“You ready, Xias?” he asked as he turned toward the man, then stopped, his mouth hanging open. Xias stood there in clothes several sizes too big, his lower lip caught between his teeth. Anxious. Nervous. Adorable.
Zhuang smiled. “You look good in my clothes, mate.” His cat certainly liked it. Xias smelled like him. That made his cat very happy. Maybe he’d keep Xias dressed in his clothes.
It was a thought.
“Okay, mate, wrap that blanket around yourself. I’m going to take the cubs out to the CAT. I’ll be back for you.”
Zhuang didn’t wait for Xias to reply. He picked up the cubs and his backpack, then headed for the door. He sucked in a breath when the first burst of cold air hit him as he opened the door. He was really glad Tao had come with the CAT. He did not like the idea of taking the cubs out into this bitter cold.
He pulled the door closed behind him, then hurried to the CAT. Tao had the door open by the time he got there. He could feel the warmth from inside the cab almost instantly. Zhuang set the box down on the center console, then turned back toward the cabin.
Xias was waiting right inside the door. Zhuang sent him a quick smile as he pulled the edge of the blanket up over Xias’s head. “Stay covered up until we get you into the CAT. It’s freaking cold out there.”
Zhuang lifted Xias up in his arms. With one last glance around the cabin to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, he headed out. He hurried to the CAT, not wanting Xias out in the bitter cold any longer than necessary.
After setting Xias down on the seat, he pointed to the bench in the back. “Climb back there, Xias. My ass is too big to sit in that tiny space.”
Xias’s small laugh felt as though the sun had come out to shine just for him. Zhuang pressed a quick kiss to Xias’s lips. “I have to go lock up the cabin. I’ll be right back.” He glanced at Tao. “Keep them warm for me, Tao.”
“You got it, man.”
Zhuang trudged back through the snow to the ranger’s station. Even dressed in his thickest winter coat, he could still feel the cold seeping into his limbs. It was a good thing Tao had come for them. Zhuang wasn’t so sure he would have been able to get Xias and the cubs down off the mountain safely.
He pulled the cabin door closed and then locked it. He was just replacing the key above the doorframe when a feline roar echoed down the mountainside. Zhuang froze for a moment before turning to scan the woods surrounding them.
When two leopards broke through the tree line, Zhuang’s heart thundered with fear. The CAT was made for driving in the snow, but it wasn’t a fast-moving vehicle. They could never outrun the shifters.
He glanced at the snow CAT and back toward the cats advancing on them, then raced for the CAT. He pulled his jacket off as he ran. When he reached the CAT, he shoved the jacket at Xias.
“Go!” he shouted at Tao. “I’ll catch up.”
“Zhuang!” Xias cried out. His tearstained face was the last thing Zhuang saw before he slammed the door closed and turned to face the threat headed for them.
Zhuang placed himself between the CAT and the snow leopards. He waited until he heard the CAT start to move out before shifting. He hoped there were only two of them, but he doubted it. His luck as of late didn’t seem to be running in that direction.
Well, that might not be true. He’d totally lucked out when he walked into that cave and found his future. So, maybe things weren’t as bad as he thought.
Zhuang winced when two more snow leopards stepped through the trees.
Well, shit.
Chapter Seven
“No, wait.” Xias swung around to stare out the back window as they drove away. “Go back.”
“Sorry, man,” Tao replied. “Can’t.”
“But—”
Tao shot him a hard look. “Zhuang told me to get you and the cubs out of here, and that’s just what I’m going to do.”
Xias wanted to smack the man. He wasn’t trying to be difficult, but he couldn’t stand the idea of Zhuang fighting all alone. “Can’t you go help?”
“Right now, Zhuang needs me to get you and those cubs to safety so he doesn’t have to worry about you and he can just concentrate on fighting those guys. If he has to worry about you, his attention will be split. Do you want that?”
Xias did not like this guy, but he supposed Tao was right. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to go back for Zhuang. His heart ached at the thought that the man was facing deadly danger because of him. He hadn’t meant to bring so much trouble into Zhuang’s life.
“What if he’s hurt?” he whispered. Thoughts of Zhuang being too injured to find them or get out of the snow raced through his head.
