Edith almost fell off his back but managed to somehow stay on by grabbing his thick fur. She had fallen asleep. Again. Being slumped over his back made it easy to do. In this circumstance though, nodding off was dangerous; next time she might fall off.

Gage lifted his massive head, his top lip curled from his teeth and he made a growling noise. She had no idea what he was trying to tell her. She only hoped it was that they would be stopping soon. It felt like they had been at it for hours and hours. Her muscles burned. The insides of her thighs felt chafed. The muscles on her arms shook. Even her butt hurt. She didn’t want to complain because that would be awful of her. How tired must Gage be? He was carrying her. It was his legs that were working.

She thought she heard something. Yes! It had to be. She strained her ears. Definitely! It was the wonderful sound of running water. Without a doubt. Her tongue felt like it was sticking to the roof of her mouth and her lips felt so dry they might crack. Water.

Gage made another growling sound, different this time. It was the growl he always made before he set off. With renewed strength, she held on more tightly as he took off at a lope. Half a minute later the sound of water was much louder. Right next to them. He loped next to the river for a time before crouching down so that she could climb off.

The moon hung low in the sky and she was sure that the start of the sunrise was apparent on the horizon. Right now, it was a thin white line. The stars still twinkled, only not as brightly as before. On either side of the banks of the river was thick forest.

Edith watched as Gage changed into his human shape. His body folding in on itself. She couldn’t quite make out details but could see well enough to get by.

“Come,” his voice was still thick and deep. It would stay that way for a few minutes while there were still remnants of the bear he had been just moments earlier. “I’m sure you’re thirsty.”

Instead of answering him, she went down on her haunches at the river’s edge and drank deeply. He joined her and they both drank greedily for a few long minutes. Until her belly felt full and her eyes sleepy all over again. Edith yawned and her stomach grumbled, reminding her how long it had been since she had last eaten.

“I’m going to build us a shelter.” He looked towards the horizon. The line was lighter than it had been. He breathed out through his nose. “We don’t have much time.”

“Can I help?”

He seemed taken aback. She could see him look upwards, like he was trying to think up something for her to do. “Let me get the basic structure up first. We need to head deeper into the forest where the canopy is thick. First though,” he gestured to the river, “we must mask our scent. I don’t think they’ll be able to pick it up that easily, but just to be sure. I don’t want to take any chances.”

“I agree.” She nodded. “How are we going to do it though?” She frowned.

"Like this." He picked up a handful of what had to be mud and began to rub it all over himself. Even in the semi-darkness, she could make out how it smeared across his skin.

“Are you sure this is necessary?”

“I’m sure. Make sure you get it all over your clothes.”

She made a face but didn’t argue. “Alright.” Edith bent down and rubbed some of the mud across the front of her shirt. Although the weather was mild, the mud was cold and gloopy. She could feel the water from the muck soak into her clothing.

“Layer it on thick,” Gage said as he rubbed the stuff onto his face, smearing it into his hair.

“If this is what it takes to keep them off our scent and away from us, then I’m game.” She scooped up more of the dark, slightly stinky goop and smeared it over her shirt, her jeans, her sneakers and arms.

“Here,” Gage gestured for her to turn around. “I’ll get your back.”

“Thanks ever so much.” She tried not to sound sarcastic and failed. Who could blame her? “If someone told me I would find myself in this situation I would’ve laughed and laughed.”

Gage chuckled as he smeared the mud onto her back using firm strokes.

“Heck, I would’ve told them if it ever happened that I’d roast my balls over an open flame. Not that I have balls but I’m sure you know what I mean.”

“Totally.” He openly laughed, keeping his voice low. The sound warmed her and despite the mud soaking her to the bone, dripping from her, she laughed too. She laughed a bit harder as she smeared it onto her own face and hair. “It’s a new fashion statement.”

“You look great.” He swept a strand of sticky hair off her face before turning around. “Mind if I ask you to return the favor?”

The sun was definitely coming up, because she could see his broad back. Each well-defined muscle and his strong shoulders. Thankfully, his ass and lower back were already covered in mud. Her mouth suddenly felt dry all over again. Wow! He was gorgeous. Even covered in mud and all stinky. Edith bent down and scooped up big handfuls of the stuff, rubbing it over his back in even strokes. His broad back felt better than it looked. It was a sin to cover up all that bronzed skin. All those layers of muscle. She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his shoulder blades.

It was only when he began to fidget that she realized she’d been taking her time. Enjoying herself a bit too much. “All done,” she blurted, giving him a light slap on the back like one chummy friend might give another.

Gage turned, then reached out and gripped her slimy, muddy hand firmly in his. “So you don’t trip or get lost.”

She looked down at where their hands met. “The sun is coming up, I should be able to see just fine.” She didn’t attempt to pull away.

Edith was sure she could make out the remnants of a smile behind all of that muck. “That’s why we need to move. Don’t let go.” He squeezed her hand.

“Okay.”

They headed out. Within seconds, she could barely see. It was better than before but only marginally. No wonder he had smiled. He’d been laughing at her for sure. “This sucks,” she whispered. “It’s freaking dark in here.”

“It’s perfect. They won’t see shit through this canopy,” Gage said. Every now and then he would squeeze her hand, bringing her closer to his side, or, he’d grip her hips and usher her in front of him, lifting low branches. He even picked her up once or twice to lift her over a boulder or fallen tree. She didn’t need to be able to see to know that he didn’t break a sweat when he lifted her. His breathing didn’t change at all and he certainly didn’t groan like some men had done in the past. She was curvy. Very curvy. Had even been called plump once by a guy she was dating. Edith had dropped his ass in an instant. Not because he’d called her that but because he’d told her she might want to think of dieting. She was happy in her own skin. Happy with her own company. The whole making herself come thing was a bit tedious but she …

There was a loud splintering noise. Way to go Edith. She’d been so in her own head that she hadn’t realized that he had stopped walking. Not only that, Gage had let her hand go and had walked ahead. He’d just broken a branch right off a tree. Not a thin, twig-like branch. It was a branch branch.

Long and thick, kind of like his thighs. Despite the mud, she could see his muscles bulge and thicken as he worked.

Shit! The sun must really be rising if she could make out his ass, his cock. His muddy, muddy cock. She held back a sigh and forced herself to look away from that particular area. Yep, it wasn’t the same doing it yourself. Her last casual hook-up hadn’t ended well. She’d developed feelings for Jacob while he had moved onto the next girl and then the next one. Thank goodness she was over that whole business.

Nope, she wasn’t going there again, and even if she wanted to, it wasn’t like Gage was interested. And if he was, it wasn’t like this was the best time to get it on. Dirty, hungry, fleeing for their lives. Nope, bad timing. Good thing too, or she might have been tempted to throw caution to the wind. He was just that hot. She was far more attracted to him than she had been to Jacob. She had grown to like Gage too. Nope! Bad idea!

Gage's muscles bunched as he lifted the big branch, placing it against a tree. There were more snapping and ripping sounds as Gage went through the same process several times before positioning the branches against a lower hanging bough. It ran vertically to the ground. He placed each leafy limb on either side of the vertical one, forming a natural shelter. It reminded her of a long triangular tent.

Then Gage pulled pieces of brush from some nearby bushes, putting them against the branches to try to seal up the openings.

Edith got down on her hands and knees and entered the shelter. The ground was hard dirt. There were a couple of small rocks inside which she took out one by one. Space was tight in there. Then she picked up leaves, moss, pine needles, any type of soft flooring, and started to place them inside the shelter as a make-shift bed.

Gage finished what he was doing and helped her. In truth, he ended up doing almost all the work. It didn’t stop him from giving her a chummy, flat-handed tap on the back. “Good job,” he said with a smile. “We’d better hunker down and get some sleep.” He gestured for her to go in first. Following behind her.

Things really were tight in the close confines of the shelter. She couldn’t move without touching him. Her arm against his. Her knee on his thigh. “Sorry,” she murmured.

Gage reached out and pulled her against him, he turned around so that she spooned him from behind. Well not exactly. Her knees touched his thighs but otherwise there was an inch or two of space separating them. “It’s going to happen anyway,” he said.

“You’re probably right.” Her voice was a little shriller than she would have liked. “I mean, in a small space like this. We’ll be asleep anyway, so it won’t count. Not really.”

"Exactly. You do whatever you need to get comfortable." He moved, trying to find a more comfortable position himself. "We need to be really quiet though."

“I take it you don’t snore then.” Stupid, stupid joke.

“I hope not. You’ll have to let me know. Wake me up if I do.” She could hear he was smiling.

“Ditto.”

“You snore?” He sounded amused.

“Only if I’m bunged up with the flu, so I think we’re good.”

“Sleep well.” Gage shifted his position again, putting his hand under his head.

“You too.” Edith felt wide awake. It was ridiculous. She’d spent the entire night wishing she could lie down and sleep and now that she was … Crickets. The Sandman was nowhere in sight. She was too aware of the big man laying right in front her. His warmth. His presence. It had been a very long time since she slept with a guy. As in, closed her eyes and actually fallen asleep. What if she did snore? What if she let off gas? What if …?

* * *

Edith started awake, almost hitting her head on the low, branch ceiling. Her back hurt. Her legs hurt. Everything hurt but not in a bad way, in an ‘I’m alive and well’ kind of a way. Her muscles protested when she reached over, tentatively feeling for Gage. He wasn’t there.

She got onto her hands and knees and shuffled to the opening. Her face felt itchy. The mud had dried. She could feel it cracking as she moved. She could just make out the trees and bushes. What time was it?

It couldn’t still be morning. Despite her sore, stiff body, she felt refreshed. Like she’d slept for hours on end. Her stomach grumbled, loudly. She put a hand to her belly. Gage would be back soon.

In the meanwhile, she carefully navigated a safe distance from the clearing and took care of business. It was definitely getting darker because she tripped a couple of times and stubbed her toe on the way back. That meant that she’d slept the whole day. How was that possible? Then again, it did make sense, considering she’d been awake for twenty-four hours of hell.

She was tempted to try to make it to the river to clean up and to have a drink but didn’t dare for fear of getting lost or hurting herself. Forget the griffins, there had to be wild animals in the forest. Edith hunkered down at the opening of the shelter to wait.

Within fifteen minutes, the woods were pitch black. She could barely make out her hand right in front of her and then only when she moved it. Where was Gage? He should have told her if he was going to leave her like this. She pushed down her frustration. It wouldn’t help them. He must surely have a good reason for leaving her.

There was a rustling noise to the right. Her eyes were wide, but she couldn’t make out jack shit. Her heart raced. Adrenaline pumped. She had no idea what it was. Could be a small nocturnal animal but it could also be a cougar or a wolf. Not the shifter kind, but the real kind. The kind that would kill and eat a woman without batting an eye. She was a sitting duck. Easy prey.

Forget that.

Edith fumbled around the edge of the shelter, until she felt one of the smaller branches and snapped it off. It didn’t come off right away, she had to bend it backwards and forwards, twisting it round and round until it came off. Then she sat at the entrance to the shelter, stick in hand. She would use it as a weapon. Granted, it wasn’t a very good weapon, but she’d go down fighting.

Half an hour later and she was shivering. Not because it was cold, rather because it was damn scary out there. Sweat gathered on her brow; the dried dirt was probably turning into mud again. Every now and then she heard a rustling or the snapping of a twig. She tried to sit still, to stay as quiet as possible. As prepared as possible.

Something moved in front of her and she swung, connecting with something, only the something was holding onto the stick. What? “Good thing I have such good reflexes. I’m letting go, please don’t try to brain me again.”

“Gage?” Oh, thank god! Her relief turned to irritation. “Don’t sneak off like that and don’t sneak back like that either. What were you thinking? I thought you were a bear or a cougar or something.”

He chuckled. “I am a bear.”

“You’re a shifter who happens to be a bear. Not a real bear, one that would eat me.”

Gage didn’t say anything. She was beginning to think he’d left again, snuck off, when he cleared his throat. “I won’t eat you.” he grumbled the words, like he was irritated. “You’re perfectly safe. No predator would dare come anywhere near here.”

“How do you know that?”

“They would be able to scent me. I pose too great a risk.” She could hear him doing something.

“When do we head off?”

"Soon." There were more noises as he carried on with whatever he was busy with. Gage made a grunting noise. "I'm going to start us a fire and then we'll cook dinner. Once we've eaten, we'll hit the road. How does that sound?"

Food. Her mouth salivated just thinking about it. “Sounds fantastic. What’s for dinner? I’ll eat pretty much anything.”

It sounded like Gage faltered. The noises started up again and a spark flared, followed by another few sparks. Then Gage was blowing on embers which became flames. Next thing, a couple of small sticks and twigs were catching light and he was adding bigger ones.

“Aren’t you worried we’ll get caught if we light a fire?”

“I don’t think so. We need to keep the fire as small as possible. The canopy should contain most of the light.” He added a couple more sticks. His skin gleamed golden as the light from the fire flickered against it. Gage was on his knees. He was something alright. Tall, dark and handsome took on a whole new meaning with him around. He turned to her. “You okay?” He frowned. “Your heart-rate went up.”

“I’m fine.” Oh shit! “Just really hungry and looking forward to … Wait a minute. Wait just a minute! You’re clean.” She pointed at him. “How did you get so clean?”

“I went fishing.” He twisted around and picked up two decent-sized fish.

Edith squinted. It looked like they had been gutted. They still had their heads and tails on. They were also still raw, but boy did they look delicious. Her stomach grumbled and she groaned. “Those look so good.”

Gage grinned. He put the fish back on the rock behind him.

Edith looked down at herself. Not that she could see anything since she was beyond the reach of the firelight. She knew what she would look like if she could see. She was sure she didn’t smell all that good either. She wished she had something clean to change into. “Um, is there time for me to clean up a bit? Maybe you could take me to the bank of the river and then fetch me in ten or fifteen minutes?”

Gage frowned. “I understand that you want to clean up but I’m not leaving you on your own in the open.” He threw a few thicker pieces of wood into the fire. “This will take about twenty minutes before it’s ready to cook on. I’ll take you now.” He stood up to his full height. She tried not to ogle him, reminding herself that he could see her perfectly. He’d notice her eyeballs all over him. He’d definitely see the drool.

He walked over to her and helped her up. She probably made a groaning or a grunting noise as she came to her feet because he instantly stilled. “Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

“I’m a little sore and a lot stiff but I’ll be fine once I get moving.”

“You sure?” His voice was soft, filled with concern. She was certain his features would mirror his tone.

“Yes.” She smiled. “I’m very sure.”

“It might be quicker if I carry you on my back. Also, I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

She nodded. “Okay. That’s fine.”

“I’m on my knees in front of you. Hop on.”

She reached out her hands, feeling the top of his head. His hair was soft. She could run her fingers through those strands all day. She forced herself to feel lower, to his neck and then to his strong, broad shoulders, which she gripped.

“Get on my back,” he said, his voice a touch gruffer than it had been earlier. Maybe it was her imagination though.

“I must warn you, I’m covered in dirt and I might stink.”

“Just get on,” he said. “Trust me, you don’t stink.”

He was just being nice. “And I was told you shifters are supposed to have a good sense of smell.”

She thought she heard him mutter something about chocolate and honey ‒ perhaps he was hungry. It couldn’t be the way he thought she smelled because that was insane. Mud and sweat … absolutely. Honey and chocolate? She shook her head.

Edith wrapped her arms around his chest and secured her legs around his waist, trying not to get too close and personal. Gage put his arms around her thighs, reminding her of how they used to give each other piggy-back rides as children. Next, he rose to his feet and began walking. It took a good couple of minutes before she heard the sound of running water. They broke from the forest and made their way to the bank.

Gage put her down. Her sneakers squelched in the mud. “Thank you. You really don’t have to hang around. I’m going to take a quick dunk.” Her hair felt clumped together with mud. “Pity I can’t wash my clothes.” There was more light out there; she looked down, grimacing at herself before locking eyes with him.

Gage shook his head. “They wouldn’t dry. I don’t want you getting sick.” He paused, seeming to think things over. “I can’t leave you. It’s too dangerous.”

“Okay then,” she widened her eyes. “You can turn around. I’ll call out if anything goes wrong.”

“No, I’m really sorry but I need to stay close.”

“How close? Why can’t you turn around?” She knew she sounded like a whiner, but in this instance she felt justified.

“I need to come in with you, stand right next to you, and I can’t take my eyes off of you for one-second.”

“Okay, let me get this straight …” She took a deep breath. “I need to take my clothes off and you have to watch?

“I’m sorry, but yeah, that’s right.” He looked sincere. Like he felt really bad. He also looked resolute.