Legend of the White Wolf

Chapter 12

UNABLE TO SLEEP AFTER ALL SHE'D WITNESSED, FAITH rolled over and felt Charles's pulse again. Normal. His breathing was steady. She sighed and hoped in another couple of hours, he'd be feeling well enough to make the journey. And that she could drive a team without any problem.

She bumped against something plastic, wondered what it was, then realized it was the first aid kit. Damn. She'd meant to tend to Cameron's wound.

She couldn't get the look of hurt in Cameron's expression out of her mind—although he'd quickly hid it when she'd chosen to stay with Charles instead of him—but she had to watch over Charles. Beyond that, yeah, she couldn't have stayed with Cameron. She just couldn't have—not in light of what had happened. She didn't want to think about why he was naked either, or how he could have survived in the cold that way for long. Only one conclusion she could come up with, and that was too bizarre to contemplate. But the wolf had been chasing her and then all of a sudden she was pinned beneath Cameron's naked body? He hadn't shouted to her he was coming to save her, nothing. Just one pounce and she was face down in the snow, and then he was on top of her, heating her backside.

Not only that, but their savior wolf had miraculously vanished. If he hadn't, she still would have wondered what Cameron was doing freezing his naked ass off in the Maine wilderness. And how had he been injured? Wolf bite for sure. But when and where? He sure hadn't freely offered any explanations either and that didn't bode well.

But even so, she'd meant to treat his injury.

Grabbing the first aid kit, she crawled out of the sleeping bag and tent. Several of the dogs lifted their heads and watched her. She shushed them before they ran to greet her.

She peeked inside Cameron's dark tent, but she couldn't see anything. She hesitated. Maybe this was a stupid idea if he was sleeping soundly, and she should just skip it. But his bite wound had looked nasty, she'd promised, and besides, it might soothe his pride that she hadn't stayed with him.

She crawled into the tent, opened up the first aid kit, and pulled out the ointment and bandages. Then she reached for Cameron's arm, to shake him slightly and wake him so she could ask him to turn on his lantern, and she'd doctor him.

Bad plan. Her fingers felt fur and lean, mean wolf instead. As soon as she touched him, she about had a heart attack. He growled, whipped his head around, and bit her.

She screamed and fluorescent amber eyes peered at her in the dark, then the shine in them faded. Her heart beat pounding, she jumped back, favoring her throbbing hand, and ran into one of the tent poles. The pole toppled and the tent collapsed.

Feeling suffocated, Faith scrambled away from the center of the tent, trying to extricate herself from the tomb of polypropylene fabric. Her hand touched fur again and she jerked back, afraid he'd bite her once more. She thrust her hands out madly in another direction. The canvas elevated near her. He'd slipped in front of her, like a dangerous predator, unwilling to let her escape.

A tongue licked her injured hand, and she gasped. The taste before another bite?

Again, she crawled toward what she hoped was the tent opening, but all she found was more tent, and then Cameron's soft bedding. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she scrambled over his blankets and sleeping bag and tried to locate a way out.

And then she touched bare skin—Cameron's thigh?

Before she could jerk away, a large hand grabbed her wrist and held on tight. "Stay."

God, Cameron. Barely breathing, she didn't move.

"I'm sorry, Faith. I didn't mean to bite you." He sounded remorseful, but worried, too.

Her hand was stinging so badly, she was sure he'd broken the skin. Her heart pounded like a sledgehammer while she tried to come to grips with the truth. He was the wolf. It made the only sense and yet no sense at all.

But he was the wolf—he admitted biting her, had been chasing her earlier, had saved the dogs and her from the other wolves—which was the only reasonable explanation that fit. The dead men—the ones who had been wolves before Cameron had killed them—they were like him. He was one of them.

She groaned and collapsed onto the bedding. Could Cameron's bite have transferred whatever he was to her, and she'd be like him now?

"What were you doing in here?" He pressed her hand against his face and breathed deeply.

She swallowed hard, trying to calm her racing heart, to drum up the courage to speak. What was she doing in here? Oh, yeah, his wound.

"I was going to put some salve on your injury."

"Do you still want to?"

What a disaster. She closed her eyes to still the pounding in her head. "We need to erect the tent first. But I can't see anything."

As if he was afraid she'd escape, he didn't release her, but moved away slightly and turned on a lantern. But she wasn't exactly afraid of him. Not after what he'd done for her and for the dogs. He'd risked his life to protect them.

That's when she saw every muscled naked bit of him as he elevated the tent with his free hand, then released her and pushed the lightweight fabric upward with the other, like Atlas only the world wasn't on his back.

She'd gotten an eyeful when he went to dress in the snow, but that was only his remarkable backside, toned from his back to his butt and legs. But now, she got to see all the goods again from his corded chest all the way down to his well-toned thighs. Despite the cold, he was totally aroused. Her gaze shifted to his face and he raised his brows, waiting for a response.

She cleared her throat, glanced back at his glorious erection and said, "I'll get the tent pole."

He smiled a little, and pointed with his head toward the bedding between his legs. And sure enough, there was the pole sitting between his feet.

"Oh."

His wolfish grin made the heat rush through every nerve ending.

She hurried to set the other tent pole, knowing his injured shoulder had to hurt something awful, and he had to be freezing.

He released the tent with a groan, sat down on the bedding, and pulled his wool blanket over his lap.

She examined the bite as he watched her. "It doesn't look half as bad as the other bite did."

He didn't say anything, but reached up to touch her cheek. His gentle caress felt like a prelude to something much deeper.

This was so not good. She knew he wanted her and she knew it wasn't right, not when he was whatever he was. "I'll just cover the wound with this salve."

When she smeared the smelly stuff on, he hissed, and she looked up at him. He gave her a half smile. "Stings."

"I'm sorry. Hopefully, it'll kill any germs." She instinctively clasped her hand on his forehead, but his skin was normal and not feverish, thank god, and she hoped it stayed that way. She pulled the bandaging from the first aid kit and began wrapping it around the injury, trying to be gentle, although his muscle was rigid as she worked, and she feared she was hurting him.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to touch an injured animal?" He relaxed a little and leaned his head closer to hers, his face touching her hair with an amative hint of a nudge.

"You're not a wolf now." She couldn't help that her voice was tinged with annoyance. What did he think? She was stupid? Of course she knew to be careful around an injured wild animal. Even a pet that had been hurt could react viciously to helping hands. "Furthermore, how could I have known you were a wolf when I came in to take care of you? Besides, it's too late for the warning."

"Do you often go into dark places without regard to your safety? What if I'd thought you were one of Kintail's men?" he scolded.

"I smell too nice. Besides, I've got the gun and pepper spray."

His brows rose in a roguish way. He tenderly touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "You'd actually use those on me? But I know martial arts and could have you just where I wanted you in a matter of seconds."

The vision of him flipping her onto her back with an expert martial arts move, the can of pepper spray tossed one way, the gun the other, and the aroused hunk landing squarely between her legs, pinning her to his soft bedding flitted across her brain. Just the images that brought to mind started an ache between her legs. She grabbed his wrist, stopping him before things got out of hand. Before she changed her mind and let him get out of hand, rather.

When they'd made love before, it was one thing. She didn't know what he had become. Now, she did. But then she frowned at him. Had he already known?

His eyes were clouded with desire, his voice coated in lust. He definitely had sex on the brain. Not that she wasn't having a tough time keeping her own mind on business. Trying to take care of his injuries, she had every intention of returning to Charles's tent before she got herself into more trouble.

"Stay with me. For a little while?" He took her face in his hands, his brain definitely now residing in the lower part of his anatomy.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the cold air, the slight cologne Cameron wore, and opened her eyes. "Do I have a choice?"

"About what's to be? I doubt it. About staying with me? It'll always be your choice."

Before, she was afraid to become too attached to the hunk, and then they'd go their separate ways. But now… now how could she knowingly make love to someone who was part wolf, part man? On the other hand, what if she was half and half now, too? She didn't feel any differently except her hand throbbed with a vengeance. She didn't feel like she was having any symptoms of cabin fever like he'd had which she was now thinking had all to do with what he was. But then again, he had experienced those symptoms several hours after the first wolf had bitten him.

"Do… do you have any control over it?"

"When I'm around you, I want to be human and it seems to work."

"Seems to? You don't know for sure?"

"I've only changed three times, and every time when we were close to each other, I changed back."

Close. She didn't think it had to do with him being close to her as much as he was lusting after her—at least the times as far as she could tell, first when he pinned her to the snow. The second time after he bit her, she thought it was more because he felt badly and the emotions swamping him precipitated the change. Unless it had to do with her being on his bedding, and he wanted her again. "Three times? When was the other?"

"Middle of the night. I thought I was dreaming. Oh hell, Faith, I overheard Chris and his friends talking in a tent. They might have been discussing you."

"What about? Why didn't you say before?"

"I thought it was a dream." He sighed. "They were talking about a man doing research and how Chris believed his daughter would join them."

"Join them? In what?"

"Finding the magical wolves? They were looking for Bigfoot when your father went with them. But he must have gotten separated from them when he saw what he did. Then he was shaken up, and no wonder, and returned home to write his paper."

"So what if Kintail learned of it and sent someone to spy on him? Hilson." She let out her breath in exasperation. "Do you think he could be one of Kintail's people?"

"Maybe."

Well that decided that. So he did want the research and not her.

She looked up at Cameron. "I need to return to Charles. To watch over him."

"Lie down with me, Faith, for just a little while."

He half pleaded and half commanded. The commanding made her think of Hilson. Always in charge. Always bossing her around. But the pleading, that… was another matter entirely.

She came to her senses and shook her head. "You'd better get something on before you freeze." Hating to reject him further, she decided she had to leave because she was certain she'd hate herself more if she stayed.

Besides, Charles needed her, as badly injured as he was. She'd never forgive herself if he got worse, and she wasn't there to monitor him closely. And they required some answers from him also, soon.

But before she exited the tent, Cameron groaned, and she glanced back at him. He'd slipped into the sleeping bag, his face white with pain. And then she was really torn. Stay with Cameron for a little while, just until he fell asleep?

Or return to Charles pronto and save herself?