He pulled her into his embrace and plundered her mouth.
His kiss was intense and passionate and, in many ways, an affirmation of territory. No one touches what is mine , he'd said. Her heart did a joyful little dance, but she had to wonder if he was even aware he'd said those words.
"Next time tell me it's a werewolf coming down the tunnel," he growled when he finally broke away.
His breathing was as harsh as hers, and his desire thrummed through every fibre of her being, stirring her in ways she'd never dreamed possible. But right now, it was a need they both had to ignore.
"Next time trust me to take care of myself," she bit back.
"Where in hell have you left the kids?"
"They're safe." He swept up her sweater and tossed it to her. "Put that on so we can get out of here."
Once she pulled on the sweater, he grabbed her hand and led her out of the cave. When they were under the canopy of the forest, she dug the cell phone out of her pocket and dialled her grandmother. "Where are we?" she said to Ethan as she waited for the call to be put through.
"Tell her to meet us on Mountain Road, near the Agness signpost."
"You have the kids?" Gwen questioned in her ear.
"Yes." Kat quickly passed on Ethan's instructions. "I think it would be wise to get to a safer area before we hand the kids over."
"I'll arrange it."
"Good. And bring a couple of full kits. The soul sucker still isn't in the cavern, so it might be a good time to check out whether she is breeding or not."
"Will do. See you in ten."
She hung up and stopped as Ethan stopped. He whipped away a couple of leafy branches that had been piled on top of each other, revealing the two girls tucked safely in a small depression. He picked them up and glanced at her.
"We haven't got far to go," he said.
No, they didn't. Soon it would be over, and he hadn't yet answered the question she'd raised in the tunnel.
She had a bad feeling he never would.
By the time they reached the road, Gwen was already waiting. Ethan eased the two girls into the back seat of the car, carefully buckling the seat belt around their limp, sleeping bodies. Gwen checked them over and declared them both healthy and unhurt, even though both looked a little gaunt, Janie in particular. He should have been relieved. He wasn't.
Because this case was no longer solely about rescuing his niece. Someone else had entered the picture. Entered his life.
He could feel Kat's gaze on him. She was waiting for an answer, but there was nothing more he could say to her.
He didn't know what he felt for her. Yes, he wanted her.
Yes, he cared for her more than he'd cared for any other woman since Jacinta. And he'd already told her both those things. If that wasn't enough, then too bad, because he wasn't going to lie.
But at the same time, he had to wonder if he was lying to himself.
He slammed the car door shut then glanced skyward.
Though he could no longer see the moon, the power of it thrummed through his veins. But there was a very different feel about that force now. It was intense, yes, but it was also controllable. In past months, past years, he'd spent this day in bed, unable to do anything more than sate his moon-spun lust with a willing woman. He'd never been fussy about who his partners where and while in recent years he'd started seeing the same few faces, it hadn't always been that way.
Yet right now, he didn't hunger for just any woman, only the one, and the mere act of thinking about her had blood surging to his groin. But it wasn't the must-have-you-now heat of a werewolf in the midst of rutting fever. It was deeper than that. Richer than that.
Love.
But a werewolf couldn't love twice. That was part of what they were. Part of the law of the moon. Once his heart had been given there was no going back. No second chances. He couldn't love Kat because he had loved Jacinta.
Hadn't he?
For the first time in his life, he wasn't so sure. But he wasn't about to say anything to Kat. He didn't want to raise her hopes only to dash them again. And if he couldn't love her, he couldn't stay in her life. He might hunger for her, but she deserved far more than that.
Yet even the thought of leaving her formed a cold, hard lump in his gut.
He took a deep breath then turned and walked around the car. She was still watching him, her big green eyes both warm and wary.
"All set," he said, stopping beside Gwen.
"I'll just go check the kiddies a final time." Gwen reached up and kissed his cheek. "You be careful, wolf. And if all else fails, talk to your brother."
He gave her a sharp glance, but she merely smiled and turned away. He returned his gaze to Kat's. "What did she mean?"
Her shrug was tired. "I don't know."
He touched her cheek, running his fingers down to the warm mouth he couldn't seem to taste enough. A tremor ran through her and her lips parted, as if she couldn't breathe enough air. This close to her, he felt exactly the same way.
It had never been like this with Jacinta. Intense, exciting, lustful, yes. But the air had never burned with heat the minute she walked into a room, and her smile had never done strange things to his heart.
"Tell me what happened by the stream," he said softly.
Her gaze searched his, then she sighed. It was a mournful sound. "You thought I was Jacinta."
That explained the hurt he sensed in her. "And?"
Her gaze slide away. "And you said some crazy things to the moon."
So he had performed the ceremony. Yet the moon binding couldn't have worked if it had been Jacinta he'd been seeing in his mind. And it certainly hadn't been Jacinta's name he'd howled to the moon. That much he did remember.
"Did you take the condoms from my pocket to hide the fact we hadn't used them?" It was a guess, but it was a fairly safe one.
"Believe me, we didn't create life last night." Her voice was almost bitter, but there was an undercurrent that troubled him.
"How can you be so certain?" Because if he'd performed that ceremony she would be pregnant. New life was part of the moon's gift and always the final outcome. But even if he hadn't finished the spell, werewolves tended to be extremely fertile while in moon fever.
The image of her pregnant, her belly round and full with his child, sent a surge of fierce satisfaction through his veins. He wanted that image. Desperately.
Her gaze flashed to his. "I'm a witch. We know these things."
He cupped her cheek again, then leaned forward and brushed a kiss across her sweet lips. "When I drop off Janie and Karen, I'm coming back." For you, he thought, but didn't say the words aloud.
Her gaze searched his. "Why?"
"Because we need to talk."
"Do we have anything to talk about? I think you've already made your intentions more than clear."
Intentions could change. Had changed. He might be uncertain about the true depths of his feelings, but he was certain of one thing. He couldn't let her go.
"Time to move, people," Gwen said behind them.
"You be careful in there," he said and kissed her again, fiercer and harder than before.
Then he let her go and stepped back. She stepped past him then hesitated, looking back over her shoulder. "I meant what I said in the cavern. Until you can give me an answer, don't bother coming back."
She grabbed a pack from Gwen and threw it around her shoulders, then the two of them disappeared into the trees.
He fought the temptation to follow them and climbed into the car. Janie and the other little girl were his priority, his responsibility, and before he could do anything else, he had to ensure they got to the meeting point Gwen had arranged with Benton.
But it was the longest half hour of his life.
An armada of cars awaited him. Benton obviously wasn't taking any chances. Medical personnel rushed over as he climbed out, sweeping the two girls toward waiting ambulances. His brother appeared out of the flow of people, a mirror image of himself except for the eyes.