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“No, you don’t. It’s fine. I put stuff on it. I just want to sleep and you are keeping me awake,” she retorted.

“I don’t trust you to have taken care of it properly.”

“I don’t need you to take care of me. I can take care of myself.”

“Not from where I’m sitting,” he snapped back.

They glared at each other for a good minute before she laid back, pulled the blanket back over herself, and muttered something about making him into a coat when she was feeling better. His lips twitched at her grouchy mood. Pulling the blanket back, he carefully pulled the hiking pants up. The lower half of her leg just below her knee was covered in a white gauze bandage. He removed the outer gauze before peeling back the thick patch. A half-dozen deep cuts ran a good six inches down her leg.

“I’m surprised it took you so long to find me,” she murmured.

He glanced up at her face. She was lying with her eyes closed. It was hard to tell if her face was flushed with fever in the firelight. At least she had stopped shivering.

“You didn’t make it easy… neither did the storm. We found where you must have stayed. That was pretty clever,” he said.

Twisting around, he searched through the medical supplies until he found a tube filled with hydrogen peroxide. He leaned over her leg and twisted the top off of the tube. Bending forward, he softly blew as he poured the clear liquid along the cuts. She winced as the peroxide bubbled up.

When it was finished, he gently dabbed the excess liquid away and followed by filling the cuts with a Betadine gel. It was hard to see if any of the thorns were still embedded in her skin. The points, curved like a shark’s tooth, were razor sharp, and the tips often broke off deep in the skin. If they weren’t cleaned out, they could lead to infection. He could only hope the peroxide had removed any particles.

“It was too dangerous to travel. I was lucky I found the spot. Talking about danger, where’s Peterson?” she asked, struggling to sit up.

With a panicked expression, she scanned the campsite, her eyes darting from one corner to another. He pressed his hand firmly against her shoulder, his eyes conveying a silent message of disapproval. She reached up and gripped his hand. He was relieved to discover that the previous icy chill had been replaced by a comforting warmth, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

“He’s fine. He’s doing a perimeter check and gathering more firewood,” he said.

Exhausted, she laid back and closed her eyes. Playing with the edge of the blanket, her eyes continuously scanned the surrounding area, occasionally glancing over at him. She anxiously chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought.

“You don’t understand. There are two shifters in the forest. I overheard them. They said they are going to kill you. They were going to let you find me first, and then they were going to kill you,” she whispered.

“We know they are here. That’s why Peterson is checking the surrounding area. You did a good job covering your tracks,” he said.

“Not good enough if you found me. Please… be careful, both of you. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me,” she murmured, closing her eyes again.

“You should be glad you aren’t feeling well, otherwise I’d let you know what I think about that,” he bit out.

“I had to… leave. I promised I would….”

He frowned when her voice faded. He wasn’t sure if it was the antihistamine he had given her or exhaustion, but she appeared to have fallen asleep. He finished doctoring her leg, wrapped it in another bandage before he pulled her pant leg down and tucked the two woolen blankets around her.

Rising, he added more wood to the fire. The wind was howling, delivering a bone-chilling cold that would be brutal outside the protection of the rock overhang. He looked up at the patch of sky visible through the treetops. It was a brilliant night.

He gathered their combined resources and inventoried them. Van kept going back to check on Jayden’s serene face. She was the bravest woman he had ever met. She was perhaps the most stubborn one he had ever met as well and he knew quite a few of them, starting with Tracy.

Shaking his head, he repacked their supplies into Jayden’s backpack. There was only a day or two worth of food left. He didn’t know how she had stretched what she must have taken so far.

“What are we going to do with you?” he murmured, his expression turning tender when she rolled onto her side, facing him, and tucked her hands under her cheek.

Love her. Hold her. Keep her safe, his wolf replied.

It’s not going to be easy, but someone’s got to do it.

Chapter 17

Peterson entered the campsite nearly three hours later. He placed the firewood he had gathered next to the fire and squatted down. His eyes locked on Jayden’s face.

“How long has she been asleep?” he asked.

“She’s been asleep since shortly after you left,” Van said.