Damien’s Dilemma
Page 38
“I would have avoided killing them if I’d had a choice. As for carrying you, you’re light, so it wasn’t any trouble.”
Oh, this one was a smooth talker, alright. What girl didn’t like to be told she was light?
Anna turned a full three-sixty, trying to gain her bearings as well as create a reason not to meet Blade’s intense gaze. Trees, trees, and more trees. She’d never find her way out of here on her own. The thought of stepping more than five feet away from Blade, knowing that Drake’s shifters were near, terrified her.
“There’s nothing here. Just you and me,” he said, a note of amusement in his voice as he stepped closer.
“They’ll find us.”
“Drake’s guards? Doubtful. I’m a scout. Tracking and knowing how to hide a trail is my specialty.”
A scout. That was a coveted position among shifters, and a dangerous one too. They entered unknown situations, often alone. A scout knew how to fight if necessary, but it wasn’t what they craved, not from what Kurt had told her.
Blade would keep her alive, safe, for as long as she stuck with him. Then what? Once she returned home, the WSSO would be after her again. It was by some twisted turn of fate that Drake had taken her before the WSSO.
“The wind is our enemy right now. If we linger too long in any one spot, they’ll find us.” He paused as if considering his next words. “I don’t want to lie to you, Anna. Drake’s not one to give up.”
“Where exactly are we? It all looks, the same.”
“To a human, I suppose,” he said, his tone sarcastic. It was the first time he’d sounded spiteful.
“You don’t like humans, do you?”
“No.”
Anna shivered. This shifter who had rescued her, who had killed for her, didn’t like humans. What if she got on his nerves? Or worse, what if he found out the truth about her?
“Cold?” he asked, dark eyes watching her with an intensity that made her shiver again.
She needed to get away from him, these woods, everything. Would the cabin be safe? She hadn’t heard from Katy in a while. There was no telling if the WSSO had caught up with her and if they’d found the cabin. No, Katy was too good at what she did. There was no trail, electronic or paper leading to the cabin. Katy had seen to it, and Anna trusted her.
Anna remained quiet the rest of the day, despite the occasional questions Blade asked her. Talking about home—thinking about Kurt—caused too much pain. She could imagine his reaction once he learned about Kurt, about what she had done to him.
More than once, the rocking motion of being carried lulled her to sleep. She woke when he was setting her down in a cave. She shivered.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, that handsome face was frowning again, because of her.
“I d-don’t like caves.”
“Fuck, I wasn’t thinking.” He thrust his hand through his hair and stared at the entrance. “Just for the night, Anna. It’s raining out, and we both need the rest. I’ll be here the entire time… well, most of the time. I was going to look for something to eat.”
She tugged the shirt further over her thighs and nodded.
“You sure you’ll be okay? I won’t go far. If you yell, I’ll be back in seconds. I promise.”
Blade made a lot of promises, but he’d kept them too. She had to have some faith and courage. “I’ll be fine,” she said, thankful she could get the words out.
His smile warmed her. Suddenly the cave didn’t seem so scary. Then he left, and the shadows threatened to swallow her as the rain beat the ground outside.
She didn’t know how long he was gone, probably only a few minutes but it felt like hours. The moment he appeared at the cave entrance, his hands loaded with wild strawberries and cattails, relief washed through her.
“Hi, there, Angel. We’re feasting tonight!”
His excitement was contagious. She smiled as he sat down beside her to share the food. He showed her how to peel the young cattail shoots and stalks to eat raw. The taste was similar to bitter cucumber, but it was filling. The strawberries took care of the aftertaste.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said as he cleaned her feet with fresh water running down the cave’s wall and rewrapped her feet with fabric from the bottom of his pants.
“I’m trying to keep the cuts clean until we get to Devil’s Peak.”
“What’s at Devil’s Peak?”
“It’s the closest town to my pack’s territory. Once we reach my pack, we’ll drive into the town, find a doctor to treat the cuts and get you some antibiotics. The mullein’s better than nothing out here, but you should still see a doctor.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Infection was a concern, but it had taken a backseat to being mauled by Drake’s shifters. Or worse, being hauled back and thrown into that cursed cave, for the emotional and physical abuse to start all over again.
She started shaking again until Blade put an arm around her and pulled her in close. His body heat felt nice, especially in the cold cave, but there was something about having a wall of muscle wrapped around her that felt so utterly reassuring.
“I guess that’s not a problem you’ve ever had, needing antibiotics, lab tests, wondering what was wrong with you,” she said, trying to keep her mind off of Drake. “Science has no place out here, not for a shifter.”
“Nature is science, but we spend more time studying humans than nature. Out of self-preservation. Humans view us as predators, but they’re the real predators.
Images of the WSSO’s logo, a pile of dead shifters, filled her head—along with the day Kurt had died, the vacant look in his eyes, the once strong body that had withered away.
“Hey there,” Blade said, stroking her cheek lightly. “Where did you go just now?”
Anna burst into tears. His arms tightened around her as he rocked her. Her body, her mind began to relax.
She drifted to sleep with Blade whispering in her ear, “It’s okay Angel. No one’s going to hurt you ever again.”
* * *
After another night and full day of walking, or rather being carried by Blade, Anna woke to cold water on her feet once again. For the third time in three days, he was cleaning and redressing her feet in mullein leaves. He’d torn additional material off the bottom of his too-tight pants to make fresh bandages.
“At the rate you’re going, there won’t be anything left of your pants,” she said as he wrapped her feet.
“You’ve figured out my plan,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
She laughed. “You’re an incorrigible flirt.”
“Well, a shifter has to have some fun.”
“Even with a human?”
“And there you go, ruining it for me, Angel. I almost forgot you’re human.”
“As if you’d be carrying and constantly changing the bandages on a shifter.”
Blade tied off the new bandages and caressed the tops of her feet. “Even with the mullein I’m applying, I’m worried they’re going to get infected.”
“We have shifters after us and you’re worried about infection?”
“I never had to take care of a human before.”
“I’m not as fragile as I look.” She ran a hand through her ratty hair and realized how pitiful she must look. She didn’t understand how he could stand the smell of her at this point, let alone last night when she had curled up against him and fallen asleep.
“For the first time in a long time, I feel alert. I must have slept like a log,” she said.
“You were definitely out of it.” Blade sounded upset. “You cried yourself to sleep,” he clarified.
“Oh.” She had been crying. Too many emotions and exhaustion had overwhelmed her. She hadn’t really slept since the night Drake kidnapped her. She couldn’t allow herself to fall into a deep sleep and be caught off-guard.
“And how much did you sleep?” she asked. His face had a drawn look to it that hadn’t been there yesterday.
“A few minutes here and ther
e. Catnaps, if you pardon the poorly named expression.”
“I’m sorry I kept you up.”
“Don’t apologize. I enjoyed holding you while you slept. It made guard duty less lonely.”
She hadn’t thought about someone keeping watch while they slept. She should have taken a watch. She wouldn’t be able to fight, but she sure as hell could scream and wake Blade the moment she spotted a wolf.
“Next time wake me for a shift.”
“You need to sleep.”
“As do you. Especially since you’re doing all the heavy hauling.”
“You’re light.” He smiled. “I’m starting to think you keep referring to yourself as heavy just to hear me say the opposite.”
“No woman will ever complain about being told she’s light. Even multiple times.” God, when was the last time someone had made her laugh and smile so easily? She was becoming too familiar with him. Already she’d placed him in danger more than she had any right to. He rescued her and then fought the wolves that had tracked them. His job was over, and he deserved to return to his pack, not to be stuck lugging her through the woods.
“Blade, I don’t want to trouble you any longer. If you can point me in the direction I need to go to get to a road or a town, I can continue on my own.”
The very idea of leaving his side scared the hell out of her, but she didn’t have much choice. They’d part ways eventually, and between Drake and the WSSO, no place was safe. Except perhaps the cabin, and she wasn’t ready to have Blade—this shifter who didn’t like humans—go with her. He was already proving distracting in ways she wasn’t ready to deal with. Kurt hadn’t even been dead a year.
“You think I’m leaving you? Here? Alone?” Blade’s mouth was tight, which made no sense. He should be eager to get rid of her, a mere human who couldn’t keep up with him, who’d caused him to kill several times now.
A hand touched Anna’s upper arm. She jumped, stumbled backward, and barely caught herself before Blade reached out to steady her. She thrust her palms up and out, stopping him.
A pang of regret filled her as his brow furrowed. She had brought this trouble with the WSSO and Drake upon herself. Blade was a good shifter, but this wasn’t his fight. If they didn’t part ways now, she’d only drag him under.
With one hand coiled in the fabric at the bottom of her shirt, Anna forced herself to look Blade straight in the eyes.
“Thank you for everything, Blade, but this is where we go our separate ways.”
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Also by Julie K. Cohen
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Broken Shifters
Damien’s Dilemma
Blade’s Battle
Callen’s Captive
Hayden’s Haven
Frank’s Felon
White Wolves - coming soon!
Nathan’s Nemesis
Slater’s Sin
Mason’s Mission
* * *
SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
Mindwiped
The Traitor’s Touch
The Traitor’s Truth
Books within a series are best enjoyed in the order listed, but each can be read as a standalone.
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For the full/updated list of Julie’s romance books, please go to JulieKCohenRomance.com
About Julie
Julie K. Cohen has always ‘played’ with stories and plots in her head, but never conceived of putting pen to paper until her high school years. While building a career and family over the years always held the highest priority, she never gave up writing. Through the years, family, husband, and friends encouraged her to keep writing. Without their love and support, and the additional support of the writing community, she wouldn’t be where she is today… sitting in front of her computer, creating new characters, plots, and romances for her readers to enjoy.
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For the full list of Julie’s romance books, please go to JulieKCohenRomance.com
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