Page 7 of Blade's Battle
“To a human, I suppose,” he said, his tone sarcastic. It was the first time he’d sounded spiteful.
“You don’t like humans, do you?”
“No.”
This shifter who had rescued her, who hadkilledfor her, didn’t like humans. What if she got on his nerves? Or worse, what if he found out the truth about her?
“Cold?” he asked, dark eyes watching her with an intensity that made her shiver again.
She needed to get away from him, these woods, everything. Would the cabin be safe? She hadn’t heard from Katy in a while. There was no telling if the WSSO had caught up with her and if they’d found the cabin. No, Katy was too good at what she did. There was no trail, electronic or paper leading to the cabin. Katy had seen to it, and Anna trusted her.
Anna remained quiet the rest of the day, despite the occasional questions Blade asked her. Talking about home—thinking about Kurt—caused too much pain. She could imagine his reaction once he learned about Kurt, about what she had done to him.
More than once, the rocking motion of being carried lulled her to sleep. She woke when he was setting her down in a cave. She grabbed her arms and started rubbing, except the cold wasn’t what was making her shiver.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, that handsome face was frowning again, because of her.
“I d-don’t like caves.”
“Fuck, I wasn’t thinking.” He thrust his hand through his hair and stared at the entrance. “Just for the night, Anna. It’s raining out, and we both need the rest. I’ll be here the entire time. . . well, most of the time. I was going to look for something to eat.”
She tugged the shirt further over her thighs and nodded.
“You sure you’ll be okay? I won’t go far. If you yell, I’ll be back in seconds. I promise.”
Blade made a lot of promises, but he’d kept them too. She had to have some faith and courage. “I’ll be fine,” she said, thankful she could get the words out.
His smile warmed her. Suddenly the cave didn’t seem so scary. Then he left, and the shadows threatened to swallow her as the rain beat the ground outside.
She didn’t know how long he was gone, probably only a few minutes but it felt like hours. The moment he appeared at the cave entrance, his hands loaded with wild strawberries and cattails, relief washed through her.
“Hi, there, Angel. We’re feasting tonight!”
His excitement was contagious. She smiled as he sat down beside her to share the food. He showed her how to peel the young cattail shoots and stalks to eat raw. The taste was similar to bitter cucumber, but it was filling. The strawberries took care of the aftertaste.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said as he cleaned her feet with fresh water running down the cave’s wall and rewrapped her feet with fabric from the bottom of his pants.
“I’m trying to keep the cuts clean until we get to Devil’s Peak.”
“What’s at Devil’s Peak?”
“It’s the closest town to my pack’s territory. Once we reach my pack, we’ll drive into the town, find a doctor to treat the cuts and get you some antibiotics. The mullein’s better than nothing out here, but you should still see a doctor.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Infection was a concern, but it had taken a backseat to being mauled by Drake’s shifters. Or worse, being hauled back and thrown into that cursed cave, for the emotional and physical abuse to start all over again.
She started shaking again until Blade put an arm around her and pulled her in close. His body heat felt nice, especially in the cold cave, but there was something about having a wall of muscle wrapped around her that felt so utterly reassuring.
“I guess that’s not a problem you’ve ever had, needing antibiotics, lab tests, wondering what was wrong with you,” she said, trying to keep her mind off of Drake. “Science has no place out here, not for a shifter.”
“Nature is science, but we spend more time studying humans than nature. Out of self-preservation. Humans view us as predators, but they’re the real predators.
Images of the WSSO’s logo, a pile of dead shifters, filled her head—along with the day Kurt had died, the vacant look in his eyes, the once strong body that had withered away.
“Hey there,” Blade said, stroking her cheek lightly. “Where did you go just now?”
Anna burst into tears. His arms tightened around her as he rocked her. Her body, her mind began to relax.
She drifted to sleep with Blade whispering in her ear, “It’s okay Angel. No one’s going to hurt you ever again.”
