He was pulling the blankets more securely around them when the world exploded. A crack like thunder split the air and the cabin shuddered violently. Then something massive crashed through the roof. Wood splintered and glass shattered as freezing air and snow poured in through a gaping hole overhead.
His body reacted before his mind caught up. Hyde surged free in an avalanche of protective fury, the transformation slamming through him like lightning. His bones cracked and reformed and his muscles swelled. His skin thickened as his body expanded. The last thing he saw before Hyde took over completely was Chloe’s wide eyes as his shadow fell over her.
Then everything went green.
CHAPTER 21
One second Victor was pulling blankets around Chloe. The next, a creature from myth stood over her in the firelight.
Hyde, fully manifested. Eight feet of raw power and inhuman strength, with skin that glowed faintly green in the darkness, muscles rippling beneath it like shifting stone. He was magnificent, and absolutely terrifying in the most primal way—the kind of terror that lived in human DNA, screaming predator, run, hide.
Except she couldn’t run. She was seven months pregnant, naked, and wrapped in a blanket on the floor of a cabin that now had a massive tree branch sticking through its roof. Also, she didn’t want to run, because despite his size and obvious power, Hyde wasn’t looking at her like prey. He was looking at her like something precious he needed to protect.
His massive chest heaved with rapid breaths. Clawed hands flexed at his sides—each finger tipped with what looked like obsidian talons. His face was Victor’s but different, sharper andmore angular. His eyes glowed an eerie green in the dim light, fixed on her with laser focus.
Snow swirled in through the massive hole overhead as the wind howled. The temperature in the cabin was already dropping. Then Hyde moved. Her heart jumped but she forced herself to stay still, to trust. He knelt beside her with surprising grace for something so large. One huge hand reached out, paused, then gently—so gently—touched her shoulder. He was checking to make sure she was all right.
“I’m okay,” she said. Her voice came out steadier than she felt. “Not hurt. Just cold.”
His eyes narrowed. He looked at the gaping hole in the roof, at the snow already accumulating on the floor, then back at her. A low growl rumbled in his chest, not threatening but more like… frustrated, and somehow she understood. He wanted to keep her safe.
Her heart did something complicated in her chest. Even transformed, even in the middle of what had to be a terrifying loss of control for Victor, Hyde’s first instinct was to protect her.
“Can you understand me?” she asked.
Hyde tilted his head, then nodded once.
“Okay. Good.” She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. “The cabin’s compromised but we can work with it. We need to block that hole and keep the heat in.”
Another nod. Hyde’s gaze swept the room, clearly reviewing the options. He moved to the couch and grabbed the cushions in one massive hand, then carried them to the damaged section of roof and wedged them into the gaps around the trunk. It wasn’ta permanent solution but it blocked most of the wind and snow. Then he turned back to her.
She couldn’t help staring. He was… incredible. Terrifying and beautiful in equal measure. All that leashed power moving with purpose. Victor had been so afraid of this, so convinced Hyde was dangerous, but all she saw was someone desperate to keep her safe. Hyde gathered more blankets from the bedroom—his movements careful despite his size, clearly mindful of not breaking anything else. He brought them to her and started wrapping her up like she was made of glass.
“I can do it,” she protested.
He huffed and kept wrapping. She gave up and let him bundle her into what felt like every blanket in the cabin. By the time he finished she could barely move.
“Do you think I’m warm enough now?” she asked dryly.
He studied her critically, then apparently decided more was better because he grabbed the throw from the back of the couch and added it to the pile.
“I’m going to overheat,” she muttered.
Another huff, and this one almost sounded amused. Then Hyde did something that made her breath catch. He carefully—so carefully—lifted her into his arms, quilts and all, and cradled her against his massive chest like she weighed nothing.
Her heart hammered. Not from fear, but from the overwhelming gentleness of his touch. This creature could probably bend steel. He could certainly rip the cabin apart if he wanted. Instead he held her like she was the most fragile thing in existence. Hecarried her over and settled down near the fire, adjusting his position to shield her from any drafts.
His body radiated heat, furnace-hot against her side, and she relaxed into the warmth. She leaned against his chest and listened to the dual heartbeat there. One fast, one slow. Human and Hyde layered together.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
His arms tightened fractionally. Not enough to hurt. Just… holding. The storm raged outside but here in the cabin, wrapped in quilts and cradled against Hyde’s chest, she felt safer than she had in weeks.
Strange. Impossible. True.
She dozed off at some point, lulled by warmth and the steady rhythm of Hyde’s breathing. When she woke, the fire had burned lower but he’d clearly fed it while she slept. The cabin was still standing, still relatively warm despite the damage, and he was still holding her.
She tilted her head to look up at him. His eyes were open, glowing faintly in the darkness. Watching. Alert.
