His lips curved as sounds from the working industrial area flowed in the wind around us. Shouts came from the factories, and cars revved as they drove by on the street. But nobody had seen us arrive. I had a feeling that none of the humans in the area would ever suspect that an immensely powerful supernatural had a man cave in their midst.

The Fire Wolf grasped my hand, his fingers threading through mine.

The abrupt feel of him had my throat tightening. I wanted to sink into that warmth. To revel in the feel of his body wrapped around mine, which made no sense.

I blamed it on my current state. I was tired, cold, and hungry. All I wanted was a hot shower, some food, and for this nightmare that was my life to be over. But at the moment, the feel of the Fire Wolf’s heated hand around mine was enough, and I allowed myself to enjoy it.

If he noticed my absurd desire again, he didn’t let on. Instead, we traveled together through the ward into his hidden lair.

Once inside, he pointed to a door that I’d missed earlier. “If you want to take a shower, go ahead, and there are plenty of clothes in that chest over there.” He pointed again, and I noticed a small storage box near the couch. I’d overlooked it earlier, thinking it was merely decorative furniture. “Feel free to grab something to wear after you clean up.”

The Fire Wolf still wore his pants and leather harness, but nothing else apart from that since his shirt had been ripped into ribbons. In the privacy of his dimly lit man cave, my eyes traveled over the thick slabs of muscle on his chest and tantalizing ridges on his stomach.

When I finished my perving, I made the mistake of glancing up at his face to find that he’d been watching me.

A knowing glint lit his eyes. I blushed. He’d literally just caught me red-handed checking him out. Could my life get any more embarrassing?

I made a beeline for the chest and grabbed the first pile of clothing my hands touched. I had no idea if any of the clothes would fit, but at this point I didn’t care. I just wanted to shower, get something warm and dry on, and fall into a dreamless sleep for as many hours as I could manage until we set out again.

Once safely locked in his bathroom, I did a quick rundown of what was on hand. The bathroom was small, but held all of the necessary cleansing products. Not wanting to linger, I took a hasty shower, scrubbing myself clean until my skin glowed pink and the disgusting grime from the insane asylum’s floor was washed from my hair.

Once I was toweled off, I slipped on a shirt that was about ten times too big for me but figured it made for decent pajamas. Given that it nearly fell to my knees, I didn’t even bother with pants. Those were probably too big for me anyway so would just fall off.

As soon as I emerged from the bathroom, I heard the hunter speaking quietly and realized he was on the phone.

“Nothing to report yet,” he said.

Silence followed as whoever he was speaking to must have been replying.

“I know,” the Fire Wolf said. “Yes, I’m aware of the time change. I’ll call again tomorrow when I have more info. Right now—” He spotted me, and for the merest second, his gaze skated down my body from my unbound breasts to my bare legs, before moving back up to linger on my chest.

With flaming cheeks, I realized I was seriously nipping out.

I hastily crossed my arms just as he abruptly gave me his back, then cleared his throat before saying into the phone, “I need to cut this short. I’ll call again later.”

He hung up before the person had a chance to reply, then slipped his phone into his back pocket. Keeping his gaze averted, he waved toward the bed. “There are clean sheets on it, and there’s food in the fridge. Help yourself and get some sleep. We won’t rest long.” He ran a hand through his hair, still refusing to look at me.

“Okay, thanks, and sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your call. Was it long distance?”

He raked a hand through his hair again, still looking away. “Yes. Overseas.”

Before I could ask anything further, he dipped into the bathroom.

Not sure if I’d imagined the sudden tension between us or not, I went to the kitchen and pulled out some of the high-calorie items. I hardly tasted any of it as I shoveled the food into my mouth and then drank what felt like a gallon of water.

My eyes were so heavy by the time I finished, I barely made it to the bed before I collapsed onto it. The Fire Wolf’s scent clouded around me—that tantalizing cedar and citrus aroma. Despite the fresh sheets, I smelled him everywhere.

That strangely alluring fragrance pulled me into a cloak of security, as if nothing bad could happen to me since I knew he was here. Of course, that was ludicrous. The man had threatened to dismember me if I touched him again, although strangely enough, he’d touched me more times than I could count.

And now that I had a minute to think about it, I realized that his first reaction when the warlocks had attacked was to save me not himself. And even though he’d told me back in Chicago that my death would be on me, not him, he’d seemed genuinely worried when he thought I’d been injured. Huh. Go figure.

I nibbled my lip as my lids grew heavier. First, he’d helped the homeless kid in the alley, and then he’d been more concerned about saving me than escaping from the warlocks.

Something told me that the Fire Wolf wasn’t as he seemed even though his badass persona had made him a legend in the dredges of society. But then I reminded myself about how easily he’d killed those half-demons and how he could turn lethal in an instant.

A yawn overtook me as images of my sister crept into my mind, but I shut those down as best I could. The hunter was right. Without rest and sleep, we were useless and wouldn’t be able to find her. It was time to stop thinking and sleep.

∞     ∞     ∞

I woke to the feeling of warmth surrounding me. I wanted to snuggle into it forever and burrow myself deeper into the source.

A deep rumble vibrated against me, the sensation making my toes curl as I sought the luscious heat. My fingers drifted over what felt like a hard limb encased in thick pants. Strange. That did not feel like my leg.

Whatever I was lying beside shifted, and I rolled slightly, right into a wall. I inhaled. No, not a wall. A body. It was just as hard and alluring as the thigh had been.

“Carlos?” The name slipped out, coming from my foggy brain. Is that where I was? Had I met up with Carlos after all and we’d had a drunken night after which I’d somehow ended up in his bed? Oh gods . . .

Another growl came. “Tala?”

My eyes flew open. Definitely not Carlos.

I blinked a few times as I tried to figure out where I was. The room was dark, and the heat I’d been feeling came directly from the body I’d rolled into. A rich citrusy cedar scent drifted toward me. Most definitely not Carlos.

“Fire Wolf.”

“You’re awake. Finally.”

I hastily pushed away from him, embarrassment flooding me when I realized my wandering fingers had danced across the hunter’s thigh in my sleep-induced state. I assumed my cheeks were bright pink, and I desperately hoped that the Fire Wolf couldn’t see in the dark.

He sat on the edge of the bed. A quick glance around reminded me that we were in his man cave. No drunken nights with my ex after all. Phew.

I pushed myself to sitting as he snapped a bedside lamp on. Soft light flooded the room. I tried to tidy the mess that was my hair but gave up when my fingers snagged in a snarl. “How long was I out?”

The hunter peered down at me, freshly shaved and once again dressed for combat. His gaze dipped, moving to my exposed thighs before he snapped his head up. “Five hours.”

Glancing down, I realized my shirt had ridden up . . . eek . . . really far. Thank you, underwear. At least I hadn’t just flashed the hunter my cooch.