"Maybe she was a grandkid or something?"
Kathleen picked her pen up. "Yeah, maybe."
"She said she was going to a friend's cabin."
Kathleen glanced inquisitively at her as she lowered her pen again. "Sera, were you hallucinating or something?"
"No, I swear! Her name was Beth."
"The closest cabin is five miles away. Unless she was planning on spending all night walking, I doubt that's where she was going."
"I'm just telling you what she said."
"Maybe you misunderstood her."
"No, I understood her just fine."
"Then she must have been lying."
Sera glanced back out the window. She couldn't see anything through the snow blasting against the pane. Apprehension gnawed at her stomach as she noticed the sky darkening. She took another sip of hot chocolate and placed the cup on the counter. "Maybe," she replied. "But why would she?"
Kathleen wrote down an answer.
"Are you sure that's right?" Danielle demanded.
"It fits, doesn't it? She may have been too shy to come inside."
She didn't seem at all shy to Sera, but she couldn't think of any other reason. "Maybe," she agreed absently. "Do you think they're okay?"
"I'm sure they're fine, stop worrying about it. Why don't you take a shower before the electricity goes out? I'm sure they'll be back by the time you're done."
The idea of a shower was very tempting. She was exceptionally numb, and she needed a distraction from her anxiety. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll be back in a bit."
"The towels are in the hall closet!" Kathleen called after her.
Sera gathered dry clothes and practically leapt up the stairs as the warm shower beckoned to her. Stripping out of her wet clothes, she adjusted the shower to the hottest temperature she could stand and stepped inside. The driving needles and fiery warmth helped to melt some of the tension from her body. Once the sting of her frozen extremities began to fade, she savored the warmth of the water, and the steam rising around her while she leisurely washed her hair.
The shower curtain suddenly ripped open. She cried out as she instinctively covered her naked body. Liam grinned at her as he stepped into the large tub. "Jesus!" she gasped, her hand flying to her heart. "Don't do that! Didn't you ever see Psycho?"
He laughed as he wound his hands into her wet hair and pulled her closer to him. She scowled at him, not ready to forgive him for scaring her.
"Sorry," he mumbled as he dropped a light kiss on her mouth. "But the idea of sharing a shower with you was too tempting to resist."
Her irritation began to melt as he nibbled on her lower lip. Her hands fluttered to his chest. "You're freezing!" she cried as she dropped her hands.
He grinned at her as he stepped under the warm water. "Come here and warm me up."
She raised a haughty eyebrow at him. "You come in here, scare me to death, take over my hot water, and expect me to be accommodating?"
The sensual grin he shot her warmed her more than all the hot water in the world. "Yes."
She couldn't stop the small smile playing at the corner of her mouth. He tipped his head back to let the water run down his face and plaster his hair back. Sera's mouth went dry as her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest. He was magnificent. Water slid over his bronzed skin, ran over his broad shoulders and chest in tantalizing rivulets that made her wish her hands were the water. He was already rigid, and the throbbing tip of his shaft glistened with beads of water.
She swallowed heavily as her body grew taut with anticipation. She looked up to find him watching her with a small smile and a feral gleam in his emerald eyes. He opened his arms to her, and she went into them eagerly. His mouth was savage as it seized upon hers. Sera was instantly swept away by his ardent need and her own.
His hands grabbed hold of her waist as he lifted her up and thrust deeply into her. "Hold onto me," he grated hoarsely in her ear.
She wrapped her arms and legs around him as he turned her into the wall. He braced her firmly and used his hands to guide her movements as she slid leisurely up and down, him. The water ran over her, flowing down her breasts and dripping off her nipples. His mouth took hold of one of them; he sucked upon the sweet bud as he licked the water from her skin.
She cried out, arching against him as her fingers curled into his neck. His eyes landed upon the marks on her neck. His marks. His body tensed as a powerful hunger ripped through him. His teeth instantly lengthened, and the animal inside of him sprang forth. An inhuman urge to mark her once more gripped him. He wanted her sweet blood, needed the resurgence of strength it gave him. He wanted to brand her as his own again so everyone would know she belonged only to him. His hands tensed upon her hips, his need became savage as he relentlessly drove into her.
Her hands dug into his back as she sensed his urgency and met it. His mouth began to water as her head fell back and he could see the blood throbbing through her veins. He almost drove his teeth into her neck. Almost took her against her will. He managed to take a ragged breath and rip his gaze away from her tempting throat. He had to stop; he had to get away from her before he lost all control and devoured her completely.
"Sera," he grated. "Stop. We must stop!"
His words barely pierced her erotic haze. When they did, she dropped her head to gaze at him. His face twisted with beastly need, his teeth long and pointed. She could see the struggle for control in his clenched jaw and
