trees.

What was this man doing so ill-prepared in the forest anyway? There were no villages close by. The nearest was his own, Ores, and that was a half-day away by foot. Sero shook his head. He would ask the man later. Right now, he needed to get him out of the cold.

The trees grew denser as Sero led the man through the forest towards his cave. The snow was only around their ankles, but still, the man struggled to walk, stumbling around. Sero’s jaw tightened as he reached out a hand to steady him. How could anyone be so helpless? So useless? If he couldn’t handle the mountains and some mildly bad weather, he should stay out of them!

Then again, perhaps there was a reasonable explanation.

He glanced back, taking in the man’s attire. Did the jacket have some sort of gemstones for buttons? Sero shook his head. He doubted there was a reasonable explanation. The man seemed too much a nitwit.

After several minutes, they reached the cave entrance. It was at the top of a slight incline, behind a thick copse of trees providing some protection from the wind.

Sero had built a wall three-quarters of the way up the height of the cave by piling stones on top of one another. It provided protection from the elements whilst allowing the smoke from the fire to escape. He’d also left a gap to one side. The entrance was just wide enough for one person to enter and exit the cave.

He ducked in through the opening and made his way further into the cave. No fire had been lit, and Sero doubted the man would be able to see with his poor human eyesight. But the man didn’t hesitate. He half fell through the entrance, obviously desperate to be out of the wind and snow. He crawled further in and backed against the wall, teeth chattering loudly in the cave.

The cave itself was tall enough for one to stand, but in some places, Sero had to duck a little to not hit his head. His bed and a few shelves were the only furniture.

Immediately, Sero piled kindling in the small firepit at the back of the cave. He grabbed the flint and his pocketknife to start the fire. He spared a glance at the shivering man. Despite Sero’s annoyance, he hoped the man would be all right.

He wished he had learned more about what to do when humans became too cold. His father was human, so Sero should probably know, but his father had lived in these mountains his whole life. Sero had never had to worry about him. His father also wore appropriate clothing and knew how to look after himself, no matter the weather. A little snowfall and some wind wouldn’t trouble him at all.

But a fire would help this human. Sero was sure of that. The kindling caught alight, and he piled on bigger pieces of wood, careful not to smother the flame. Slowly, the fire licked at the wood, growing and providing the cave with warmth and light.

Dark smoke rose in spirals, running along the cave roof and escaping through the entrance out into the night. He looked at the man, still shivering, his lips blue and his dark-brown eyes watching him. He would be warmer in the bed, but his clothes looked damp.

Sero got up and walked towards the man. “Stand. Take off your clothes and boots,” Sero said.

The man’s dark eyes widened.

“They are cold and wet. Then you can get in the bed to warm yourself.”

Understanding dawned in the man’s eyes, and he reached for the buttons of his jacket. His hands shook and fumbled, unable to grasp the amber buttons holding the jacket closed.

“Here, I’ll do it.” Sero pushed the man’s hands aside, quickly unbuttoned the jacket, and pushed it off his shoulders.

It looked like the man would protest when the garment fell on the dirt floor, but he held his tongue. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt beneath. Sero drew the shirt over the man’s head, fingers brushing against his icy-cold stomach, revealing pebbled and unnaturally pale skin. The man had a nice body, tall and lithe.

In other circumstances, Sero might enjoy spending a night amongst the furs in his cave with the man, all wrapped up with each other. It could be a very pleasant way of spending a night.

A tremor ran through the man’s frame, teeth still chattering. But not tonight.

Dropping to his knees, Sero reached for the man’s boots and undid the laces quickly. He had to tug hard to remove them, almost causing the man to fall. He unlaced the man’s breeches, trying to ignore the way they fit snugly around his crotch. Beneath he wore undershorts patterned with the crest of Norend over his dick. The word Aryn had been stitched into the soft fabric.

Sero stood. “Get in the bed,” Sero said, nudging the man with a hand to the hip, and Aryn climbed into the bed.