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“Well, sure, because that’s all I have time to do right now. Run through the forest to find you.”

“No one asked you to come after me and find me.”

He shook his head, still holding her. “On the contrary, Red. Iwassent to find you and bring you back. Mrs. Francis wants a word about tonight.”

Her heart ... which up until that point had been beating hard against her chest ... stopped and dropped. It ached, but she didn’t know why. “Oh. Mrs. Francis was looking for me.”

“She wants to ask you if this is magical,” he explained.

Though he still held her, Alana didn’t know why he insisted on it.

“That’s why you needed to find me, huh? Because Mrs. Francis thinks that this was a magic thing. Well, you should know that is precisely why I am in the middle of the woods in the dark. I’m not an idiot, Cohen. It definitely felt magical, so I took it upon myself to come out here to find out if it was true. I saw this strange green glow and ...”

He stepped away from her, his arms falling at his sides. “I’m sorry. Did you just say that you saw a strange green glow in the forest, and your first instinct was to race off out there to see what it was?”

“Well, yes.”

“Are you absolutely insane, woman?” he bellowed

“No,” she snapped back, raising her voice to match his. “I am not insane, but I have a duty to this town. I have to protect it from those who would harm us. That’s exactly why I am here and what I am doing. Or I would be if you hadn’t rudely interrupted me.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You came in the woods to see if there was something dangerous armed with nothing but a stick and a flashlight that isn’t working?”

“I’m a witch,” Alana responded. “Always assume I am armed.” She moved her fingers. “I’m magic, remember?”

He only tightened his hold on her. “You’re armed, are you? You could defend yourself from me? From any threat that crossed your path?”

She gave a resolute head nod. “Of course.”

Something dangerous played across his eyes. “No. You’re wrong. If I was a bad shifter, I could have snuck up on you and been halfway done eating you before someone even heard you scream.”

“That’s a terrible thing to say,” she whispered.

“Is it? I am sorry that the truth offends you, Alana, but you cannot leave town ...”

“I can do as I well damn please, Cohen. You are not my keeper, and I will remind you that up until tonight, you would have had no problem letting some bad shifter munch on my bones.” Alana pushed against his muscular chest and took a step back.

His eyes darkened, and he stepped forward. “Don’t even joke about shit like that, Alana. What is the matter with you? You think I am enjoying this whiplash?”

“Whiplash? You think that caring for me all of a sudden is whiplash?”

He blew a breath and rubbed a hand across his mouth. “This isn’t the place to have this conversation. We need to get you back into town.”

“No. I need to find what was making that light. Iknowit was connected to the earthquake, but I need to figure outwhy. I am not going back to town without answers. What good am I if I can’t help?”

He held his breath and gave a curt nod. “Fine. We will find it together.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m gonna help you. We will comb the woods until we find this mysterious green light of yours.”

“Cohen,” she argued.

“Nope. This isn’t a discussion, Alana. You have no choice. Either you accept my help, and we find this light of yours, or I throw you over my shoulder and take you to town.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh, but I would. I really would.”