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She curls up on my back, her fingers digging into my fur with surprising strength. We shoot through the forest as fast as our wolf strength can carry us. In no time, Fena, Adeline and I are back at the cabin, far from the piercing growls of the High Ridge wolves.
Fena locks the door behind us and I put Adeline down on the couch. Her blood stains the material and I catch a wince on Fena's face.
"She's hurting," I groan in disbelief
"Whatever."
Fena goes to her cupboard to take a drink for the second time tonight. She pulls off the cap of the bottle with her teeth and before she swings it for a gulp, the female wolf asks. "Why isn't she healing?"
She’s right. Wolves heal fast and Adeline's wounds should have gone by now. It worries me that her blood still drips and she seems to be in so much pain. I bend down beside the couch, placing a gentle hand on her.
"Food," she manages to croak.
"Oh, she needs to feed." I look at Fena. "Do you have anything?"
Fena nods and goes to another cupboard in the room. She pulls out a dead badger which appears to have been killed recently.
"Take it." She tosses it at me. "In the woods, you get to eat a lot of animals."
I take the badger to Adeline's mouth and watch her fangs sink into the flesh of the animal. She feeds, groaning as the act returns her energy. The wounds on her body respond to the food too, closing up and losing their angry red inflammation.
After Adeline has had enough to eat, she takes her mouth away from the badger and draws a long breath. The corners of her mouth are lined with blood from the animal and she curls her tongue over her fangs.
"You should rest," I tell Adeline. My hand strokes her now smooth flesh.
It's a relief to have her back. Though she's wounded and looks like she’s trudged through a storm that left her broken and bruised, it's calming to sense her skin against mine again, redeeming me of my fear.
Adeline isn't six feet underground. She's sleeping on Fena's couch, her beautiful eyes staring back at me while a small smile plays across her lips. The realization that she's safe now brings tears to my eyes again. This time, they drop because I can finally breathe again.
She's my woman, the heartbeat that keeps my heart going. I don't want to think about what I would have done if Adeline had died. That’s a world of misery and anguish and endless night that I can’t even conceive.
I stop stroking her skin and wipe a lock of her hair from her face. As my hand moves away from her hair, my fingers brush against her lips and, for the first time, I sense how dry they are. She needs water. Rest.
But at the same time, I want to reach forward and pull them into my mouth. God! I've missed kissing her! I miss tasting her like she's the sweetest thing in my world while my hands press the small of her back. I miss getting lost in the burning sensation of savoring her mouth, taking her completely and burying myself in the feeling.
"I'll be at the camp if you need me." Fena is already walking out the door. "You know the way there, don't you, Luke?"
"I do."
"We are making preparations for the arrival of the High Wolf," Fena adds.
My tone is a little harsh when I respond. "Okay. Bye, Fena."
I can't wait to be alone with Adeline. Fena must have figured that out because she hurries out of the cabin, locking the door behind her.
Adeline turns on her side, fully facing me now. Her gaze continues to warm my body and it's relieving to see the glow returning to them. I bring my face closer to hers and kiss her softly.
"I missed you."
"Me too."
I sit beside her and put my arms around her as she sits up. She reeks of the dampness of the cellar which means they’ve kept her there for days. I fight the urge to return to the house and rip Lawrence’s heart out for laying a finger on my woman.
"I'm sorry for everything, Luke."
Her apology catches me off guard. Sorry for what? When tears drop from her eyes again, I stop them with my lips, planting kisses on the spots that glisten.
"Sorry? What are you apologizing for, Adeline?"
