Page 67 of Gunnar

It smells of woodsmoke, pine, and something mysterious that is unmistakably Gunnar.

He pulls the door closed behind us and starts down the path that leads away from the lodge.

Our breath comes out in clouds, mingling in the cold air.

I notice him shortening his steps so he can stay at my pace.

He glances down at me. “Still think you didn’t need the jacket?”

I shrug. “Maybe,” I lie. The cold is stinging my cheeks, but the rest of me is wonderfully warm.

I follow him onto a narrow trail that disappears into the trees.

The forest closes around us almost immediately. The lodge lights vanish behind the trunks, the darkness settling in.

I glance over my shoulder.

“You nervous?” Gunnar asks.

I huff out a breath. “I mean… this whole walking through the forest at night thing.”

“I know it’s strange for humans,” he says. “But you’re with me.”

I nod. I am. And weird as it seems, I trust him.

The trail winds between tall pines. The ground is uneven here, roots pushing up through the frozen soil.

“What kind of animals are out here?” I ask.

“All sorts.”

“Helpful.”

He huffs a quiet laugh.

“Deer. Elk sometimes. Foxes. Coyotes.”

We walk a little farther. The trees creak softly in the wind above us.

“Bears?” I ask.

Gunnar gives me a sideways look.

“Obviously.”

“Full-time bears, I mean.”

“Nope. They give us a wide berth. We scare the crap out of them.”

He stops, tilting his head, listening.

I freeze. “What?” I whisper.

“Deer.” He points. “Two, right over there.”

“You can hear them?”

“I can smell them.”