As we traveled farther north, the blackening clouds seemed an ominous sign. Even if all we were going to do was discover the location of the lab and report back, we were at risk of being captured. If they believed we were Shifters, they’d do experiments on us. No law would protect us, because no law acknowledged our existence, except for our own. Maybe PETA would step in and rant about cruelty to animals—but we weren’t really “animals” in that sense. Nor were we completely human. I couldn’t help but wonder once again if the time had come for us to step out of the woods, so to speak.
About an hour before dusk, we ran out of gas. Rafe had made adjustments to his bike so it would go farther than most on a tank of gas, and I thought maybe the tank was larger as well. But even the best mechanic can’t foresee all possible mishaps, especially in a swath of wilderness this large. He didn’t seem at all bothered by our predicament, probably because he knew we were near one of our lairs, where we had provisions stored.
I didn’t mind walking. I was accustomed to hiking far and wide. Part of me wanted to walk fast and part of me wanted to take my time. Our lairs were usually built inside a mountain or a hill. They provided some comfort. Tonight Rafe and I would be alone in one. Would I be strong enough to resist the offer of another kiss? Would we sleep in each other’s arms again? And knowing that we were hidden away and completely safe, would we find the strength to resist temptation?
I glanced around at the familiar wilderness that suddenly felt foreign, violated. “What if they’ve set traps for us? They must know that if someone told us about a lab, we’d come searching for it.”
“Then let’s hope I fall into it and not you,” Rafe said. “I can shift and heal. You, I’d have to somehow take back to civilization.”
“You’re anticipating that we would escape from the trap. What if we get hauled to their lab?”
Reaching out, he softly touched my cheek. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Lindsey.”
I thought about his fight with the cougar. But Bio-Chrome was another kind of animal altogether.
“How could they build a lab so near the national forest without anyone noticing?” I asked.
“It’s a sparsely populated area, and we can’t patrol all of it all the time. I’ve heard about drug cartels growing their poppies and marijuana plants on government land—inside a national forest—right beneath the noses of rangers. It can’t all be watched.”
“I guess it would lose its appeal if we set up surveillance cameras everywhere.”
He glanced over at me and grinned. “Absolutely. No private moments for making out.”
His gaze dropped to my lips, which began to tingle, and I knew he was thinking about kissing me again. It was so tempting. I needed to think about something else. “So who do you think killed Dallas? Could it have been one of us? Someone who didn’t trust him? Or could it have been random?”
“Those are always possibilities, but I think it’s more likely that it was someone hired by Bio-Chrome. Dallas was going to betray them. And they’re not making a big fuss about coming after us because they want to keep our existence quiet. They’re trying to lay low, to avoid involving the authorities, until they have a formula or whatever they think they can create to duplicate our abilities.”
“What if we can’t stop them?”
“We’ll stop them.” Nonchalantly, he continued pushing the bike up an incline and through a crevice in the low-rising mountain.
He sounded so sure. He made me believe him, made me believe that everything was going to be all right. In such a short time, I was coming to know him so much better that more than just his kisses impressed me. He was a natural leader. We followed a winding path until we came to a spot where water babbled over small rock outcroppings and disappeared into an underground spring. I’d been here before; this was one of our lairs.
“Hold the bike,” Rafe ordered.
I watched as his muscles flexed when he rolled the large boulder aside. It was nearly nightfall as I slipped into the cool, dark cavern. As Rafe pushed his motorbike inside, I glanced around, trying to give my eyes a chance to adjust. I wanted to pretend we were in a magical place where the real world couldn’t interfere. When Rafe came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and kissed the nape of my neck, I twisted around and welcomed him. I knew I should object, but there was something about being in the dark that called to the wildness in me, just as he did. He trailed his mouth over the curve of my neck. Pleasure tiptoed along my spine, and I felt like a cat stretching in the sun. But even in the happy darkness with Rafe, I couldn’t help but think of Connor. Guilt hammered at me, and I stepped out of his embrace before his lips could settle again on mine.
A dim light suddenly illuminated the cave. I spun around, curious, and watched Rafe walk away from the battery-powered lantern he’d turned on. Reaching up, he dropped a black curtain over the entranceway, shutting out the world.
Rafe faced me, his gaze holding mine, and I could see in his eyes that he wanted me to give him more than I was ready to give. He wanted me to pretend that in this world there were only the two of us. I couldn’t deny that it was tempting. He’d come to me a few minutes ago. Now it was my turn to go to him. Before the night was over, I thought I probably would. How could I resist?
I wasn’t sure whether he read my mind or my face revealed how much I wanted him, but he gave me a slow, lazy smile, and his gaze grew warmer. He’d said he was patient, but even more important, he was understanding.
He walked over to a large plastic container and reached inside, then tossed me a can of Vienna sausages. Not my favorite, but I was hungry enough that I didn’t complain as I sat on the cool, hard ground. We stocked these places for emergencies. What was going on now certainly qualified.
“How do we know we’re headed in the right direction?” I asked.
Sitting on one of the crates that housed supplies, Rafe was enjoying his own can of sausages. “Dallas said the lab is in the northeast corner, so I know the direction is right. I’m hoping as we get nearer to the Bio-Chrome people, I’ll pick up their scents.”
“That would be easier if you could travel in wolf form.”
Shrugging, he grinned. “Easier, but not as much fun.”
“Yeah, I’m a real barrel of laughs.”