Her distress finally seemed to penetrate through to Mike as he sat in the snow next to her. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"No, Sera, he will not stay with her. He's more than likely going to kill her if he finds her."
"But she said she was stronger than him."
He ran a hand through his tangled hair. "She knows more about her powers, and she's more adept at using them than we are, but he will kill her."
"He seemed so unhappy when he left this morning," she whispered forlornly.
Mike tilted her chin up with his finger. "Trust me; he will be back. I've known Liam my entire life, and I've never seen him as happy as he is with you, or as possessive. He would walk through Hell to get back here for you, okay?"
She gnawed on her lower lip as she nodded. David burst out of the woods beside them. He was panting as he glowered at them. "Are you two trying to freeze to death? Get out of the freaking snow!"
Mike laughed and laid back. "I don't know; I think Sera's got the right idea. That cabin was driving me crazy too. The infuriated estrogen level was getting a little too high."
"Hey!" She punched him in the arm as he grinned up at her.
"You two have lost it," David muttered. "This shit sucks! I should know, I've been stuck in it for hours!"
"It's worse in there," Mike said. "Trust me."
"Yeah," Sera agreed. "I don't want to go back."
"You two are going to freeze to death out here, and then Liam is going to kill Doug and me."
"Oh, stop bitching," she said. "I'll freeze to death, not you; you don't die."
David gaped at her as Mike burst out laughing. "She's got you there!" Mike cried.
Sera laughed and picked up a handful of snow to throw at him. She caught him square in the face, stopping his laughter in mid-tirade. He blinked in surprise and then grabbed a handful of snow. She tried to scramble away, but it was too late, he grabbed the back of her shirt, and shoved snow down her sweater. She squealed as a freezing tremor racked through her. She jumped on him and began tossing and throwing snow.
"Children!" David yelled.
Sera stopped attacking Mike and lay panting on the ground. "I say we get him," she whispered.
Mike grinned at her, and they both hopped up and sprinted toward him. David didn't have enough time to get out of the way before Mike knocked him into the snow. Sera grabbed handfuls of snow as she charged forward to help Mike. They rolled around, shoving snow at each other as they squealed and laughed away some of their tension.
"What are you doing?" Liam roared.
They all froze, snow falling from their hands, as they stared guiltily at one another then at him. Liam and Jack stood a few feet from them. Sera's delight at seeing him vanished in the face of his obvious wrath. Jack looked extremely uncomfortable as he glanced at the three of them, and then at Liam. He took a small step away from Liam. Liam's eyes burned with fire as they landed on Mike's hand on her arm. Mike instantly released her.
"I told you to watch her!" he barked at Mike.
Mike ran a hand through his wet hair. "I am watching her."
"Hey, I do have a mind of my own! I'm not a child!" Sera yelled indignantly.
"You're acting like one!" Liam retorted.
Sera's mouth dropped open. She knew he was angry, and she supposed he had a right to be, but he was the one who left her alone all day. And now that she was finally having fun, she was not about to stop just because he was mad.
"Really?" She climbed to her feet and brushed the snow off her. David and Mike nervously shuffled along behind her.
"Yes, really."
"That's good to know."
She gathered the snow from her clothes and threw it at him. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Being a child."
She ran at him and flung herself forward. The force of her small impact was enough to knock him into the snow. He cried out in surprise as she shoved snow in his face. Then, he started to laugh as he rolled her over and pinned her down. She grinned up at him. His hair was now white, and wet, as it hung around his magnificent face. His eyes lit with desire, and her body immediately arched into his. For a moment, she forgot about everyone else as she gazed at him.
"Get him!" Mike yelled.
They were suddenly on top of them, throwing and tossing snow, screaming and yelling happily. Liam rolled off her as he tried to fend them off. She was instantly on her feet and joining in the fray.
Ten minutes later they lay spent and panting. Sera stared up at the stars, happy, tired, and freezing. Snow adhered to her clothes and skin. Her feet and hands were numb, but she didn't want to move. She didn't want to go back into that cabin to face Danielle and Kathleen.
"Come on," Liam said as he extended a hand to her.
"Do we have to?" she asked.
"You'll freeze to death."
"I think I might prefer it."
He smiled down at her as he took hold of her outstretched hand. "I'll give you a piggyback ride," he offered.
She wrapped her numb, wet legs around him as she tightened her arms around his neck. He carried her through the woods, moving with a swiftness that startled, and enthralled her. She nuzzled her face into his neck as she sought his warmth and strength. She kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too." Her smile was so angelic it melted his heart. He forced himself to look away from her before he was completely lost. "How have you been?" he asked David.
"Cold, and she seems
