“You don’t even have a rifle.”
“I don’t need a rifle.” Katie threw back her shoulders and challenged him to say otherwise. “You know I don’t.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want you drawing attention to yourself during the fighting. I want them focused on me. Only me.”
“But I can actually help—“
“No.” Rafe leaned closer, invading her space. “Walking around up here is tricky, especially at night. If something happens to your flashlight, it’ll be dark. Too dark to defend yourself. You could get cornered. Believe me, they’ll find a way to get up here if that’s what they have to do to get to you. Or you could take one wrong step and come through the ceiling on top of them.”
“I could get cornered downstairs just as quickly. Maybe even quicker. Let’s face it—if they get into the cabin, I’m in trouble. I’ll have nowhere to go.”
He pointed at the window behind her. “No, listen, the window opens. You can climb out onto the roof. Look to the left and you’ll see what I mean. But I don’t want you to even consider doing that unless you’re trapped and you have no other choice. The roof will be slippery, and there’s a big risk of falling and breaking your leg or worse. Not to mention, the second you open that window, they’ll smell you. They’ll know exactly where you are.”
A sickening wave of vertigo swept over her at the thought of actually choosing to escape out a second-story window with more wolves no doubt waiting below. “Trust me, that’s definitely my last resort.”
“You’re afraid of heights,” Rafe murmured, as though committing an important fact to memory. He reached out like he wanted to touch her, but held back, grimacing. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure you don’t run out of options. Honestly, I don’t want you up here tonight unless you’re actively running from them. I only showed you this as a worst-case scenario—that’s it. I don’t want them to see you in the window. I don’t want your scent on the wind because you’re leaning outside, even from up here. Inside, they won’t be able to smell you. So I want you to stay inside, with Shilah, and hunker down and hide. If any wolves get in here, shoot to kill.” He paused. “Remember, any wolves.”
Stark frustration threatened to shatter her composure. She knew Rafe was only trying to protect her, but he obviously didn’t understand that she had the same desire to defend what was hers. “Why won’t you let me help? I’m a good shot, Rafe, and you know that. I can make your job easier—I could help protect you.” She searched his face, frustrated by the lack of discernible human emotion she found there. He stared through her, his entire body coiled like a snake about to strike. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, either.”
“We’re not talking about this.” As if in pain, Rafe curled his arm around his stomach and walked stiffly to the open hatch. “I said no.”
“I don’t remember agreeing to let you call all the shots,” Katie sniped at his naked back. She couldn’t help it—nothing elicited her temper like having a man boss her around. “It’ll be so chaotic down there once the transformation happens that I doubt they’ll realize where a few stray shots came from. And that would be two or three fewer of them to gang up on you.”
“Enough.” Whirling around, Rafe stared at her with eyes that glowed menacingly. “Now get downstairs.”
She dug in her heels instead. “We’re bonded, Rafe. Our lives are interconnected. So why don’t I get to help protect you? Is it because I’m a woman? If that’s what you—“
“Because you’re human,” Rafe roared. “Goddamn it, Katie. Do you understand that they’re out there salivating over what they want to do to you? I can barely control myself with you smelling like that. How do you think they’ll react if you open the window? It’ll drive all of us crazy. And you’re so goddamn fragile. You can’t even heal yourself if you get injured! So don’t be stupid about this, or I swear—”
In his pre-transformation state, her bond-mate cut an imposing figure. His deep voice shook the walls, impassioned and containing barely suppressed rage. Rather than shrink away, Katie stood her ground. “Or what?” She let the challenge hang in the air.
He deflated. “I’m not going to able to do this unless I know you’re going to stay safe. So please, Katie.” Gentling his tone, he said, “Please.”
It was clear from his bearing that he was in no condition to argue. Taking pity on him, she decided to let the matter drop. There was no point in upsetting him in the last few minutes they had together. “All right. No shooting.” Unless it’s necessary.
She kept that caveat to herself.
He held out his hand. “I appreciate that you want to protect me. I do.”
She made her way back across the joists, then laced their fingers and squeezed lightly. “And I appreciate that you’re afraid for me.”
Rafe said nothing as he helped her down through the hatch and into the den. He left the hatch open and the ladder poised beneath. “Just in case,” he said, then walked back to the couch and sat heavily. He bowed his head and scrubbed at his face with his hands. “Soon now.”
Katie sat beside him. “Does it hurt?”
“What?”
“Transforming.” She ran her gaze along his lean, muscled body, trying not to linger in any one place too long. Besides his still-glowing eyes, he looked entirely human. Deliciously human. The thought that his body would soon undergo a forced metamorphosis—one that would strip away his human conscience—was unnerving. He exuded an animalistic energy that both frightened and excited her. “Does it hurt to transform?”
“Only for a minute.” He lifted his face. “Then there’s nothing.”
“Is it scary?”
Rafe allowed a brief smile. “A little. But I’m used to it.” He hesitated, then said, “I remember the first time. I was six years old and scared to death. My father took me into the woods and held my hand until it started. In the morning I woke up right next to him. I’m pretty sure we stayed together the whole night.”
“That’s sweet.” She tried to imagine Rafe as a pup and couldn’t hold back a fond giggle. “I bet you were adorable.”
He grunted.
Very aware that their time together was ticking away, Katie wished that he was capable of a proper goodbye. Not goodbye, she amended silently. Until tomorrow. She wanted to kiss him so badly it hurt. Holding back was torture.
“I’m not telling you goodbye,” Rafe muttered. “This isn’t goodbye.”
“I know.” Katie closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. The knowledge that Rafe would soon leave her to spend a terrifying night alone made her stomach rumble in anticipation. Nausea overwhelmed her.
Clearing his throat, Rafe husked, “But just so that nothing is left unsaid, know that I’m glad I found you the other night. I’m glad I brought you home with me.” His large hand landed on her knee. “The only thing I regret is not protecting you better.”
She shook her head. “You protected me just fine. I’m the one who ran out into the night without a plan.” Her mind wandered to the small crowd gathered outside, all of them determined to avenge their pack-mate. “If it weren’t for me—“
“Zeke deserved to die. You think you’re the first woman he’s hunted down?”
Katie shivered. She knew she wasn’t. “But his son…”
“That’s on Zeke. And me. Not you.” Shuddering, Rafe leapt up from the couch and jogged to the front door. He eased it open a few inches, peeked outside, then shut it quickly. A ripple of fear unsettled the air around them—Katie didn’t know whether it originated from her or Rafe. “Katie, I think it’s time.”
No. It was too soon. Far too soon. Panic overwhelmed her need for caution and she ran across the room to grab Rafe’s arm. “Please…”
He stared down at her with cold amber eyes. “You know I can’t stay. Another five minutes and I won’t be safe for you.”
A quiet sob burst from her throat as she threw her arms around Rafe’s solid torso. “I love you. Survive, do y
ou understand? Whatever you have to do, just survive.”
Rafe palmed her ass, squeezing and releasing her buttocks in a slow, rhythmic caress. “You, too. Remember what I said…the attic is a last resort. Not a plan.”
Katie chose her response carefully, wanting to leave her options open. “I remember.”
He moved his hand between her legs and rubbed her sensuously through her pants. “If they get inside, aim for their heads. Don’t hesitate. If it’s a wolf and it’s coming after you, kill it. Period.”
His bold touches were distracting, but she managed to focus on their meager plan. There was no way she would be able to shoot Rafe even if he did come inside, but she didn’t plan to tell him that. There was no time for another argument. “Got it.”
“Start with the shotgun and move on to the revolver only when your shells run out. Don’t let yourself get spotted through any windows—if we’re lucky, they’ll be so busy with me that they’ll forget about the hot piece of human ass I’ve got hidden away.” Rafe paused but never stopped fondling her. She knew he regretted his word choice, but his self-control was clearly slipping. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m glad you think my ass is hot,” Katie said. It was the truth. Crude as they were, his blunt words really did flatter her in some strange way. And his candor was just plain amusing.
“No matter what happens, don’t come outside before the sun is up tomorrow morning. Bring a weapon when you do. I’ll try to be back inside as soon as I can, but if you haven’t heard from me before noon, I want you to take my truck and drive into town. Don’t stop for any reason.” He moved his hands to her back and simply held her against his chest. “The keys are next to the icebox. Take the road to the highway and go right. I love you.”
He tried to release her but she clung to him tighter. Things were moving too fast. She wasn’t ready to say good-bye. “I don’t want you to go.” The thought of sending him outside to face those animals made her stomach churn. “Please don’t go.”
Rafe buried his nose in her hair and inhaled. “I need you to be brave, darling. For me.”
She would feel braver if she were able to do something other than hide away from the fighting. Rafe’s plan left her helpless, which made it difficult to gather her courage. But his body seemed to vibrate against her, and his chest heaved, and she knew in her gut that he needed to leave the cabin—now. “I promise.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his surprisingly soft lips. “Kill them all.”
He bared his teeth in a malevolent grin. “I will.” Nipping at her throat with sharp teeth, he exuded danger. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She released him only because she knew his time was up. As he turned and stalked to the front door, she murmured, “Be careful.”
Rafe threw open the door without looking back. A raucous cheer arose from outside, and Katie glimpsed the crowd that awaited him. It had grown. Naked men and women—all of them with glowing eyes—froze in place and turned to face them. Lisa cackled cruel laughter, then the rest of her friends joined in. There were more than ten of them now. Katie counted at least fifteen. Maybe more.
“Ready to die?” Lisa snarled.
“No.” Rafe stepped onto the porch and shut the door behind him. Stumbling forward, Katie pressed her ear to the wood just in time to hear his next words. “But I hope you are.”
Katie closed her eyes and locked the door behind Rafe. The longest night of her life had just begun.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
As soon as Rafe was out of her sight, panic set in. The noise level outside exploded as shouts, snarling, and cruel taunts filled the air and set Katie’s heart racing. Shilah trotted to her side, a line of fur raised down the center of his back. Whining in the back of his throat, he leaned against her thigh in a protective stance. Katie patted his head, then rushed to the kitchen window, cursing the boards that blocked her view of the scene outside. She didn’t know how to cope with not knowing what was happening. Being trapped inside—blind—while the man she loved faced impossible odds was torture in the purest sense of the word. In a way, she almost resented Rafe for expecting her to do it.
Almost, but for the simple fact that she understood the need to keep one’s bond-mate safe. She felt that same desire deep in her soul—so deep that she wasn’t sure she could obey Rafe’s command to hunker down and hope for the best. Nothing he’d told her was incorrect. He did have physical advantages over her in this fight. He also had a psychological advantage. He could defend himself using pure animal instinct. She was stuck with her very human fear and anxiety, and she wasn’t sure how she would react if she truly did bring even more trouble down on herself. If she ended up getting herself killed, it would almost be like she was killing Rafe, too. So he was absolutely right. It was probably dangerous for her to do anything except hole up with a weapon and wait for morning.
But how could she do nothing? He was even more outnumbered than they’d realized. How could she not help him when she knew she was capable of at least evening the odds a little? If she hid in his bedroom with a shotgun, Rafe could be torn apart outside within minutes. Then what? Even if she managed to fend off every werewolf in the forest, she would greet the morning as a widow. And she would never forgive herself for not following her heart.
Shilah growled at her feet as though he was privy to her thoughts and did not approve. “Quiet,” she scolded him, then pressed her ear to the window and strained for some clue about what was happening.
A male shout. “Did you save any for us, traitor? I can smell her all over you.”
Then a woman. “Took her for a ride after all, didn’t you?”
A familiar growl from just on the other side of the window, probably near the porch steps. “Let’s take this into the woods. This isn’t about her.”
“Like hell it isn’t.” Lisa. “That bitch is the reason my Zeke is dead. Tearing your bond-mate apart will be the highlight of my fucking night.”
“Shutting you up will be mine.” Rafe sounded like he was moving away from the cabin—toward the wolves that hungered for his blood. “I can promise an excruciating death to anyone who even comes close to touching her. But only if she doesn’t blow your fucking head off with her shotgun first.”
From somewhere in the distance, a tormented scream cut through the din of the crowd. Then another. Nearby, Rafe wailed and a wave of intense discomfort washed over Katie. Like she was about to burst out of her own skin.
Lisa’s voice, sharp with excitement: “Getting close. You ready?”
A fresh jolt of pain had Katie bent at the waist, trying desperately not to pass out. She stumbled away from the window and knelt next to the kitchen table, sucking in deep breaths while she fought to push through the agony that poured from Rafe’s soul into hers. She could feel his suffering in her bones, could taste it as a metallic tang in the back of her throat. Shilah woofed quietly and nudged her with his nose, as though encouraging her to stand. Balling her hands into fists, she rested her head atop them on the floor and listened to the godawful racket outside. The inhuman din sent a chill up Katie’s spine. She knew what it meant. They were transforming.
The worst of the discomfort subsided within a minute—though it felt like she’d been trapped in Rafe’s psychic pain for hours. As soon as she was able to catch her breath, she waged a silent, internal battle about what to do next. She’d promised Rafe no shooting. She’d assured him that she remembered the attic was her last resort. And yet all she could think about was fleeing upstairs so she could assess the situation from above. Nobody would know. She didn’t even have to open the window. Well, unless an incredible opportunity presented itself. Otherwise, she could just watch.
Surely Rafe didn’t expect her not to watch.
Katie rose to her feet. The ladder in the den, perched below the attic hatch like an invitation, proved too tempting to ignore. Before she could second-guess the decision, she tucked the revolver into her jeans and grabbed the shotgun from the kitchen table. Sprinting toward
the ladder, she reasoned that the attic might actually be the safest place in the cabin. Even if it was dark and the footing treacherous, at least there was only one way in or out. If any wolves got into the house, she could simply sit across from the hatch and shoot whatever made it upstairs.
She scaled the rungs in three desperate steps, pushing the shotgun up ahead of her. Shilah ran circles around the bottom of the ladder, barking and growling and contributing to the growing chaos in the air. “Quiet, Shilah!” she shouted. “Go lie down.”
Shilah jumped up and placed his front paws on the middle rungs. He gave a muffled bark, then another, almost as though he was scolding her disobedience in Rafe’s absence.
Katie waved him away. “I need to protect your daddy. You want to protect me, you stand guard down here. Let me know if anyone gets inside.”
Shilah whined, but didn’t move from his spot on the ladder. She climbed the rest of the way into the attic, ignoring the sounds of canine protest below. Once upstairs, she moved across the floor slowly, careful not to slip off the joists and prove Rafe right about the danger of walking around. The space was already noticeably darker than it had been only fifteen minutes ago. Moonlight illuminated each end of the large room, but left a patch of inky blackness in the middle. Once again, Katie chose the path of least resistance and made her way to the same window where she’d seen the two men sparring earlier. Confident that the moon’s glow adequately lit her path, she turned off the flashlight, not wanting anyone to see her from the ground.
Aggressive noises filtered in from outside, though it sounded like the heat of the battle was located on the other side of the cabin. Not dissuaded from her initial course of action, Katie balanced on the joists and crouched beside the window so she could peek outside. A dark shape streaked out from the edge of the trees and quickly ran beyond her line of sight. She cursed under her breath, then pulled the revolver from her jeans and flipped the safety off. Aiming ineffectually through the glass, she waited for more movement.
Soul Bonded Page 18
