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He rose from his knees, leaning over me, his golden eyes burning. He was hard, his cock straining against his pants, and I reached for him. He caught my wrist, pressing a slow kiss to the inside of it, but his expression was serious, like he was holding onto his control by a thread.

“If you’re thinking about following us,” he warned, his tone a quiet threat, “stop.”

I stared at him, my breath still uneven, my body still reeling from the aftermath of what he had just done to me.

“I’m not,” I lied.

He just stared at me. “Good.”

Then he leaned down and kissed me, and the taste of myself on his tongue made me ache all over again.

He pulled away slowly. Reluctantly.

“I need to go,” he rasped.

I nodded.

He hesitated, running his gaze over me from head to toe. He sighed, shoved a hand through his hair, then cursed under his breath.

“Fuck,” he muttered, reaching down and picking me up effortlessly, possessively.

And then his mouth crashed against mine.

The kiss was a raw, desperate thing, a kiss that demanded everything and promised nothing. His hands roamed my body, like he couldn’t decide what to touch first, what part of me he wanted most.

I clung to him, pulling him close, wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing my bare chest against him.

His hands moved to my ass, squeezing, his grip firm.

I whimpered, my body still aching for him.

His lips trailed down my jaw, my neck, his canines scraping against the tender skin, making me shiver.

“When I get back,” he growled, his hold on me urgent and needy, “we’re finishing this.”

His hands squeezed my sore, sensitive ass again, and a thrill raced through me at his words.

“Promise?” I whispered, my voice raspy.

Silas growled, nipping at the shell of my ear. “Fuck, yes.”

Heat flashed through me. Fuck, yes.

Before I could say anything else, Silas released me and stepped back. His eyes burned with a need all of his own, his nostrils flaring, like it was taking everything in him to leave.

Without another word, he turned and stalked out the door.

CHAPTER16

Lia

It was still early, and it was quiet outside as I moved around the cabin. My fingers worked quickly, stuffing supplies into the worn canvas of my pack—dried meat, a small water flask, extra socks, and a coil of thin rope I had swiped from one of the supply tents.

I wasn’t stupid; I knew what I was doing was dangerous, reckless even. I also knew that sitting back and waiting while Silas, Rowan, and Varek went off to deal with those nightmare creatures wasn’t an option for me.

Silas thought he could just leave me behind like I was some fragile little thing, like I didn’t know how to fight, how to survive. I knew that he thought he was protecting me, but I had spent most of my life protecting myself.

I slung the pack over my shoulders and pulled my long coat tighter before slipping out of the cabin and heading straight for Kendra’s.