Joe’s gun hand went up and he fired at the ceiling, a smattering of pebbles and dust raining down. He fell back with Darien’s pounce, hitting his back and head against the unforgiving rock with an oof. Darien’s teeth sank into Joe’s jugular. The man never had a chance to utter more than a gurgled cry, his amber eyes wide.

Lelandi collapsed to her knees, and Darien released his grip on Joe, then swung around and nuzzled Lelandi’s arm. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed. Hell, he needed to be in his human form to comfort her best. He quickly shapeshifted and pulled her up. Her clothes were damp, and she was trembling hard from the cold.

“I… I was so afraid he’d killed you, your brothers, or some of the rest of your people in the rockslide.”

Darien crushed her to him, warming her body, rubbing her arms, kissing her cheeks and her lips. “We’re all right. Everyone’s all right.” The left side of her temple was swollen and red and a gash cut through to her eyebrow, the blood dried now along its seam. “That son of a bitch,” Darien said, smoothing away her hair from the injuries.

She didn’t say a word, maybe in shock. He held her close to his body and tried to warm her, although the chilly cave was beginning to get to him. Then he noticed the glass in her hair. “Hell, Lelandi, did Joe hit you with a glass?”

She looked like she was going to be sick. “With his pistol.” She paused, her eyes focusing down. “I… I had an accident before that.”

“You wrecked the SUV?”

She nodded, her eyes glassy with fresh tears. He let out his breath and hugged her tight again. “All I care about is what happens to you. We didn’t see the vehicle anywhere in town and we’d trekked through the woods to locate the teens that you’d found. I never thought you might have been in a wreck. Why didn’t you stay at Doc Mitchell’s place?” He threw up his hands in resignation. “Forget it. You were too busy trying to get yourself killed.”

“I’m sorry about the SUV. It’s probably buried in snow off the road somewhere.”

“Odin’s teeth, Lelandi, I don’t care about the damned vehicle. You… your safety, that’s all that matters to me.” He pulled her close and she sighed against his bare chest. “It’ll be a while before my men can get us out.”

“But Joe said there were climbing ropes for us to use.”

“I wouldn’t trust anything he said. Will you wait here?”

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked so forlorn, he gave her another hard embrace. “I want to get rid of his body.”

“In one of the bottomless pits?”

“Yeah, he can join his hardhat.”

“I’ll… I’ll go with you. I don’t want to be left behind.”

He squeezed her hard, then released her. “Let’s get this over with.” He yanked Joe’s lifeless body off the floor and tossed him over his shoulder, then took Lelandi’s hand. “Are you all right?”

“Now that you’re here, yes. How are Doc and Ritka?”

Lelandi didn’t look all right. She was pale and shivering uncontrollably. Darien tightened his hold on her hand. He didn’t want to tell her the news, not while they were still stuck in the cave, and after all that had happened to her.

“They’re dead,” she said under her breath, her voice tearful.

So much for not telling her. “Even if Joe hadn’t taken you hostage, he’d signed his death warrant for killing Doc and Ritka.”

“Carol couldn’t get the bullets out in time?” Lelandi asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Doc was old. He couldn’t withstand the silver in his heart. By the time Carol had put on gloves, found the proper tools, and removed the bullet from Doc, then dug the two bullets from Ritka, she didn’t stand a chance either.”

Lelandi’s body sagged and Darien released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Lelandi, honey, we’ll be all right.”

“He died because of me,” she sobbed.

“No, he died because Joe killed him. Because Joe had mated with Larissa. Because the babies were his and not mine. And because Doc knew it. Ritka was just a bystander. None of this has to do with you.” He kissed her cheek. “Do you want to wait for me here while I get rid of Joe’s carcass?” The sooner he could get rid of the bastard, the quicker he could take care of Lelandi.

She shook her head and stood straighter. “Doc was like an uncle I dearly loved.”

He moved her farther into the tunnel. “Doc was a good man. His mate preceded him in death a decade ago, and he had no offspring, but he treated us all like his sons and daughters.”

Lelandi looked up at Darien, tears clouding her eyes.

Darien smiled at her. “Even me. Didn’t matter that I was no longer just another pup but now pack leader. He was like a revered advisor when it came to anyone who was injured or sick in the pack.”

“I’ll miss him,” she said quietly.

“We all will.” Darien pulled her to an abrupt stop. “The first of the pits. Wonder if this is the bottomless one Joe mentioned. I’d hate for it not to be.”

“Only one way to find out,” she said, with a bitter edge to her voice.

Darien lifted Joe off his shoulder. “This is as much of a burial as you deserve, Joe, you bastard.” He tossed him into the pit, then he took Lelandi’s hand and walked her back to the cave.

She sniffled and wiped away another cascade of tears.

“Don’t you want to see if he hits bottom?”

“No. I want to warm you up.”

She glanced at his hard, nude body, and he smiled back at her. Her eyes met his. “Your people will be here soon.”

He shook his head slowly back and forth. “Not as long as it takes to return to town and back again with the ropes. By the time they reach us, we’ll even have time for a quick nap.”

She clung to him and nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. “I… I am cold.”

“I love you, Lelandi.” He swept her up in his arms and held her hard against his chest; the heat of her body mixed with his, helping to warm them both.

When they reached the encased furs, he set her down, then ripped open the plastic covering and spread the faux polar bear skins out. No scent of Larissa or Joe on the skins, thank god. Lelandi took a deep breath and started to pull off her pullover sweater. Darien quickly worked on her belt. She looked so contrite, he was certain she felt sorry for having slipped away from him at the house, endangering herself and upsetting everyone. But she had rescued the kids from the cliff and the word of her good deeds was already spreading throughout the pack.

“I’m sorry for what my sister did to you, Darien.”

“Don’t be. It’s all in the past.” His mouth tasted her cold lips. “Just be glad we found each other.”

He finished helping her undress, her body trembling from the frigid air. Then he quickly sandwiched her in between the soft furs and himself.

The furs felt comforting, dry, and warm against Lelandi’s back, the contrast of Darien’s lean hardness resting on top of her. He rubbed her arms, then her shoulders, and with a devilish smirk plastered on his face, his hands shifted to her breasts, heating her up. She still envisioned him in his wolf form, self-assured, feral, beautiful, her protector. She should have known he’d be the one to come for her.

She dragged her fingers through his satiny hair and his teeth grazed her neck, sending a thrill through her. She swept her hands down his back, the muscles tensed with need. “I love you, Darien,” she mouthed against his ear.

His eyes glazed over, he growled low. “Never ever leave me like that again.”

She stiffened, her hands stilled on his waist. “I won’t quit trying to find out who killed my sister.”

“Lelandi…” He groaned and circled a nipple with his tongue, then kissed the tip. He lifted his gaze to her eyes. “I can’t ever lose you. Promise you’ll let me handle this.”

She pressed her lips tightly together. It didn’t matter that she was the female alpha leader in the pack now, as much as it mattered that she took part in avenging her sister’s death. And she would, one way or another.

“Damn it, Lelandi, I won’t have you getting yourself into dangerous situations like this while you’re searching for your sister’s killer.”

She raked her nails down his back and caressed his buttocks, squeezing and releasing. He gave out a husky moan and instantly capitulated. “All right. Ask me when you want to investigate something or someone, and I’ll make sure you’re properly guarded.”

Smiling inwardly, she loved him all the more.

The wet tip of his erection poked against her mound, and he gave her a lusty grin.

At first she rubbed against him, his eyes darkening, and he reached up to caress her breasts. “Hmm, Darien, you could hire out as a masseuse.”

“Only one body I’d be interested in massaging,” he said, his voice ragged. “Are you going to torture me much longer?”

Before she could respond, he pressed his fingers between her legs, parted her folds, and sank his fingers deep. His wet fingers rubbed her sensitized nub with exquisite strokes pushing her to the edge while his tongue danced across her nipples, teasing them into submission.

Every move Darien made heated her further.

He swept his lips over her closed eyes, down her cheek to the corner of her mouth, then brushed across her mouth in a warm, tantalizing caress. His heartbeat pounded in sync with hers, and his warm breath fanned her cheek.

“Lelandi, my love.” His smoldering eyes took his fill and his lips curved up in a feral way while he continued to ply his strong strokes, and she forgot what she’d intended to do to him, her body enraptured by his touch. If she didn’t slow him down… no, keep… keep going.

Oh, oh, heavens. She felt her body elevated, her spirit soaring, elation and… and a gush of warmth flooded her, her system filled with white hot completion. The orgasm rocked her body, sending pleasurable ripples of heated passion through her, and she moaned in ecstasy.