Chapter 1

Iris cursed as the car rolled to a stop. Typical, she thought, miles from anywhere civilised, time was running out and she was dressed most inappropriately for late October. She'd had no warning that the car was dying other than the engine stuttering several times, recovering for a brief; hope filled moment and then cutting out completely.

Iris steered the car close to the grass verge as the vehicle lost momentum and eventually stopped.

Silence.

More silence except for the ticking of the engine as it cooled.

Iris sighed and quickly assessed her situation. She was warm enough for the moment due to the car's heater being full on prior to the vehicle's unexpected demise, but Iris knew that the warmth wouldn't last and the cold touch of October's fingers would soon be tickling her bare legs.

She looked out through the windscreen in the hope of some sign of civilisation, chimney smoke, sight or sound of a vehicle, anything. There was nothing immediately apparent and Iris felt the first flutter of fear deep in her tummy. It would soon be dark and she knew that out here, with no streetlights, the dark would be inky black and complete. She looked out of the side window and saw nothing but deep woods. The butterfly wings of fear in her belly took on the weight of bricks when she began to realise just how vulnerable she was out there alone.

Her early annoyance had been replaced by genuine concern now. The fancy dress party was no longer a priority. She was apprehensive over how she was going to get from her current location to a position of safety as night drew in and as the temperature dropped. She was dressed in her costume, all set for the party, and although she had some protection from the cold under the red cloak, the tiny red mini skirt and bare legs meant that she would probably suffer some discomfort at the very least.

'Red Riding Hood, good grief,' Iris thought to herself, 'what a choice for a Halloween fancy dress outfit.' She knew she looked fantastic in the costume, with her pretty face framed by the red hood and with her long, elegant, shapely legs shown off to damn near perfection, but now... Out in the cold she wished she'd brought a coat along with her at the very least.

Damn it was beginning to grow dark now ...and those woods... spooky.

Iris was more than a little mystified at how she had come to be in this unfamiliar place. She knew the way to her cousin's house fairly well. She drove the route twice a year probably, but she must have been distracted by thoughts of the party and taken a wrong turn.

'But where the fuck am I,' she muttered to herself and once again looked out at the gathering gloom anxiously. 'I don't recognise anything...'

Of all the times for the car to let her down!

The, with a surge of relief, Iris remembered her mobile phone. 'You fucking idiot,' she chastised herself, 'How could you forget the fucking mobile?'

She scrabbled around in her bag and sighed with relief when her fingers found the hard plastic shell of her phone. She held the small handset in her palm and called up her cousin's number.

A continuous monotone sounded loud in Iris's ear when she held the instrument to her head. She looked down at the tiny screen and saw the red sign and 'No Network Coverage' displayed.

'Shit, shit, shit!' Iris hissed in exasperation. She tried the number again, desperate for the device to work.

There was the same response, that irritating sound with its attendant message.

Iris tried another number, her mother's, growing frantic as she tried to establish some kind of link with what she was beginning to perceive as the outside world.

'Fuck! Fucking piece of shit!' Iris threw the phone down into the passenger side foot well as hot pricks of frustration threatened tears.

It was almost fully dark now and the cold was rapidly gaining ground over the retreating warmth. Iris shivered and rubbed the skin of her bare thighs in a vain attempt to warm herself. She was undecided as to what course of action to take.

Should she stay where she was and hope for a passing car? Surely there'd be one along soon. But, she'd been stuck for how long already? Ten minutes? Twenty?

Should she leave the cold but secure vehicle and try to find some sort of nearby habitation?

The choice was taken out of Iris's hands and she nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a knocking at the window right next to her ear.

'Jesus!' she called out, alarmed by the unexpected noise.

She peered out through the window and could just make out the vague figure of someone standing close by the car door. In spite of her apparent, imminent rescue, Iris delayed before tentatively winding the window down a fraction.

'Hello?' she called through the gap and then shivered as the cold air took advantage of the situation.

'Trouble?' a deep voice asked.

'Yes,' Iris replied. 'The car's just conked out. I... I don't really know exactly where I am. Can you help me? Is there a phone or something nearby?'

'Phone?' the man responded.

'Jesus,' Iris muttered under her breath. 'Have I got the village fucking idiot here?' Then in a louder voice – 'Yes a phone, I'm on my way to a party, you know, Halloween and all that.'

'I don't have a phone, not in the cottage.' The revelation surprised Iris. How could a man not have a phone? In this day and age!

'What about a car?' Iris suggested, sure that her somewhat lacking knight in shining armour would at least have transportation.

'Nope, no car.' Iris couldn't believe what she was hearing.

No phone, no car, what could she do? She was starting to get very cold now; she had to do something and soon.

'Look, can you help me at all? I'm really cold, I need to get inside.' Iris wasn't comfortable with the idea of going anywhere with a complete stranger, but what choices were left to her?

'Well,' the man spoke again. He didn't sound stupid or mean, in fact Iris liked the deep timbre of his voice and she had a fleeting moment where she wondered just how old he was. She couldn't see much of him through the window, but he didn't sound old. 'The cottage isn't far,' he continued, 'just through the woods there, down the path.'

'Is it warm in there?' Iris asked and then felt stupid; what a question!

'Warmer than out here,' the man retorted. 'You're welcome to come in and get warmed up,' the man added. 'Or you can stay here. Up to you.'

Iris pulled the latch and opened the door. The cold really hit her now and goosebumps grew on her bare legs within moments of the icy blast touching her skin. She climbed out of the car and saw her rescuer properly for the first time.

'Wow,' Iris thought to herself. 'What a fine specimen you are.'

She reacted to the sight of the stranger immediately. He was absolutely gorgeous. Tall, wide shouldered and lean, Iris could tell even with the heavy, quilted coat that covered him. He appeared to have just the messy, dirty blonde hair she found particularly attractive on a man, although it was too dark to tell for sure.

'If he's got blue eyes...' Iris thought; he'd have all the physical qualities of her ideal man.

A brief look of surprise flashed across the man's handsome features and Iris realised he hadn't expected to see such a length of bare leg exposed.

'Come on,' the man insisted. 'You'll freeze in no time dressed like that.'

He turned and walked away quickly. Iris hesitated for a moment and then followed hastily as the darkness swallowed the man. She kept up as best as she could, but her red, high-heeled shoes made walking along the uneven path very difficult.

To her relief, Iris didn't have to suffer for too long before the path ended at a wooden gate that was set in a high hedge. Iris didn't take too much notice of her surroundings and was focussed more upon getting inside the cottage. Her teeth were beginning to chatter as the cold caused her to shiver violently.

The man unlocked the front door and, finally, stepped aside and allowed Iris to push past him and inside.

Ten minutes later Iris was sat next to a roaring log fire and quietly relished the warmth it provided after her ordeal outdoors. Her red hooded cloak was draped over the back of a wooden chair and Iris was left wearing just her shoes, her tiny skirt and the close fitting cotton t-shirt she'd slipped on.

'So,' said the man as he walked back into the kitchen. 'A party you said, you were going to a fancy dress party?'

'Yes I was,' Iris replied. She surreptitiously carried out a quick appraisal of her rescuer and found, to her glee, that he was every bit as delicious as she'd anticipated. Blue eyes too!

'What shall I call you? Do you have a name, or do I simply call you Riding Hood?' The man's eyes sparkled with amusement as he teased Iris mildly.

'Well,' she replied and felt her face flush with self-conscious embarrassment over her costume. All of a sudden Iris was all too aware of just how short the skirt really was. 'I'm called Iris, actually,' a hint of petulance in her tone, 'but what do I call you?'

'Faolan,' he answered simply and fixed his pale eyes onto Iris's.

Iris shivered, a remnant of her earlier exposure to the elements, or was it something deeper, something primal that Faolan's stare had stirred in her guts?

'Interesting name,' Iris said eventually, breaking the spell.

'Gaelic,' Faolan explained, 'Irish,' he elaborated slightly. 'Speaking of Irish,' he said and clapped his hands together. 'How about something to warm you up? You must think I'm a terrible host.'

'Not at all,' Iris replied. 'You've been more than kind. I... I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't found me.'

Faolan poured two half a tumblers of pale yellow liquid from a bottle that had suddenly appeared as if by magic. He handed one of the heavy glasses to Iris and then drained his glass in a single gulp.