It was awkward to try to slurp up water, but she didn’t stop until she’d had her fill. When she raised her head, Joshua was sitting beside her, watching her with that wolfish grin in place. Obviously he’d seen her make a fool of herself while she was drinking. He’d apparently had no such problems in his animal form. And why would he. Drinking from a running stream would be natural to a wolf.
He stared at her, his eyes going even darker. Lowering his head, he heaved a sigh before stretching his neck upward.
She sank back on her heels and waited, knowing what was coming. The first crack took her by surprise. It was strange and frightening to watch him change. Yet she couldn’t make herself look away. This was Joshua, the man she loved. And for better or for worse, this was now her life, her fate.
Bones lengthened, reforming into familiar limbs as hair began to disappear. His jaw cracked, shortened and reset itself in a familiar line. The hair on his face receded until there was nothing but the black slashes of his brows and heavy stubble on his jaw. His shaggy hair hung to his shoulders. It took only seconds for him to transform from beast to man. Only those deep, fathomless eyes were the same.
She sat there in the dirt, amazed and horrified.
It was… She didn’t know what it was. Incredible. Unbelievable. Enthralling. If she hadn’t seen it with her own two eyes, she never would have believed it. Her heart was pounding and her palms were sweating, which was stupid. This was Joshua. She knew him and certainly wasn’t afraid of him.
He slumped forward and then pushed himself upright again. That’s when she saw the wounds. His shoulder was bleeding again and there were several large gashes opened up on both his sides.
“You’re hurt.” Although she’d seen the blood earlier, she hadn’t been able to see just how badly he’d been injured. Scrambling closer, she all but crawled through the dirt to reach him.
“It’s nothing.” His voice was rough. His eyes steady.
“It’s not nothing. Of all the lame-brained idiotic things…” Her tirade trailed off as she examined his injuries, trying to be as gentle as possible. “We should have stopped earlier so I could have taken care of this for you.”
He seemed more bemused than angry as she trailed her fingers over his ribs checking for broken bones. “I didn’t have enough energy to change and still get us here. In my wolf form I have more strength and my senses are keener. I needed to be alert.”
She supposed he was right. She had no idea how hard it must be on a body to go through such a transformation, but having just witnessed it, she had a feeling it had to take something out of a person, especially if they were already injured. “Come over by the water so I can clean these.”
He followed her, his movements fluid as he settled on a flat rock that rested along the bank of the cheerful little stream. She plucked the hunting knife from the sheath and held up his shirt. He stayed her motions, his hand wrapping around her wrist. “If you cut that, I’ll only have my jeans to wear.” It was then she remembered he’d sacrificed his coat earlier to throw the hunters off their trail.
“I have to have something to wrap around your arm and you can wear the leather jacket. It’s my father’s so it should fit you.”
He shook his head. “Then you’d have nothing to wear.”
He had a point there, but she shook her head bravely. “I have my bra. It’s enough.”
His fingers stroked the back of her wrist, soothing the skin over her pounding pulse. “It’s a fairly long T-shirt. Cut a few strips off the bottom.”
Nodding, she did as he’d instructed and laid the rest of the shirt and the knife to one side. She dipped one of the strips into the water, wrung it out and began to clean his wounds. She flinched several times, but Joshua never moved a muscle.
And it had to hurt. The long gouges, obviously from the other wolves’ claws, were jagged, but thankfully, upon closer examination, not deep. They had almost stopped bleeding. She knew werewolves healed quickly, but this was incredible. Still, she wasn’t taking any chances. Cleaning each wound carefully, she made sure all the dirt had been removed from the area.
She tried her best to ignore the fact that his thick muscles rippled beneath her fingers as she stroked the thin piece of cloth over them. His flesh was deeply tanned and very appealing. She swallowed, not daring to look any lower than his waist.
Wringing out the cloth again, she focused on his shoulder. That wound was seeping blood once again. She did her best to wash it clean before making two pads out of one of the other strips of cloth. She picked up the final strip and wrapped it around the pads to hold them in place. She supposed he’d lost the original bandage when he’d shapeshifted into his wolf form.
She sat back on her heels, swiped her hand over her forehead and was immediately reminded of her own grungy state. “That will have to do until we get somewhere that has some real medical supplies.”
Joshua shrugged. “I’ve had much worse. I’ll be fine in a few days.”
“You may be fine, but I might not be.” Alex staggered to her feet and tossed the wet piece of cloth down onto a rock. “I need a bath.” Ignoring his blatant stare, she eased the leather jacket down her arms. The darn thing was heavy and her arm still stung from earlier. She sure as heck hoped she didn’t have a splinter or something sticking out of her arm.
Joshua surged to his feet, swearing pungently as he stalked toward her. The leather jacket fell to her feet, forgotten in the face of his anger.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked wild, his body practically vibrating with anger. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” he growled menacingly. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were shot?”
Chapter Eighteen
Joshua grabbed Alex just as her knees crumpled. Her face was completely white as she stared up at him in growing horror.
“I didn’t know.” She twisted her head so she could see the wound better. “I thought a piece of one of the trees had splintered or I’d bruised it on a rock or something.” Her voice got fainter with every word.
He eased them both to the ground and examined her arm. “It seems to have just grazed you,” he told her gruffly. “You were lucky.” He didn’t want to think about how close he’d come to losing her just when he’d found her. If the hunter responsible weren’t already dead, he’d find him and kill him.
“Yeah. I feel really lucky these days.” He ignored her sarcasm as he grabbed the wet rag, dipped it into the cool water and began to clean the six-inch furrow that stretched from just above her elbow to just below her shoulder. She flinched and he could hear her breath hiss out from between her clenched teeth, but she didn’t cry out.
Easing himself into a seated position behind her, he wet the cloth again and resumed cleaning. There was dried blood and bits of cloth from the lining of the jacket embedded in the wound. “Lean against me.” He pressed against her stomach with his free hand, loving the way the soft skin felt as he slid his palm over it.
She seemed to hesitate, keeping her body erect, but finally she slumped against him. He concentrated on cleaning the dirt and blood from her arm, but he was very aware of the warm weight of her pressed against him.
Her head was tucked beneath his chin and he could still smell the slight scent of the soap she’d used in the shower this morning. He moved his head back and forth, brushing the top of her head with his chin.
She was still wearing a bra, but the thin pink cotton didn’t leave much to the imagination. Besides which, the firm, silky texture of her breasts was burned into his brain. He knew exactly what they looked like. Felt like. And how they tasted.
His body stirred and his cock lengthened and thickened in response to her presence. She definitely brought out the elemental side of his nature. He shifted so that he was closer, his erection pressing against the small of her back. He swallowed a groan of pure pleasure as he touched his hard flesh against her softer skin.
“Joshua?” Her voice was shaky and he could feel her trembling. H
e was an idiot. Here she was injured and he was busy copping a feel.
He inspected her arm and, satisfied he’d cleaned it as best he could, he tossed the cloth to one side. “I don’t think we should cover your wound. It’s probably better to let the air get to it.”
She tilted her head back to look at him. “Okay.” He could tell he was confusing her. Hell, he was confusing himself.
“Do you want to get a quick bath before we go back to the cave?” He stood, leaned down and lifted her easily.
A light rosy flush covered her cheeks as she glanced at him and then away. “Yes.”
He settled her on a rock and went down on one knee in front of her and unlaced her boots.
“I can get that,” she protested.
He pushed her hand away. “You need to take it easy.” He slipped one boot off and swore when he saw the blood on her sock. “Why didn’t you tell me your feet were hurting?”
“We couldn’t stop.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal. Technically, he knew it was just some blisters that would heal, but it still hit him like a punch in the gut. He removed her other boot and sock very carefully, lifting and examining her other abused foot.
He sat back on his haunches and stared at her. A bluish-purple bruise covered part of her face, a blatant reminder of the truck accident earlier in the day. She also had a long bruise across her chest and he knew it was from where her seatbelt had kept her from going through the windshield when the truck had rolled. Circles could be seen beneath her tired gray eyes, making them appear almost sunken in her face. Her lips were pursed and he could tell she was in pain.
Her arm had a six-inch gash from where a bullet had grazed her and her hands were covered in dirt and blood from her forced trek through the woods. Her feet were bloody and raw in places and he knew she wouldn’t have an easy time walking tomorrow, but he had no doubt she’d march along beside him without a word of complaint. He almost didn’t want to remove her jeans, afraid to find more bruises.
Joshua scrubbed his hand over his face. All he wanted to do was to take care of her and get her to safety. Instead, she had been battered and bruised and was running for her life. Some protector he was. Disgusted with himself, he got to his feet. “Can you stand?”
“Of course.”
“Of course,” he muttered.
“Look,” she snapped, her hands on her hips. “I don’t know what’s sticking in your paw buddy, but don’t take it out on me. All I want is a bath and some sleep. No one is forcing you to stay.”
He stood there amazed and amused by her feistiness. Only a few moments before she’d looked like she would collapse any moment and now she was giving him hell.
“I’m definitely staying.” Reaching out, he unbuttoned her jeans and tugged down the zipper while she batted ineffectually at his hands. “And I’m certainly helping.” He whisked her jeans down around her ankles and had her step out one foot at a time.
“I can do it by myself,” she muttered, taking a step back when he reached for the clasp of her bra.
“Surely you can’t be shy.” But he realized that she was. “Not after this morning.”
Her scowl deepened as her cheeks got redder. “It might be no big deal for you to run around naked, but it’s not something I’m used to, okay.”
Shaking his head, he scooped her up into his arms and waded out into the stream, aiming for a rock right in the center of the slow-running water. He settled her on the rock so that only her legs from the knees down were actually in the stream, and waded back to the shore for the makeshift washcloth. The water barely touched his thighs, but it was cool and wet and that was good enough for him.
He tossed her the cloth as he lay down in the stream, submerging himself totally. He heard her protest and knew he was going to catch hell for getting his bandaged shoulder wet. She didn’t understand it wasn’t that big a deal to him. He’d been hurt worse so many times before that today’s injuries barely qualified as scratches.
Raising his head out of the water, he barely had time to snag the wet rag out of the air before it struck him.
“Now I’ll have to bandage your shoulder again.”
Shaking out the cloth, he rubbed it over his neck and chest, working his way lower. Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she watched his every move. Her scantily clad breasts shifted up and down with every breath. Her nipples were visible beneath the thin fabric. She shifted, parting her legs slightly.
He swallowed a groan.
He continued to wash his body, paying particular attention to his groin and thighs. She licked her lips as he stroked the cloth over his erection. The sac between his legs was heavy even as it pulled closer to his body. Damn, but he wanted her.
Knowing he was playing with fire, he took the two steps necessary to bring him to her side. “Your turn.” He handed her the cloth, took a step away and waited.
Alex could barely breathe. Her lungs didn’t seem to want to function properly at all. Joshua was like something out of the perfect female fantasy as he washed himself, totally unabashed by his nudity and his obvious arousal. Sculpted muscles rippled and flexed with every movement he made, showcasing his sleek, hard body. He was the quintessential male predator preening for the female of his choice.
She had no doubt Joshua could have any woman he chose. There was an animal magnetism, a latent sensuality, about him that would draw any woman’s attention. Just watching him wash himself had liquid arousal flowing between her thighs. She knew that should probably embarrass her, but she was too turned on to care. Her nipples were hard buds, completely outlined against the tight cotton fabric of her bra.
She knew they still weren’t safe, couldn’t linger here any longer than necessary, but she couldn’t summon the energy to move. After all the death of today, a part of her simply wanted to experience the sensation of being alive.
Laying the cloth down beside her, she reached for the clasp of her bra, but Joshua stopped her. “I think it might be better for you to leave that on.”
She stared almost unbelieving at him, but he was deadly serious. “All right.” She dropped her hands away from her bra and picked up the cloth. As best as she could, she washed her hands, arms, torso and legs, at all times aware of Joshua’s eyes on her, watching every single stroke of the cloth as she moved it over her skin. She might still be wearing her bra and panties, but his hot gaze made her feel as if she were totally naked.
It felt like heaven to have the cool water rushing around her feet as she kept them submerged in the water. As the dust and dirt and sweat began to vanish beneath her scrubbing, she felt almost human again.
She grimaced at the thought. She wasn’t really human was she? Being part werewolf definitely made her something more than human. Alex shoved that thought to the back of her mind. She’d deal with it later. When they were finally safe in Wolf Creek.
Dipping the cloth into the water, she then twisted it until almost all the water was gone and then held it out to Joshua. “Can you do my back?”
His expression was totally unreadable as he took the thin strip of fabric and stepped behind her. There was no hiding the fact he was still turned on. His cock was at full attention as he’d watched her rubbing the cloth over her body. Intense heat rolled off him as he shifted closer to her.
She leaned forward to give him better access and groaned when his large hands covered her shoulders, kneading the tense, stiff muscles. “That feels good,” she moaned when his thumbs found a particularly sore muscle. He used just enough pressure to work the kinks out the stiffness, but not enough to hurt her. The man had magic hands.
He continued down her back, sweeping his hands down her spine, easing aches she didn’t even know she had. She slumped further forward until her head was almost touching her knees. With her eyes closed, she relaxed, allowing his caressing fingers to lull her.
She muttered a protest when he finally stopped, and shivered when she felt the damp coolness of the cloth being dragged over her back. The sun was si
nking behind the mountains and the temperature was dropping rapidly. Goose bumps broke out on her arms and legs and she wrapped her arms around herself, flinching when she accidentally hit her bad arm.
Joshua quickly finished washing her back and handed her the cloth. Without a word, he scooped her up into his arms and waded back to the shoreline, setting her on her feet long enough to gather their clothing. He handed her the bundle and then picked her up again, carrying her through the woods and back to the cave. Alex was much too tired to protest, and Joshua didn’t seem to even notice his injuries. At this point she didn’t mind the ride at all.
Closing her eyes, she rested her head against his chest, conscious of the deep, steady beat of his heart. She must have dozed because one second she was being carried through the woods and the next her feet were being lowered to the floor. She swayed, but he kept his arm around her until she was steady.
“You need to put your jeans on,” he murmured. “And your socks.” She made a small sound of protest and he smoothed his hand over her hair and down her back. “I know they’re grungy, but it’s going to get cold tonight.”
Knowing he was right didn’t make it any easier. She stepped away and set the bundle of clothing on the ground, fishing through it until she found her jeans and blood-stained socks. The light was almost negligible inside their hideaway now and she hurried before she lost what little there was.
Once she had her jeans on she sat on the hard dirt floor and carefully eased her socks over her sore feet. The cold water of the stream had helped soothe them somewhat, but Alex knew tomorrow would be no picnic. She shrugged. She’d deal with that when she had to. There was no point worrying about it now.
She opened her mouth to speak, but yawned instead. It wasn’t a lady-like yawn either, but a large, jaw-cracking one. Joshua lowered himself to the hard ground beside her, clad in his jeans and socks as well.
“What about your shoulder?”
“Don’t worry about it. The bleeding has stopped and a damp bandage won’t hurt it.” Gathering her into his arms, he lay back on the hard-packed ground using what was left of his T-shirt to cushion his head. Plucking the leather jacket off the ground, he draped it over her torso, making sure her shoulders were covered.
Alexandra’s Legacy Page 20
