The cold wakes me.
Not wanting to let my abductors know I'm conscious, I lay still and keep my eyes closed as I use my senses to tell me where I am.
I'm lying on the cold, hard ground and the sounds and smells of the forest clue me in that the shifters haven't taken me back to their car and driven me away, which is the biggest relief of all. But that's about all there is to be relieved about.
I pick up the shifter's scents close by, not right next to me close, but a few feet away. While not unpleasant, they're unfamiliar and strange, nothing like the comforting scents of my pack.
With my eyes closed, it's impossible to know how much time has passed. Given that it's several degrees colder, I'm guessing hours. The cold adds to my precarious position because it's going to take one small shiver for the shifters to learn that I've regained consciousness.
"May as well sit up. We know you're awake," the low-voiced shifter suddenly says.
I hesitate in case he's just guessing, but when a cold snout touches the back of my leg, I jerk up as I bite off a scream.
Other than the wolf sitting close to my feet, and the dark-haired, naked shifter leaning on a tree further away, we don't look to have traveled too far from where they found me. But with daylight dimming into the evening, it's not as easy for me to tell exactly where we are.
Something about the position of the trees makes me think I've passed through the area on my way to the hiker's cabin, but I can't be sure. Not when I was in a hurry to get back to Marshall, and not when it was bright morning then.
But at least it's still daylight, I tell myself, at least I haven't lost too much time.
After a darting glance into the shifter's face, I lower my gaze to his chin. "What do you want with me?" My voice trembles with both cold and fear, but I force myself to ask anyway.
I need to know if my escape attempt will be now or later. Depending on how much danger I feel I'm in, it might be in the next five minutes, otherwise, I plan on timing it until it's later, maybe when they're asleep.
As if the shifter were merely waiting for the question, he straightens from his lean against the tree and crosses over to me.
My first thought is that he's on his way to silence me, probably with the same fist he used to knock me unconscious. Instead, he stops a few feet away in front of a small bundle of twigs and branches.
For the first time, I notice a small black satchel that smells faintly of chicken, next to the pile of wood. From the bag, the shifter removes a silver lighter. "You look cold."
I don't respond because I don't want him thinking I'm grateful for anything he does for me because there will be a price. I just know it.
He doesn't comment on my silence. His focus remains concentrated on the small bundle of twigs and branches, and I can't help but watch, more than a little jealous when the flames catch right away.
It took me nearly an hour. And I was inside a cabin. How can he start a fire outside in the cold in his first attempt?
"We made a mistake, my brother and I. Got things mixed up with you," the shifter says.
Again, I don't speak. I raise my legs and wrap my arms around them so they're as far away from the wolf as possible.
"That's Ant. He's going to stay wolf for now. Wouldn't want you getting any bright ideas about running now, would we?" He pauses, but I don't speak. I'm too busy cursing myself for not running the second I woke. "I'm Peter."
At my continued silence, he raises his head from the fire. Even though I'm not looking into his eyes, I feel the intensity of his stare. "Name," he barks.
My gaze jumps to his hard gray eyes before quickly away again. "Jenna."
"Now, Jenna. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Peter croons as if I'm a child.
His youthful appearance suggests he can't be any older than his mid-twenties, or maybe even younger. So, about the same age as me then. I'm guessing that if the wolf at my feet, Ant, is his brother, then he can't be much older or younger.
"No," I murmur, staring into the fire.
"Or maybe it was. You submissives don't have it easy, do you? Well, all I'll say is you wouldn't have survived long in a pack like ours. Would she, Ant?" Peter chuckles.
The wolf at my feet chuffs his amusement and I swallow hard.
Were they in Kier's pack? Is that how they know him?
"Yeah, five minutes. Maybe." Peter turns his focus back to the fire, rubbing his hands together in front of the rising flames. "Still, you're pretty to look at, and when we heard whispers in town that the loner carpenter had a lady friend who liked to drop in, naturally when you turned up, we believed that lady was you. A member of the Blackshaw pack. Home of the cold-blooded alpha." He laughs.
I'm not sure if he's laughing at Kier for having a lady friend, or Dayne's title. I don't ask. I don't want to know the answer, figuring the quieter I am, the more chance I have of emerging from this mess in one piece. Though, when Marshall wakes and finds me gone, I can see things getting even messier before the night is out.
I don't know how I could be so careless, and how stupid I was to think that the shifters weren't playing some game, or wouldn't eventually show up.
What remains a mystery is that Marshall isn't already here, given it's late afternoon, early evening and I left hours ago.
"You thinking he's going to come and save you?" Peter asks, still staring into the fire.
I don't know who he means. "Dayne?"
He jerks his head toward me and I immediately look away. "That boyfriend of yours. The real boyfriend?"
They must have been watching the cabin at some point, I guess, maybe when Marshall and I were sleeping. That or they're just picking up his scent on me. Probably the latter, since I doubt Marshall would have missed two shifters creeping around outside, even if he was asleep.
"I don't know," I tell my knees. "He was sleeping before."
Peter barks out another loud laugh, startling me. "Ah, and here I was thinking he'd kicked you out to do the fetching. Which would make sense, given that's what subs are for. The carrying and the fetching is what they do best, wouldn't you agree?"
Unexpected anger stirs at his comment, but I shove it down. Getting angry would be a mistake. Especially when I know I'd have no hope of winning in any confrontation with either of these shifters.
"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" Peter croons.
I don't take my eyes off my knees, telling myself that the best thing I can do is just hold on long enough until…
Someone saves me. Again. As always.
The thought has more anger rising to the surface. It doesn't matter what I think or want. It doesn't matter what Kier or Marshall think either because none of that changes what I am. Weak. Someone who will always need saving.
I sit in silence, battling back my anger, my frustration, and my need to cry as the sky slowly darkens into night.
While Peter pokes at the fire with a stick, Ant lies at my feet, seemingly mesmerized by the yellow and orange flames.
I have to escape.
Even if they catch me immediately, I have to do it. If I never even attempt it, then what does that say about me? At least, I'd have tried instead of giving up, instead of waiting to die, or worse, waiting for these shifters to lure Marshall into a trap.
Slowly, I straighten my back. I don't move yet, just take a few minutes to wake my muscles up a bit first because I've been sitting for a long time, and I feel stiff.
As I'm working myself up to jump to my feet, a loud crashing in the forest has all our eyes jerking toward it, completely ruining my chance at running while the fire had Peter and Ant nicely distracted.
Snarling, Ant gets to his feet, alert, and Peter slowly rises from his crouch.
All around us is the scent of the forest, earth, and the faint scent of foxes and other wild animals. I know it couldn't have been Marshall because I'm sure I would've smelled him.
Thinking of Marshall is when I realize now is the perfect time to run. Right now, while they're both peering into the forest. Sure, they're closer to me than I would like, but neither of them are facing in my direction.
I'm halfway to my feet when a small stone hits me on the shoulder. It's so unexpected that I'm too surprised to cry out. All I can think to do is stop my ascent and turn in the direction it came from.
And there, for one blink and miss it second, I'm sure, utterly sure, that I glimpse bright blue eyes peering at me from behind a tree.
I tell myself it can't be Kier because the tree he's hiding behind is only a few feet away, which means I'd be picking up his scent. Only, I'm not. All I'm smelling is the forest and wildlife.
"What are you looking at?" Peter barks, making me jump as I jerk my gaze toward him.
"I don't know," I murmur, doing nothing to hide my confusion. "I think I saw something."
I figure the vaguer I am about having seen something will make me more believable than flat-out lying. If history has taught me anything, it's that I'm the world's worst liar.
To my horror, he steps past me and into the forest, his gaze sweeping the area. "Probably a fox," he mutters beneath his breath.
When he takes another step, I realize I have a better reason to attempt escape than to prove I'm not weak. I have to distract Peter from stumbling into Kier before he's ready. I'm guessing the reason Kier hasn't moved to rescue me yet is he's waiting for an opportunity to strike. I can give him that.
So, with the wolf, Ant still sticking close by me as he stares into the forest where we heard the first crashing sound, I scramble to my feet and dart away.
Within seconds, something heavy crashes into my back and takes me down, making me cry out. From the fur brushing against my skin and the cold nose nudging the back of my neck, I know it was Ant. But before I have a chance to worry about the wolf ripping my throat out, a hand seizes me by my hair and hauls me to my feet.
With my toes barely touching the ground, Peter shifts his hold to my neck and slams my back against the closest tree, making me cry out again.
When I briefly meet his eyes, I see they've gone wolf. Immediately, I fix my gaze on his ear. "Try that again," he snarls, "and I'll ignore this disgusting urge to look after you, that you subs seem to provoke. Do you understand?"
I nod.
"Speak the words," he snaps, leaning closer.
It's a struggle to breathe, but I pant out the words, "I understand."
For a long time, I feel his gaze on my face. The hand tightens around my throat until I think he's going to kill me, even though I told him what he wanted.
Without warning, he releases me. "I gave you a fire. You didn't deserve it, now you can stay here and freeze. Don't move from this spot or the next time Ant catches up to you, he'll take his time playing with you before he puts you out of your misery."
I nod again.
"Or I'll find some other way to silence you instead. Some way a little more pleasant. For me at least."
I lean away from him as my growing fear wars with disgust.
Just as he's reaching his free hand to touch my face, another crash sounds close to where we all heard the first sound, and again we all jerk our gaze toward it.
Not two seconds later, a fox bursts out into our small clearing, its eyes wide with terror before almost immediately darting away.
Peter's laugh is a little too loud for me to think he wasn't as surprised by the fox's sudden appearance as I was, and I'm sure a little afraid as well. Which makes me wonder why he would be. At no point did the brothers seem afraid of Marshall, which leads me to believe it's Kier they're wary of, even though they must've come to Hardin after him.
But why would they come after someone they were afraid of? Why wouldn't they just go to Kier's cabin if they knew where he lived, and why would they need to involve me?
But with no way to get any answers to my questions other than by asking Peter, I settle for waiting. After dropping to the base of the tree, I wrap my arms around my legs before resting my elbows on my knees, trying to ignore the closeness of the wolf beside me.
Fortunately, the fox's sudden appearance distracts Peter from his attempt to touch me, because he doesn't look at me again. He strides back over to his position beside the fire while I fight off my shivers.
I don't intend on sleeping even though it's getting dark. I know I have to keep alert because something tells me that Kier is waiting until dark to move. And that I have to be ready.