Page 16 of Blade's Battle
“And you.”
“And me.”
The silence stretched as they walked. The pain in her feet intensified, distracting her from the debate going on in her head about how much to tell him. “I’m afraid,” she finally blurted out.
“I won’t let him touch you,” Blade promised again. “I have to warn you, though, when you get to my pack, you’ll meet Hayden. He’s the spitting image of Drake, his brother.”
She stopped walking. “Drake’s brother is part of your pack?”
“Hayden’s nothing like his asshole brother. He’s a good shifter, Angel. You’ll be safe around him.”
“Will he tell Drake where I am?”
Blade’s hand wrapped around hers, sending a strength through her.
“Let’s put it this way. If Hayden had a choice of saving you or Drake, he wouldn’t hesitate to choose you.”
“He doesn’t know me.”
“He knows Drake.”
“Oh. Poor guy, to be tied to someone like Drake. Kurt always said we can’t pick our family, that we’re stuck with them.”
“Who’s Kurt?”
Damn, she hadn’t meant to bring up Kurt at all. “Is that your last question?”
He thought about it. “No, I’ll find out about him in time.”
She had no doubt he’d get her to talk about Kurt, eventually. It was a good thing she didn’t plan to stick with Blade longer than the few days needed to get out of the forest.
When they reached the stream, she jumped in the air and squealed, momentarily forgetting that Blade was watching her. Crystal clear water sparkled in the sunlight. She didn’t care how cold it was, she was finally getting a chance to wash! As she hobbled down to the water, Blade’s arms circled her waist to steady her. Her entire body leaned into him. It had been a long time since she’d felt safe, but she really wanted to jump into that water right now.
“Your last question,” she prompted, hoping to finish this game of his so she could plunge into the stream and take the closest things to a bath she’d had since Drake had kidnapped her.
“Why does Drake think you have information about the WSSO?”
“You go straight for the jugular don’t you?”
“You have to answer.”
His voice had that playfulness about it, and she felt awful hiding the truth from him, but she couldn’t tell him. “I don’t have to answer.”
“Then dare it is. I dare you to kiss me and I don’t mean a small peck on the cheek. I want a full-blown, open-mouthed tongue-down-my-throat kiss.”
Oh, how she was tempted to accept his dare if nothing more than to avoid answering his question. This was all kinds of wrong. It had been a year since Kurt, but. . . No. This here—getting involved with a shifter she’d just met—wasn’t who she was.
“I don’t like this game.”
“Fair is fair, Anna. I answered your question, now it’s your turn.”
“Truth then,” Anna said as she pulled away from the warmth of his body that had been calming her and making her feel as if everything would be fine. She knew better than that. “Drake wants me because I’m responsible for the virus that’s killing wolf shifters.”
Chapter Three
BLADE
Blade was certain he hadn’t heard Anna right. This one small human, his sweet Anna whose smile lit up the woods, whose mere presence settled both him and his wolf, couldn’t possibly be the one who created the virus. The virus that had already killed hundreds.
