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I gritted my teeth. “He chained me to a wall. He let me fall for…No. He didn’t force himself on me, if that’s what you’re asking.”
She nodded. “Well…good. I’m not naïve, Tem. I know there are other kinds of abuse. Just…can you find it within yourself to put that aside for now? Just until we get more answers. Until we figure out how to get out of this hole.”
A howl reached me from upstairs. My brother. He was most restless in the morning.
“He needs to eat,” Pat said. “You need to get out there and hunt. It’s not safe for you to do it alone. Dr. Olivet and Anson are right. Even our allies might try to intervene. For the good of the territory.”
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll go to him.”
I rose and shoved my chair closer to the table. Pat just sat there quietly, sipping her coffee.
I stormed out of the house and headed for the barn. My head buzzed as I got closer to Anson. Closer to the Dragonsteel that bound him.
I found him lying on a bale of hay in the shadows. Only his silver eyes gleamed as I heaved the barn door shut behind me. He sat up.
“We’re going on a hunt,” I said. I unhooked his chains from a bolt in the floor. It left him collared. He stretched his legs and rubbed his wrists.
“How did you sleep?” he asked, giving me a smirk that made me want to shatter his jaw.
“We’ll stick to the woods closest to the lake,” I said. “I saw a couple of bucks there a few nights ago. There’s been trouble with the Martel pack. Their Alpha took a turn for the worse overnight. If we can get him to eat, it’ll help.”
Anson fell in step beside me. I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to keep my mind disconnected from my body. The nearness of him affected me in ways that were too hard to admit, even with the Dragonsteel.
So I trudged into the woods, picking a large oak to step behind. I peeled off my jeans and tank top and laid them neatly on a nearby stump. Then, I squared my shoulders and shifted.
Anson stepped out of the shadows. He came to me, running his hand along my back. His fingers sank into my fur. A shudder of pleasure went through me. At the same time, my wolf eyes focused on the pulsing vein in his neck. One swipe of my paw. Just the scrape of my fang. I could lay him bare.
“If you want me to help you,” he said, “you’re going to have to let me go.”
He brought his hands up, gesturing to his collar. I’d forgotten. He couldn’t shift while locked in Dragonsteel.
Behind me, I sensed movement through the trees. Cracking branches. Crunching leaves. The creature was running fast, downhill.
I turned to Anson and gave him a quick chuff. I didn’t need him for this. I would need him after.
His eyes twinkling with amusement, he leaned against a tree, watching me. I snapped my jaws and headed off for my quarry.
She was beautiful. A full-bodied doe. She darted toward the stream, bounding over it. I started to chase. Then something even bigger burst out of the brush.
He was a magnificent eight-point buck. His nostrils flared as he scented the doe. He never even knew I was there.
I barely remember the chase. My paws flew over the ground. I leapt through the air and landed on the buck’s back, sinking my teeth into his jugular.
He died quickly. His life slipped away before he even touched the ground. The doe looked back once, stopped in her tracks, then darted away.
Bloodlust coursed through me. I wanted to tear the meat apart and feast. But not today. I would fill my belly with chicken or rabbit. I would save this kill for those who needed it more.
I rose, letting myself shift back except for my razor-sharp claws. I gutted and dressed the deer with quick precision.
Anson came. I felt his breath on my back. His heart hammering in his chest. He fought against his own bloodlust, the scent of the deer stoking his most primal nature.
But the Dragonsteel held him back. And this was my kill. He respected it.
“We need to hurry,” I said. “The Martels are about ten miles northeast of here.”
Anson asked no questions. He simply heaved the deer carcass over his shoulder and waited for me.
Jennifer Corley had babysat for Jarred and me when we weren’t even old enough to walk. She was the widowed sister of Olivia. Alec Martel’s wife and fated mate. It made her lucky. Fully human and not mated to any shifter, she was so far immune to the sickness that had leveled Wild Lake. She greeted us with tears in her eyes.
