The dark tunnel opened to another secluded bay where Seth had a metal boat hidden. Fire lit the night behind them, smoke rippling up as the rain battled the blaze. Another explosion competed with the storm. He yanked the vessel free and helped her into it, slipping the shotgun under the middle metal seat.
She shivered in the rain, topless and more than a little out of breath. “They’re burning your house.”
“Yeah.” He grabbed the oars and instantly slid into a smooth series of strokes, hugging the shoreline and rowing away from his burning cabin. “The idiots don’t realize Ben will kill them for disobeying his orders—whether or not they cleaned up a mess for him. They should know that.”
“I’m the mess?” She shoved wet hair out of her face and hugged her bare skin.
“We both are.” Seth’s jaw firmed in the dim light. He glanced at her shivering body. “Hold on, sweetheart. I’ll get you to warmth and safety.”
She nodded, her gun in her hand, her gaze on the shoreline in case she needed to shoot. Right now, she’d love to shoot somebody.
Lightning zigzagged across the sky, illuminating Seth’s bare torso and strong face. Fury lit his eyes and caused her to pause. His voice had been so calm, but a deadly rage danced in his luminous eyes.
She shivered again, this time not from the rain. “I’m sorry about your cabin.”
His eyes cut through the night as he focused on her, still rowing rhythmically. “I’m not angry about the house.”
“Oh?”
“No. I’m angry they came after you when you’re under my protection. I stated the fact calmly and made it known to all. That’s unforgivable.” His deep voice held no mercy.
She swallowed and blinked rain off her eyelids. “You can’t kill them all.”
He didn’t reply.
Thunder rolled again, and the rain increased in power. Waves slammed against the hull. Seth swore and angled toward the shore. Jumping out, he dragged the boat across a beach. “Jump out.” He reached a hand to help her.
Once she’d steadied, he grabbed the gun. “Looks like we do this the old-fashioned way.”
Mia sneezed, taking his hand as he jogged into the forest. “Old-fashioned?”
“Yep.” He pushed her gently against a tree. “Outside with nature.”
The bark scratched her, but she relaxed her arms as the boughs shielded her. “Will they find us?”
“No. They don’t know where we are, and the storm will mask our scents long enough. At dawn, we need to hurry to your house.” He yanked down several full branches from a pine tree, quickly securing them into a sort of shelter. Minutes later, he’d added more branches for fullness, as well as layered the ground with soft brush.
This was nuts. She couldn’t actually be thinking of doing this. With him. Right now and in the cold. Wolves were real.
Her brain could not wrap itself around her new reality, so she just watched him work with nature. Then she coughed. “You’re quite the Scout.”
He grinned, the smile not softening him a bit. “Yeah, that’s me.”
Her teeth chattered.
He reached out a hand to draw her under the boughs. “Let me warm you.”
Chills racked her knees as she stumbled forward. Seth removed her soaked clothing along with his, then laid her down, moving in to cradle her. His breath heated her ear as they spooned. “Just relax and warm up.”
She wiggled her butt against his groin to get more comfortable. “You’re warm.”
“Yeah. Wolves are warmer than people. Trust me, this is a good thing.”
His heat sank into her skin, seeping into her muscles. She sighed as the shivering stopped. “I feel better.”
“Good.”
The rain continued beating down, but the boughs kept them dry. As she relaxed, as she warmed, a new type of heat wandered through her abdomen. Seth wrapped around her, his chest cradling her back, his groin against her butt. He was hard—and ready.
