She leaned her shoulder against the tree and pulled out the knife. A powerful confidence came over her. Ethan had told her that when she learned to protect herself with the weapons he’d provided, she’d be allowed to shift. For some reason, he believed she must be at her most vulnerable state before she could grow strong.
Whatever the heck that was supposed to mean.
She didn’t understand some of his
philosophy. Females had the ability to shift the moment they were mated. It’d been a week already, and every day her wolf showed her she wanted to come out.
She could feel the pressure building inside her, urging her to let her control slip and her wolf take the forefront. She gazed down at the blade. Ethan wanted her to wait until she had the skills to protect herself in case she ever got caught unaware.
Anxious to try again, to find out if she’d finally figured out the technique, she sprinted back to the cabin. Positioning her body, she grasped the knife, rocked from heel to toe and let go.
“Yes!”
After throwing ten more times, she was certain that Ethan would claim she’d mastered the skill when he got home. She wrinkled her nose. “Ethan? Can you hear me?” Dani stuck the knife in the leather sheath Ethan had fashioned for the back of her jeans and strolled down the tire tracks in the direction he’d driven the truck. He didn’t answer her, but telepathic communication only worked if your mate was within close vicinity. Mate.
She stopped and smiled before heading to the cabin. She still wasn’t used to suddenly being concerned about another person’s whereabouts, happiness, and satisfaction. She picked up her pace and hurried into the house.
She’d surprise him with dinner when he got home. Maybe afterwards, he’d let her shift.
Frowning, she grabbed two store-bought pot pies out of the almost bare freezer and shook her head. This was no way for a man the size of Ethan to eat. When they returned to Drover, she’d feed her mate right. She might not be the best fighter, but she was a damn fine cook.
A low rumble distracted her from putting the pies in the oven. She rushed to the door, flung it open, and jumped the steps into the yard.
Finally.
The county fire ranger truck pulled up in front, the passenger door opened, and Ethan climbed out. He waved to the man inside and turned toward the house carrying a sack. Dani hooked her thumbs into the front pocket of her jeans and smiled. She’d missed him.
Ethan grabbed her around the waist with his free hand, pulled her close, and leaned down to nuzzle her neck. She laughed. “What do you have?”
He stepped back without letting her go.
“Dinner. Roast beef sandwiches with the works.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” She snatched the bag out of his grasp. “You have a serious food shortage here. I can’t wait to fix you a real home cooked meal. None of those frozen entrees that taste like cardboard with gravy poured over them.” She held the bag up to her nose and inhaled deeply. “That smells so good. I can’t believe how starved I am.”
Ethan chuckled. “How did you do with the knife throwing?”
She lowered the bag and bounced on her toes. “I did it. After you left, I thought I’d never get the hang of it, but once I did it, I stayed consistent and hit the tree exactly the way I was supposed to do every single time.”
“Here, give me the food and show me what you can do. Good luck.” He kissed her lips and took the bag.
Dani stepped a couple feet away, slipped her knife out of the sheath, and without taking all the premeditated moves from earlier, threw the knife straight into the tree. She turned and grinned. “I’m good, huh?”
Ethan laughed. “You’ve made great progress this week. You can shoot the pistols, rifles, throw knives, and next we’ll work on your fighting skills.” He lost his smile and the lines on his forehead returned.
“What are you thinking? If it’s about your plan to teach me how to protect myself, I’m learning. I’ll do it. You just said I was doing well.
I’ll become a skilled fighter.”
“This is serious. I don’t think you have any idea what we’re getting ourselves into.” He motioned for her to follow him. “We’ll eat out here.”
She sat across from him on the picnic table at the side of the cabin and took a sandwich.
“Ethan, I know what I have to do. My life would mean nothing if I walked away and left my brother’s fate to Greggoire. You’ve taught me so much already. You have the weapons that will kill him. We can do this. I know we can.”
“It takes more than silver bullets and silver-coated blades to kill a werewolf.” He bit into the bread, chewed, and swallowed. “Packmates you thought were your friends will come after you….me. It’s in our blood to protect the alpha.