Undone

Chapter XIII

Kate gulped, a trickle of fear causing goosebumps to sprout across her skin. "What do you mean he's here because of me?"

Jeremy started walking, guiding her along beside him. "I didn't say he was, only that he may be. But we won't know for certain until I talk to him. There's a shed on the west side of the property, not far from here. We'll have to move quickly. If I could smell him, he's sure to have smelled you. I'll spin it someway, but he can't know that you're still here."

Grateful that she'd worn flat boots, Kate hurried alongside him as they headed deeper into the woods. Before long a rectangular wooden shelter came into view. "If I'd known I'd be camping out in a shack I would have worn a different outfit," she mumbled, trying to keep up with Jeremy's long strides.

Opening the shed's door, he walked in ahead of her and looked around. There were various supplies inside - some tins of paint and brushes neatly packed on shelves, gardening utensils, brooms and the like. "This should be fine." He turned and looked at her. "Keep the door closed. No matter what, don't leave unless I come get you or I send one of the others. Do you understand?"

"How long do you think you'll be?" she asked with a frown.

"Hopefully not long, but I can't be sure. Depends on why he's here."

Jeremy was being curt and impersonal, his demeanour almost businesslike in its efficiency and so at odds with the man who'd held her in his arms mere minutes before. Stepping towards him, Kate placed a hand on his chest, bewildered when he brushed her aside and moved towards the door.

"Jeremy?" Kate called after him, concerned by his apparent detachment. She was aware of the confusion in her voice, the tinge of worry.

Their eyes met and for a brief moment his indifferent mask slipped to reveal a glimpse of his unease. Within two long strides he was back at her side, drawing her close. His mouth crashed down on hers, robbing her of breath, the insistent pull of his lips coaxing a response from her. The kiss was hard and demanding, an edge of desperation to it. Kate couldn't help responding, a part of her sensing some inner struggle within him that she didn't understand, but still wanting to comfort him, to let him know everything would be alright, even if she couldn't be sure that it would.

All too soon he pulled back, his eyes burning into hers. "If you're still here by late afternoon, the temperature will drop suddenly. Keep as warm as you can. I will come for you when I'm able." He touched her cheek fleetingly, his mood softening infinitesimally. Then he was gone, closing the door firmly behind him.

Weak kneed, Kate sank down onto the rough wooden bench behind her, trying to gain some control over her frayed emotions. Trepidation filled her chest and rose into her throat, the feeling almost overpowering in its intensity.

Something was horribly wrong.

Sprinting through the woods at breakneck speed, Jeremy headed back towards Stonehaven. He couldn't believe how close he'd come to signing Kate's death warrant. Had Roman found her in the house, he would most likely have demanded that she be killed, even offer to do it himself. While Jeremy controlled his territory and what happened within it, there were some universal rules that did not go unchallenged; humans knowing about the existence of wolves were one of them.

With the wind whipping through his hair, Jeremy leapt across a fallen log, barely breaking stride. Not for the first time he wondered how they would make this relationship work, if it was even possible. Every part of his life held certain dangers that he couldn't escape. If it wasn't Roman, it would be someone else watching his every move, questioning his every decision. Despite not being particularly concerned about wolf politics or his ability to negotiate around it, things became inexplicably more complicated when a human was involved. Realisation was dawning, the haze of love momentarily receding as the truth fought to make itself known - pursuing a relationship with Kate would mean placing her life in perpetual danger, something he didn't think he'd ever feel comfortable doing.