But it was starting to snow again.
Hell, yes. The snow came down, brushing against his skin as they ran. The fresh snow would cover any tracks they left behind.
A wolf would have been able to track them through the snow. Vamps were no match for wolves when it came to stalking prey.
No match.
Paige stumbled and would have fallen, but he just grabbed her and hoisted her into his arms. Her weight didn’t slow him. He pushed faster. Held her tighter.
He leapt easily over the dead trees, the rough rocks. Faster…
Drake turned abruptly, heading toward the cabin that he knew would be waiting. Small, non-descript, the snow almost hid it completely from view. But he knew the cabin was there, waiting.
The vamps wouldn’t be so lucky. Unless they knew the specific location of this safe house, they’d never find it in the darkness.
He punched in the security code, then shouldered open the door. Still holding her tightly, Drake carried Paige inside. The interior was pitch black, and their ragged breathing seemed to echo in the tight space.
“We can’t stay here,” Paige said, voice desperate. Her nails sank into his shoulder. “We need to get back to the compound. They’ll find you here! You can’t face all of them on your own!”
He put her down beside him. The cabin was sparsely furnished in this area–containing just a bed and an old table. But looks could be deceiving. Drake bent down and yanked back an old rug, a rug that had covered a trapdoor on the floor. When he’d had the cabin built, Drake had made sure that the trapdoor blended seamlessly with the floor. He pressed against the wood, in just the right spot. With a creak, the trapdoor opened, revealing the gaping entrance that led below.
He’d created this safe house for any wolf shifters who got caught outside the compound during the winter storms. The place was supposed to be a safe harbor for them.
One with all the benefits and security that a wolf needed.
Paige crept down the stairs. He shut the door behind her. Bolted it. Then punched in a series of codes on the alarm pad.
There was a faint hum, then a steel door slid closed above him, covering the wood. Lights flickered on, one after the other, revealing an area twice as big as the cabin above them.
One wall was composed of monitors. A security station that showed all the area around the cabin, just in case any unwanted guests came calling.
There was a bed. A desk. A cabinet full of food.
All the comforts of home and all the security of a mini-fortress.
Just what he’d wanted.
Drake headed toward the nearby desk. He lifted up the radio–one that was wired to the compound. “Alpha One.”
Paige made no sound behind him.
Static crackled. “Reading you sir, over.”
Drake glanced back at Paige. So still. So beautiful. “Send hunters to Lost Lake. The vamps are out there.”
He’d be taking care of this theat. Eliminating the vampires permanently, right after…
After he settled a few things between him and Paige.
“Yes, sir.” It was Michael’s voice. Drake caught the eagerness in the guy’s quick reply. Who didn’t enjoy a good hunt?
No wolf he knew.
Drake pushed away from the desk. Stalked toward Paige. She was still shivering but she stood straight and tall. She stared at him like she thought he would attack her.
He did want to pounce.
He lifted his hand and let it skim down her cold cheek. “Tell me about your lies, sweet.”
She turned her face into his touch. “You should…find some clothes.”
“Why?” Wolves had never been concerned with modesty. “I’m about to f**k you.”
Her eyes widened.
Now he was the one lying. With her, it wasn’t just f**king. Not just screwing in the dark–or the light. It was more.
Mating.
He took a breath and could almost taste her. “Tell me the secrets you’ve been keeping…tell me…and I’ll tell you mine.”
She shook her head. “You know–”
“The vampires were watching the compound. They saw you leave.” Obvious. He wasn’t a damn idiot. Desperate for her, yeah, but not stupid. “Then they saw me.” The vamps had given chase, but they would have been watching from a distance, probably using scopes or binoculars, so it had taken them a while to close in. “And they came out to kill me.”
He stepped closer. Pressed his lips against her throat and inhaled her scent. Sex and woman. His. “You were sweet bait.” He didn’t care. The vampires had hurt her. Tortured her. Used her against him. She’d been sent to lure him out in the open.
So the f**k what?
He still wanted her. Always would.
“No.” Her word was a sigh as her hands lifted to curl around his shoulders. “You don’t understand.”
He licked her neck. Her shiver wasn’t from the cold that time. “Make me understand.” Because he could see a pretty clear picture. She didn’t have a choice. The man understood that, and he was furious at the vamps who’d done this to her. “You should have just told me, from the start. I could have protected you–”
Her nails dug into his skin. “No.”
Surprised by the fury in that one word, Drake lifted his head and stared down at her.
Her breath whispered out as she stared at him. Her eyes were chips of green ice. “This time,” she told him, “I’m protecting you.”
What?
Then she wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him toward her. Her lips were open, slightly cool, and her mouth–perfect.
His c**k was already hard. Like the cold had put a damper on that. He ached for her, and that bed was just waiting for them.
One step.
Two.
Three.
They fell onto the bed. His hands fought to remove her clothes even as she kicked away her boots. He wanted in her. The truth, the lies–all that could wait. Right then, he just needed her.
The lake…
Waiting…
He wasn’t gonna wait anymore. They stripped in a tangle of hands. Fabric ripped. Boots and shoes hit the floor.
He tore her panties and tossed them aside. He pushed open her legs. Found her hot, soft. He pushed her legs farther apart and stared down at her pink flesh. So damn pretty.
Because he couldn’t resist, Drake bent his head and put his lips against her sex. Her hips rocked up against him.
“Drake!”
He loved it when she screamed his name. The room had been sound-proofed. No one outside would hear her. Only him.
He licked her clit. Tasted her. So delicious. So good.