Page 26 of Like a Hurricane

My fingers keep a tight grip on the skillet, the joints in my hands aching with how tight I hold it, and my skin starts to sting with the cold but still, I move.

Even when I hear him roar my name behind me.

Chapter Twelve

“Fuck!” I grunt, rubbing the spot on my cheekbone that currently feels like it’s on fire. She hit me fucking good with that skillet, so props to her for using a damn kitchen utensil as a weapon. The woman has one hell of a swing on her. I could feel blood trickling down the side of my face from where the impact of the hit had split the skin and I knew there was going to be a bruise there, but my cheekbone didn’t feel broken even if it felt like it was trying to push its way out of my face.

I’d gone unconscious for a few seconds and by the time I’d woken, she was gone, the front door left wide open. Snow was currently building up on the floor just inside the door.

I shake my head trying to clear the lingering fog and stumble after her. She was just in a damn hospital gown, though I wasn’t wearing much more than she was as I stumble through the fresh tracks left by her lithe body. I could see her dark mane of hair, a stark contrast to the pristine white snow as she tries to flee down the cliff.

I was surprised she was going the right way to be honest, but in this weather and dressed like that, neither of us would survive thirty minutes out here.

“Arryn!” I roar her name, the sound of my voice bouncing off the trees and sending a flock of ravens soaring into the grey skies. She tries to run faster but even in this weather, I was quicker. “Arryn, stop!”

“Get away from me!” She screeches back, tripping and falling face first into the snow. She lets out a frustrated scream and tries to get moving again, but I’m already on her. I won’t lie, chasing her through the woods is doing something to me. I grab her around the waist and haul her back against my chest, avoiding her flailing arms and legs as she tries to land a hit on me.

“Let me go!” She swings the hand around still holding that damn skillet and smacks it into my knee. I grunt but don’t let go.

“Stop fucking fighting!” I growl.

“I’m going to fucking shove this pan up your ass if you don’t let me go!” She warns.

But it just makes me laugh, the chase, the fight, all of it shooting blood straight to my cock.

“Are you fucking hard right now!?” She screeches, “You’re a psycho!”

I spin us quickly, forcing her back into the snow and land on top of her.

“I’m going to make it real fucking clear, little storm,” I growl, nose to nose with her. I have her wrists in my hands, pinning them down and her body beneath mine, legs split so I’m within the cradle of her thighs, “The nearest town to here is a two-hour trek on a good day, in this weather you’re looking at four hours, if not more. It gets dark early, and if you think it’s cold now, wait until night falls. You’ll never make it to the town before you freeze to death, and if that doesn’t happen, do you want to come face to face with a fucking bear or bobcat? Because I can tell you now, princess, that skillet will only do so much at protecting you against a predator.”

Her stormy eyes bounce between mine as if searching for the lie in my words. While bears here are rarely seen, it doesn’t mean they’re not here and I damn well knew there were bobcats in these woods as well as god knows what else. She’d never survive.

“Served me fine againstyou.”

I grin down at her, and she tilts her chin up in defiance. I was sat so fucking perfectly between her legs, I could grind forward right now and feel her heat against me, but I don’t. I’d have her again but preferably when she isn’t trying to actively kill me. She’ll likely keep trying to kill me but right now we were both cold, shivering and going numb. We needed to get back to the cabin and warm up.

“I was distracted,” I tell her, “You won’t be so lucky next time. Now are you going to behave so we both don’t freeze to death?”

“No!” She shouts defiantly.

“For fuck’s sake, princess,” I roll my eyes and use my weight and training against her, disarming her of the pan quickly before I hoist her up and over my shoulder. It wasn’t easy, not when she’s thrashing and hitting me as I try to climb the incline back towards the cabin. It was only a short distance, but my feet were numb, fingers numb, and goddamn it was fucking cold.

I manage to get us to the cabin some fifteen minutes later, her fight lagging but she still tries to get away from me. I kick the door closed and dump her ass on the couch, the fire still burning but slower since I needed to add more wood. It is warm though and it instantly starts to thaw the chill on our skin.

“Take off your gown,” I order.

“Fuck you.”

“You want me to do it for you?” I cock a brow and let my eyes drop down her body. “I will, princess. You need to get out of these wet clothes and warm up and I have no problem aiding you.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” I head to the bags by the door and pull out a pair of my sweats and a t-shirt, throwing them onto the couch beside her, “You just don’t understand right now.”

“Don’t tell me what you think I know; IknowI hate you. You kidnapped me! My dad fucking died,” she chokes, “And you took me! Oh my god. No one will find me here.”

“That’s the idea, Arryn, this is the only place you’re safe.”