He looked at his long fingers wrapped around the sleeve of her puffy blue parka and reluctantly let go.
“Don’t slow down,” he warned.
No “or else” followed, but Lilly didn’t need it. She made sure she didn’t fall behind. If the hellhounds came back, she wouldn’t stand a chance against them alone. Her gun was empty, the dogs unpredictable, and she couldn’t even see the things. He, at least, had a weapon and knew what he fought.
Hellhounds. Did she really believe that’s what had attacked?
Yeah, evidently she did.
She pulled in a shaking breath and stared straight ahead. Not at the tall man beside her. Not over her shoulder, where his mutilated friend lay.
Jesus. That just happened.
“How did you know what they were?” she asked, out of breath as she kept pace.
“What are you doing out here all alone?” he countered instead of answering.
“Looking for my dog.”
“Try a leash next time.”
The man was infuriating. She would love to try a leash. But taking five dogs out on leashes was a death-defying act way above her skill set.
“I wasn’t walking them when it happened,” Lilly said. “Belle jumped the fence in my backyard a few nights ago. When I couldn’t find her, I came here.”
“Why here?”
Lilly debated the wisdom of answering. Belle had come here because this was where she knew. Her sister Amy’s cabin was not far away. Home, as far as Belle was concerned. But did she want this stranger to know that? Lilly settled on an edited version of the truth.
“They’re my sister’s dogs. She rescued them and trained them. I don’t know what to do with them. I don’t speak dog.”
The corners of his mouth kicked up.
“Where’s your sister?”
So much for circumventing that conversation. “She died. A few weeks ago.” Lilly paused and took a deep breath, hoping it would calm the welling emotions. “Belle took it hard.”
Those four words said way more than she’d intended and tears rushed the gates as her voice wobbled. Alex’s gaze lingered on her eyes, noting the pain there.
“That’s why you were crying,” he said.
She nodded, wondering how long he’d been watching her before she’d noticed. She took a deep breath and went on.
“Belle started acting funny when I was packing to take them home—to my home. I thought she’d get over it once we got there. I never had a dog until I had five.” Her laugh sounded weak. She cut it off before it became a sob. “I didn’t know what I didn’t know.”
Alex stopped walking. Lilly kept going, hoping to avoid whatever was coming, but Alex didn’t budge and reluctantly, she stopped, too. He made an irritated sound and came to stand in front of her, closer than she expected. She didn’t look up, though. Not even when he brushed a tear away with fingers warm from his pockets.
“What are you called?” he asked, his voice deep and a little rough.
She chanced a glance at his face. “Other than demented female?”
His eyes crinkled at the corners and amusement gleamed in the coppery depths. She tried not to stare, but even a hint of a smile changed his features, making him look younger. More approachable.
That didn’t make him any less dangerous, but Lilly couldn’t help but let her guard slip a little more.
“My name’s Lilly Winslow.”
“Lilly,” he said, testing the sound in that deep voice. Making her feel it in places she shouldn’t. “Like your eyes.”
He’d noticed her eyes? Disconcerted, she corrected his mistake. “Lilacs and lavender are purple. Lilies are white.”
He thought about that before nodding. “Lavender,” he said softly.
There was no reason for it, but the murmured word felt intimate. It made her agitated and achy. The way he said it, the way he gazed at her as he spoke.
“This trail leads to your sister’s place?” he asked, switching subjects so smoothly, she felt as if he’d manipulated her.
Suddenly distrustful again, she asked, “Why do you want to know that?”
“Relax, Lilly. I’m just trying to figure out why your dog came here.”
Oh. That made sense. He thought it had to do with the hellhounds but the reason was much simpler.
“This was Amy’s favorite trail. Up at the top, there’s a view that makes you feel like you’re in heaven.”
His eyes widened with surprise. She didn’t understand the reaction, but he didn’t give her time to question it.
“What was the dog doing when you found her?” Alex asked.
“Coming back down.”
He thought about that. She knew he was remembering how Belle had charged into the woods. Had she been chasing off the hellhounds? Would the big dog take on a creature that could kill a grown man—an armed grown man—in a matter of seconds?