an hour. If she had escaped, he would probably never see her again. His fingers fumbled as he picked the lock. He eased the door open. She lay on the bed, asleep, one arm dangling from the headboard. His gut tightened. He walked over to her, torn between dread and relief that she hadn’t left. She was going to be furious. He was angry at himself for not putting the clues together—her panic after the lake and the scream in the bathroom—and angry at her for not telling him. Didn’t she know by now that he would move heaven and earth to protect her?
He looked at the shackles holding her to the bed and realized he had come close to doing that. He hadn’t thought twice about it. He’d let concern for her make him forget the rules. Again. He rubbed the brand on his wrist, imagining the Council’s outrage if they found out. Michael wouldn’t be happy about it, either. Well, the Council and Michael didn’t have the troublesome task of protecting Shay.
Cody debated whether to leave her shackled while he explained why he locked her up. Either way, there would be hell to pay. What really worried him was what she would do when she found out he hadn’t told her the whole truth. And he would have to tell her soon.
A voice came from the doorway. “Hey, we’re heading back to the house—hell’s bells, you didn’t.” Lach gaped at the shackles on Shay’s wrist. “Are you out of your bloody mind?”
“I had to do something fast. She was trying to get outside and track down her stalker. It was either use the shackles or sit on her.” He knew they wouldn’t hurt her, he’d used them once on a minion.
“You’d better hope the Council doesn’t find out. I don’t care if you have suspended an ancient demon, they’d rip you apart for this.”
“I couldn’t let her go running around with a stalker on the loose. There isn’t a chance in hell that he’s human. He was too strong and too fast. I have to protect her.”
“You’d better think about protecting yourself. When she wakes up, she’s going to be loaded for bear. I just saw her finger twitch. I’m out of here.” Lach gave him a nasty grin. “Have fun.”
Cody sighed. Might as well get it over with. He removed the shackles, returned them, and bent over her. “Shay, wake up.”
Her eyes flew open. She planted both hands against his chest and shoved, knocking him on his back, then sprang on top of him. “How dare you handcuff me to a bed?” she yelled, punctuating each word with a shake that rattled his brain. He didn’t fight back. She had to get it out of her system, and he didn’t blame her. He’d be more than pissed if someone shackled him.
She landed a fist into his stomach, and the breath rushed out of him. Okay, enough was enough. He captured her hands and rolled, trapping her under him.
“Get off me, you oaf.”
“I’ll get off when you stop beating the snot out of me.”
She let out a war cry and lunged for his throat, teeth bared. Intrigued, he hesitated a second too long, and she sank her teeth into his neck. A jolt of desire shot straight to his groin. He’d never been one for the rough stuff, but damn! He pulled back before she could do more than leave a bruise. He trapped her legs with his and held her hands above her head, letting his full weight press her into the soft mattress. She still struggled but could move only enough to get him excited.
“I’m sorry, Shay. I had to do it. It was too dangerous to let you go traipsing through the woods. I had to keep you safe.”
“What if he was hiding in one of the other bedrooms and sneaked in here while I was handcuffed to the bed? You left me so I couldn’t even protect myself.”
“Lach heard him out in the woods, but that’s why I locked the door, just in case. If this guy had broken it down to get to you, you would’ve screamed, and I would’ve come running. I was never far from the house. I heard every name you called me.”
Her eyes still flashed fire, but her breath was steadier, and she kept glancing at his mouth. He thought that was a good thing. He wondered if she’d calmed enough not to hit him, because he should move. She had to notice the effect all the wiggling around was having on him. He felt her hips push against his, and he groaned. He relaxed his grip and lowered his head, letting his lips touch her chin. He kissed his way to her mouth, and she head-butted him in the nose.
While the stars exploded in his head, she shoved him aside and bolted out the door. He jumped up and went after her as she pounded down the stairs. He caught up with her outside. She was swinging her purse like a whip, headed for the car.
“Where are you going?” he demanded.
“Get away from me.”
“You can’t leave.”
“Watch me.” She opened the door. “I’m tired of people hiding things from me. I thought you were going to stop. Now you’re handcuffing me to the bed.”
“I explained it to you.”
“Don’t touch me,” she said, jerking away when he grabbed her arm.
“You’re not leaving.”
Shay straightened her shoulders. “You can’t stop me.”
He grabbed her, tossed her over his shoulder, kicked the car door shut, and stomped up the steps.
“Put me down!” Shay kicked and twisted, cursing at him. He dumped her on her feet inside the door.
She blew her hair out of her face, and as soon as she could see, she threw a punch at his chin. He deflected it and grabbed her arm. “Stop hitting me.”
“How dare you throw me over your shoulder like some kind of caveman,” she spat, trying to wrench her arm free. It didn’t work, so she used her knee.
“Ah, not there.” Cody trapped her knee. “I made the mistake of letting you leave here nine years ago without
