“I can go outside and hunt,”he said, though he hoped she would offer herself.
If he tasted her blood without turning her, it would intensify his need to change her and claim her as his mate, but having sex with her had already accelerated that. She washis,and he wanted everyone to know it, including her. But it would probably be better if he got her out of here before telling her he craved her blood so bad he could taste it.
“I’d prefer not to leave you alone,” he said.
“I’ll be fine; I’ve been mostly alone here for months.”
She smiled at him as she returned to her cans. What would it be like to have him feeding on her? If it were anything like sex with him, it would beamazing. Then she recalled the agony of the Savage feeding on her. Saxon said it wouldn’t hurt if she were willing, but she wasn’t ready to find out.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” he asked.
She didn’t want him to go; she could be the one who nourished him, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Having sex with this man had left her more attached than she’d anticipated; giving him her blood might end her. Getting away from him would help her get herself together.
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him.
Saxon buried his disappointment before striding around the table to kiss the top of her head. “I’ll be back soon, and there should be enough wood in the hearth to keep the fire going until I return.”
“No rush.” She sounded casual, but inside, she was fighting against grabbing him and telling him to stay.
Saxon went to the back door to put on his boots and jacket. “If you need me for anything, yell. I’m not going far.”
“I will,” she said.
He hesitated in the doorway as she sat immobile at the table. It took everything he had to turn away from her and walk out the door, but if he didn’t feed soon, he would put her at risk.
Turning away, he opened the door and plunged into the cold.
* * *
Saxon finished feedingon the deer he’d caught and released it. The animal staggered a little when it walked away but quickly recovered as it bounded away. It was the second deer he’d captured, and between them and the squirrels, he felt sated enough to trust himself around Elyse again.
Until the mate bond was complete, he would be more volatile, and his thirst for her blood would only increase, but he still had time before he unraveled completely—at least he hoped he did.
Hehad a mate. The loneliness and driving impulse to go out and find women who would only give him a small amount of peace was over. The relief that came with such a realization nearly knocked him to his knees.
If he could convince Elyse to complete the bond, he would only experience peace from here on out. He would only know the touch and feel of his mate; it was such a fantastic realization. He smiled as he inhaled the scent of her on him. She was feisty, beautiful, and had a strength of spirit he admired.
But she also had her secrets, and she was not willing to part with them. His smile faded as he surveyed his surroundings. If he couldn’t get her to tell him what was going on here, how could he convince her to spend an eternity with him? And what was going on here?
For whatever reason, Elyse was valuable to the Savages, and they would come after her. He had to knowwhythey imprisoned her if he was going to keep her safe.
Getting her to open up to him and having her become his mate were things he would have to work on with her when he returned to the cabin.
Making his way back through the woods, he stopped at the edge of the clearing to take in the cabin nestled in the center. The glow of a flashlight illuminated two of the front windows as the sun set behind the mountains. The clouds had parted an hour ago to let the sun through before it set.
He should go back inside; snow caked the insides of his boots, his sweatpants were drenched, and his skin felt like ice, but he needed to find where the Savages had slept before night descended.
Turning away from the cabin, he trudged through the thigh-high snow as he searched the woods while circling the cabin. If their sleeping quarters were belowground, he’d never uncover it under all this snow, but maybe her guards had stayed somewhere aboveground.
He almost made a complete circle of the cabin before he spotted a shack nestled between the trees fifty feet from the edge of the clearing. Saxon cursed the snow as he slogged through it to the tiny shed.
He didn’t have to look inside to know it wasn’t big enough for them to stay in, but he still kicked the snow out of the way so he could pull open the door. When the door stuck in the snow, he gripped the edge and tore it from the building before flinging it away.
The potent aroma of mildew hit him when he ducked under the door to enter the eight by eight structure. It amazed him that the rickety structure had survived this storm, never mind the numerous others it must have withstood. Nothing hung on the walls, and the howling wind had blown a coating of snow over the concrete floor.
“Well now,” he muttered as he kicked snow off the floor.
He’d expected a dirt floor, maybe wood, but not concrete. It made no sense to pour a concrete floor for this ramshackle structure. He kicked more snow aside while he inspected the floor and the trees creaked ominously overhead. If a branch broke off, it would come straight through the building.
