I breathe a sigh of relief as the tiny spark blazes into a rapid inferno.
For a few more minutes, I stay crouched in front of the woodstove, waiting, watching, afraid if I move, the fire will go out. But it just keeps getting stronger and brighter and warmer until I’m sure: This blaze wouldn’t go out even if I poured a bucket of water over it.
Which, ironically, is also how I feel.
By the time I’ve checked her for broken bones and bandaged her wounds, I’m about three seconds from losing my mind.
I pace the tiny cabin, heat raging through my body with every breath, a deep, resonating hunger I can’t explain.
Fuck.
Fucking hell, I was trying to deny it, but there’s no more denying it. It’s a mate bond.
It’s the only explanation.
“I need to get out of here—” I growl, pacing, reaching for my keys. “I need to run before I do something stupid.”
“What kind of stupid?” the injured woman asks groggily from where she stirs, sitting up on my bed, her voice surprisingly warm despite everything she’s been through. I should just be relieved she’s okay. No broken bones. Not even any frozen toes, just a few bruises and scrapes. Instead, my stupid wolf instinct wants to fuckingmate.
God.
Damn.
It.
She shouldn’t have asked. My legs move without my permission, crossing the room in three strides until I’m leaning over her on the bed, one hand cupping her jaw. God, her skin smells so good. Warm like vanilla, but somehow deeper. A musk, a sweetness, a fire.
She lets out a little gasp as I breathe in the scent of her neck, my canines running along her soft flesh. How easy it would be to bite her…to mark her as mine, to claim her—
Fuck.
What the hell am I doing?
“You’re injured.” I yank myself back. “You need to rest. Go to sleep,” I growl, the annoyed command in my voice surprising even me. “I’m getting out of here.”
I swivel for the door in a hurry, one hand already on the knob when I hear her soft little, “Wait.”
“No. Waiting is dangerous.”
But I freeze anyway.
So close. I was so close to not doing something stupid.
Not taking my hand off the doorknob, I turn to look at her. “Don’t fucking tell me to wait.” I’m being an asshole and I know it, but I don’t care. This isn’t about her feelings. This is about protecting her. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
To my surprise, a soft blush lights her cheeks, genuine interest in her voice when she asks, “What if I want to find out?”
“I’m a shifter. You’re a human. You don’t want to find out.Trust me.”
“Try me.”
Her defiance stirs something in me, that hunger I’m trying so hard to push down.
“No.” Turning away, I twist the doorknob.
“Please?”
I snap back to look at her, surprised by the earnest hope on her face.
