They’d been out in the forest for a good twenty minutes when Damon was tempted to head back.
Caleb was moaning, which was what he liked to do. He figured Caleb was lonely, just like him. They’d gotten the life they always wanted, the only problem was, they didn’t have the woman, and they both wanted one.
They wanted to start a family, keep their family name alive.
The right woman would have to live away from society and share her life with the two of them. It was more of a dream than an expectation. It would be a miracle for that to ever happen. What worthwhile woman would want to live out in the middle of nowhere with two very demanding men?
None came to mind.
He was just about to tell Caleb they should head back when he heard the moan. A feminine, pain-filled moan.
Bear whined, and as Damon shined his torch toward his dog, he saw him standing next to a large rock, and leaning up against it was a woman.
“Holy shit,” Caleb said.
They both rushed toward her.
Damon tried not to shine the light in her eyes, but she moaned, and her teeth chattered from the cold. Removing his coat, he wrapped it around her shoulders, and immediately began to check her over.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Caleb asked.
“It’s Opal. I was … part … of the … thing.”
“The thing?” Damon asked.
“The camping trip thing.”
Caleb asked her questions, and Damon held her hand as they discovered something was wrong with her ankle, and also, she’d banged her head pretty good against the rock. “We’ve got to move you, baby. You’re in good hands now. Nothing bad is going to happen to you.”
The moment Caleb lifted her up, she gave out a cry and then passed out in his arms. His brother gave a little grunt as he moved her into a more comfortable position.
“Damn, I didn’t expect her to slump down like that.”
“Do you have her?” Damon asked.
“Yeah, I’ve got her. We’re going to have to call the doctor to come out here and have a look at her. Go on ahead, Damon, we’ve got to make sure she’s okay.”
Damon followed Bear, who led the way back to their cabin. After opening the door, he was met by the warmth of the fire.
With the light, he saw the raven-haired beauty was covered in mud but beneath that, he saw a really beautiful woman.
Caleb placed her down on their sofa and stared at her ankle.
“What is it?”
“I don’t want to take that off in case something bad is going on.”
“You think it could be a break?” asked Damon.
“It’s something. The pain was enough to keep her ass sitting there in the rain, and when I lifted her she passed out.”
Caleb grabbed a couple of blankets, and Damon went to their supply closet to grab the thickest ones they could find.
“How long do you think she’s been out there?” Damon asked.
“A couple of days now. The camping trip left, remember?”
“Why would they leave a girl out there on her own?” Damon started to get angry. He was pissed off. If they hadn’t shown up, he had no doubt she’d be dead by morning.
He and Caleb had warned the organizers of the camping trips that they were fucking dangerous, and at every single turn they were thwarted. Not this time. This woman could have died out there, and no one had even sent out an alert of a missing woman.
“Call the doctor. Get him out here. I don’t want to risk moving her in case she’s taken a fall or something more.” Caleb reached out and slowly moved some of her hair off her face, which covered a large cut against her forehead.
“That doesn’t look good.”
“I have a feeling she tripped, fell against the rock, and hurt her ankle in the process. Anyone who’s not used to these forests can hurt themselves pretty easily.” Caleb cursed. “I’m making some tea.”
Grabbing the phone, Damon sat on the wooden coffee table, watching her as he waited for the doctor to answer his call. He gave him a rundown of what happened and hung up.
Without waiting for instructions from Caleb, he dialed the camping trip organizer, and didn’t give a fuck that it was nearly eleven at night. The moment Rich answered, Damon quizzed him.
“Do you have any fucking idea that you left a woman up in the forest? She’s fallen, you asshole, and was so far off the trail she could have died if it wasn’t for my dog!” His anger began to build as he thought about this poor woman out there all alone. They didn’t live in the suburbs. Their cabin was nestled in the most rugged wilderness one could find, thousands of acres of old-growth forest.
He held her hand tightly, knowing he wouldn’t let anything or anyone hurt her. As he did this, he also wondered where his possessive feelings had come from.
End of sample chapter
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