CHAPTER 4
Elias Kade
I was cataloguing supplies I already knew by heart when the door opened, and Griff walked in carrying Tamsin in his arms.
For a moment, my breath caught so hard it hurt.
She was wrapped up in his dark green military issue coat, the fabric bunched in his fists where he held her close. Her legs were bare from mid-thigh down, skin flushed and streaked faintly with dried water and mud.
Mine.
The bond snapped tight in my chest, a visceral pull that had nothing to do with reason and everything to do with blood. My gaze roved over her without permission, cataloguing her naked body instinctively. Her breathing was even, her eyes alert. Her torso was still very mildly bruised where thelycan had injured her, but that would fade within a few more days.
She was going to be okay.
“What happened? Where was she?” I asked.
Tamsin’s head lifted slightly at the sound of my voice, eyes flicking to mine with that familiar spark that told me she was far more awake than anyone had anticipated. I swallowed heavily, the scent of her arousal heavy on the air.
Griff stopped just inside the room. “She woke up early.”
My gaze shifted to him and then back to her. “I can see that.”
“She needed to shift,” he added, and there was a note in his voice—half frustration, half pride—that made the corner of my mouth twitch despite myself. “Then she went out on her own and hunted.”
I stepped closer, careful not to crowd her, but close enough that the bond hummed a bit louder. “You went running through the forest alone?” I questioned her gently.
She lifted her chin, defiant even in his arms. “I needed to.”
Still, the idea of her alone out there, newly healed, newly bonded, to us with her wolf instincts still settling… It sent alarm bells ringing inside my head.
Griff adjusted his grip, clearly sensing the shift in me. “She’s fine,” he said firmly. “I found her. Tracked her myself.”
“I’m not questioning your competence,” I replied evenly. Then, softer, to her, “You should have told someone where you were going.”
Her eyes flashed. “I can bathe myself too, if that’s the next lecture.”
The faintest smile tugged at my mouth.
I reached out, resting my hand briefly against her ankle where it peeked out from beneath the coat.
“You don’t have to take care of yourself all the time anymore,” I said quietly. “You have us now.”
Her blush deepened, spreading hot and unmistakable. She looked away, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like a curse.
Griff huffed a laugh.
I shot him a look, then gestured toward the nearest bed. “Set her down.”
He did carefully, easing her onto the mattress without jostling her. The coat shifted, revealing more beautifully bare skin, and Tamsin immediately clutched it tighter around herself.
“I can walk,” she protested.
“I know,” I said mildly. “Humor us.”
She grumbled but didn’t argue further.
I turned toward the sink, grabbing a clean towel and a basin. “I’ll get some warm water.”
