Page 11 of Marked For A Bite
"Logan, please." Zoe stepped closer as her feet hit the gravel, not releasing his hand. "Stay with me tonight. Just tonight. I don't know these people, and I—" Her voice cracked slightly. "I trust you."
Those three words nearly destroyed him. Logan had spent a decade ensuring no one trusted him, cultivating a reputation that kept people at a safe distance. But Zoe looked at him like he was something worth believing in, even covered in dried blood and carrying enough weapons to outfit a small army.
"You'll be safe here. I promise." Logan made himself release her hand, immediately missing the contact. "Safer than you would be with me."
He guided her toward the safehouse, his palm hovering over her lower back without quite touching. Even that minimal proximity made his wolf snarl possessively.
Logan knocked once on the heavy wooden door, the sound echoing in the stillness. Within seconds, it opened to reveal Tabitha—mid-thirties, blonde, with the lean build of a seasoned fighter and intelligent blue eyes that missed nothing.
"Logan." Tabitha's gaze flicked between him and Zoe, taking in their body language with predatory awareness. "This is the hybrid Kieran mentioned?"
"Zoe Raymond. Per Alpha's orders, she stays here until further notice." Logan stepped back, putting necessary distance between himself and Zoe before his control snapped entirely. "Keep her safe."
Tabitha nodded, understanding the weight behind those words. "Of course. Come on, honey. Let's get you settled."
"Wait." Zoe turned toward Logan, her hazel eyes pleading. "When will I see you again?"
The question hit him like a knife between the ribs. Logan's throat worked as he searched for an answer that wouldn't be a complete lie.
"Take care of yourself, Zoe."
He turned sharply, heading back toward his Jeep before he could do something catastrophically stupid like promise her things he had no right to promise. His wolf clawed at hisrestraint, demanding he go back, claim what belonged to them, and damn the consequences.
"Logan, wait!"
Footsteps on gravel behind him made Logan freeze. She was following him—this stubborn, fearless woman who had no idea how dangerous he really was.
"You can't just leave me with strangers. I've been alone for a year since my mother died, and I can't?—"
Zoe's hand grabbed his arm, her grip firm and desperate. Logan spun around instinctively, his enforcer training taking over as he caught her wrists and backed her against the Jeep in one fluid motion.
The position put them chest to chest, her back pressed against the cold metal while his body caged her in. Her arousal spiked immediately, the scent hitting him like a powerful drug and making his vision blur with want. Heat flooded his groin as her breathing quickened, her lips parting slightly as she stared up at him.
Logan's hands lingered on her wrists longer than necessary, his thumbs tracing over her pulse points where her blood sang beneath her delicate skin. The mate bond roared between them, demanding completion.
"Logan," she whispered, his name on her lips like a prayer.
The world narrowed to this moment—her hazel eyes gone molten gold, the way her body trembled against his, and the perfect curve of her mouth just inches away. Logan found himself leaning down, drawn by an irresistible force and bone-deep recognition.
Mine,his wolf growled.Claim her. Now.
The tactical part of his mind snapped him back just before his lips touched hers, the cold reality crashing through the haze of desire like ice water. Logan released her wrists and steppedback so quickly that Zoe stumbled slightly, confusion and hurt flashing across her features.
He turned and walked toward the treeline without another word, trusting the darkness to swallow him before his resolve cracked completely. Behind him, he heard Zoe's soft intake of breath and the tremor in her voice as she called his name one more time.
Logan kept walking.
FIVE
ZOE
Zoe stood frozen beside Logan's Jeep, her wrists still tingling where his thumbs had traced her pulse points. The autumn breeze carried his scent back to her—mountain rain, leather, and something uniquely masculine that made her wolf stir restlessly.
Mate.The word whispered through her mind again, insistent and mystifying.
She watched Logan's broad shoulders disappear between the towering firs, his grey henley stretching across his powerful frame as he moved with predatory grace through the moonlit forest. The way he'd caged her against the Jeep had awakened something primal in her—not fear, but a fierce, possessive hunger that should have terrified her.
"Well, shit," Zoe muttered, running a trembling hand through her curls.
