As she did so often, she wished her mother was still alive. Her mother had been the only one who cared what happened to her youngest daughter, the only one who took time to speak to Shanara, to cheer her when she was down, to assure her that, in spite of her father’s indifference, he loved her. Shanara had never believed it, but she had loved her mother the more for trying to spare her feelings.
A sound from above drew her attention. Looking up, she saw a narrow bit of moonlight shining through the clouds. She froze when she heard movement overhead again, a low snuffling sound followed by a low growl.
Panic surged through her. With a grunt, she freed one hand and then the other. A million pinpricks rushed through her fingers as blood flowed into her hands again. Sitting up, she massaged her wrists for several moments and then reached for the rope that bound her ankles. As she did so, her hand brushed against something cold and slippery. At first she couldn’t tell what it was, and then she realized it was a chunk of raw meat.
Terror clogged her throat as she scrambled to her feet. She knew where she was now.
She was out in the woods, in one of the pits that were used to trap wild animals.
And she was now the bait.
Chapter Nine
Lifting his head, Reyes sniffed the air, sorting Shanara’s scent from the hundreds of others that assailed him ~ the scent of damp earth and trees and rotting foliage. He detected the fear rising from rabbits and mice and other small creatures that cowered in their dens and holes, hiding from the fierce predator that stalked the night.
He howled as he honed in on Shanara’s scent, growled when her spoor led him to a wolf trap. Anger twisted through him. Fearful that he might accidentally stumble into one of the pits some dark night, he had long ago declared that all such traps be filled in.
Hackles raised, he padded closer to the edge of the pit. In spite of the depth and the darkness, he had no trouble seeing the bottom of the chasm, or the woman who crouched there, looking up at him through frightened green eyes.
Giving what he hoped was a reassuring bark, Reyes backed away from the edge of the pit. Sitting on his haunches, he closed his eyes and pictured his human image in his mind, visualizing the transformation. He howled in protest as his body began to change, the man overtaking the wolf, humanity overtaking the wildness.
When the change was complete, he crawled back to the edge of the pit and peered over the side. “Shanara?”
“Reyes!”
“I’ll have you out of there soon.”
Rising, he cast around for something he could use to pull her out of the pit. Spying several long vines, he braided them together then tossed one end over the side.
“Catch hold and hang on tight,” he said. “I’ll pull you up.”
Moments later, she was standing beside him, brushing dirt from her gown and her hands. “How did you find me?”
“I followed your scent. There was a man with you. Where is he?”
She shook her head. “I know not. He dumped me in the pit and…” She shrugged.
“And Alyce?” he asked curtly. “What part did she have in all this?”
Shanara stared at him, mute.
“Answer me!”
“She said she would help me get back to my father.”
Reyes swore a vile oath. He would kill Alyce for this, and Ragan, as well!
He blew out a deep breath, then took Shanara’s hand. “Is the thought of being my bride so repulsive to you that you would rather risk death than take your vows?”
She looked up at him, not knowing what to say, afraid to admit to him, or to herself, the depths of her feelings for him, feelings she could not begin to understand. No matter how hard she tried to hate him, no matter how often she reminded herself that he was her enemy, she could not hate him.
She gasped as he drew her into his arms. She placed her hands on his chest, intending to push him away. Only then did she remember that he was naked. The warmth of his body quickly penetrated her clothing, the heat in his eyes seared her soul.
“Shanara…” His fingers brushed her cheek, slid down her back to cup her buttocks, drawing her closer, letting her feel the visible evidence of his desire.
“Please, do not…”
“What?” he asked gruffly. “Do not touch you? Do not kiss you…” His gaze moved over her face. “How can I resist? Your hair is like silk beneath my hands. Your skin smells of lavender. Your body is a temptation no man could resist. Shanara… accept your fate and be my bride.”
