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The wolf ignores me, tugging me and leaving me no choice but to go along. He’s too large and strong.
I try to reach up and untie my cloak, ready to sacrifice it to get away, but the knots hold fast, almost like they’ve been sewn together.
Muttering a few choice curses beneath my breath, I stumble along with the wolf, juggling my bag and basket on one arm as I try to unknot the ties at my throat. But they still don’t budge.
I should be afraid. Or angry. Instead, I’m equally irritated and amused.
With a sigh, I give up and say, “I’m truly glad you’re friendly, but I’m tired, Sir Wolf. I’m ready to eat something and go to sleep.”
The wolf whines and begins to move faster, dragging me along at a trot.
“You better not be taking me back to your den so the rest of your pack can have me for supper. I can promise you I’m not very tasty.”
He growls low in his throat and shoots me a sidelong glance. The expression is so human and beleaguered that I nearly laugh again.
We slip between a thick copse of trees and stop in front of a small, single-room cabin. The exterior is plain, almost rustic. My general impression is someone built this with only their two hands and some rudimentary tools. A faint wisp of smoke trails from the stone chimney on one side of the square cabin, but no light leaks through the windows.
The wolf pulls me right up to the door, releasing my cloak only long enough to nudge it open before he all but yanks me inside. My feet tangle together as my eyes try to adjust to the dark.
Behind me, a door slams shut, locking out what little moonlight was coming in through the opening. The unexpected sound makes me flinch. I whirl around, ready to lunge for the door, but I can’t see a thing. I put a hand out, but there’s nothing within reach. Disoriented, I wave my arms until my fingers brush… something. Before I can grasp it, the object vanishes.
I take a couple of hesitant steps forward, pausing when the buzz of magic fills the cabin. It’s like electricity gathering before a lightning strike and makes the fine hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stand up straight.
I blink rapidly as my eyes finally begin to make out vague shapes in the shadows. There are coals glowing in the fireplace, giving off a tiny amount of light. It’s still too dark to see clearly, but I can hear the creature’s bones shift. The silhouette of the wolf grows longer and taller until it’s standing on two legs.
To my satisfaction, I was right. The Lycan is male, and I’m glad for the shadowed interior of the cabin, because from what little I can see, he’s naked. But he’s blocking my only avenue of escape. The mild frustration in my belly becomes thicker, heavier. I am weary to my bones. I want something to eat and to close my eyes for a few hours.
The Lycan moves, lifting something long and thick from the corner behind him with a grunt. By the way he’s maneuvering it, it appears he’s barring the door.
My instincts should be screaming at me to run. To escape. This strange Lycan seems to be locking me in his cabin with him. But all I feel is concern and irritation.
“What in the goddess’s secret name are you doing, Lycan?” I ask, putting my hands on my hips.
He doesn’t answer as he moves to the lamp by the door and lights it. I blink and lift a hand to protect my eyes from the glare for a moment before I lower it again.
And see this naked Lycan in all his glory. There is a lot of glory.
While his face isn’t exactly handsome, he is riveting. His messy black hair is thick and tangled, falling to his shoulders. His bare shoulders. His eyes are hot as the gold irises become black as pitch, but the fire in them never stops burning.
Unbidden, my gaze wanders down the rest of his body. Deeply bronzed skin is stretched over bulky, rounded muscles in his shoulders, arms, and chest. Thick, square ridges stand out in his abdomen, and a pronounced line of muscle extends from his hip to the base of his cock. A massive cock, even in a relaxed state.
I try to tear my gaze away, but my eyes refuse to follow my brain’s commands. As I stare at his cock in absolute shock, it twitches and begins to harden.
Equally titillated and terrified, I manage to yank my eyes from his dick to his face. “Why did you bring me here?” I demand.
I don’t care how pretty he is, I’m not going to tolerate his high-handedness. My temper hangs on by a thread…a very fine thread. After the way my mother and stepfather treated me earlier, I’m in no mood for whatever this is.
The giant Lycan remains silent as he moves away from the door and straight toward me. He’s staring at me as if he wants to memorize every single feature of my face. Or strip me bare and wrestle me to the ground. Or perhaps I’m reading him entirely wrong and I’m about to become tonight’s dinner.
My heart thrums in my chest. But not in fear. No, I feel something even more dangerous.
Anticipation.
Chapter Four
Conall
Her scent is so thick in my space, mingling so perfectly with mine, it takes a moment for her question to penetrate the haze of need that descended over me as soon as I changed forms. I try to shake it off, but my feet carry me toward her.
