Later that day …

Someone clamped a hand over her mouth and a strong arm banded firmly around her. Edith was unable to move. She had to let Gage know she was in trouble. Had to do it now! Her eyes were wide. She tried to suck in air through her nose to attempt a scream when she realized it was Gage who held her so tightly. It was Gage with his hand over her mouth. It was his big brown eyes that held hers.

“Shhhh,” he mouthed as he slowly released her.

She nodded once, trying to catch her breath. Her heart raced. His eyes lifted to the branches above their heads. He was clearly listening to something she couldn’t hear, even though she strained her ears. It wasn’t right though. Something was off. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was exactly.

His jaw tensed and his whole body hardened. His eyes narrowed.

“Come.” Again, he mouthed the word instead of actually saying it out loud. They carefully crawled from the shelter. Gage pulled her to her feet. Her still damp clothing was suspended on one of the lower hanging boughs in the clearing, just to the right of the shelter. She wore her underwear. The fur was still on the floor in the shelter. She contemplated fetching it. Edith was practically naked. Wearing just sheer lace underwear, she may as well be.

Gage gave a sharp shake of the head when she tried to pick up her shirt. He gestured to his back, going down on his haunches. It was still daylight. Dapples of sun shone through the trees. Why had Gage woken them up? What was going on?

He had always insisted that predators would stay away. Gage wouldn’t act this way for a predator though. It was them. It had to be. Then she realized what was wrong, the blood drained from her body. It was quiet. Completely silent. No birds singing, no crickets chirping, no squirrels scratching. It was like all the creatures of the forest had gone into hiding. Her hairs stood on edge.

A shadow darted over them. Quick. There one second, gone the next. If she hadn’t been looking up, she would have missed it. The canopy was so thick and whoever had made that shadow, moved that quickly. Her heart caught in her throat and her skin felt instantly clammy. Edith gripped his shoulders and jumped onto his back. Gage was running before he secured his arms around her thighs. She gripped tighter to ensure she didn’t fall off. The crazy thing was, she was becoming good at this. Surely he should shift? Edith didn’t dare ask. He must know what he was doing.

They moved fast and she held on for dear life. Gage seemed to know exactly where he was going, which was weird considering they’d never been there before. At least, she didn’t think he’d been to this part of the woods. He hadn’t mentioned that they were nearing his village but maybe she had this all wrong.

She glanced up every now and then. Mostly though, she focused on hanging onto Gage. A more apt description was trying not to fall off. Every so often, he would stop, his gaze fixed up ahead. His senses alert. Nostrils flaring. If his ears could twitch they would. Then he would take off running, his focus unwavering. His arms holding her tight. He darted between the trees and the brush, leaping over a boulder or log from time to time.

At one point, he stopped dead, pushing them up against the bark of a large tree. Although his chest heaved, he didn’t make a sound. There it was again, that shadow. Slower this time. It was searching for them. Had picked up on something. Their scent maybe? Footprints perhaps?

Shit!

What would happen to Gage if they were captured? They needed her, but they didn’t have any use for him. He’d be killed, she knew it as surely as she knew her own name. Probably would’ve murdered him if they hadn’t escaped when they did. She shuddered at the thought. Gage rubbed a hand up and down her thigh a couple of times to reassure her.

Half a minute later and Gage was running again. Faster than before. The threat of danger even closer. It felt like the griffins were closing in. At this rate, they were not going to make it. She tried not to think negative thoughts, but it was becoming more and more difficult.

They arrived at the edge of a large clearing. There was an open section that led to a tall cliff. They would be trapped on one side, or would be soon if Gage didn’t move. Instead, they stood in the shadows at the forest edge. Gage scanned the sky. There were a half a dozen questions on the tip of her tongue, but she held them all back.

He tensed, quietly moving back so that they were sheltered behind a large tree. There it was again, that blasted shadow. A griffin. Close. Too damned close for any kind of comfort. She swallowed thickly, trying to control her heart-rate, her breathing. Trying not to make so much as a sound.

It felt like an age before Gage sucked in a deep breath. He made a run for the cliff. Straight for the sheer wall. What was he doing? There would be no place to go. Just scraggy rocks and a sheer cliff surface. There wasn’t so much as a bush to hide behind. His footfalls were relatively quiet on the rocky ground. Not as quiet as before. Her heart hammered. Any moment now and they might be spotted. They were sitting ducks out in the open like this.

Thank god!

Edith felt like sobbing with relief when she saw that, between what looked like an overhang, was a large crack in the cliff. It was tall, all the way up to the top, but it was also narrow. It couldn’t be more than three or four feet across. Gage bent down, so that she could slide from his back. He turned and gripped her upper arms, pulling her against him. Then he angled them so that they were aligned with the opening. It looked deep.

Breathing heavily, Gage eased them into the narrow space. The two of them could fit, but only just. He shuffled deeper and deeper into the crevice.

Thankfully, she wasn’t claustrophobic because she would never have survived this. Not in a million billion years. As it stood, her eyes felt wide. Her blood rushed in her ears. It was incredibly tight and dark. There was a tiny sliver of light above them. The main opening was obscured by rocks. Her chest was pressed against his. Scratch that, every part of him was pressed against every part of her. Gage’s skin felt hot. His hands were still clasping the sides of her arms. His chest rose and fell in quick succession, pressing more firmly against her boobs. Her face was chest level to him. She could smell him. Masculine. It was the only word to describe it, to describe him.

There it was again. That blasted shadow. Darkness befell them for a second or two. Not long after, another one flew over. Or was it the same one flying in circles? Had it seen them? Was it closing in?

There was a loud shriek seconds later, followed by an answering shriek from some ways away. More than one then. She shivered and pressed her cheek against his chest, squeezing her eyes closed.

Please don’t let them find us! Please!

Gage squeezed her upper arms. Then he cupped a hand behind her head, holding her against him. His fingers threading into her hair. His breath warm against the top of her head. They were in this together and that was something. The thought helped calm her, as the screeching noises grew more and more distant. She wasn’t sure whether minutes passed or much longer.

“You okay, Curls?” Gage finally whispered. She felt something press against her head and was shocked to realize that he had kissed her. At least, she was almost one hundred percent sure he’d kissed her on the top of her head.

She nodded, her cheek still resting against his chest. His very beautiful chest.

“I think we should sit tight for a few more minutes,” he whispered. “Just to be sure.”

“Okay.”

“You did good.” He was so darned sweet. How could a guy be this good-looking and this kind? He always put her needs first. Could’ve saved himself and left her a long time ago. To think there was a woman in his past who had hurt him. Unbelievable. He blamed himself, but she was sure that there was more to it. If he was hers … No, that wasn’t a possibility, so best she drop that line of thought right now.

“You did good too.” She squeezed his bicep. His thick, hard bicep, realizing for the first time that she was holding onto him tightly. One hand curled around his neck and the other held his arm.

He pushed out a heavy breath and when she looked up, he had his head tilted up and his eyes closed. He looked like he was in pain. Had he hurt himself?

Then she felt it. His cock. It was thickening and lengthening. He squeezed his eyes even tighter, gritting his teeth. “I’m so damned sorry,” he whispered. His voice deep and beautiful like the rest of him. Beautiful with a double side of sexy.

It was clear that Gage still wanted her as much as that first day. Edith wanted him too. Maybe more. She wanted him to make her feel alive. To feel free because she was all of those things. They both were. They had survived. More than anything she wanted to just be with him, even if it was only for a few more days at the very most. She didn’t want them to keep pushing each other away. Feeling braver than she ever thought she could be, Edith stood up on her tippy toes and kissed Gage on the neck. Right on that spot just below his ear.

He sucked in a deep breath and opened his eyes, looking down at her. His large brown orbs were filled with shock and desire.