Chapter Five

She was so warm.

Ashley snuggled closer to Blake's bare shoulder, deeper into the soft blanket he'd wrapped around her. She was vaguely aware of the dip and sway of his steps as he climbed the stairs, but not curious enough to open her eyes. He was taking her to either her room or his—it didn't matter which, as long as their destination involved exhausted, sated cuddling.

'You still with me?" he murmured as he turned to edge through a door.

"Mmm." She smiled against his skin. "Just don't make me walk."

He chuckled softly. "How about sitting up? A nice warm bath, and then a whole lot of blankets for both of us."

"And sleep. So much sleep."

"All the sleep you want." The world dipped, and the water in her tub sluiced on. Blake settled on the edge of the stone, still holding her against his chest. "And a big damn breakfast tomorrow."

She didn't care about food. All she could think about was the delicious ache in her muscles every time she stretched. A gentle, hopeful peace had enveloped her, a serenity she hadn't felt since the first time the moon had stirred her.

Blake didn't talk again until the tub was full and he was leaning to turn off the faucet. "Come on, sweetheart. In with you."

She caught his hand. "Join me?"

He smiled and lifted their joined hands to his lips. "Anything you want."

Her heart stuttered. Ashley dropped the blanket and climbed into the steaming water. Blake slid in behind her, drawing her close to his chest, his arms wrapping around her. It felt like a stolen moment, the two of them alone in the world.

But they weren't alone. "When will the envoy from the Great Lakes pack be here?"

"Tomorrow afternoon." He settled one hand on her chest, his thumb tracing along her collarbone gently. "I'll probably have to drive out in the morning to meet them. As Lucas's second."

A cold knot formed in her stomach. "You're leaving again?"

"Not for long. Trust me, I'd rather be here, but it's..." He sighed. "Politics, I guess. It has to be me."

Because he hadn't gone out to meet them last time. "I know." She squeezed his hand. "You wouldn't go if you had any other choice."

'Nope. But with something like this, everyone in the pack has a job." He reached for a washcloth, his sudden unease evident in his taut muscles. "Even you."

She kept her voice even. "Oh?"

"They'll bring the girl. They can't leave her unguarded." He hesitated, his hand rubbing soapy, absent circles on Ashley's upper arm. "We don't know anything for sure. But if anything seems off—if she seems scared or upset..."

It sounded so ominous that she twisted in his arms and searched his face, trying to decipher the tension there, whether it was mild worry...or something more alarming. "You think the pack might be holding her against her will?"

"Mac was uneasy." He lifted one shoulder and shook his head. "That doesn't necessarily mean anything. Mac's uneasy around everyone but Connor. And you."

And yet, worry tinged his every word. "Blake, I'm not delicate. You don't have to lie to me."

"All right." He set the washcloth aside and wrapped his arms around her again. "I trust Mac's instincts. If something bothered him, then there's something wrong. That's the only reason we're letting them come here at all."

Ashley sat up straight, sloshing water against the high sides of the tub. She'd been curious about the woman they'd spoken of, that there might be someone else out there just like her, but Blake's revelation turned her curiosity into mounting consternation. "She might be in trouble, and no one's gone to help her yet?"

"It's not that kind of trouble. They won't risk—" He cut off abruptly, his lips pressing into a tight line. "If they have her, it's because they're hoping she'll accept one of them, and you can't force that. So we have time, and it's better to lure them here and take care of it."

"Take care of it how?"

"If she's in trouble?" His eyes were tight now, too. Hard. "However keeps the two of you safest."

"You mean killing them." She barely managed to choke out the words because her throat was so thick with horror and—was that satisfaction?

No, not quite. Peace of mind, maybe, in the knowledge that her pack would do anything to keep them out of harm's way. That they cared about her, of course, but also about the well-being of a stranger who might be in danger.

Blake cupped her cheek, his damp fingers catching on the tangled strands of her wet hair. "We wouldn't let them within a hundred damn miles of you if we weren't ready to kill them if necessary. Doing it here just means less chance of humans fucking it up, or one of us getting hurt."

The possibility hadn't occurred to her, but now the cold knot in her belly shattered, scattering ice through her. "Blake..."

"No, hey." One tug, and he had her back within his embrace. He ignored the water splashing against the side of the tub to fold his arms around her. "Connor's the least dominant one of us, and he's scary in a fight. Jud might as well be a damn assassin, and Mac..." He huffed and held her tighter. "Nothing's going to happen to any of us. We know what we're doing."

She squeezed her eyes shut and let the warmth of his body soothe the roughest edges of her fear. "You can't stop me from worrying."

"Don't make that a challenge," he rumbled, teasing his fingertips down her side. "I won't be able to back down and then we'll die in this tub, having fucked ourselves unconscious."

A joke, meant to make her laugh, but she couldn't. "I'd still worry." She swept her fingers up his arm, trying to memorize the enticing flex of muscle beneath skin. "Especially about you."

"I know."

His words were soft, almost shy. A perfect reflection of the emotion churning inside her. "Do you?"

He was silent for a long time. His fingers kept up their slow caresses, and, bit by bit, he relaxed behind her. "I wish we'd found you sooner, sweetheart, before you went into heat. It's a lot to expect—falling in love in so many different ways, with so many different parts of yourself. Your wolf's barely had a chance to stretch her legs. I'm not surprised she's still running."

It was the closest they'd come to sentimental declarations, and Ashley ached. "If it were up to me—a conscious decision, I mean—"

"Shh." He pressed a warm kiss to her temple. "She'll make the right choice for you, when she's ready. I'm not getting impatient. And I'm not..."

"Not worried?" she teased wistfully.

He chuckled hoarsely. "Mostly, no. You need to explore. You need to know I'm the only one you want forever before you choose. I get it."

"But?"

"But I'm not very good at letting you explore."

She choked on a giggle. "If I had explored any more tonight, I wouldn't be able to stand up for days."

Blake huffed against the back of her neck. "Fine. I'm not good at letting you explore on your own."

"Maybe." But her humor faded all too quickly. "Do you think my wolf is waiting for Lucas?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if it's that simple. You've been with Mac and Connor..." He trailed off, his voice coming back softer. "Maybe you need to give Jud an honest chance."

No cold knot formed this time. Pain spiked in her midsection, razor-sharp and scalding. She turned in Blake's arms, but his expression was inscrutable. "What?"

"Not if you don't want to," he said, each word so crisp and slow that he had to be picking them with care. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. But you don't have to deny yourself for me, either."

It made a strange sort of sense. If her wolf was testing the rest of the pack, looking for the one strong enough, right enough, to be her mate, then why couldn't she feel pulled in different directions when Blake was there? "That's what you meant about not letting me explore on my own."

He nodded once. "Jud steps aside when I'm around. Holds back."

"And you think he might be the one."

"I think he's a good enough man and a strong enough wolf that not knowing for sure might make your choice harder."

Jud couldn't be her mate. He was a lovely man—kind, smart, ruggedly attractive—but he wasn't Blake. "You're right. It wouldn't be fair to any of us to not know."

"If you want," Blake repeated firmly, but in the next heartbeat he was smiling somehow, making it easier for her as he teased his thumb over her tender lips. "Don't forget how much fun you had telling me all the dirty things Connor and Mac did to you. I like knowing they're taking care of you when I can't."

A blush heated her cheeks. "Will Jud be here while you're gone?"

"Mmm." He leaned in, and his kiss was soft. Sweet. Just the brush of his lips over hers, lingering as they traded breaths. "Let him take care of you while I'm gone, Ashley. And then I'll be back. I'll always come back."

And she'd be waiting. "Always."