Oh, he'd caught wind of her altered course. Thank goodness she'd worn her boots with traction. Something told her she was going to need it.
For now, she pressed closer, planning an attack from behind. He pivoted. "Ness."
She halted, hidden by several young cedar trees. Her heart beat so hard her ribs expanded.
His gaze swept the trees and then settled right where she stood.
Her mouth gaped open. No way could he see her. Excitement pumped through her, followed closely by arousal. Why this turned her on, she'd never know.
But she felt alive.
"We're done playing now. Come out," he ordered, warning glittering in those primal eyes. "If you make me come and get you, you'll regret it."
The male didn't know her at all. Even so, she didn't want this to end. Not yet. So she pushed her way out of the brush, stopping only yards from him. With his warning about shifters, had he really thought she'd run and hide? Cower from him? Not a chance in blooming hell. "Tired of chasing, shifter?" she asked.
A low rumble spilled from his chest.
Her thighs trembled in response. Yes. This.
"Come here," he rasped.
She forced a laugh. "Why? You too tired?"
Warning flared hot and bright in his eyes. His fists clenched. "No. You turned and started running the wrong way."
She frowned. The wrong way? Oh. He'd wanted to chase her to the safe and warm fire in the cabin-because she wasn't a shifter. She wasn't as strong as a shifter mate. Boy, did he have that wrong. "The trail leads to your cabin."
"Yeah." He cocked his head to the side, looking not quite human. Like something more . . . something that stalked prey.
A shiver trembled down her back. If she was going to do this, she wasn't holding back. More important, she wasn't going to let him hold back. Not with this. "Don't think you can take me out here?" She spread her arms through the falling snow. "Too much for you?"
His breath steamed the air. "What are you playing at?"
That was just it. She wasn't playing. Keeping his gaze, she walked toward him, noting how his shoulders relaxed with each step.
"Good girl," he said.
Her smile should've provided warning. "I'm not that easy, shifter."
His eyes burned. Yeah, he didn't like it when she called him that. Her smile widened. "You want me? You're going to have to earn it." Before he could respond, she twisted her body and aimed a roundhouse kick to his ribs, followed by a side kick to his left knee. He coughed and went down, surprise darkening his face.
Leading with her left, she punched him in the cheek. His head rocked, and he fell sideways.
Sucking in as much air as she could take, she turned and ran. Instinct grabbed her tight, and she let it rule, jumping over bushes and between trees-away from the main trail.
A roar echoed through the entire forest from behind her.
She stopped breathing. God. What had she done? He was already up and after her.
Rain mixed with the snow, soaking her suit jacket. Water matted her skirt, hindering her movements. Her boots squished in snow turning muddy and sticking. At least there were only a couple inches on the ground.
Bear yelled her name from somewhere behind her. The anger in it, the passion, made her run faster.
Thunder cracked the sky open as if in agreement.
She slipped on a patch of ice, her arms windmilling. Regaining her balance, she leaned against a cold spruce tree and panted in air, trying to get her bearings. The trees, their limbs dusted with snow, rose high and quiet around her. No other sounds pierced the forest.
Silence.
The silence of a stalking predator. His essence, his determination, his very intent rode the wind.
A sense of urgency shot through her limbs. She moved deeper into the forest. A branch cracked to her left. She turned right, hustling for a narrow trail, hunching her shoulders against the wind. A shiver took her.
The cold engulfed her hands, and she shoved them into her pockets, trying to keep her balance.
A sound to her right.
She switched directions again. Then again.
A thick stand of trees stood in her way, so she maneuvered around them, emerging at the back of the cabin. Bear's cabin. Her ears rang. He had herded her there. She whirled around to find the threat.
He strode out of the forest, his shoulders wide, his face hard. His clothes were plastered to his body, outlining every defined muscle and tendon. His shaggy hair was wild in the crazy wind. But his eyes. They glowed a supernatural color. With something feral and unreachable.
She took a step back, unable to stop herself.
Thunder cracked, and she jerked.