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Once they discovered she was ht her kidnappers’ confinement, if she could have oriented herself in this neorld But all she saas blackness, no wolf’s vision here And all she felt was nu and puffing and grunting, not her own, filled her ears

A jolt to her body and an abrupt change frorew goose bumps as a chilly breeze whipped across her sticky, water-soaked hair, still coated in sha cold encased her as silky red hair floated over her face Her eyes filled with tears and soap, she briefly saw a blurry ie of amber eyes narrowed as they looked down at her--a concerned-looking ily beard Then she succuuely, it was as if she was seeing the vision she’d witnessed in Ryan’s truck outside the tavern all over again Only the cold was too real

She floated, was jostled, and heard the crunching of footsteps in the dark and the heavy breathing and hard-charging heartbeats that revealed her kidnappers’ panic One of the ainst his body, his chest covered in a padded vest thatClothed in flannel, his arms also felt soft

She wanted to bury herself deeply in every part of him that felt herever he touched her His warmth helped to heat her body, but she felt as limp as a chilled, soaked noodle She tried to open her eyes to get a better look at thefrom the soap and she barely opened the Her head felt empty and floated separately froh she wasn’t sure whether it was a vision of sohtmare, or a little of both She couldn’t tell as her

Jake paced in his wolf forht with several others Only he hadn’t changed back None of thereen eyes pleaded with her to do so But what could Carol do? Just warn their kind not to shift And look at hoell that had worked! Da else A roo-screen TV clung to the wall And the walls: the upper half-sunny and lighted with fan-shaped brass sconces to give the illusion of light, and the lower half covered in light oak paneling The room had no s No s, as if buried in the bowels of the earth

Rich brown leather sofas and a light brown rug added to the earthy tones A ht lights fro in this one With the greatest apprehension, shetoward the doorway bathed in brilliant white

Someone was in there Shadows crossed the doorway briefly as soinally She had to see into the roo out

"Hey!" Froreat distance, Sahts becaain, except that she couldn’t re Shots had been fired Hadn’t they?

The cold shook her froiness--the shower, the soap, the kidnappers! She opened her et Sa out Shots fired from close by Froun smoke drifted to her

Her mouth snapped shut Silver bullets? She couldn’t be the cause of Sam’s death Best to let the villains take her away

"Raise the alar her swore under his breath and tightened his hold on her, stu?" Darien asked, growing closer to Sa for her The sensation that she was one of the pack gave her sounreat to ignore The bullets would kill Darien and Saot too close They couldn’t risk it Don’t risk it!

"Three ot Carol!" Sauns!"

Another shot rang out and Carol tried to squirm, but not a muscle obeyed her

"Carol!" Darien shouted

She tried to speak, to shout, but she had no voice

Suddenly she felt herself falling, dropped like a sack of cold groceries She should have felt a hard iht jolt Now she was left in the sweet-srass, crispy with frost, to freeze to death She curled up into a fetal ball, trying to get warripped her shoulder and she shuddered They weren’t leaving her behind after all At once, she felt an odd ret

"You’re alive," he said, his voice low and dark but co relief washed over her And a fuzzy question surfaced When had he returned fro to the rescue on a white steed while he wore the McKinley plaid, the kilt reaching his knees, sword belted at his waist, a shirt open to his collarbone, his face frowning as he scooped her up froot her!" Ryan wrapped her in so warm and soft that smelled of him, his distinctive male scent of fresh soap and heat Of spices and the wind in the firs, of the wild Was it his plaid? She i shirt that reached h and sturdy leather boots that met his knees, his expression worried and stern

"Are you all right?" he asked, lifting her off the cold ground He jostled her as he ran, his ar to crush her But the heat and his protectiveness comforted her

And when they reached the laird’s castle, he was going to kiss her and tell her how much he loved her, how he couldn’t live without her She would be a member of his clan as they would want her to join theht with the MacDonalds? She didn’t know but fervently hoped not