“I got you,” I whisper as I take the man’s loose arm. I’m really hoping he’ll open his eyes, but he doesn’t.
He’s really pinned to that tree trunk and I have to swing my leg over the boat and push the tree away as I try to wrench him loose. His face dips under the freezing cold water and he still doesn’t so much as flinch.
“Help me pull him up,” I order Valther when I finally get him free.
He reaches over the boat and we manage to pull his limp naked body into the skiff.
I fall back onto the wooden bench, staring at him in awe. He’s stunning. He’s the most magnificent thing I’ve ever seen.
His body is white with cold, his chest barely moving with each weak, shallow breath. His eyes are shut, but it gives his beautiful face an ancient, ethereal look, like a timeless marble statue come to life. I feel almost a sense of recognition as I look at him. Like recognizing a face I’ve never seen before. I don’t know what to make of that.
“He’s a wolf shifter,” Valther says with a sneer. “No human can survive these wounds.”
Tears fill my eyes when I see the damage he’s taken. There are several deep knife wounds in his back, one in his chest, and a nasty gaping hole in his side where a spear probably tore through him.
“Let’s throw him back over before he wakes up and kills us all.”
Something fierce and protective rises in my chest. I grit my teeth as I glare at Valther. “We will do no such thing. Paddle back to the ship.Quickly.”
“Yes, Captain,” he murmurs and then starts paddling fast.
I pull the man’s head onto my lap, cupping his cold cheeks, and staring at him as we go. My eyes never leave his still face and white lips.
I think about an old story my mother once told me when she was alive of a princess who was unconscious under a spell andwas awoken by the kiss of a prince. I look at those pale lips and wonder if it would work in reverse, although I am no princess.
And I’m not about to kiss him with Valther watching…
“You’re safe now,” I whisper loud enough for only him to hear. “I won’t let you go. You’re with me now. I’ll take care of you.”
I wrap my arms around his cold stiff body, trying to warm him, but it’s not enough. I watch his chest as it barely rises with each slow inhale. It’s like every breath may be his last.
“Don’t leave me,” I whisper, gripping his hand, fighting back tears. “Not when you just got here.”
The skiff bumps into the ship and one of the crew tosses the rope ladder down. I don’t know how we’re going to get him up there without hurting him even more. He’s big and heavy and all dead weight.
“Valther,” I say with a crack in my voice. “Help him, please.”
He looks at the emotion on my face and nods. “I got him, Captain.”
The giant man heaves him onto his broad shoulders. “You first, Captain,” Valther says.
I hurry up the rope ladder, watching as Valther struggles to carry him up behind me. My heart is in my throat, terrified he’s going to be dropped and fall back down into the cold dark water. This time, he won’t have a floating tree to keep his head above the surface. He may just sink all the way down to the bottom, never to be seen again, except in my dreams and nightmares.
“Careful,” I say as I swing my leg onto the ship, keeping my worried eyes on them.
But Valther is as strong as his mouth is crude, and true to his word, he gets him onto my ship.
“Get the skiff, Edrik,” I order as Valther climbs over the rail.
Edrik stares at the man in stunned silence as Valther readjusts the weight, grabbing the unconscious wolf shifter’sgood arm and one of his legs. His broken arm hangs at an unnatural angle and his other leg falls free. He’s turned to the side, hanging spread-eagled, his tight stomach muscles clenching, and his naked cock hanging free. My cheeks blush as I get a glimpse of it, but I quickly turn away.
“Edrik,” I snap. “The skiff. Now.”
He takes one last quick look and then disappears over the edge to secure the skiff. I know he’s never seen a wolf shifter before and he’s curious. I’ve never seen one either to be honest.
“Four deepjaw and one wet dog,” Petr says with a laugh as the whole crew gathers around. Even Zephan, the cook who never comes out of his kitchen, is on the deck watching. “Dats one helluva haul for a day.”
My jaw tightens. I don’t like Petr calling him a wet dog.
