Page 27 of A Bear's Mercy

“I’ll go wash up,” she said out loud. She pushed herself up on the table, beginning the slow process of standing.

“I can get it,” Daniel said. “No problem.”

“Let me at least feel a little bit useful,” Charlie said, mostly teasing.

Finally upright, she grabbed both coffee mugs and headed into the kitchen. She put them in the sink and stared out the window for a moment, trying to clear her head.

She needed some kind of plan. It was obvious that she couldn’t stay there, with one shifter who made her want to rip off her clothes — well, her bathrobe — and one shifter who she feared.

At least he wanted her alive, though she didn’t have any idea what for. Why else would he be sleeping on the floor in the back bedroom, making sure she couldn’t escape while everyone slept?

More than anything, Charlie needed to get back to the backpack she’d left in the woods. In it was her phone, which was definitely dead by now, but also an emergency beacon. If activated, her team would swoop in and rescue her.

That backpack was pretty much her only chance. She’d been unconscious when Kade brought her to the cabin, and she had no idea where she was or how to find civilization. Besides, it wasn’t like she’d last long enough to find it. If she fell once, she’d rip out all her stitches and probably bleed to death.

Charlie moved her weight to her other foot, and even that slight motion made her back complain. No, running was out.

Fuck, she thought. She turned the water on in the sink and started washing the mugs from breakfast. She absolutely hated the idea that she might need rescuing. Most of her life, she’d wanted to be the rescuer, from the time that she was the kid who insisted on saving herself, to joining the FBI right out of college.

She’d even fought to rescue Kade, sort of. Her bosses on the FBI / Fish and Wildlife Task Force hadn’t had a problem with killing the guy, and Charlie had to talk them into just capturing him.

This case was pretty clear-cut, though. Even though she was healing nicely, her back was still torn up and might need more medical attention than Kade’s cousin could provide. She could hardly walk, let alone run through the woods.

Charlie was going to have to get rescued, and that was all there was to it.

She put the mugs on the drying rack, then leaned against the counter, looking out the window. It was possible that she could ask Daniel to get her backpack for her, but that would only open him up to a wolf attack, and that wasn’t fair. Just because they’d kissed once didn’t mean that he should risk his life for her.

In the other room, she could hear Daniel humming to himself as he carved the lion on top of the big wooden sphere. She’d meant to ask him what it was for, but then some things had gotten in the way.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Charlie realized she was going to have to wait before she did anything.

Her team was going to think she was dead, but that wasn’t the end of the world. She was more or less OK, she had antibiotics, and as long as she didn’t leave the cabin, everything was fine. It wasn’t like she could force Kade and Daniel to do anything they didn’t want to.

Nope. She was going to have to sit tight, read some books, cook some venison, and above all else, be patient.

Just the thought made her start fidgeting. She shut her eyes and rubbed her temples, taking deep breaths.

It’s a vacation, she thought. You’re having a lovely vacation in the woods. Now go take a sponge bath or something, because when you lift your arms you smell terrible.

She put her arms back down by her sides, took one more deep breath, and opened her eyes.

Outside the window was a very lean, fit, gray-haired naked man.

“Daniel!” she shouted, clutching the counter.

She heard a chair fall over in the next room as Daniel jumped up, knocking it over, and his huge frame filled the doorway almost immediately.

Charlie just pointed at the window, but the guy was gone.

She really, really needed things to stop happening while she was incapacitated.

“There’s a naked guy outside, he had gray hair—“

Someone knocked on the door.

“Stay here,” Daniel said.

“Where else am I gonna go?” she shouted at his back as his long strides carried him to the front door.

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