Amber Eyes (Wild 2)

“How can I let you walk away?” he rasped.

Her eyes glittered, awash with the colors of autumn. Red suffused her cheeks, and her breaths came in rapid little bursts.

“I will come back to you,” she said.

The words so carefully rendered were a vow in the silence of the kitchen. In that moment he believed, as Hunter evidently did, that she would indeed come back and that she would be okay.

“All right,” he agreed in a quiet voice. “I’ll have something for you to eat when you return.”

Her smile warmed the entire room, chasing away the lurking shadows. “Oh, I’m so glad I decided to come to you and Hunter. I was afraid but so lonely. I’ve wanted to come for so long.”

He squeezed her hands in his. “I’m glad you did. Even if it seems you’re destined to drive us insane.”

Chapter Ten

“It’s colder than a witch’s tit out here,” Jericho grumbled.

Hunter’s breath came out in a visible puff as the two men crouched in the snow several yards from where Kaya had stashed her clothing hours earlier.

The two men had followed her tracks, determined to find out what they could about their mysterious visitor. They’d come to a scattering of boulders where her footprints disappeared and the clothing they’d made her wear was carefully stacked among the rocks—as were the boots and three pairs of socks they’d outfitted her in.

Hunter had sworn a blue streak while Jericho had shaken his head and muttered a hundred I told you sos.

And now they had staked out the area, waiting for her to come back—if she indeed intended to do so. The clothes so carefully arranged gave Jericho the impression that she planned to return here and dress before going back to the cabin when she’d promised. Because she knew damn well he and Hunter would blow a gasket if she turned up naked again.

But where would she come from? Would she be alone? They wanted answers, and so here they sat, freezing their asses off, waiting for her to appear.

The sun had slipped over the horizon when Jericho looked up to see their cougar in the distance.

“Shit,” he whispered.

“What is it?” Hunter asked.

“Cougar.”

Hunter grunted and moved over so he could see where Jericho stared.

“Damn.”

“Yeah. What the fuck are we going to do? She seems to like us fine, but if Kaya stumbles across her, the cougar could kill her.”

Hunter’s fingers curled into a tight fist. “We’ll have to run her off.”

Jericho knew it wasn’t what Hunter wanted, but they didn’t have a choice. After this, any trust that had been built between the cat and the two men would probably be gone.

The cat moved closer, taking measured steps through the snow. Then she froze and raised her head into the wind, sniffing, and then her ears went back. She looked in their direction. She’d scented them.

Hunter closed his eyes briefly and then raised his rifle. He took careful aim and took a shot over the cougar’s head.

The cat flattened on the snow, her gaze focused on where the two men sat. Hunter rose and waved his hands.

“Get on out of here! Go on!”

He raised his rifle to take another shot, but the cat sprang away, her tail flashing as she disappeared into the trees.

Hunter settled back down, his face hard but his eyes dim with regret. “She better damn well show.”

The cougar crouched in the darkness watching the silent cabin. There was no movement within. It had gone quiet in the dark, suffocating hours of predawn.

The human within fought for balance, wanted the shift. She cried out to the humans inside the cabin. But the injured cougar carefully guarded her counterpart, unsure and betrayed by the two men she’d trusted.

Pain and sorrow vied for equal attention. Finally with a shuddering growl, the cat became human, and a naked woman huddled in the snow as pain screamed through her body.

She pushed herself up with her right hand as she favored her left arm by holding it tightly against her chest. The snow burned her knees, and the cold seeped into her muscles, stiffening them and making her unwieldy.

Still, she forced herself to her feet and staggered toward the cabin only to stop in front of the door. Should she go in? She’d given her word, but they had chased the cougar away. In her fright, her animal instincts had taken over, and she’d fled. In a jump over a crevice, she’d broken her front limb. It had taken her hours to crawl her way back to the cabin, and now she didn’t know if she’d made the right decision.

The cold and her pain forced her forward. At this point, she didn’t have a choice. She needed warmth and rest so she could heal. She could only hope they didn’t turn her away.

She stumbled when she got to the door and reached out to brace herself on the worn wood. The handle was frigid, and she fumbled clumsily at it. When it cracked open, a welcome rush of heat drifted out to envelop her.

The living room was dark. No fire burned in the hearth to her dismay. She hurried forward and shut the door behind her. It landed with a bang, and she winced.

The couch was her goal, because the five steps to it were all she could muster, and she’d be lucky to make it that far.

She’d taken two steps when light flooded the living room, and Jericho and Hunter both charged from their bedrooms.

Anger glittered brightly in Hunter’s gaze. Jericho looked furious and his reaction was explosive. Her ears rang from the harsh expletives.

Jericho was in front of her in an instant, reaching for her arms.

“Don’t touch—!”

It was too late. His hands curled around her broken arm.

Pain exploded through her body. Her scream was primal, rolling like a jolt through the cabin. Jericho dropped her like he’d been burned and stepped away, his fury reduced to shock.

She went to her knees, holding her arm as breathless, silent sobs billowed from her depths.

Hunter pushed by the stunned Jericho and knelt on the floor in front of her.

“What happened?”

“My arm,” she gasped out. “It’s broken.”

“What the fuck?” Jericho finally found his voice.

Hunter curled his hand underneath her other elbow and hoisted her gently to her feet. He led her to the couch and eased her onto the cushion.

She trembled from head to toe, unsure of what bothered her most. The cold or the pain.

Jericho scrambled for a blanket and draped it around her body, taking care not to touch her arm again.

“Kaya, I didn’t know. God, I’m sorry for hurting you.”

She couldn’t find the words around her clenched throat, but her gaze found his and she gave a short shake of her head to let him know it was all right.

She watched as they broke away from her long enough to build up the fire. Then they returned to the couch, their expressions hard. Determined.

“Who is he?” Hunter asked, his tone cold and deadly. “Is he your husband? Boyfriend?”

She blinked in confusion as her teeth started to chatter. “Who is who?”

“The son of a bitch who did this to you,” Jericho said icily.

Her eyes widened in shock. “But—”

Hunter cupped her chin and turned her so that she faced him. “I’ll take care of it, Kaya. I swear to you I will. Tell me who he is and where I can find him. He’ll never hurt you again. We’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

“There is no one. I swear it.”

Jericho threw up his hands in frustration.

She sank back into the couch, bracing herself for what was to come. She had to see to her arm, and though she would heal quickly, she didn’t look forward to setting it.

Tired. Cold. She had reached exhaustion, the bone-deep kind that made processing her thoughts impossible.

“We’ve got to get her down the mountain,” she heard Hunter say to Jericho.

She turned her head to bring them both into view and frowned at the intensity on their faces. They weren’t talking to her. They were deciding her fate between them.

“We can take her in the sled,” Hunter said. “If we can just get her down to the truck, we can drive the rest of the way provided the roads aren’t too snowed under.”

“Where are you taking me?” she asked faintly.

Hunter turned, his gaze softening just a bit. “The hospital, Kaya. Your arm is badly broken. We have to get you care.”

“No!”

Her vehement exclamation startled the two men. Jericho frowned, and Hunter looked at her in bewilderment. Then he knelt down in front of the couch and took her uninjured hand in his.

“You’re badly hurt. We have to get you to the hospital. I don’t think you understand how bad that break is.”