Page 12 of Kiss of Fire

Low branches whipped her face. The back of her throat ached with every breath of cold air. Panic started to build.

It ratcheted into terror when she heard the first howl.

She stopped dead.

The sound rose in a mournful wail, raising the hairs on her neck. A second joined it, then a third. The cadence was eerily beautiful and wholly menacing.

“Wolves,” she whispered. How could there be wolves? Where the fuckwasshe?

She started running again, frantic to find somewhere to hide. An empty cabin, a barn, anything that would give shelter from wild animals and the cold.

Maybe she should go back to the hut? But even if she wanted to face the Shirtless Wonder again, she had no clue which direction to go in. She was completely turned around.

The howling stopped and in the sudden silence, she heard the crunch of her bare feet in the snow. It seemed as if she was the only living thing in the world out here. But her instincts told her otherwise.

Something was keeping pace with her. Several somethings. She glimpsed three or four dark shapes gliding alongside her to her left. She made to veer right and saw another two had already flanked her. She caught a flash of yellow eyes through the trees. The wolves were tracking her.

A sob burst from her throat. Her heart was pounding like a jackhammer, both from fear and exertion as she pushed herself on. But the adrenaline wouldn’t last forever. Already she could feel the cold seeping into her muscles, slowing her down.

The wolves understood that. They were waiting for her to fall.

They were closer now, narrowing the line she could run. The moon shone through a gap in the trees and she saw their dark fur, their pointed muzzles. They loped on either side, matching her speed, patiently waiting until she surrendered.

She slowed.

What was the point? Where could she go? She didn’t even know where she was.

The wolves turned towards her and she caught a flash of fang. She closed her eyes. She hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much.

And then arms were curling round her, pulling her into a haze of warmth. Wings beat and her feet left the cold forest floor.

Shadeed soared above the tree line leaving the wolves circling below. The girl had her hands locked about his neck and her face pressed into his shoulder.

“Why in the name of all the gods did you run?” he demanded. “I was explaining about our bargain.”

She lifted her head and looked at him, her expression unreadable.

“You’re the angel. I thought I’d dreamed you. But how can that be? You’re the beast too.”

“I am neither angel nor beast. I told you. I am Lord of the Jinn.”

This time she heard the word properly. She took in his blue glare. Shadows were swirling around him and she could sense his fury, barely contained. It seemed to be his default position, she thought distantly. Followed by,am I going nuts? Scratch that. More nuts?

At least she knew now why he kept talking about ‘humans’ as if they were another species.

She became aware they were hovering over the trees. The air should have been bitterly cold up here, even more so than on the ground. But she couldn’t feel it. All she could feel was his warmth. And the entire length of his body pressed hard against hers.

Confusion flooded through her. In that moment, only one thing was clear. She couldn’t survive out here without him.

Angel or beast or jinn, whatever he was, she was stuck with him. What was it Dr Meadows had said to her?Take control, Suraya. Stop letting circumstances control you.She took a breath.

“Okay, I’ll listen to your bargain. But you have to promise not to hurt me.”

He regarded her stonily.

“I have done nothing to harm you, and to my recollection I have saved you twice now.”

“I’ll take that as a yes, shall I?”

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