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it happened, his mighty shoulder flexed. “That was... I can’t... I mean, I can’t possibly thank you enough.”
    “It was nothing,” he said. His voice was soft, but I could tell there was power behind his words. The man, whose name I had yet to learn, had shaggy, dirty-blond hair that tended to brown. I could see why his fur was golden.
    “No,” I said. “That was most certainly not nothing . You saved me and this girl from being killed by... by what? Why did that tree fall?”
    The man shrugged. “Looked chewed,” he said plainly. “I was close by when the cracking started. I didn’t see anyone else though.”
    “Wait,” I said. “Are you saying someone did that on purpose?”
    “Yeah.”
    That one word sent a shiver through me, but then he put his hand on the back of mine to slide it off his shoulder. He squeezed it softly in his huge paw. What I thought was just a little bit of wildness in his light brown eyes was much, much more. The way he squinted, the complex eye tattoos, it all came together to make him incredibly intimidating... and really goddamn hot, I’m not gonna lie.
    Especially after all those fantasies I nursed while I watched him in the river, having him right in front of me was almost too much.
    The adrenaline coursing through my veins began to subside. The wave of heat that snaked down my stomach ceased, replaced by a shivering cold.
    “Here,” he said, pulling his long-sleeved shirt off over his head and wrapping it around my shoulders.
    “Anyway,” he said softly. “I should go. I’m not used to—”
    “Wait,” I grabbed muscled forearm. “What’s your name? I owe you... hell, I owe you everything. At least let me buy you a drink or half a roasted cow or whatever I possibly can. You saved this little girl’s life.”
    He curled his lip in an uncomfortable, unpracticed smile. “Not necessary,” he said. “Orion.”
    “Orion? That is definitely a very bear name,” I said, trying to joke with him and put him at ease.
    It didn’t work. I felt terrible for the guy. He was standing there, obviously nervous, but also not really wanting to leave.
    I understood that too.
    Thankfully, Dean and Malia both have more social sense than I do, as it relates to adults anyway.
    “Well,” Dean said, coming up to us and cutting the tension that had appeared between myself and the giant in front of me. “I was thinking maybe we should leave, but...” he looked over at Millie and Leena who were right back playing in the river.
    It almost seemed like a defiant act – like they were telling nature, or whatever knocked that tree over, that they weren’t going to be scared. Then again, grown-ups are the only creatures on this planet dull enough to dissect everything like that. For them, they were just splashing around. I guess it’s a little like the people who try to find Hitler in The Lord of the Rings .
    “You want to stay?” I asked. Dean shrugged. “Do you think there’s any kind of danger?” I asked Orion. Just thinking his name put a little swirl in my stomach. His face was hard, the lines standing out on his cheeks, and the dimple on his chin... his tanned skin, he’d seen a hard life, but he was still absolutely gorgeous. Those pale brown eyes warmed me through my soul.
    “Danger?” he asked. “No. Whoever did this is long gone. And anyway, I live here. These woods are my... my home.” He paused a little and seemed almost to rasp when he said the last word, like it wasn’t exactly true. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
    Somehow, hearing him say that, even if it wasn’t the truth, made me feel... warm and tingly, like when you pull a fuzzy blanket up over your head on a cold winter morning and put off waking up for just a few more minutes.
    “Are you going to watch?” I asked, grinning. I was determined to loosen him up a little. It sorta felt like that’s what I owed him for what he’d done. “Like some kind of forest spirit? Just out there,