Talan's Treasure Read Free

flashed Adrian a quick grin, hiding his own churning stomach. He wouldn’t admit it, even under threat of violence, but for a moment or two he’d thought they might visit the bottom of a cliff as the vehicle skittered back and forth. Even the chains didn’t always prevent them from moving while the brakes were engaged.
    “Yeah, safe and sound.” Talan cupped Adrian’s face with his right hand and pried his fingers off the door with his left. He carefully massaged the cramped hand. “You’re all right now. We won’t go anywhere until the ice melts some.” Adrian cleared his throat and flashed him a guilty look. “Yeah about that. I saw a weather report on my phone. It looks like we might have snow throughout the weekend. But, on the bright side, between storms the skiing should be great.” Talan pushed away his concern and hoped Adrian didn’t scent his fear. The idea of becoming stranded in the snow and unable to get back home terrified him. He’d rather be set on fire than freeze to death. “But the cabin is fully stocked, right?” Adrian nodded. “It even has a generator so if we lose power we’ll still be fine. All we have to do is check in with the caretaker and be on our way.” He nodded towards the cabin they’d parked in front of. On the way over, Adrian had explained that a distant cousin lived on the property year round to make sure the buildings stayed in ready condition for pack visits.
    Despite his innate fear of being snowed in, the image of him and Adrian in a cosy cabin appealed to Talan. No pride, no pack, no problems…just him and Adrian. He couldn’t think of a better way to spend his time.
    “Sounds great.” Talan nodded his approval to the plan, pleased when Adrian shot him a relieved smile. Apparently Adrian had worried about how Talan would take the news of their potential isolation.
    “Good, come on,” Adrian said, already sliding out of the truck.
    Talan scrambled to follow him without falling on his ass. His lighter mate danced across the icy stairs with little signs of struggle while Talan had to grab at the wooden handrail to prevent a tumble, which would be a graceless move for a lion shifter. He saw Adrian hide his grin.
    “I saw that,” Talan grumbled.
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    TALAN’S TREASURE
    Amber Kell
    13
    “Sorry, love.” Adrian flashed him a wide smile and held out a hand to make sure Talan made it the rest of the way safely.
    Talan took Adrian’s hand but only clasped it. They didn’t often have time for the simple things like handholding. This was nice.
    Smiling at their joined hands, Adrian knocked on the door.
    They waited for a bit. Talan shuffled his feet in the cold. When Adrian shivered for the third time, he banged again.
    “Maybe he went to do some errands.”
    Talan shook his head. “You said he was expecting us.” Adrian shrugged. “Maybe something came up.”
    “I’m not going anywhere until we talk to the caretaker. I don’t want him to think we’re intruding and shoot us or something.” Talan awkwardly reached for the knob with his left hand, surprised when it turned in his grip. His nose twitched as a metallic smell reached him. “I smell blood. We have to go in and see if he’s okay,” Talan rationalised. Besides, if they stayed out in the frigid temperature much longer, his nuts would freeze off and ruin the purpose of this little mini-vacation.
    Adrian nodded his agreement. “He wouldn’t mind. Darren is the friendly sort—he just doesn’t like to be around people all the time, which is why this is the perfect job for him.” Talan pushed the door open, reluctant to release Adrian’s hand.
    A gasp from Adrian was the only response to the sight that greeted them. Talan’s heart slammed against his chest. They didn’t speak for several moments as they stared at the man on the floor. A large knife protruded from the man’s back and a puddle of blood pooled around the body. No hint of movement from the man, no breathing. The