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Find a way to call the police. Let them deal with Dov.

His voice is a deep rumble in the dark. “I only wanted to be near you.”

“You can be near me without drugging me. You’re here now, aren’t you?”

He hesitates then says, “I am.”

“I’m stuck here now. We both are. We have months until the snow melts, and we’re going to have to figure out how to get by without anyone else getting hurt.”

“He hurt you,” Dov growls.

I know he’s talking about Tobias, but I can’t stop my thoughts going to Blake.

I sigh. “Yeah, he did, but it’s not your place to step in and protect me.”

“You’re wrong. I will always protect you.”

I sit up straighter, but I’m still so weak. It’s like every ounce of strength has been drained from my body. “Then help me get out of this place, Dov. Help me get away from Windridge Hall safely.”

He pauses then shakes his head. “I can’t do that. I can’t leave.”

“Even for me?” I plead.

He doesn’t respond, and I know I’ve pushed it too far. He left enough to come after me, to rescue me after the accident. Had I still been on Blake’s land? I have no idea. I hadn’t been thinking straight, and it had been impossible to see much of anything in the snow.

He wasn’t drugging me to hurt me, but that still isn’t an excuse. But Dov doesn’t have the same boundaries as the rest of society. Things I would never have accepted from anyone else don’t seem as bad with him.

I reach out my hand. I’m lonely and afraid and hurt. “Sit with me.”

He steps forward, and his fingers brush mine. I hear the stutter of his breath at our touch.

He fascinates me. A part of him reminds me of Blake in a way Levi doesn’t. It’s easy for me to tell he’s Blake’s son, in both his size and his features, though his eyes are gray-blue instead of green, and his hair is a shade lighter. But, despite everything he’s done, there’s a softness to him that Blake doesn’t have. A vulnerability. And that softens my heart toward him.

There’s a chill to the air, and I shiver. “Come here. Keep me warm.”

His handsome face pinches with concern. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

I lift up the covers, cold air slipping beneath. I’ve still got the blanket wrapped around me, beneath the bedding, so I’m not completely naked. Not that I suppose it would matter if I was.

Dov has seen all of me already.

8

DOV

I admire her braveness, but perhaps there’s some foolishness in it, too.

I can’t be trusted. I don’t even trust myself.

There’s fear in her voice, and it excites me in the best possible way. The quickening of her breath makes me think of how she would breathe if I was holding her down and fucking her, bringing her to within moments of her peak. The way her eyes widen and lips part speaks to the very core of me.

My father made the right choice in bringing her here.

My actions scared her away, and I regret that.

But at the same time, I can’t stand to stay away from her. I’m drawn to her like a magnet to the north, forever aware of her location.