And now, an excerpt
from Into The Land Of Shadows.
Kate
hid in the shadows at the far end of the hallway hoping neither of the men
would see her. They opened the door to Harry’s room and went inside. She would
have little if no time to escape before they realized she was gone.
Rufus
didn’t completely close the door behind him. Kate tiptoed as fast as she could
past the room she had just occupied for the last several hours and moved
quickly down the stairs, her legs still aching from misuse.
“Where’d
she go?” Clive roared as Kate ran out into the street.
She
looked right then left. The road was dark, windy, and deserted. The sound of
loud thumps on the stairs told her Clive and Rufus were right behind her. She
darted around the building and then ran behind another. She hustled toward the
end of the street.
“Spread
out! We’ll git her!” Clive yelled.
Kate
moved around a trading post. Sensing a presence from behind, she jerked her
head around and stared. A four-legged creature ran past, disappearing. With a
hand on her chest she struggled to calm her breathing. It was just a dog.
She
peeked around the building and saw Clive walking down the street carrying his
gun. Rufus wasn’t in sight. She needed to find a place to hide but most
establishments looked closed. Movement to the left caught her eye. Joe Tohonnie? Maybe she hadn’t dreamt
him after all.
The
shadow moved across the street and disappeared behind a blacksmith building.
Kate ran to the other side of the street, hunching over in an effort to hide
herself. Once she made it to the blacksmith she glanced around.
“Joe?”
she whispered. “Mister Tohonnie? Is that you?”
No
answer but the wind. Kate began backing up toward the rear of the building,
dread gripping her stomach. She swallowed hard, feeling uncertain.
Staying
close to the structure, her heart wouldn’t stop pounding and her hands were
clammy from fear. She swallowed hard again then turned to run but was caught
short, letting out an involuntary gasp when the four-legged creature cut her
off with a growl. The animal’s yellow eyes glowed by the light of the moon and
he watched her with rapt attention, his body poised for attack.
A
wolf.
Another
low growl emanated from deep in the animal’s throat and Kate fought the urge to
flee. The wolf’s head easily came to her chest; he would have no trouble
chasing her down and ripping her to pieces. The gash on her face would pale in
comparison to what he would do to her.
A
sudden commotion from behind startled her. Someone grabbed her. In a frenzy
Kate fought back, kicking and straining against the iron grip the man exerted
around her waist. His hold loosened and Kate fell to the ground.
She
grabbed a loose board, and screamed as she swung it around, hitting the man’s
leg. But he didn’t go down. She scooted backward and scrambled to her feet. The
man grabbed her this time, facing her. Thinking it was Clive or Rufus, she
continued to struggle.
“Katie!
Katie! It’s me. It’s Ethan.”
He
held her tight against the building. A sob escaped from deep inside her throat,
a sudden maelstrom that matched the wind roaring in her ears, and then Ethan’s
mouth was on hers. Hot, insistent, devouring. She molded into him, her lips and
tongue hungry for the sudden and consuming contact. She pushed her body against
his, clinging to his broad shoulders, desperate to be closer still. He didn’t abandon me. His mouth crushed
hers and she felt on fire, head to toe.
“Rufus,
you find her?” Clive yelled in the distance.
Ethan
broke the kiss, and Kate reeled back against the building.
“Let’s
go,” he said and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind the blacksmith building.
“Wait.”
She tugged his hand to stop him. “There’s a wolf.” Her voice shook—either from
the men chasing her, the wolf challenging her, or the man who had just
devastated her defenses with one kiss. She could take her pick. She’d had a busy
day.
“He’s
with me,” Ethan said quietly. “He won’t hurt you.”
The
wolf suddenly appeared. “Bart!” Ethan cocked his head. “Come.”
“Get
back here,” Clive yelled.
Kate
looked over her shoulder and saw him in pursuit. He began shooting. Ethan
ducked down and pushed her in front of him.
“Dammit,
Clive!” Ethan yelled. “Give it a rest!”
“Bring
her back,” Clive said. “We need her!”
“I
need her more. Run, Kate.”
Copyright
© 2013 K. McCaffrey LLC
