Page 28 of Wolf Heart

I freeze at the sound of Raven's voice. In a few strides, he's standing right behind me. So close and his body heat prickles along my spine. His scent is all over me and it's driving me crazy. My body tingles at his proximity.

Mybody strainstowardhim,butmyhead screams at meto run outoftheroom before he touches me. The smell of leather and cinnamon swirls around me,drawingmebackin andtryingtomakemeforget everything else.

I try not to lean into him. His big hand presses against the wall on each side of my head, my muscles lock up and I can't move. His breath is on the back of my neck and I lock my knees to keep from falling backward into his embrace.

"I'm looking for a light," I whisper, unable to keep the tremble out of my voice.

He takes a step closer, his heat washing over me. "Are you sure you don't just want to run out the door?"

A snort escapes my nose, but the sound comes out more of a whimper. "No."

“Come with me.” He grabs my hand and hauls me from the door. “We need to make sure this place is secure.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” I gesture to the dilapidated kitchen. “There’s no food in here, which has to be a sign no one’s here.”

“What if we’re the food?” he asks, pulling me out of the kitchen and down a dark hallway.

The image of the rotting rat jumps in my mind and I shudder.

A cobweb brushes against my arm and I stifle a yelp. How long has it been since this cabin was used? I glance behind me and halfway debate making a run for the kitchen door. But even I know it’s stupid to leave the safety of this rundown cabin while the wolves are perched outside.

My foot hits something on the floor and an abrupt tap-tap-tap-tap-tap echoes in the hallway and I whirl around.

“What was that?” I ask, my voice a squeak. I take a step back, my foot banging into the wall.

His expression is shadowed in darkness. “It's nothing.”

“It didn't sound like nothing.” I look down at my feet to see what I hit and freeze, my heart pounding.

A skull.

I snatch my foot away and spin around to face him. “There's a freaking skull under my feet!” I shove at him and he grabs my arms.

“Calm down. It's okay.” He holds me in place.

I stomp my foot, trying to knock it away and it rattles across the floor. “Oh my God, what if that was Aspen or Dex?” Vampires not only suck the blood from their victims like in the few stories I’ve read but can turn a body into a pile of bones in seconds.

"The others can take care of themselves and they know the dangers out there as well as me."

"That doesn't matter. They trusted you." Tears sting my eyes.

"I didn't have a choice," he growls.

"Don't you dare growl at me. I'm not your pack. I'm not your wolf." I punch him in the chest and wince, my hand feeling like I struck stone. "You had a choice and you chose to run away." My voice is shaking and I can’t stop the panic squeezing my throat.

"I had to get you out of danger or we'd all be dead."

I push away from him, running blindly down the hallway.

“Shit, Juniper. Stop.”

But I don’t. It’s my fault we’re in this mess. If I hadn’t asked them to help me find my mother, they might have taken a different route and would be safe right now. Maybe my stepmother was right and I am cursed. My own mother didn’t want me so why would I think that she’s even out here or willing to help me?

I burst through the door to a small bedroom.

“Juniper,” Raven bellows. His heavy footsteps pound down the hallway. He storms into the room. “Fuck. Are you crazy?”

I don’t answer him, but turn away, tears streaming down my face.

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