Forever Bound Series 1-4(63)

“There’s a vamp hunting you,” he told her. Hell, it was probably a whole gang of vamps now. “You really think I’d just leave you on your own?”

No. Her hand lifted and slowly, so slowly, her gaze met his. Her fingers touched his hand. Tentative. Soft. “I lied,” she whispered.

His fingers closed around hers. “What?” But he already knew and if she wanted to confess to him, he’d damn well listen.

He should have met her here, at Lost Lake. He should have told Jeremiah to screw off, that he was still heading out to meet Paige and that he’d just wait for her to show.

If he’d gone then, they would have been married by now. Had children. Had a f*cking perfect life.

It was all his fault.

But then he heard the growl of an engine. No, not just one engine. Two. Three.

Coming close.

Too fast.

Far too fast.

Her eyes still held his. “I lied,” she said again, then she jerked her hand free from his grip and shoved against his chest. “Run!”

The vampires were coming.

“Shift! Turn back into a wolf!” Paige yelled at him. “You can outrun them, you can get away!”

“Not without you.” His claws tore through his flesh. He’d be damned if he left her behind.

She shook her head and shoved harder against him. “It’s not about me. They don’t want me.”

But–but she’d told him–the vampire she’d called Gabe–

“They want you,” she said, voice stark and sad. Her eyes had never looked bigger. Or sadder. “And Gabe always planned to use me…in order to get you.”

He could see the light from the snowmobiles cutting through the darkness. The vamps were closing in on them.

The vamps wouldn’t get them, though. Dumbasses. Drake knew this land so well.

Better than any vampire ever could. His beast ran free often. Knew every fallen tree. Every secret bend. Every dark cave.

Every hiding spot.

“Run with me,” he told her. Because right then, it wasn’t about fighting, even though the beast within was roaring for blood. That moment was about protecting Paige. Getting her to safety.

Then coming back to cut down all the vampires after him.

She nodded, and they took off, racing not around the lake, but right across it. It was icy and slick beneath their feet, frozen solid, and by going straight across that cold surface, they saved valuable time.

The ice wouldn’t break. Not for months.

They cleared the lake. Entered the edge of the forest, where the heavy weight of the snow had bent the trees. Because they’d gone right across the lake then leapt into the woods, they didn’t leave any footprints behind.

Well, no footprints that would be seen immediately. The vamps would have to search first, scanning every edge of the woods, then if they got lucky, they might see the tracks just past the trees but–

But it was starting to snow again.

Hell, yes. The snow came down, brushing against his skin as they ran. The fresh snow would cover any tracks they left behind.

A wolf would have been able to track them through the snow. Vamps were no match for wolves when it came to stalking prey.

No match.

Paige stumbled and would have fallen, but he just grabbed her and hoisted her into his arms. Her weight didn’t slow him. He pushed faster. Held her tighter.

He leapt easily over the dead trees, the rough rocks. Faster…

Drake turned abruptly, heading toward the cabin that he knew would be waiting. Small, non-descript, the snow almost hid it completely from view. But he knew the cabin was there, waiting.

The vamps wouldn’t be so lucky. Unless they knew the specific location of this safe house, they’d never find it in the darkness.

He punched in the security code, then shouldered open the door. Still holding her tightly, Drake carried Paige inside. The interior was pitch black, and their ragged breathing seemed to echo in the tight space.

“We can’t stay here,” Paige said, voice desperate. Her nails sank into his shoulder. “We need to get back to the compound. They’ll find you here! You can’t face all of them on your own!”

He put her down beside him. The cabin was sparsely furnished in this area–containing just a bed and an old table. But looks could be deceiving. Drake bent down and yanked back an old rug, a rug that had covered a trapdoor on the floor. When he’d had the cabin built, Drake had made sure that the trapdoor blended seamlessly with the floor. He pressed against the wood, in just the right spot. With a creak, the trapdoor opened, revealing the gaping entrance that led below.

He’d created this safe house for any wolf shifters who got caught outside the compound during the winter storms. The place was supposed to be a safe harbor for them.

One with all the benefits and security that a wolf needed.

Paige crept down the stairs. He shut the door behind her. Bolted it. Then punched in a series of codes on the alarm pad.

There was a faint hum, then a steel door slid closed above him, covering the wood. Lights flickered on, one after the other, revealing an area twice as big as the cabin above them.

One wall was composed of monitors. A security station that showed all the area around the cabin, just in case any unwanted guests came calling.

There was a bed. A desk. A cabinet full of food.

All the comforts of home and all the security of a mini-fortress.