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That wouldn’t normally bother me – I’ve been naked in front of males before – it’s how we come back from a shift, after all. But now, I feel naked in a way that I’ve never felt before. Although, his eyes haven’t even dipped below my chin. They’re still locked with mine.
My breath hitches. Even with the distance between us, I can scent blood on him. The same blood that was on my hands. I can still taste the wildness of him. The undeniable…maleness. For an eternity, we stand there, lost in a moment that extends beyond natural time. And again, I feel it… That pull. Heat blossoms in my cheeks as that strange, bewildering connection sparks between us once more.
It’s you!
And then, before I can figure out what he’s about to do, he’s striding toward me, coming to a halt directly in front of me. He towers over me. I stop breathing, every fiber of me taut with tension. I can feel his warmth, inhale him, and for one foolish moment, I want to lean forward and bury my face in his chest. But suddenly, he’s unzipping his jacket and shrugging it off his broad, powerful shoulders. I blink at him in confusion as he swings the garment around behind me. The leather is warm, softened from long wear, the grain of the hide rich with his scent. Unwittingly, I breathe in deeply.
“Put it on. We need to get out of here.” His voice is deep and ripples over me.
“What?” I stare at him stupidly, the word thick on my clumsy tongue. But obediently, I fumble to get my arms in the sleeves. He tugs the jacket closed over my chest, zipping it up over my exposed breasts in a way that’s almost clinical. The ends of the sleeves dangle inches past my fingertips, the heavy hem skimming my knees.
He must outweigh me by a hundred pounds…and yet, I overpowered him, tasted his blood. I know it’s his. There’s no doubt in my mind. I attacked him…took him down. Now that his jacket is off, I can see that his shirt is in tatters, strips of bare flesh exposed by the rips in the fabric.
Did I do that? How?
I’ve seen him in his wolf form – he could take out my beast without breaking a sweat.
It doesn’t make sense.
“This place is going to be crawling with cops any minute now.” He glances around us before locking eyes with me again. “They’re hunting wolves.”
Ice floods my veins. “I don’t… Who…?”
“Barrett.” He says the name in an off-hand manner as he looks around us again. “I’m Barrett,” he says again, facing me, his expression switching to one of determination. “Come! This way.” His grip on my arm is light but firm as he leads me from the path and into the undergrowth. “There’s an overhang in the rocks up beyond the trees here. A cave behind it. I found it when I first got here. Been using it to camp out. We can hide there until things settle.”
I stumble without resistance in the direction he’s guiding me. It doesn’t occur to me to fight him.
Barrett…
His name is Barrett.
It rolls around my mouth the way his blood did. A piece of him within me. A piece of him that’s mine.
Cedara! What the hell?
I shake my head to clear my insane thoughts, focusing on the route ahead as I try hard not to scamper to keep up with him.
We don’t speak for the minutes it takes for us to disappear from the trail, the trees swallowing us. He’s taken my hand in his, his fingers warm around mine as he tugs me along with him.
Why am I letting him hold my hand?
I know I should pull away, but it just feels so right.
When we finally reach the steep incline where the trees begin to thin and rocks start to take their place, the footing grows more treacherous. I try not to flinch as I pick my way over the uneven ground; my feet are sensitive after all this time that I’ve been on paws. I hide my discomfort, not wanting to slow us. The sound of shouting has begun to build in the woods behind us.
They’re coming!
The thought spurs me on, but still, I hesitate as we take a sharp turn and stop at a towering rock face. When I glance up, I see the overhang I’m sure he was talking about. It’s overlooking a deep pool, a waterfall tumbling from it, churning up white waves. It’s odd to be struck by its beauty in this moment, but I am.
“Around here,” he says, leading me behind the falling water and past the rocks until we reach the mouth of a cave. I pause, staring into the inky blackness within. My pulse throbs in my ears as a wave of trepidation washes over me.
“It’s the safest place for now.” Barrett’s deep voice comes from beside me. “We can’t risk being out in the open with the cops swarming in. Especially not looking like this.” His voice grows wry.
I glance over at him, my eyes traveling over the tattered remnants of his shirt. Claw marks rake across the blood-stained fabric, and I wince inwardly as I recall my teeth sinking into his flesh. The memory is less foggy now.
“I…I did that to you,” I murmur, shame burning my cheeks.
He follows my gaze down to his shredded clothing and shrugs one broad shoulder. “Occupational hazard. I should’ve known better than to startle a wolf with a fresh kill.” A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “No hard feelings.”
