Saving the Beast(32)

“It could just be hikers. Kenzie said there have been a lot of them around lately,” Diane said softly, sitting in the opening and hurriedly putting on her boots.

“Doesn’t matter,” Zane grunted. “I’m on the edge here. If one of them looked at you the wrong way or God forbid tried to touch you, I’d rip them apart.”

“I’m yours, Zane. Only yours,” she assured him.

“I know that, but the beast is riding me hard. I might not be able to fight the instincts of my animal right now.”

Diane nodded and ducked out of the tent opening as she stood. She reached behind her, and he noticed she’d rolled up the sleeping bag and had it ready to go. Together, they made quick work of the tent. He used his boot to scuff over the marks the stakes had made. If anyone came across this spot, they would know someone had been here, but there was nothing else Zane could do about that.

“Are we going to Kenzie?” Diane whispered.

Zane shook his head. “No. Her scent isn’t strong, which means she’s moved farther away.”

“She wouldn’t have left us,” Diane said with a shake of her head.

“She would have expected me to pick up on the fact someone else was here,” Zane countered. “And she would have put distance between herself and whoever is out here. She’s probably hidden somewhere, waiting to get a visual on them.”

“We can’t just leave her out there on her own.”

“My first priority is to get you somewhere safe. Then I’ll go help Kenzie if I can,” Zane informed her. He knew it would all depend on how intense the fever was. There was too much tearing through him right now, demanding he stay with Diane.

“But—” Diane began, but Zane cut her off.

“The more time you argue, the more you tempt the beast to bend you over and fuck you into submission. Whoever is out there could show up while I’m taking you. Do you want to watch me kill them? Because I will. The moment their eyes land on you with lust, I’ll snap their necks.” His voice was hard and commanding, but she had to learn now that he expected her to obey. He would never tell her to do anything she was dead set against, unless it was dealing with her safety. On that he would not be ignored. She was too important.

Diane glared at him then shook her head again and reached for her backpack. He grabbed it first and slung it over his shoulder. She stood for another moment then blew out a breath of air.

“Are we heading back?”

“No. I don’t want to take the chance of leading someone to Tah and the others. Plus, there’s too much distance to cross. I don’t want to be caught in the open with you when I don’t know for sure who’s out there. I know of a cabin not far from here. I found it when I was prowling the area. It hasn’t been used in a while. I slept there the first few nights I was here. It’s a little dirty but habitable.”

She nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Diane…”

She smiled softly. “I understand,” she promised. “You lead the way. I’ll follow as quietly as I can.”

“My senses aren’t what they should be right now,” he warned her. “My focus isn’t, either. It’s all wrapped up in you. The fever, your heat and now the possibility of danger… It only sharpens my concentration toward you.”

“And I’m putting us both in danger,” Diane said, lifting one hand to touch his chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. Thank you for explaining it to me.” She slipped her hand down to give his a squeeze. “I’m ready when you are. No more questions.”

His heart swelled with pride for this woman, his mate. They made quick time through the thick trees toward the cabin Zane had in mind. If he’d been thinking with anything other than his dick yesterday, he would have already taken her there. He stopped every few minutes to sniff the air and make sure the strange scents weren’t getting closer to them. He didn’t want to admit it to Diane, but he was worried about Kenzie. Diane was right. Kenzie wouldn’t have left them. She would have come barreling into the clearing they’d been in and told them to get the hell out of Dodge. But he’d kept that to himself. It would only upset his mate more.

“It’s just ahead,” he told Diane, pointing to a break in the trees.

She nodded, pressing close against his back where he’d stopped. Her scent wrapped around him, filling his head and igniting his blood. She was ripe and ready, her body begging for his seed. The heat. God, why did she have to be in heat? It would make it next to impossible for him to leave her. There would be no way he even could until he’d tasted her sweet flesh one more time and marked her with his seed.