the intensity of which increased sharply as Kade's tempo increased. All too soon the shuddering took hold as pleasure ripped through my body, my mind. I gasped, grabbing the bench for support, my cries of pleasure joining Kade's as his own orgasm hit.
When the tremors finally eased, he laughed softly and rested his forehead against my back 'I think we both needed that.'
I smiled. 'I think we did.'
He dropped a kiss on my shoulder, then wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my back against his warm body. 'Next time I promise to take more time.'
I opened my mouth to reply, but in that moment, I heard it.
The faint scrape of nail against concrete.
We were no longer alone.
Chapter Three
I froze.
'What?' Kade asked immediately, his voice barely a whisper.
'Something's outside.' I scrambled to the window, carefully peering out. Nothing moved in the yard. Nothing but sunlight danced in the shadows of the trees.
Yet something was out there. I was growing more and more certain of it.
I ducked past the window. 'Check the back. I'll check the living room and side.'
He left the room. I crept into the living room and peered out the windows. No creature crept across the lawn or hid in the nearby trees. I retreated to the bathroom.
And heard a familiar rumble.
It was one of the orsini. Against all the odds, it had tracked us here. I wondered how far behind human pursuit was.
I went to the bedroom and grabbed some clothes, but left the shoes. Not only because they didn't look as if they'd fit, but because I didn't really need them. My feet had thick soles thanks to the fact I only wore shoes when I had to, and I suspected Kade, as a horse-shifter, would be the same.
He was standing to the side of the window when I got to the kitchen, but looked around as I entered. 'Nothing here.'
I tossed some clothes at him, noting with amusement that his cock was still ready to play. Obviously, not a man easily deterred. 'Did you ever see any of the creatures they had patrolling that place?'
He frowned. 'I saw a hairy thing once. Looked like a warped bear.'
'That's what's outside.'
He put on the black pants and shirt I'd given him. They were tight—not indecently tight, but not that far from it. Rhoan was going to blow a fuse—especially if Kade remained in his current state.
'How many?' he asked.
'It seems to be by itself, but more will surely be on their way.'
I put on the revolting floral shirt and black skirt I'd chosen for myself, but skipped the undies. Granny clothes I could handle, but granny knickers? No way.
I wrapped an old tie around my waist to keep the skirt up, then grabbed the phone and quickly dialed Jack's mobile number.
'Riley ?' he said immediately. 'Is there a problem?'
'Yeah. They've discovered us and we have to run. How far away are you?'
'Half an hour, at least.'
Not close enough to help us, then. 'Give us directions and a place to meet. We'll get there when we can.'
Rhoan was swearing in the background.
'There's a town called Leura about nine kilometers away from Bullaburra.' Jack hesitated, and I could hear my brother muttering instructions. 'According to the com-unit, there's a cabin resort there called Blue Haven. Rhoan's booking us a cabin. We'll be there in twenty.'
'We'll be there when we can.'
I hung up and met Kade's intense gaze. 'We have to leave.'
'That thing will track us.'
'Not if we stop it.'
He raised an eyebrow. 'You mean kill it?'
He didn't seem to fazed about it, but then, maybe horse-shifters had an entirely different set of sensibilities to wolves and other shifters. After all, the male of the breed collected and kept a herd. Maybe they saw killing as a necessary part of protecting that herd.
'I mean stop it. Any way we can.'
He nodded. 'There's twine in the drawer to your right. I'll get a knife, just in case it does come down to killing.'
I got the rope and the rolling pin that happened to be in the same drawer, and he got the knife. The scrape of nail came again, this time near the kitchen window.
Kade moved to my side, and leaned close, his lips brushing my ear as he said, 'How do you want to play this?'
'You hold it kinetically, and I'll bop it over the head and tie it up.'
'Where?'
I pointed to the window. He nodded and moved away. I took up my position, and raised an eyebrow in question. He nodded again.
I said, 'Hey,' as loud as I could, and that's all it took. The window exploded inward, the deadly shards of glass flying through the air as a mass of hair and snarls leapt into the room Kade froze it in midair, and I hit it across the head with the rolling pin, knocking it out. Then I grabbed the twine and tied all four legs together as well as its snout.
'Okay, you can let it—'
The rest of my words were cut off as a second mass of hair and teeth and claws leapt through the smashed window. It hit me chest-on, knocking me down and back I slid across the glass-covered floor, hissing in pain as I thrust out my hands, grabbing the thing by the throat and barely keeping the snarling, snapping teeth away from my face.
As suddenly as it had hit, it was torn away. There was a crash, then chair parts flew. I scrambled to my feet, saw the flash of metal in Kade's hand a second before he buried the blade in the creature's side.
The creature made an odd coughing sort of sound, and was still. Kade swung around and came to me.
'You all right?'
He didn't wait for my reply, but turned me around and studied my back Pain flared as he lifted the shirt and began to pluck shards of glass out of my back.
'We have to get moving,' I said, twitching under his touch.
'Two more pieces to go.' He plucked them out, then added, 'I doubt whether we'll get out of here without being seen.'
'Our only chance might be to run for the trees and edge our way around the town.'
'Once we're a safe distance away from this house, how about we steal a car?'
I turned. 'I thought you were a respectable builder?'
'Now, yes. As a youth?' He grinned, velvet eyes twinkling mischievously. 'Let's just say that stallions tend to be wilder than most teenagers. I've done things that would make your hair curl.' He caught several strands of my hair and tugged on them lightly. 'Which would actually look quite pretty.'
I smiled, rose up on my toes, and brushed a kiss across his lips. 'Thank you.'
His arm slipped around my waist, holding me carefully but close. 'What for?'
His breath teased my lips, and had me trembling. 'I'll explain when we have more time.'
