Blood streaked one side of his face while swelling darkened beneath one eye, yet when his gaze met hers, she still saw the same fierce determination burning there.
He pressed his brow against hers and whispered, “I love you, always.”
The quiet words tightened painfully inside her chest.
Then before she could speak, his swollen lips brushed hers softly despite his injuries. The kiss lasted only a moment, but she felt the promise inside it as surely as if he had spoken it aloud.
Trust me.
Then suddenly he was gone.
Bria blinked in confusion as Kaelan slipped silently into the forest beyond the clearing, disappearing so quickly and quietly that it scarcely seemed possible a man so badly beaten could move that fast.
Shock held her frozen for several moments until the emptiness of his absence took hold. He was gone. She was alone. The thought vanished almost as quickly as it came. His kiss had not been a farewell, nor had his words.
Kaelan had promised her before that he would never abandon her, and, somehow, she knew with absolute certainty he meant to keep that promise.
Whatever he intended… he would return. Until then she needed to remain strong.
Moments later a terrifying roar shattered the silence surrounding the clearing. The sound ripped through the forest so violently that Bria felt it deep in her chest.
Every sleeping man jerked awake instantly. Fear, not surprise, swept visibly across their faces.
One scrambled to his feet and looked wildly toward the forest, then toward Bria. “He’s gone!”
Another cursed harshly while grabbing frantically for a fallen branch as though it might somehow serve as a weapon.
Bria stared in disbelief.
These enormous men who had laughed while beating Kaelan now looked terrified.
“We need to get out of here,” one said urgently.
“He’ll hunt until he finds us,” another answered, panic sharpening his voice.
The beast roared again.
Closer this time. The sound rolled through the trees like thunder and sent fear racing straight through Bria despite herself.
Branches cracked loudly somewhere beyond the clearing. Something massive moved through the forest.
“No time,” one of the men barked.
The six quickly gathered together near the center of the clearing, their fear obvious now despite their attempts to hide it. Vines twisted nervously through nearby trees as though responding to their unease.
Then the forest exploded.
The beast burst from the forest in a blur of white fur and savage fury.
Bria gasped.
He appeared even larger than in her vision, massive muscles rippling beneath thick white fur while glowing golden eyes locked upon the men with terrifying intelligence and rage.
The first warrior barely had time to shout before the beast slammed into him.
The sound of snapping bones echoed sickeningly through the clearing.
Chaos erupted instantly.
