Page 18 of Out of Peril

I stared down at my mate.

Could I love her unconditionally too?

I wasn't yet sure of the answer to that. But I liked to hope that I could overlook the beast within her and grow to love her anyway. She was my mate after all.

“Lindsey,” I said softly, not wanting to startle her and enjoying the feel of her name rolling off my tongue. “Lindsey.”

She groaned and rolled over, gasping when she saw me and curling up into a ball to cover herself.

In this form she looked so vulnerable it nearly broke my heart and made me want to protect her against anything and everything this cruel world had to offer.

“It's okay,” I said softly, holding out my shirt to her.

She grabbed it and quickly put it on. I was surprised by how disappointed I was. I liked looking at her naked body.

You sound like a perv, I thought.

I scowled at the thought, and she withdrew a little more.

It was hard to fathom how this waif of woman could look so vulnerable one moment and then morph into something so powerful and terrifying the next.

Mine!

My wolf and I were in perfect agreement. And my need to protect her was so strong it scared me.

Lindsey

Chapter 6

He was just standing there staring at me. No doubt he was thinking about what a freak I was. Why had I taken him with me?

Mate, my beast reminded me.

Suddenly I gasped. “Maya and Dante! Where are they? What have you done to them?”

“Relax. They're fine,” he assured me.

His voice was soothing and made me want to trust him. I had learned the hard way in life that I couldn’t fully trust anyone.

“Where are they?” I demanded.

“Just up the beach. I have dinner cooking if you're hungry. I just needed to check on you. Your skin is starting to burn from the sun. I'll have a shelter finished soon that will give you some shade to sleep.”

I shook my head, certain I must have hit it while landing or something.

“You're helping us?”

“Of course I am,” he said, sounding indignant and a little pissed that I'd even ask.

I must have hit my head, or maybe he had. This was like waking in a weird alternate reality. I tried to think back to what had happened. I remembered circling the island to ensure it was uninhabited by humans and then landing. I dropped this guy and Dante and felt Maya slide off of me before I wandered away to shift and sleep off the exhaustion I'd felt from flying so long and with so much extra weight.

“How long have I been out?” I whispered.

He shrugged. “A few hours would be my guess. The sun in starting to set. Are you okay to walk or do I need to carry you? I'd like to have the shelter finished before dark.”

Carry me? My whole body warmed at the thought, but I pushed that thought away.

“I can walk,” I said, a little sharper than I meant.

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