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“I can’t believe she actually ran,” he murmured.

“I know. She said something strange before she fell asleep.”

“What?”

Van pursed his lips, frowned, and shook his head in bewilderment. “She said she had to leave. That she made a promise.”

“What kind of promise? To whom?”

Van shook his head again, this time in frustration. “I don’t know. She also overheard two shifters saying they were going to kill us.”

Peterson snorted a terse laugh of wry amusement. “Those two and about a hundred others. I ran a security check about two miles. It was clear.” He shook his head and threw a stick into the fire. “I can’t believe she was close enough to hear them saying that and not get caught. I swear that woman has a death wish.”

“I agree. We’ve got to get her out of here and back to a place where we can keep her safe, but it’s going to be a few days before she is strong enough to travel. There’s no way a rescue copter can get to us here. We’ll need to get her to Hurricane Ridge. Then we could get her airlifted to Bremerton or Seattle,” Van suggested.

Peterson frowned and waved a hand at Jayden. “You just said it’s going to be a few days before she is strong enough. She needs time to rest and we need to get some food in her stomach. Damn, but I wish we had brought more supplies.”

Van pursed his lips. “You aren’t the only one. We’ll need to build a temporary shelter. My wolf senses rain and we need to keep her warm and dry. I’ll scout the area for materials we can use and start bringing them up once it gets light.”

He nodded. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll take the first watch and wake you in a few hours.”

Van nodded, rubbing his arms. “Thanks. I didn’t realize how damn cold it was getting.”

He chuckled and nodded to the pallet where Jayden was curled up. “You can help keep her warm. I’ll give you my jacket when we switch out.”

“I appreciate it,” Van mumbled.

“Let’s just hope she doesn’t kill you or me in the morning when she wakes up and finds out she isn’t alone,” he added as Van slid down next to Jayden.

“It might be worth it—to get warm and to hold her,” Van replied.

He released a low chuckle and placed a few more thick branches on the fire before he turned away from it. He didn’t want the light to affect his night vision. While he hadn’t picked up on the shifters they had smelled and Jayden had overheard, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be close. He sat back with his back against the rocks, drew his legs up, and slid his hands into his pockets to keep them warm.

She can’t get away again, he thought.

It felt strange being close to her again. The few times they had been together had been far too brief. He leaned his head back and stared out at the dark forest. Flashes of those times swept through his mind. Seeing her laugh with the few human children. The compassion on her face when she looked at her grandparents. The defiance in her eyes when he tried to steal a cookie from her.

And the look of longing and curiosity when she gave me one.

It had been a long and difficult road to catch her, but it had been worth it. He never imagined that he and Van would find their mate, much less that it would be with a human woman. He also never expected it to be so tough to court her.

She a fighter.

Yes, she is.

I like that.

So do I, my friend. So do I.

Images of what their life would be like kept him warm as the night wore on. He imagined Jayden picking out what furnishings would go in their new home, riding horses on the ranch he and Van had purchased, exploring the trails and mountains of her people’s new home, and possibly one day having a larger family—if she wanted children. A smile curved his lips at the thought of a having a little girl with her mother’s hair and attitude running around the house with a toy lance.

We’ve just got to convince her to give us a chance.

“I’m freezing my ass off,” Carter grumbled.

Bishop gritted his teeth to keep from snapping at the warthog. Carter wasn’t the only one who was cold. Between their swim earlier in the day, the temperature drop, and the damn wind, he’d be lucky if his balls didn’t freeze and fall off. The idea sent another wave of shivers through him.

“Why can’t we build a fire?” Carter whined.