Vixen & The Viper - Baby It's On The Cold Outside [a specterverse xmas novella]

Chapter Three : Codeine

Mishka Ivanov

The scent of freshly sawn pine trees and chestnuts roasting on an open fire tickles my nostrils.. I wince awake beneath the grainy rivets of an exposed timber ceiling.. With a foggy memory and an upset stomach, I roll onto my side and practically dry heave at the ripple of agony that runs through me.. My bruised body aches all over and my limbs have become inexplicably heavy..

Is this what it feels like to die?

A pile of thick, jet black fur smothers and insulates my core heat and I lift my dazed head to find a heavy bear skin pelt draped over the unfamiliar, yet comfortable, downy double bed..
Rustic green and red checker-patterned curtains blur in and out of focus, hanging over the window.. The heads of several creatures, from deer to boar, stare down at me from their mounted posts on what appears to be a menagerie wall.. "What the f–"

My stomach turns at the disturbing sight..
What is this bizarre place?
How did I get here?

Glancing down, I see that my winter clothes have been replaced by an oversized sports jersey and that beneath that I have on only my underwear.. There is little time for my lagging comprehension to catch up before it is made known to the household that I am awake..

-WOOF-WOOF-WOOF-

A beastly bark breaks the eerie silence and I gasp, shocked by the intimidating sound.
Clutching the bedsheets, I scramble upright just in time to see an enormous brindle hound, barrel through the door.. The mighty creature leaps up to stand on hindquarters at the bedside, studying me with surveying brown eyes, bristling hackles and a slobbering tongue

“Whoa! Good doggy– Nice doggy–" I lift a defensive palm and placate the animal with a soft tone, hoping that is enough to keep it from attacking me and to my surprise, it begins to sniff and lick at my hand..

Oh, he's not so scary after all.. Just a giant teddy bear..

"Feliks!" A deep, authoritative command booms through the walls, each syllable crafted so effortlessly by the roll of a slavic slanted tongue, before the thud of heavy boots stomp towards the room..

The oversized dog relents, falling back into an obedient sit as a steely machine of a man steps through the doorway, dressed in military grade survival gear and a deep set scowl..
Inhumanly handsome wouldn't even begin to describe this wild adonis, and I barely manage to keep myself breathing for the racing beat of my heart..

Who is this strapping stallion?

The muscle bound gent fulfils every criteria for what it is that defines masculinity, and I am instantly fascinated by his powerfully imposing presence..  At a guess of around fifteen years my senior, with a comfort air of maturity about him, this man is immensely attractive.. Absolutely drool-worthy..
Oh, and tall.. So very tall.. His towering stature puts his crown close to the door frame in height, and his burly shoulders swell beneath the thick insulating layers of his hunter's-green camouflage..