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“This is your home?” I ask after a moment.
I’m not sure what I had been expecting, but it wasn’t a tent.
The wolf snorts at me before tucking his nose under the flap and disappearing inside.
I guess that’s a yes.
The impulse to run makes my legs ache now that I’m technically alone. Godric probably doesn’t think I’m stupid enough to run a second time.
Or it’s another test to see if I’ve learned my lesson. Maybe that’s why he stayed in wolf form—to more easily track me if I demonstrate that I can’t obey.
Glancing up at the rain, I close my eyes and indulge in the wet kisses on my cheeks that promise my scent will be masked.
But when I open my eyes again, my gaze travels to that hanging form, and I know there’s no escape.
At least, not without a better plan in place.
Now that the adrenaline has faded, my feet sting from where I’ve cut them, and I know I’m still bleeding out, probably through my shoes by now.
I need a new strategy.
My plan comes in the form of a mysterious man’s words.
Submit.
Survive.
Find me.
My fingers trace over the new tonic in my collection. One that a stranger should not have given me, but he did anyway to earn my trust.
I certainly haven’t done anything to earn his trust.
“Let’s see what your plan is, then, mystery man,” I murmur to myself as I force the tent flap aside and walk in.
Once inside, I draw in a deep breath and take in the musky scents of fur and incense. My fingers tremble when the darkness of the tent makes me feel vulnerable, knowing that Godric is somewhere in here, lurking like the predator he is.
I flinch when his growly voice fills the darkness.
“You’re injured,” he states.
He had already shifted while I’d been debating another escape attempt.
A tingling sensation travels up my spine knowing that he’s in human form now. I should be terrified, but a dark part of me is curious about what he’s going to do.
The image of him beautifully naked fills my mind, no matter how hard I try to shove it out.
“Come, sit,” he orders. “I’ll get some bandages.”
I stand there like an idiot as I blink into the darkness. “I can’t see,” I tell him, since he apparently forgot humans don’t have night vision. It’s not entirely evening yet, but it will be soon, and the tent does a good job of keeping light out.
He chuckles. The sound flips my stomach in a way that makes me want to groan. Why do the most dangerous men have to be the ones I’m attracted to? It’s like I’m a moth drawn to a flame, destined to be snuffed out of existence because of my own stupidity.
I flinch as a real flame roars to life. Shielding my eyes with my arm, I give myself a moment to adjust to the brightness.
To my libido’s disappointment, Godric is wearing pants, but he hasn’t put on a shirt. He throws another massive log on the fire that’s twice my size. A large hole at the top of the tent Godric has just opened fills with drifting smoke.
The rain makes its way through, but the tent’s clever design doesn’t allow much in. Moisture sizzles over the growing flame, and warmth quickly abates the chill from the air.