Page 47 of The Wolf's Kidnapped Mate

I grunted while turning, “I don’tneedyour help.”

“Right. Because hitting your head means you don’t need my help.”

“Do I look like I’m bleeding anymore?”

Her giggles continued, the soft sound of them making me want to grab her throat and pin her to the cave wall. I could screw her into submission in just a few minutes. That was all I needed—a few minutes to show her who was in charge.

But when I turned back around, I found her head bowed toward me with her hands folded behind her back. It was such a respectful stance, one that oozed dedication. “Can you help with mine?”

My hands moved of their own accord. I helped slide her bag over her shoulders and tightened the straps, letting my fingers drift under her breasts to touch her pillowy soft skin. She sighed contentedly as she took my hands in hers.

“Ready?”

I gazed deep into her eyes, feeling the heaviness of that question as so much more than just us running for our lives across the state in our wolf forms. We were cozy now, but I knew what waited for us on the other side of our journey.

And that just made everything so much more uncertain.

***

Night kept us covered as we changed into our wolf forms and cautiously left the mine. We stuck to the mountains and hills, choosing to scoot around large cabin settlements just in case we were confused with the local animal population and shotfor our furs. Cold wind whipped through the trees and yanked the branches in the direction from where we came.

The entire night was spent running. We dashed through the forest, carefully crossed a few rivers, and then arrived at the doorstep of another cave. This one hadn’t been touched by humans—or at least it had been abandoned for long enough that it held no traces of people. Aside from some animal bones, the place was free for us to take for the day.

That was where we slept for about five hours before resuming our journey.

It’ll take another three days to get to Buckhannon on foot, I told Kylie as we sprinted across the foggy hills.Do you think you can handle it?

Her laughter bounced through my mind.Seriously, who do you think you’re talking to?

Flirtatious quips surfaced. I found it easy to tease Kylie, easier than ever. She was receptive to my lead, far more amiable than when we’d worked together on a mission five years ago in Chinatown up in New York. Maybe it was just our history together that made it easy for us to communicate. Maybe it was the sex we had back in that shed.

Who knew?

Watching her run beside me was a thrill unmatched by anything. By day three, I was accustomed to her nipping playfully at my heels as we sprinted past the state line from Virginia into West Virginia. We were keeping a decent pace, and she was too gorgeous in the fading sunlight that lit her fur up like autumnal fire.

Towering trees tunneled around us as we rushed into another heavily wooded area. Kylie raced ahead into a thicketof bushes, growling as she grabbed something. I heard a tiny squeak and acrack, then watched as Kylie trotted proudly out of the bushes with a rabbit hanging triumphantly from her maw.

She danced up to me on her toes.Dinner is served, my lord.

I squinted at her and said,Kylie, don’t call me that.

Then I guess you don’t want a fresh rabbit, she teased.

I watched her trot away, shaking my head at her silly gallop that she did when a rabbit jumped out from the bushes and raced up the pathway. In an instant, she dropped the rabbit she had caught and went into hot pursuit after the other.

Really? Did shehaveto be so distracting?

I glanced around, feeling the chilly breeze rustling my fur. Cave openings were scattered along the mountain ridges. Probably mineshafts. Useful if we ever needed a way to trap some irritating wolves.

Well, it wasn’t like there were enemies near. We hadn’t caught a whiff of one mangy wet mutt—or that skunk piss. After checking the perimeter again and seeing a clearing ahead, I tracked Kylie down near a small pond.

She was proudly flipping her newly caught rabbit.

I sighed.Kylie, stop playing with your food.

Make me, she shot back. Then bowed her head like she had said something rude.

I huffed and went back to the trail to grab the other rabbit. When I reappeared, she perked up, giving me a wolfish grin as she blinked slowly at me.

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