“Yes. The water will have washed it all off.” Her lips were turning an even lighter blue.
He reached for her and she shrank back.
Damn it. He rubbed a hand through his wet hair, slightly combing it. “You’re freezing, and demons are all heat. Let me carry you to safety and warm you up at the same time.” He planned to move at a pace she couldn’t match, anyway. While they wouldn’t be able to talk on the way, if he got her warmed up and feeling better, it’d be easier to get answers from her once they reached safety. His motivation had nothing to do with making her feel better and safe.Yeah, right.
Her pointed chin lifted. “And if I say no?”
He didn’t allow any expression to cross his face. His skin was already dry, and the need to run flexed his feet. Family was all that had ever or probably would ever matter to him. “Your people just took my brother, Mercy.”
Her teeth chattered. “I guess that’s my answer.”
“I guess it is,” he murmured. The woman was going to freeze to death if she didn’t find some heat. And he had to get answers from her before he went after Sam. He needed to find out where they were right now. The air felt different—much cooler than before. The scent was different, too. Definitely one of the Alaskan islands.
She scrutinized the dense trees as if searching for an escape route.
There wasn’t one, but he let her reach that conclusion on her own. His gaze caught on the perfect outline of a key on her left hip. Ah. There it was. His heart thumped. Hard. “Nice Key birthmark,” he said.
She turned back toward him, her panties hiding nothing. “I’m not a Key and never will be.”
Of course she was. Fate sometimes didn’t give choices. He now knew the location of two Keys. Where was the third female? Time was drawing close…he could feel it.
She looked over his shoulder, obviously trying hard to find a way to escape him. He could’ve told her that she’d have to look forever, but the woman obviously had a quick mind and realized that fact within seconds. She sighed. “Fine. We’ll do this your way for now. You’ll need your arms free. Just in case.”
True. He didn’t sense any predators near, but apparently that didn’t mean shit right now. Those damn Fae could come out of nowhere. So he grasped Mercy’s arm and smoothly swung her around to his back. The female weighed nothing. “Can you hold on?”
“Yes.” Her knees tightened against his waist, and her arms wrapped around his neck. Her feet were blocks of ice against his already dried boxer-briefs, and her nipples were sharp pebbles against his back. She shivered and settled closer to him, her chin dropping to where his neck met his shoulder and her long and very wet hair draping down his arm.
His body tightened. If he flipped her around… No. He couldn’t think like that. Concentrate, damn it.
She sighed, settling in, her breath soft against his skin.
Jesus. This was torture.
Chapter 7
Mercy awoke with a start, her head spinning. Somehow, she was wrapped around a heater. Full warmth…. muscle. Her eyelids jerked open. Logan held her wrists together around his collarbones with one strong hand. Her ankles were clasped at his waist. Aches pounded in her thighs from being spread around his tight body for the longest piggyback ride in the history of ever.
Drool. Damn it. She’d drooled on his shoulder.
She rubbed her chin against his smooth skin, trying to wipe it away. How embarrassing. She’d been dreaming about a double cheeseburger from a place in Newark. Her stomach growled. When had she eaten last?
“There are some berries, and I can hunt game,” he said quietly.
Wasn’t he the hunter-gatherer of all time? She shook her head. “That’s okay.” Her voice came out slurred and sleepy.
Blinking, she looked around. They’d stopped. More trees surrounded them along a gently waving waterway that smelled of salt. They were close to a bay. Which bay? Where the heck were they? The scent of sulfur suddenly caught her.
“You fully awake yet?” he asked, facing the sea, his voice calm. Even though he’d obviously run for hours with her dead weight on his back, he didn’t seem out of breath. Just what kind of shape was the demon in? Curiosity wandered through her, landing in inappropriate places. Sure, he was good-looking, with incredible strength, fighting skills, and stamina.
But they were enemies, right? Just how far would he go to get information about his brother? Would he hurt her?
“Mercy? You okay?” His gravelly voice dropped even deeper as he asked again.
“Um, yes.” Her voice was still groggy. He was so damn warm, she didn’t want to release him. His smell soothed her, and the feel of his skin intrigued her. Smooth over impossibly hard muscles. How long had she been on his back, pretty much passed out? “Where are we?”
“Not sure.” He released her wrists.
Oh. She should probably get off the poor guy. The sun was dipping over the mountains, and night was coming soon. Hours had passed, and it’d be early morning in Scotland, so they were across the world. Wincing, she tried to remove herself from the demon’s broad back. “How long have you been running?”
