Huddled inside the alcove of a large outcropping of rocks, I shivered for an hour before Ethan alerted me through our bond that someone was coming up the dirt road. A moment later, headlights came into view. I tensed, ready to run if necessary. Park Ranger Rusty Higgins patrolled the woods around town every night, although he should have been in wolf form instead of driving. I’d been lucky to avoid him so far, and I couldn’t afford to be found by him now. Rhys had said he would come, and I had no doubt he would keep his promise, but in the meantime, I was exposed. Cold. Without a single form of defense if whoever was doing all this found me first. I had no doubt now that someone out there was trying to screw with me. Not kill me. They could have done that already. No, instead they wanted to ruin me first. And so far, they were doing a damned good job of it, too.

The headlights swung sideways as a truck pulled into the visitor lot down the hill from where I’d hidden. The base of the great falls was a popular hiking meetup for tourists and even locals. Not at two in the morning, though.

The headlights swung away, and I finally got a look at the vehicle from my vantage point. A sigh escaped me, interrupted by the shuddering of my body. Ethan swooped low enough that Rhys ducked as he got out. It seemed I wasn’t the only impatient one out here tonight.

“Gwen?” Rhys called quietly as he started up the hill.

I pushed to my feet and slid out into the open. Rhys breathed out when he spotted me, his shoulders relaxing as he closed the distance between us and gathered me into his arms.

“I was so damn worried. Are you all right?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me and rubbing hard.

Some of my shivering subsided. “I’m okay,” I said in a voice that was nowhere near convincing.

“Come on. Let’s get you warm and safe.”

I didn’t argue as he led the way back to the truck. In fact, I didn’t say a word as he tucked me inside, spreading a blanket over me before blasting the heat as high as it would go. I sat back to let him shut the door, but he paused, brow creasing.

“Your hawk . . . I’d like to leave him up there for a while to help scout our way. Is that okay?”

Ethan practically screamed at me mentally, and I nodded, a wry smile tipping one side of my numbed lips. “I think you two are on the same side.”

“Good.” Rhys shut the door and walked around, climbing inside. When he reached across the space and grabbed me, I jumped. He ignored that as he slid me across the bench seat until my thigh was pressed tightly against his.

“What are you doing?” I asked, though I didn’t protest the contact. I already felt warmer than I had before.

“Warming you up for one thing,” he said, tucking the blanket carefully around me. “And doing a little to help restore my own sanity.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was out of my mind for the last hour,” he admitted. “Terrified I’d get here and you’d be gone . . . or worse.”

“Did you find Walter?” I asked.

“No, I didn’t see anyone else, and the cops are . . . there’ll be a full investigation.”

I nodded, still too numbed to think too hard about that.

“I don’t understand why Walter would have wanted to use his tattoo on innocent people,” Rhys said.

“He’s not exactly the world’s most cheerful person,” I admitted.

Rhys shook his head. “Still. Why get it in the first place? A hellhound is a pretty aggressive choice, right?”

I shrugged. “He said he was worried about his safety on the job. He worked for Waste Management and said he frequently had to outrun aggressive dogs and that he’d once stumbled on a bear digging through someone’s trash.”

“Yeah, I guess I could see that,” Rhys said.

We were silent for a minute. “Maybe it was someone else,” I said quietly.

Rhys turned to me so quickly, I knew he’d been considering the same thing. “You think someone else activated it? Is that even possible?”

I didn’t know what to think, but that didn’t change the fact that the hellhound had been here and done some real harm. “Sure, I mean, with the right magic, anything’s possible, right?” I shrugged. “All I know is someone wanted to hurt innocent humans and they used my tattoo to do it. Again.”

Rhys bit his lip. “Gwen, we’re going to figure this out. It’s going to be okay.”

I nodded, my eyes stinging with tears. “Rhys, I . . . Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For all of it. Protecting me and caring for Aelwyn and for saving my life tonight. I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish when you— I should have thought more about your feelings in all of it. I should have realized everything you gave up just to keep me safe.”

“I’m sorry I walked away, Gwen. It’s the single biggest regret of my life.” His voice was hoarse with emotion, and I felt my own eyes sting as I blinked back hot tears. “You’re the most important thing in the world. Making you happy is all I’ve ever wanted.”

I swallowed hard as he stared down at me, aware of our closeness. And suddenly it wasn’t all about warmth or worry. His chest heaved, and I leaned closer, my body straining for more of him. The air around us thickened, and the world outside faded. There was only this—the two of us. And how badly I wanted him to kiss me.

“Gwen,” he whispered, his gaze dropping to my mouth.

Like a mind reader, he lowered his head, his lips brushing over mine in a feathery kiss. I sighed, and my reaction spurred a growl from deep in his throat. His lips crashed over mine, suddenly demanding and desperate. I threw off the blanket and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him as close as I could and willing this moment not to end.

His hard chest pressed against my own, his breath washing over me and doing more to warm me than any blanket so far. But it wasn’t enough. I needed to be closer. After all this time, the reality was so much better than I ever imagined.

I grabbed his shoulders and shoved him back, climbing onto his lap with my knees digging into the seat belt holster and the armrest along the door. Rhys held my hips tightly, helping me adjust as I settled on top of him. His mouth never left mine, and when I lowered my center to his, he pressed against me, his tongue shoving against mine until I moaned softly.

I felt Rhys harden against his jeans.

My hands tangled in his hair, pulling and pleading for more.

He kissed me like we were drowning, but it was the opposite. This was the first moment I’d felt like breathing in three years.

“Wait.”

I tried not to feel a pang of disappointment and fear when Rhys eased back. He squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head, and I braced myself for the rejection that was about to come. But when he opened his eyes, a smile tugged at his lips. “You are ridiculously sexy, you know that?”

“I . . .” I blinked.

“We need to get you somewhere safe before we can . . . finish this. But we will finish this. I just . . . Protecting you comes first, okay?”

“Okay,” I said shakily.

He held onto me as I slid back to my seat, tugging me close again when I ventured too far. I waited while he readjusted the blanket, tucking it in around my legs—and then adjusted himself. When he looked up, I sent him a small smile of my own at my handiwork. He responded by planting a quick kiss on my mouth before straightening and backing us out of the empty lot.

Neither of us spoke on the ride back to town, but Rhys held my hand tightly the entire way. I was sure I’d have more to say when I was warm and coherent again. For now, the silence felt nice. Rhys’s hand in mine felt even better. Right here, I was completely safe. I just hoped it would last.