Read Online Hair of Gold: Just Right (Urban Fairytales Book 6) by Erik Schubach - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Erik Schubach
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fine Little Bear.” Then I touched my own nose and said weakly, “Ow.”
The woman chuckled at me as she bent to pick up her frying pan and slipped it into her backpack. “Sorry about that, I thought you were with them.”
Then she looked at my brothers warily as her companion stepped up to her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder protectively, and I felt a pang of disappointment. She spoke behind her hand to me as she kept her eyes on my brothers as they checked the fallen to be sure none were faking, “You're traveling with bears.”
Little Bear made some grumbling protesting sounds, and I patted his shoulder. “These big lugs? No, they are just my brothers.” I hesitated as she turned those huge brown eyes on me. I looked down at my hands, realized I still had my blade in my hand and sheathed it, then offered a hand to them. “Katiana Inanov, you can call me Kat.”
She grinned hugely and shook my hand then her boyfriend did the same as I continued, “These are Pavel, Vladimir, and the big brute over there is Andrei.”
She hesitated then inclined her head to them. “Ummm... pleased to meet you?”
They inclined their heads back to her, and she blinked and asked me, “Can they understand me?”
I chuckled. “Of course, they are human just like you or me. They can just be... fuzzy when the mood strikes.” I gave a toothy grin.
Pavel grunted and bumped me with his shoulder, almost sending me to the ground. I stomped his paw and then pushed him over when he stood up on his hind legs and yelped in pain, cradling his paw. I shook a finger at him. “Stop complaining or I'll give you something to complain about.”
My other brothers chuffed and grunted with bear laughter.
The woman looked truly amused while her boyfriend looked on dubiously with a dour expression, his hand tightening on his girl's shoulder protectively. The woman turned her smile on me and said, “Gretel, and this is my brother Hansel.” My smile had broadened for a moment before I got myself under control. Her brother, not her boyfriend.
Little Bear rolled up to his feet then looked between Gretel and me as we just looked at each other. Then he made a chuckling, growling sound. I glanced away toward him and said, “Shut up. Nobody asked your opinion.”
Gretel asked in surprise, “Can you understand them?”
I grinned. “They are my brothers. I can tell when they are being smart asses.”
We all paused and looked up as the howls in the distance sounded closer. I turned back to the siblings and said, “We have a defensible camp just over the rise there. Join us.”
They nodded, and we headed back to our camp, flanked my mountains of bear muscle. We relaxed when we had stone at our backs and my bears surrounding us.
I pointed at the bedrolls by the embers of the fire. “Feel free to sleep. They will warn us if wolves get too close, nothing can get past my bears. I'll take first watch.” I sat on a stone by the fire pit and stoked the coals as I threw some tinder on it.
I smiled at the fascinating maiden who fought with a fire I had rarely seen, with a frying pan no less, and with... magic. She tucked some of her curly brown hair behind her ear, scrunched her head to her shoulders almost coyly and stepped past the bedrolls to sit beside me on the stone. “I'll join you if you don't mind. I rarely sleep on a full moon anyway. Too many nightmares of the past.”
I glanced back at her brother who spoke for the first time, it was a deep baritone, “Are you sure Gret?”
She made a shooing motion with her hand, and he hesitantly laid on one of the bedrolls and pulled the blanket up, keeping an eye on us. I almost snorted and whispered to her as I looked around to my bears who had one eye on us as well, “Are all brothers overprotective.”
She answered with an affirming grin and we chuckled.
Little Bear moved behind us and laid down to nap so that he could spell Vlad or Andrei later. He made a warm backrest for Gretel and me
The woman chuckled at me as she bent to pick up her frying pan and slipped it into her backpack. “Sorry about that, I thought you were with them.”
Then she looked at my brothers warily as her companion stepped up to her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder protectively, and I felt a pang of disappointment. She spoke behind her hand to me as she kept her eyes on my brothers as they checked the fallen to be sure none were faking, “You're traveling with bears.”
Little Bear made some grumbling protesting sounds, and I patted his shoulder. “These big lugs? No, they are just my brothers.” I hesitated as she turned those huge brown eyes on me. I looked down at my hands, realized I still had my blade in my hand and sheathed it, then offered a hand to them. “Katiana Inanov, you can call me Kat.”
She grinned hugely and shook my hand then her boyfriend did the same as I continued, “These are Pavel, Vladimir, and the big brute over there is Andrei.”
She hesitated then inclined her head to them. “Ummm... pleased to meet you?”
They inclined their heads back to her, and she blinked and asked me, “Can they understand me?”
I chuckled. “Of course, they are human just like you or me. They can just be... fuzzy when the mood strikes.” I gave a toothy grin.
Pavel grunted and bumped me with his shoulder, almost sending me to the ground. I stomped his paw and then pushed him over when he stood up on his hind legs and yelped in pain, cradling his paw. I shook a finger at him. “Stop complaining or I'll give you something to complain about.”
My other brothers chuffed and grunted with bear laughter.
The woman looked truly amused while her boyfriend looked on dubiously with a dour expression, his hand tightening on his girl's shoulder protectively. The woman turned her smile on me and said, “Gretel, and this is my brother Hansel.” My smile had broadened for a moment before I got myself under control. Her brother, not her boyfriend.
Little Bear rolled up to his feet then looked between Gretel and me as we just looked at each other. Then he made a chuckling, growling sound. I glanced away toward him and said, “Shut up. Nobody asked your opinion.”
Gretel asked in surprise, “Can you understand them?”
I grinned. “They are my brothers. I can tell when they are being smart asses.”
We all paused and looked up as the howls in the distance sounded closer. I turned back to the siblings and said, “We have a defensible camp just over the rise there. Join us.”
They nodded, and we headed back to our camp, flanked my mountains of bear muscle. We relaxed when we had stone at our backs and my bears surrounding us.
I pointed at the bedrolls by the embers of the fire. “Feel free to sleep. They will warn us if wolves get too close, nothing can get past my bears. I'll take first watch.” I sat on a stone by the fire pit and stoked the coals as I threw some tinder on it.
I smiled at the fascinating maiden who fought with a fire I had rarely seen, with a frying pan no less, and with... magic. She tucked some of her curly brown hair behind her ear, scrunched her head to her shoulders almost coyly and stepped past the bedrolls to sit beside me on the stone. “I'll join you if you don't mind. I rarely sleep on a full moon anyway. Too many nightmares of the past.”
I glanced back at her brother who spoke for the first time, it was a deep baritone, “Are you sure Gret?”
She made a shooing motion with her hand, and he hesitantly laid on one of the bedrolls and pulled the blanket up, keeping an eye on us. I almost snorted and whispered to her as I looked around to my bears who had one eye on us as well, “Are all brothers overprotective.”
She answered with an affirming grin and we chuckled.
Little Bear moved behind us and laid down to nap so that he could spell Vlad or Andrei later. He made a warm backrest for Gretel and me
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