Leona was surprised how human Pallas felt to her hands. She wasn’t sure what to expect. Harder flesh? Colder? He felt alive to her touch, even warm. The only difference that she could discern, as she rested her head on his chest, was no heartbeat.
Like he had repeatedly reminded her tonight. Vampire.
A small smile tugged on her lips. He was such a smartass, but he was her smartass.
The blood on her shirt stuck to her skin and she resisted the urge to inspect her abdomen. That gut shot should have killed her. If Pallas had left her at the crime scene, she wouldn’t have made it to a hospital alive. Not this far out of town. Not to mention, their small hospital didn’t deal with gunshot wounds on a regular basis.
The coppery taste of Pallas’ blood lingered in her mouth. How had it healed her? She hadn’t believed in magic until tonight. Maybe he carried some gene in his DNA that triggered her body’s natural healing abilities.
Her head ached with all these worries.
“We’re not running away. We’re regrouping to make a plan.” Pallas climbed out of the stream and set her on the snow. “I’m not letting agent Thomas win. I’m innocent and I’m going to prove it.” He rose, the dim moonlight helped her see him clearer as he stretched his back. “Where’s that damn wolf?”
Pallas had carried her for two miles. No small feat since it was uphill, against current in a fast flowing stream. He could have left her behind. She had been dying.
“Thank you.” She pushed herself into a sitting position. It didn’t hurt but her head spun. Saying those words caused her more pain than her injuries. Being in debt never sat well with her.
He eyed her. “For what?”
“Saving my life.” She ground her teeth at having to state the obvious.
“No need to be grateful. I did it for selfish reasons.” He paced to the edge of the woods.
“Like what?”
He returned to her side. Possession was a wall of black flame in his eyes. Kneeling, he claimed her mouth. The kiss was hard and desperate. Fangs grazed her bottom lip as he caressed the back of her head, knotting his fingers in her loose hair, grasping her tight as he claimed her. His full lips, his best feature, cushioned the force of his need. His tongue explored, tasting every part of her mouth.
She leaned into his strong arms, surrendering to this mysterious and frustrating man. Their attraction was undeniable and future bleak, but all they had was this moment. She cupped his face between her hands. Slowing the pace of their kiss, reassuring him that she was alive and here. She wasn’t going anywhere.
Her near-death experience must have scared him to be so desperately passionate now. She’d never seen Pallas fear anything. Climbing into his arms, she pushed him onto the snowy ground determined to touch every part of this scrumptious man.
Three failed marriages and not one of those ex-husbands had ever made her feel as loved as she did at this moment.
Pallas pulled away, nipping at her lips as she tried to follow his retreat. “You’re still healing.”
She groaned.
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
“Never.” She gazed past his shoulder and spotted the wolf sitting in the snow, wagging his tail as he watched them make out. “Ian?”
Pallas spun around and rose at the same time. “Enjoy the show?”
The wolf pranced around, clearly teasing him.
“Scamp.” Pallas swatted him on the rump. “Lead the way.” He returned and lifted her in his arms again.
She would have protested but she knew her body and she was in no shape to hike in snow and darkness. She would get injured again or worse.
They trekked through a narrow valley between mountains. How the wolf knew his way was a mystery. She saw no trail or markers. Maybe it was scent? She’d never been much of a hiker and these woods were unknown to her. The silence blanketing the area made her more aware of the lack of background noise of civilization that she had grown used to hearing. No cars or streetlights and the amount of stars in the sky was stunning. There were so many it made her dizzy. Faced with such magnitude, she felt insignificant until Pallas pressed a kiss to her forehead. She was important to him, and in her universe that meant something.
Ian paused by a dark shadow in the side of the mountain. Like magic, other wolves stepped out of the darkness, followed by a woman.
As Leona stared harder, the illusion of shadow revealed itself as a cave opening that led deep into the mountain.
The woman was Clare, Ian’s mate. She knelt and stroked her hands over his fur as if searching for injuries. “I’ve been worried sick.” She glared at Pallas. “Took you long enough to escape.” And she jumped to her feet. “Who’s that?” She stomped closer and clapped her hands over her mouth. “Sheriff?” Her glare darkened as it darted to Pallas. “Are you out of your mind?”
“I ask myself the same thing daily ever since I allowed you to stay at the boot camp.” He brushed past her, heading inside the mountain.
Leona could hear Clare’s furious whispers to Ian but not what she said. It didn’t take a genius to guess she didn’t want her here.
Around the bend, firelight flickered and the air grew warmer. The scent of roasting meat reached her nose. She squirmed for a better view over the vampire’s shoulder.
A central fire burned in the high ceiling cave. Shifters, in both human and wolf form, slept around the heat source where their meat roasted slowly on a spit.
Jogging, Clare caught up to them. “We need to talk.”
“Not until tomorrow night. It’s almost dawn and Sheriff Lee was injured. She needs food and clean clothes.” Pallas turned a slow circle. “I need a place to rest where sunlight won’t reach.”
Clare didn’t bat an eyelash at Pallas’ imperial demands. She pointed to the back of the cavern. “There’s a nice alcove over there. We can cover the entrance. I’ll get food and see what we have in spare clothes.”
“Bring water.” Pallas went in search for the shelter that Claire pointed out.
Leona remained quiet, surrounded by stressed predators. She touched her holster and found it empty. “My gun.” Twisting around, she searched her pockets.
Pallas juggled her twisting form in his arms, almost dropping her. “Leona.” He stumbled into the alcove. “Wait a second.” He sat her gently on the ground and watched as her search came back empty. “You must’ve dropped it when you were shot.”
“Shit.” She closed her eyes. “It was a gift from my father when I graduated from the Police Academy.”
Pallas clasped her hand. “I’m sorry.”
She laid down, resting her head on the stony ground. Home, badge, gun—all gone—because she’d decided to follow her gut instincts and uphold her over inflated idea of justice.
The sound of scraping caught her attention.
Pallas had gathered some kindling and lit it from a flame from the wolves’ fire. “You need warmth.” He nursed the flames and threw some logs onto it once the fire was burning strong, illuminating their private space.
Shifters appeared at the entrance with water and food, then they covered the exit with large branches from an evergreen tree.
“Is that to block the sunlight?” She nibbled on her meal, not wanting to ask about the source.
“We’re deep enough that the light shouldn’t reach but I don’t want to take chances. Sunlight burns like acid.” He stripped off his pants.
She sat up sharply. “What are you doing?” Her heart thumped so hard she could barely hear her own voice.
He hung them off a stick he had set in the ground by the fire. “I hate wet clothes.” He proceeded to set his socks and boots close to the flame so they could dry. “Take off your shirt.” He held out his hand.
“It’s dry.” She clutched her jacket closed. Her gaze roved over his muscled legs. Not an ounce of fat anywhere. No wonder he was so flipping strong.
“My eyes are up here.” He smirked as she jerked her gaze back to his face. “Your shirt and jacket are bloody and the scent is driving me crazy.”
“Oh.” She undressed quickly, stripping away her only source of insulation. Then she crept closer to the flames as he discarded her clothes outside the alcove. She heard him order someone to rinse and dry her clothes.
Upon his return, he pulled his shirt over his head and dressed her in it. “That should help.” He fingered the hem that fell just past her hips. “You look good in it.”
She felt good wearing it, too. She always thought of herself as independent and confident. Never needing someone to take care of her. She’d married men whom she thought were strong of character that could help keep her dominance in check, but in the end, she’d railroaded each husband. Squashing their relationship in the process. They hadn’t been strong enough to stand up to her. To challenge her demanding personality. So to say they’d never had a chance to care for her was an understatement.
Being tended to, taken care of, was kind of nice. Pallas had achieved in one day what none of her exes had in years. He made her feel cherished. Well, maybe not in one day. He’d been flirting with her every chance he could since they met. She hadn’t made things easy for them.
He relaxed next to her, back to the wall, and legs extended by the fire. “Come.” He held out his arms. “I’ll keep you warm.”