Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
It was the same damn cave.
My chest tightened as we took the first step inside, my heart pounding painfully hard against my breastbone. Disbelief rushed through my veins, contracting my belly and pushing up my diaphragm, making it hard to breathe. Without thinking, I shook my head, desperate to deny what I was seeing.
There was the recess in the stone where the nest of furs had lain. There was the trickle of water, filtering through the tiny cracks in the stone above and the lush moss-covered rock where Lash had cornered me before kissing me senseless.
It was all real. All right here in front of me—the perfect stage, set for an erotic dream come true.
My face flushing with heat, I spun around, desperate to fix my eyes on anything else. Fortunately, the view was spectacular enough to distract from the lurid images now racing through my head…at least for the moment.
Hidden near the top of one of the highest peaks around, the wide opening in the rock face looked out over everything—the hills and valleys, snaking rivers and streams, deep gorges and rocky crags. Far on the western horizon, I could even make out the shimmering blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
Every detail was so magnificent, so unbelievably grand and beautiful that it made everything else I’d seen feel small and insignificant.
Los Angeles might be a great city, but there was no comparison between the view from the highest rooftop lounge downtown and the one that was in front of me now.
It was so captivating that I lost track of how long I stood there, silently staring out over it, before the deep rumble of Lash’s voice broke me out of the trance.
“Felicity.”
I blinked several times before shaking the cobwebs out of my head and turning around. “Yeah?”
“Are you all right?”
Not even close. “I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed, and a new kind of electric shiver raced up my spine. Something had changed between us. Something profound. Something tangible. There was no point denying it.
Suddenly, I could feel his gaze palpably sweeping over my skin.
Even with several feet of distance between us, his presence surrounded me…
embraced me…held me tight. This was more than simple attraction or the memory of a dream.
It didn’t matter that there was no word in my vocabulary for it; the sensation was real.
Did Lash feel it too?
Maybe. The timbre of his voice had shifted, becoming more intimate.
Instead of just heating my blood, the dark fire in his eyes now warmed every inch of me, inside and out.
The magnetic pull toward him was so strong, I had to physically dig my heels into the fine layer of dirt at the lip of the cave to keep from running into his arms.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold myself back when he broke his stare and said, “I have to leave.”
“What?”
Shit—that was too loud.
Even though we’d traveled all morning over nearly impassible terrain, Lash was adamant that we still needed to be as stealthy as possible.
While moving to a higher elevation made it harder for other alphas to track us, we weren’t totally out of danger.
Ferus senses were far sharper than kirre ones, and one sound could give us away.
Sorry, I mouthed before dropping my voice back down to a whisper. “But you can’t just ditch me here.”
“Ditch you?” His head dipped down toward his shoulder, cocking to the side like one of those wolves that had been hunting Sophia last night.
“Abandon me,” I explained. “Leave me for dead. Walk away and never look back.”
“Funny. I was about to ask if that’s what you were planning,” he said. “After all, just a few hours ago, you were the one ready to say goodbye and hike back to the Wall alone.”
And I was still ready to do it…at least, I liked to think I was.
But the truth was, sometime during our escape, that urge had started to fade. I found myself clinging to Lash’s shoulders and keeping my legs clamped tight around his waist even when I didn’t have to. Even when I wasn’t in any danger of falling.
I’d held on to him because I’d wanted to. Because I liked the way the heat of his body seeped into mine. Because the power radiating through his muscles made me feel safe. Because the deep bass of his voice chased the worst of my fear away.
It didn’t make sense. Nothing had changed between us. Not really.
He was still a violent, hot-tempered alpha, and I was still the reckless jackass who couldn’t seem to stop pushing his buttons. By all accounts, we should have been trying to tear out each other’s throats, not looking to rip off each other’s clothes.
“So you’re not leaving for good?” I asked, hating the sheepish note in my voice.
Lash shook his head.
“My old pack has a small sentry outpost west of here that was always well stocked,” he said. “The storeroom there is separate from the main building, so I should be able to slip in and grab food and supplies without detection.”
My stomach interrupted him by growling at the mere mention of food. It had been nearly a full day since I’d eaten anything. “Sorry.”
“I just need to know that you’re not going to ditch me while I’m gone,” Lash continued. The word sounded strange coming from his lips, but there was something oddly charming about him trying to relate to me with kirre slang.
“You don’t have to worry. I won’t run off while you’re away,” I promised him. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Not unless I suddenly sprouted wings.”
Only Lash had the muscles to climb in and out of here, and the core strength to keep his balance on the precarious cliffs that surrounded us. If I attempted to travel the path he’d taken to get us here, I’d fall to my death.
“Good,” he said, nodding grimly as if he was worried I might give it a try anyway. “Just remember to stay quiet and away from the mouth of the cave. I won’t be long.”
“Okay,” I agreed without argument as he made his way out into the open world again.
As tempted as I was to call out to him and ask what long translated to in hours and minutes, I didn’t dare. The truth was, I knew he’d be back before dark.
He’d have to be for the dream to come true.
And if he didn’t come back?
What would I do then? Starve to death? Break my neck trying to shimmy down sheer rock? Call out to the angry alphas below, then wait for them to find their way up and put me out of my misery?
All those options sucked.
Don’t worry, I told myself. Lash promised to be back soon, and I believed him—which was its own kind of scary.
Struggling to fight back a deep physical attraction to an alpha was one thing.
For all his faults, there was no denying Lash was a brutally gorgeous man with the kind of dark aura that pulled you and refused to let go.
His animal magnetism was off the charts.
The more I looked at him, the harder it was to pull my eyes away.
But that was just desire—a lustful biological impulse that was beyond conscious control.
But trusting him? That was a choice.
A choice to put everything I knew about the ferus who had kidnapped and threatened me to the side. Putting any amount of trust in a man like that was madness.
But what other choice did I have?
For the next couple of hours, I kept myself occupied watching the light slowly creep across the cave while letting the arguments play out in my head.
Was I really attracted to him, or did I have Stockholm syndrome?
Did killing in someone else’s defense count as murder?
How many lives did a person have to save to karmically make up for the deaths they’d caused?
My mind buzzed with a thousand questions, but I couldn’t seem to come up with a single answer. By the time Lash came back (just as it was getting dark), I was just as twisted up and confused as when he’d left.
Maybe more.
Especially once I saw the massive sack of supplies he’d stolen from the outpost slung across his back. With a sigh, he lowered it to the ground and started unloading the contents.
“Smoked meat. Oatcakes. Dried fruit. Some root vegetables,” he said, pulling items out one at a time from the canvas bag. “It’s basic, but it should get us through until it’s safe enough for me to hunt again.”
Like I cared about fancy. My stomach rumbles echoed off the walls at the sight of so much food. Before I could ask, Lash handed me an oatcake.
“Thank you,” I said before cramming half of it into my mouth.
Damn, it was good.
Rich and buttery and filled with tart berries. Maybe it was just my ravenous hunger talking, but I’d swear it was one of the best things I’d ever tasted.
Sweet moments were rare in the Wilds, so I closed my eyes to savor the moment. When I opened them again a second later, I found Lash’s gaze fixed on my face, his stare almost frighteningly intense…even for him.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, raising my hand to block the sight of my stuffed mouth. Sure, I might look like some half-naked, ravenous cavewoman with my ripped clothes and tangled hair, but that didn’t mean I’d forgotten all my manners. “I’m just really hungry.”
“Don’t apologize. Just eat,” he said, keeping his eyes on me for the several seconds it took me to chew the remaining cake in my mouth.
“Did you run into any trouble out there?” I asked after I’d swallowed.
“None,” Lash answered, shaking his head. “It sounded like Nelissa’s men are still searching the area to the south. We should be safe here for the night.”
“Good.” Some of the tightness in my chest eased. I could use a full belly and a good night’s sleep. Maybe after both those things, I’d be able to think straight again. “How about at the outpost? Did anyone see you?”
At that, Lash let out a soft laugh. “No. There were only a couple of severely bored sentries. They were easy to slip past. I’d wager they won’t even realize anyone was there until they go to change their clothes tomorrow morning.”
My brow crinkled in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“These,” he answered, reaching into the depths of the bag and pulling out a pile of crumpled clothes. “You needed something else to wear. Being a sentry outpost, there wasn’t anything feminine, but these should at least keep you warm.”
My chest tightened as I recognized the plain tan shirt on top of the mound he handed over. It was exactly like the one I’d been wearing in last night’s dream—an oversized tunic that barely stayed on my shoulders and hung past my knees. Still, I was surprised to see there was more.
A pair of pants that were big enough for me to use as a sleeping bag and a heavy leather jacket that could easily wrap around me twice.
As impractical as this new wardrobe might be, it was still a hell of a lot better than what I was currently wearing…or not wearing. If tonight was anything like last night, the temperature would plummet the moment the sun went down. God knew I’d be grateful for all that extra material then.
And the heat of Lash’s body pinning me against the wall.
I looked away, doing my best to chase the thought from my head.
But the vision was remarkably stubborn. It didn’t just refuse to budge; the more I fought, the more vibrant the memories of last night’s dream became.
Memories of Lash’s hands in my hair. His breath washing against my skin. His lips moving against my mouth. His tongue entwining with mine. His fingers raking down my body…settling between my legs…moving in perfect circles over my…
Damn it.
I’d drive myself crazy if I didn’t get these images out of my head.
What I needed was something else to focus on.
“What else did you grab?” I blurted out, gesturing toward the sack, still over three-quarters full on the ground.
Lash’s heavy brows pulled together. He almost looked surprised that I’d asked the question. Without a word, he reached into the bag and pulled out the corners of several familiar-looking fur pelts and leather skins.
Well, shit. There they were.
Heat flushed my face, burning my cheeks as I took in the sight of the primitive bedding, but I tried to convince myself the blush had nothing to do with bashfulness. Embarrassment wasn’t the only reason people turned red, after all.
Anger could do it too.
Leaning hard into that emotion, I looked up from the Lash’s hand and narrowed my eyes. “Seriously?”
“What?” The blank, innocent look on his face only riled me up more.
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” I shot back. “Furs? Leather? Those look exactly like the ones that we fooled around on in last night’s dream.”
“Probably because they are the ones.”
Well…yeah. That was my whole point. “So why the hell did you stuff them in that sack?”
“Because they were there,” he said flatly. “Because you’ll want something soft to sleep on once night falls. And because I’m not about to take my mate for the first time on the cold, hard stone.”