I opened the door of the second cabin and stepped inside. The afternoon light swept in behind me, breaking some of the shadows holding the cabin's interior captive and highlighting the big old bed. From the other room came the sound of voices - Quinn's lilting tones and Kade's deeper resonance. Nice sounds to go to sleep by.
I closed the door and walked over to the bed, stripping off weapons and clothes as I did so.
It wasn't until I tugged back the bed covers and began to climb inside that I realized I wasn't alone in the room. ze.
"What?" Kade asked immediately, his voice barely a whisper.
"Something's outside." I scrambled to the window, carefully peering out. Nothing moved in the yard. Nothing but sunlight danced in the shadows of the trees.
Yet something was out there. I was growing more and more certain of it.
I ducked past the window. "Check the back. I'll check the living room and side."
He left the room. I crept into the living room and peered out the windows. No creature crept across the lawn or hid in the nearby trees. I retreated to the bathroom.
And heard a familiar rumble.
It was one of the orsini. Against all the odds, it had tracked us here. I wondered how far behind human pursuit was.
I went to the bedroom and grabbed some clothes, but left the shoes. Not only because they didn't look as if they'd fit, but because I didn't really need them. My feet had thick soles thanks to the fact I only wore shoes when I had to, and I suspected Kade, as a horse-shifter, would be the same.
He was standing to the side of the window when I got to the kitchen, but looked around as I entered. "Nothing here."
I tossed some clothes at him, noting with amusement that his cock was still ready to play. Obviously, not a man easily deterred. "Did you ever see any of the creatures they had patrolling that place?"
He frowned. "I saw a hairy thing once. Looked like a warped bear."
"That's what's outside."
He put on the black pants and shirt I'd given him. They were tight - not indecently tight, but not that far from it. Rhoan was going to blow a fuse - especially if Kade remained in his current state.
"How many?" he asked.
"It seems to be by itself, but more will surely be on their way."
I put on the revolting floral shirt and black skirt I'd chosen for myself, but skipped the undies. Granny clothes I could handle, but granny knickers? No way.
I wrapped an old tie around my waist to keep the skirt up, then grabbed the phone and quickly dialed Jack's mobile number.
"Riley ?" he said immediately. "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah. They've discovered us and we have to run. How far away are you?"
"Half an hour, at least."
Not close enough to help us, then. "Give us directions and a place to meet. We'll get there when we can."
Rhoan was swearing in the background.
"There's a town called Leura about nine kilometers away from Bullaburra." Jack hesitated, and I could hear my brother muttering instructions. "According to the com-unit, there's a cabin resort there called Blue Haven. Rhoan's booking us a cabin. We'll be there in twenty."
"We'll be there when we can."
I hung up and met Kade's intense gaze. "We have to leave."
"That thing will track us."
"Not if we stop it."