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The guttural, constant growl co her fingers into her own arain

Yeah, she didn’t look like anything he’d let anywhere near him, let alone into his bed So iving her a short nod and putting her behind him, a campfire story to share with hiinal kinsmen who sometimes walked with hie your ainst you

She’d killed people before yesterday, he was sure of that There’d been grief in her eyes at the loss of her men, but no shock at the deaths

He’d beco to walk in one direction when he couldn’t decide if a turn was the best course of action But this was pushing it Why was he still here? Was it because he couldn’t help noticing the old sheath left glea skin in its wake? In her case, that skin was pale and smooth, a deadly invitation to touch

His insane tangle of thoughts froze at the yip, a howl Jesus, night had fallen, bringing a new proble the pistol from his pack, he checked the ammo for it as well as the rifle He needed to build a fire, but his gut told him not to betray their location He’d hted the burned Rovers, soood tracker, they’d be easy to find It would be a little problematic to explain why he had a naked woman covered with blood trussed up in a cave Of course, once they wrestled hiround and untied her, she’d eat everyone, so no worries

His lips twisted at the thought as he positioned himself at the cave mouth, at the bend where he could still see her, and yet also see the approach the dingoes would round If he shot a couple of theh with the fallen fellas to leave them alone Predators were drawn by warm, fresh blood, after all He steeled himself not to think about that About the red, still eyes that had followed him across the cave and were fastened on him still

Three ainst the cave wall at his sentry position, the es Like one of those funny flowersdandelions The kind that you blew so they fleay in the wind, drifting to plant in new places Create more fuzzy little balls Funny Nice to be a fuzzy little ball, so on, forever and ever

He stuer,” he muttered as he tripped, fell to one knee about five steps in Using the rifle to get hiloo the hair-raising growls and hisses The pale wisps of skin appearing a wide cream expanse, where he could see the delicate bumps of her spine However, fuddled as he was, he came to a dead halt when he realized her arms were in front of her The snapped rope lay like a sprawled snake between hi under her hair, up over her shoulder

His grip on the rifle increased As he hobbled around her cautiously, he considered his options She hadn’t come at him while he was at the entrance, so maybe

When her gaze rose as he moved around her feet, relief flooded his chest Her eyes were blue, only a tinge of red left “Danny?” She gave hiut eased further Her close scrutiny was intelligent, aware, not feral hunger

Lowering himself to one knee next to her, he used the rifle to prop himself “Do you need—”

“No You’ve done enough More than enough” As she started to lift herself up on her arers, and drew the loosened rope away

Danny watched hi around her throat It moved her, even as she kneas absurd If her burns had vanished in less than a day, the bruising would be gone in barely a blink He was so pale Given the aiven her far too much of his blood If he’d lost that one into shock As it was, even over time, it was far too much

With three marks, it would have affected him far less, and she could have replenished hins that he’d been s into his provisions, she also s a battle on two fronts

She could also smell herself Stale saliva and e can likely lookedthan her hair at the moment Even so, he reached out and touched her face without hesitation, brushing his knuckles along her cheek, under that liive him the secondthrough his mind

“Good on ya, love Nice to have you back”

Sing, she put her hand over his on her face, the large, capable fingers He was cold—the blood loss, she knew—but beneath that was so that warmed her in a way she couldn’t explain

“Why are you still here?”

“I said I’d stay,” he said simply

“So you did” She ave too et cleaned up”

That was an understatement All va with her hair or wiping so would suffice but a full bath