The very tip of my fingers finally curl around the black strap, and I yank it toward me. The black wolf’s claws dig into the dirt, readying to go in for the kill. Twenty feet away, it darts into the open just as I raise the crossbow and pull the trigger. The sear rotates, and my arm vibrates from the force of the bolt releasing. Heart in throat, I don’t breathe as I watch the arrow cleave the air toward the wolf…and sail right past it.
Shit.
With the wolf closing in fast and no chance of stopping the inevitable, my mouth opens with a bloodcurdling scream that cuts short when a massive form with grizzled fur suddenly appears. Before the wolf can react, the bear snaps its jaws around the wolf’s hind leg.
The wolf yelps in pain, its yellow eyes shifting from that of predator to prey, and then it whines as the bear drags it back before snatching it off the ground.
A bear.
A fuckinggrizzlybear.
I’d seen one before of course but never this close—not even when I saved Meera’s pups from becoming a snack. Uselessly, I wonder if it’s the same one. Too much happened that day to trust my powers of recollection.
The brown wolf that still has a hold on Zeke lets go and races toward the bigger threat. It lunges onto the grizzly’s back, and the bear roars when the wolf sinks its teeth into it.
Zeke rolls away and immediately reaches for me at the same time I reach for him.
“Did it get you?” he asks in a panic while his hands roam all over my body. “Talk to me, princess. Are you hurt?”
“No. Butyou are.” Anguish like I’ve never felt before causes my hands to tremble. “Let me see,” I demand while reaching for his bleeding arm. “Let me see, let me see.”
Before Zeke can brush off my concern, I feel strong hands under my arms. “No time for that,” Khalil says as he hauls me to my feet. “We’ve got to go.” He’s breathing hard and covered in sweat and blood. Guilt tears at me immediately, and it doesn’t escape Khalil’s notice when he turns me around to face him. “No time for that either, Goldilocks. Move your ass.”
The bear roars again and shakes its body violently until the wolf that took a chunk out of Zeke is dislodged. The bear immediately swipes its massive paw, sending the wolf crashing into a tree. It doesn’t get back up, and three other wolves pounce on the bear in a coordinated attack that sends a chill down my spine.
We definitely never stood a chance.
Thorin swears, obviously realizing the same. “Shit, shit, shit! We need to run.”
I whirl on him with wide eyes. “But you said not to!”
“The bear is defending its territory, which means it thinkswe’refood. Running while it and the wolves are distracted is the only smart option here.”
Leaving no space for argument, Thorin quickly scoops up Meera, since Khalil’s shoulder is damaged, while Zeke and I pluck the pups from the tree. Rom and Remy must realize we’re their best chance of survival because they don’t fight or try to take a bite out of us as we literally run for our lives.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire…
It’s a few heart-pounding moments before the sound of battle behind us fades and there’s only the pounding of my heart and our heavy, labored breaths.
The cabin finally comes into view, and we make our way into the clearing.
I stop only long enough to deposit Remy into the whiskey barrel. Zeke does the same with Rom before lifting the barrel. The weight causes him to clench his teeth, but he only waves me off when I try to take the pups.
The four of us hurry over to the truck parked on the side of the cabin now that all the snow has melted and the pass is clear. It’s still treacherous to traverse unless you’re an experienced driver, so the guys still limit their visits to town, coming back with as many supplies as possible each trip.
Thorin carefully lays Meera on the bed of their truck while I open the back door for Zeke to place the pups inside. I try to follow them in, but he shuts it down immediately and grabs my arm. Sensing that they’re all pretty fed up with me, I don’t fight him as he leads me around the truck, but I also don’t expect for him to push me against the door and rest his forehead against mine.
He inhales deeply, and his entire body seems to shudder from the effort of holding back whatever he’s feeling inside. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“I’m sure. You saved me.”
Zeke brings his face closer, and I’m not sure if his lips brush mine purposely or by accident, but it sends a wave of something desperate through me. I want the waterfall again. “You saved me first.”
My heart is racing, and it has nothing to do with what we just survived. “We’ll call it a new cabin rule then: we have each other’s backs no matter what.”
His lips skim mine again, and this time, I’m sure it’s not an accident. Something fiery explodes in my belly, and I surge forward for more, but Zeke pins me to the truck again with a possessive hand around my throat that feels like a hot brand. My pussy immediately wants more of his dominance.
“There are cabin rules?” he asks with a purr that says he knows I’m losing control while he’s got a firm grip on his. But he has tells too. For one, he’s breathing with short, quick breaths, and his pupils are trying to swallow all the green.
