Page 12 of Marked For A Bite (Rebellious Mates #2)

TEN

LOGAN

T he sight of Zoe's magnificent wolf form had filled Logan with fierce pride and possessive satisfaction—until everything went catastrophically wrong in the span of heartbeats.

One moment she stood before him, her dark brown fur gleaming with honey patches that caught the afternoon light like spun gold, her golden eyes meeting his green ones with an intelligence that made his wolf howl with joy.

The next, her body convulsed violently as the shift reversed itself without warning, her bones cracking and reshaping with sickening urgency.

Logan's blood turned to ice as Zoe collapsed naked onto the forest floor, her skin already flushed with dangerous heat.

Fuck.

He should have known better. He should have anticipated that her hybrid nature would make everything more complicated and more dangerous.

Her wolf had been too eager and too desperate for freedom after twenty-five years of dormancy, and he'd let his own excitement at witnessing her first shift cloud his judgment.

Logan dropped to his knees beside her unconscious form, his hands hovering over her fevered skin as panic clawed at his throat. Her body burned like a furnace, sweat beading across her forehead despite the cool autumn air.

"Zoe." He gathered her naked body against his chest, her head falling back limply. Her breathing came in rapid, shallow pants that made his stomach clench with dread. "Come on, sweetheart. Stay with me."

She was burning up from the inside out, her hybrid body unable to process the massive energy expenditure of a full transformation. Logan's tactical mind raced through options, settling on the most immediate need—cooling her core temperature before the fever caused permanent damage.

He surged to his feet with Zoe cradled against him, her slight weight feeling precious and fragile in his arms. His combat boots pounded against the forest floor as he sprinted toward his cabin, his black henley already damp with sweat from her radiating heat.

Should have trained her gradually. Should have started with partial shifts, built up her tolerance slowly.

The self-recrimination burned almost as hot as her fever as Logan kicked open his back door and navigated straight to his bathroom. He balanced her against his chest with one arm while cranking the shower handle to its coldest setting with his free hand.

Without hesitation, Logan stepped fully clothed into the spray of frigid water, settling onto the shower floor with Zoe positioned across his lap. The shock of cold water hit his heated skin like a physical blow, but he ignored his own discomfort, focusing entirely on the woman in his arms.

"Come on, Zoe," he murmured against her temple as icy water cascaded over both their bodies. "Let the cold bring you back to me."

Her fevered skin began to cool incrementally, the dangerous flush fading from her cheeks. Logan's soaked henley and cargo pants clung uncomfortably to his body, but he remained motionless, letting the cold water work its magic while monitoring every subtle change in her breathing.

After what felt like an eternity but was probably only minutes, Zoe's eyes fluttered open. She jerked against him with a startled gasp, her hazel eyes wide and unfocused.

"Easy," Logan said, his voice rough with relief. "I've got you. You're safe."

"Logan?" Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "What—" A violent shiver wracked her frame as awareness returned, and she pressed closer to his warmth despite the cold water still pounding down on them.

"Your body overextended itself during the shift," Logan explained, one hand stroking her damp curls back from her face. "We need to stay here a few more minutes to make sure your temperature normalizes completely."

Zoe nodded weakly, her head falling back against his shoulder. Logan felt the exact moment her fever broke—her skin temperature dropping from dangerous to merely warm, her breathing evening out to a more normal rhythm.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much," she whispered. "But I think my teeth are about to start chattering."

Logan immediately shut off the water and rose with her still in his arms, grabbing a large towel from the nearby rack. He carried her to his bedroom and laid her gently on top of the covers, her naked body no longer alarmingly flushed.

"Let me dry you off before you catch a cold," Logan said, his voice gentler than he'd ever heard it. He worked the towel over her skin with careful efficiency, cataloging every inch to ensure the fever had truly passed.

Her breathing had steadied completely, and when their eyes met, hers held that familiar spark mixed with curiosity rather than the glassy confusion of fever.

Logan stripped off his soaked clothes and boots without ceremony, dropping the wet pieces in a heap on his bathroom floor.

He then returned to his bedroom and helped Zoe get under the covers before sliding into bed beside her.

He pulled her against his chest, skin to skin, letting his body heat warm her properly.

"Rest now," he commanded, his lips brushing against her hair. "Your body needs time to recover from what you just put it through."

"I'm sorry," Zoe murmured against his chest. "I didn't mean to?—"

"This wasn't your fault." Logan's arms tightened protectively around her. "I pushed you too hard and too fast."

She relaxed against him with a soft sigh, her breathing gradually slowing as sleep claimed her. Logan remained vigilantly awake, monitoring every breath and every subtle shift in her body temperature, his protective instincts fully engaged.

Never again, he vowed silently. I'll never let you get harmed again.

Logan felt the exact moment Zoe's consciousness fully returned.

Her breathing shifted from the deep rhythm of sleep to something more alert, her body tensing slightly against his before relaxing again.

He'd been awake for hours, his protective instincts refusing to let him rest until he was certain the crisis had passed.

"Feeling better?" he asked, his voice rough from hours of silent vigilance.

Zoe lifted her head from his chest, those extraordinary hazel eyes meeting his eyes with clear comprehension now.

"Much better," she said, then seemed to register their current position—their naked bodies pressed together under his covers, her leg draped over his thigh, and her hand splayed across the scarred terrain of his chest.

A flush crept up her neck, painting her cheeks a delicate rose. "This is... we're..."

"Naked," Logan supplied with characteristic bluntness, though something warm unfurled in his chest at her shy reaction. "Body heat was the most efficient way to regulate your temperature after the cold shower broke your fever."

"Right." She swallowed but made no move to extract herself from his arms. "Thank you. For taking care of me when I..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "I could have died from that fever, couldn't I?"

Logan's arms tightened fractionally around her. "Not on my watch." The words emerged with more intensity than he'd intended, but the memory of her burning up in his arms still clawed at his composure. "I should have anticipated the energy drain. Should have built up your tolerance gradually."

"Stop." Her hand pressed more firmly against his chest. "You were helping me connect with my wolf, and I did. It was incredible, Logan." Her eyes sparkled as she met his gaze. "And now that I know how it feels, and how to communicate with her properly, it'll get easier, right?"

Logan nodded. "Your body will adapt. The connection will strengthen, and the energy expenditure will decrease as you practice."

"See?" Zoe's eyes flashed gold with something that made his wolf stir restlessly. "Stop blaming yourself."

Before Logan could respond, she shifted against him, her body moving with deliberate purpose rather than accidental contact. "I want to thank you properly," she said, her voice dropping to something softer and more intimate. "For everything you've done for me. Everything you continue to do."

"Zoe—"

She silenced him by pressing her lips to his, the kiss hungry and possessive in a way that bypassed every rational thought in his mind.

Logan's control, already strained from hours of holding her naked body against his while denying himself anything beyond necessary comfort, snapped like an overtaxed wire.

His hand fisted in her curls as he deepened the kiss, his wolf howling with triumph at finally being allowed to claim what belonged to him. Every instinct urged him to take, to mark, and to make her irrevocably his.

"We should stop," he managed against her lips, though his body betrayed him by pulling her closer. "You're still recovering."

"I don't want to stop." Her teeth caught his lower lip in a gentle bite that sent fire straight to his groin. "Every time we start something, we get interrupted or you pull away. I don't want to stop this time."

The raw need in her voice combined with the feel of her naked curves pressed against him shattered the last of Logan's resistance. His wolf would not be denied any longer.

Logan rolled his body and pinned Zoe to the bed, his weight pressing her into the mattress as his mouth began its slow, deliberate exploration of her skin.

He started at her neck, his lips brushing against the sensitive curve before his tongue flicked out to taste her.

The faint salt of her skin mixed with something uniquely her—something sweet and intoxicating that made his wolf stir with approval.

He lingered there, nipping lightly at the tender flesh, earning a soft gasp from her that sent a rush of heat through him.

He trailed his lips downward, trying to map every inch of her body. Her collarbone was next, then the swell of her breasts, his tongue circling each peak until she arched into him with a breathless moan.