Chapter 10

All Anders wanted to do was sleep. He ached all over, and the knowledge that the scent of blood searing his nostrils partially came from him was enough to make him dizzy.

"I can't believe you didn't heed me." Misti nudged a body with her human foot. She had been making the rounds, obviously ensuring all of the wolves had been killed.

He was curled up in a ball, human as well. Sleep might have claimed him for a moment or hours, but then he felt the ground vibrate near him. His eyes opened.

Misti towered over him for a moment, her face twisted with displeasure. "Why didn't you trust me? I was perfectly clear."

"You were. I just thought…" He couldn't confess what he had been thinking. It would set her off. And while he enjoyed her fiery temperament, right now, he couldn't handle it.

"You weren't thinking." Her hands touched his shoulder, and he winced. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to see where you're injured."

"It might be better to take note where I'm not hurt," he grumbled. "Aren't you hurting any?"

"Of course I am. I fought as hard as you did. But I hadn't been crushed between two werewolves. You might have cracked some ribs, if not broken them entirely."

"It sure feels like I did." He had been in his fair share of brawls before, but the vast majority had been in human form. After all, only on rare occasions had he been in contact with werewolves during his exile.

Never had he had his ass handed to him so badly.

"Well, you did fight admirably," she admitted as she continued her assessment. Despite the pain coursing throughout his body, he loved having her touch him. Her hands were so soft, gliding over his skin, hovering in places.

"I wasn't about to—ow!"

"Sorry. I'll have to clean this. There's a lot of dirt in this wound."

It was by his stomach. He hadn't even recalled getting clawed or bitten there.

He waited as she walked over to the stream and returned with a wet strip of cloth. She handed him a branch, and he took it begrudgingly, but he hadn't planned on using it.

But then she started to clean his wounds, and yeah, he bit down hard enough it snapped in half. Anders turned his head to the side and spat out the shards.

"I still want to know why you didn't listen."

"I… I… You're gonna be pissed," he warned.

"I'm already annoyed enough you didn't listen to me. You might as well tell me the truth."

"I wanted to protect you…" At her scowl, he rushed to add, "but I also wanted to show off too. Failed, didn't I?"

"Failed spectacularly." But she was laughing.

"Did I impress you at all?"

"Yes." She glanced away.

"What is it?"

"They were here to kill us."

"Yeah, but we killed them first. And none of them got away."

"We can't be sure of that. Once the sun comes up, we'll have to check out beyond the battlefield to see if one didn't hang back to act as a spy."

"Devious. Wouldn't put it past you Red Nightwalkers to do something like that."

"Ingenious," she retorted, "although that would leave us in a real bind. And speaking of binding, I need to check your ribs now."

Just wonderful.

Anders waved her off and managed to stand without assistance. It was bad enough he was so broken. He didn't want her to think him a complete invalid.

"Can you breathe without pain?" She hovered her finger near his chest but didn't touch him yet.

"No, but the pain's not just there."

"So I gather." She winced suddenly.

"You're hurt too. Once you fix me, I'll check you over."

"I'm fine."

"Please."

"If you insist." Her thumbs felt along his ribs. He winced and inhaled sharply. "I think… I think you might just have bruised ribs. You're lucky."

"Luck's one word for it."

She ripped a shirt from one of the dead wolves and used it to wrap around his torso. The feel of her stretching to reach around his back had him growing hard despite his wounds. Fighting also tended to make him feel more alive and want to share that with another, and honestly, that drive had never been stronger, and he suspected that had a lot more to do with the she-wolf standing before him.

Only a few small bites needed to be washed on her, and he took great care not to cause her any pain. When he had finished washing her and covering her wounds, he pulled her to his side.

"Gently," he murmured.

"You're the one wants me," she teased.

"I do, but I know you want me too."

Her fingers tickled under his chin before she cupped his face and pulled him toward her for a long, long kiss.

If he laid down, if she were to ride him, there wouldn't be any additional pressure on his ribs. Yes, that could work.

Anders deepened the kiss and ran his fingers up and down her back. Her nakedness only increased his desire, and he pressed himself against her, letting her know that.

She chuckled, but the sound turned into a satisfied sigh when his hand found her breasts and massaged her nipples. Right now wasn't about being rough. It was about being tender and passionate and…

Loving maybe.

As he held her and kissed her, he led her to a portion of the clearing where they could take this to the next level.

Only a figure emerged from the trees surrounding them. Instantly, Anders stiffened, pain radiating throughout his body.

"Jed?" Misti asked, twisting in Anders's arms to face the newcomer.

"Who the hell are you?" Anders growled.

"Who the hell are you to have your hands on my fiancée?"

Anders stared at Misti, hoping she'd deny the charge, but she was too busy looking at that Jed guy.

A fiancé. Just what he needed.

Bloody hell.