Brogan came up behind Rowan and pinched a slice of the cheese she was cutting for dinner. When he went for a second piece she smacked his hand away with the back of the knife.
“Stop it! You’ll spoil your dinner.”
“Dinner won’t be for a couple of hours and you know nothing could spoil my appetite.” He quickly snatched a second piece and darted to the other side of the kitchen.
“Brogan,” Rowan warned.
“Okay, no more I promise.” He held his hands up. His mood was light since he’d come to a truce of sorts with El. Plus, he’d made it clear she and Rowan were not to leave the house. Between now and the wedding he or his sister would find the right time to tell El about their heritage.
Yes, things were starting to come together.
“Where’s El?” he asked.
“Out front.”
“What!” he yelled.
“She’s sitting on the front steps getting some fresh air.” Rowan turned to face him, an eyebrow raised.
“Outside?” His voice had lowered but would still have been heard upstairs.
“That’s where the front steps were last time I looked.”
What the hell was wrong with her? How could she have let El leave the house?
“Jeez, Brogan, lighten up. She’s just getting some air, not going on a mountain trek.” Rowan shook her head and returned to cutting cheese.
For a second his mouth flapped but no words came out, then adrenaline kicked in and the beast sprang to life.
“Rowan!” he roared.
“What? Why the hell are you yelling at me?” She raised her voice but wasn’t yelling.
“How could you let her leave the house? You both promised you wouldn’t until after the wedding.” He spun on his heel ready to charge through the front door and drag El back inside.
“For Christ’s sake Brogan, she’s just out front. Nothing’s going to happen on our own porch.”
Brogan stopped. He didn’t want to tell her but he had to now. Had to so she’d understand El couldn’t leave the house. He looked at her over his shoulder. “She’s marked, Rowan.”
“Marked?”
He nodded.
“You had sex with my best friend?” Her soft tone didn’t bode well. Any second the explosion would come.
Sure enough, the knife she’d been using sailed past his head and embedded in the wall behind him. Most would say he was lucky she missed but Brogan knew luck had nothing to do with it, she had a true aim. If she’d wanted to hit him she would have, either between the eyes or through the heart. Rowan never missed a target.
“We didn’t have sex. It didn’t go that far.”
“But you marked her!”
“I didn’t mean to. It just happened and…”
Rowan flew past him into the hall.
Oh God, Eloise!
He tore out of the kitchen after her. Quinn came down the stairs as they headed for the front door.
“Where’s the fire?” Quinn asked.
The door crashed back against the wall.
“El!” Rowan screamed.
“What the hell’s going on?” Quinn was right behind him as Brogan hit the porch.
“El came out to get some fresh air,” he ground between clenched teeth.
“What? When? Where the hell is she?” Quinn demanded.
“And when the fuck did it start to snow?” Rowan whispered.
“Where is she?” Brogan swung his head, frantically searching for El. There was no sign of her.
“I don’t know. She said she’d just be here on the front step.”
“Quinn, go in and get some gear.” He pulled his sweater and shirt off together.
“Brogan, what are you doing?” Rowan asked.
“I’m going to find her. I’ll bring her back if I can. If not I’ll keep her in place until Quinn gets to us.” He unbuttoned his jeans, pushed them down and yanked his boots off with them.
“Brogan, you can’t go to her in your coyote form. You’ll scare her to death.” Rowan protested.
“I’ve got no choice. She’ll freeze to death if we don’t get to her soon.”
Quinn came out the door, his jacket on, a pack thrown over one shoulder and El’s jacket in his arms. “She didn’t take her coat. We need to move now.” He picked up Brogan’s clothes and shoved them into the pack.
Brogan left the porch at a run as muscles stretched and bones popped. He bent forward and by the time his hands reached the ground they were paws. Shifting for him took no thought, no effort. In seconds he was sniffing the air and following El’s scent along the path into the woods.
He heard Quinn running behind him, the distance between them getting greater with each stride. Nose down, he bounded down the trail and quickly disappeared from view. How had she managed to get so far? The storm was rapidly turning into a blizzard and his keen vision was the only thing keeping him from crashing into the trees.
His fur hung limp, wet from the snow and the sweat pouring out of him. He pumped his legs, his heart racing. The strain and pull on his muscles went unnoticed as he ran for all he was worth. The fear of not getting to her soon enough rode his back, made him push harder.
He left the path and was slowed by the density of the trees and thick underbrush. Why had she left the path? Burs caught in his fur. Brogan ignored them. He had to get to El, had to find her before she froze to death. Or worse, someone else found her.
The snow fell into his eyes, blurred his vision. His lungs burned but nothing except finding El would stop him. Her scent grew stronger, the wet conditions didn’t hamper his senses but if it got any wetter it would wash her scent away completely. He had to find her before that happened.
Closer now, he slowed. She didn’t need him barreling down on her in coyote form. He’d have to approach with care, not frighten her.
Two things hit him at once, the sight of El through the trees about thirty feet in front of him and another coyote between him and her.
El stared at the wild animal in front of her. Teeth bared and hackles raised, he had obviously taken exception to her being in its forest. Well he wasn’t the only one. He looked scrawny, his coat ratty and dull but what did she expect? A well groomed canine?
“Nice doggy, good doggy.” Hands in front she backed away.
He followed.
The grumble vibrating up his throat stopped her cold. Without moving her head, she searched the area, looking for anything she could use as a weapon to protect herself. He wasn’t big, had to weigh less than she did. If she could find something to bash him over the head with there might be a slim chance she’d get to freeze to death after all.
She tried not to think of how else she might die. Those pointy yellow teeth sent icy fear skating through her veins. Saliva dripped from his curled lips and El’s flight impulse kicked in. The urge to run, to turn and run, shuddered over muscles rigid with fear, but she didn’t move. To do so would mean certain death.
One paw moved forward as a back one followed. With infinite care he walked toward her. He snarled wider, showed more of his menacing jaws. He was stalking her and all she could do was stand there. Wait for him to get closer. She might be able to kick out with her foot if he came within reach without lunging for her throat. How far could he jump?
When he got within twenty feet his snarl turned into a gut-stealing growl, teeth mashing together as he snapped at her. His legs bent and his chest dipped and she knew this was it, he would attack her now and it would be a fight for her life.
She braced her legs apart, bent her knees and bounced on the balls of her feet. All the things she’d been taught in her self-defense class. El figured she could get a good solid kick into his throat if he jumped the right way. If not she’d plant her foot in the first thing it connected with.
The coyote leapt and all her muscles tightened, ready to spring up.
She never got the chance.
With a spine-tingling howl, another coyote pounced. At first she thought it was coming for her as well, but when the newcomer took out the first one in a swift bone-crunching tackle she knew it was time to run. Blood sprayed across the pristine white snow and El’s stomach turned.
She would not vomit.
Sprinting to the left, she took off. Trees and bushes slapped at her but she didn’t stop. Her heart pounded in time with her feet, her toes squelched in her wet sneakers and her chest burned with each ragged breath. She needed to hide. She’d never outrun the coyote if he gave chase and she was sure he would.
El scanned the area as she ran, looked for anything that might conceal her. There was only one option. The last time she’d climbed a tree hadn’t turned out well but if it was the difference between life and death, she’d do it. Spotting one that looked as if it would be easy to climb, she headed straight for it.
Bark dug into her palms as her fingers wrapped around a low branch. It took one tear in her jeans, numerous bruises and two attempts to get her legs over the limb. Her sweater caught as she swung up and she teetered on the verge of falling. The sound of pounding paws gave her renewed strength to throw herself up and out of reach.
The big gray coyote walked between the trees, his coat glossy and thick, his gait regal and confident. El held her breath, prayed he wouldn’t see her. He stopped four feet from the base of her tree and without hesitation looked up at her. She gasped as her hold slipped and a gouge ripped in the flesh of her hand.
It was the coyote from the photo.
Casually, as though he hadn’t just attacked another animal, he sat on his haunches. His golden eyes watched her and, like with the photo, El was mesmerized, helpless to look away. From one heartbeat to the next she relaxed and knew without a doubt that he wouldn’t hurt her.
Why she would think such a thing about a wild animal couldn’t be explained but when he lay down on his belly, head on his paws, she felt no threat from him.
Curled on the branch, her numb body began to slide. Her shivering had come back now that the adrenaline was wearing off and her eyes drooped. She was so tired, she wanted to put her head down and sleep. But she knew she couldn’t, not in the tree anyway. Falling was not an option. She’d break something for sure.
She climbed down from her perch. Careful not to startle the coyote with any quick movements, she eased to the ground and sat with her back against the trunk. With the danger passed, her body came alive with pain, cold and fatigue. Keeping an eye on the coyote, El waited for an attack in case she’d misjudged him. It never came. He watched her with unblinking eyes.
Feeling safe but tired, she bent her legs and hugged them to her chest. Closing her eyes she lowered her forehead to her knees as bone-rattling shakes swamped her. Her arms and legs went numb and her teeth chattered. She didn’t flinch when the coyote sat next to her. Too exhausted, El had no strength left to move more than her head, she opened her eyes to look at him.
He was warm. His fur so soft she wanted to burrow into him and sleep. In the back of her mind she knew what she was doing was insane. She sat with a wild animal at her side but she wouldn’t move. Couldn’t move. His actions spoke of care and protection. He’d stopped the other coyote from attacking her and now he was keeping her warm, standing guard. And she was so sleepy.
The cold had her thinking and doing things she wouldn’t under normal circumstances. Obviously she was hallucinating, in the throes of hypothermia or something. He rubbed his head back and forth on her arm. The motion soothed and reassured her he didn’t intend to hurt her. If she died out here in this frozen wonderland at least she wouldn’t be alone.
Lethargic with cold, she slumped against him. His coat encouraged snuggling and she buried her hands in his fur. Her cheek lay on his neck and she closed her eyes and enjoyed the heat he gave off. His heartbeat set a steady rhythm beneath her ear and lulled by his warmth and comfort, El draped her body over his.
She must have dozed because she didn’t hear anything until Quinn stood in front of her. He dropped to his knees beside her, tossing a bag at her feet.
“Here, get changed. We need to get her back fast.”
Confused by his words, El tried to get up.
“Not you, El. Let’s get your coat on.” Quinn gently eased one arm into the thermal garment.
Cold air flowed over her side as the coyote stood. She turned to watch him walk away, expected him to leave now there was another person here. But he didn’t. With grace he walked a few feet away and before she could understand what she saw, Brogan stood before her. Naked.
Oh, my God! She was hallucinating. She did not just see that gorgeous animal turn into Rowan’s brother. He reached for the bag Quinn had brought and pulled clothes out. Dressing quickly, he returned to her side just as Quinn got her zipped up.
“Brogan?” she whispered, the word full of the confusion swirling in her head.
“Shh… It’s all right. I’ve got you now. We’ll get you home and warm.” He pulled her close and hugged her tight before he picked her up and started walking through the falling snow. El curled into his body and gave up the fight to stay awake.