Soul Bonded

chapter NINETEEN



Rafe insisted that she bundle up in a pair of his sweatpants and a heavy coat, but only after he’d checked her legs one last time. This examination was quick and efficient and he didn’t touch or even look at her any more than necessary. Throughout, his struggle to keep his libido in check was plain to see. When he deemed her fit for target practice and she finally pulled his baggy clothing on over her T-shirt and panties, the palpable relief on his face made her feel genuinely bad about having traipsed around in her underwear all morning. That he wanted her with such ferocity was undeniably exciting, even if the intensity of his desire clearly frightened him. Despite his unease, her gut remained convinced that there was no reason to be afraid of him. She just wished that he was ready to believe in his inability to hurt her, as he had only hours ago.

When Rafe led her to the front door, revolver and box of shells in hand, Katie battled a jolt of anxiety. “Do you think it’s safe for us to go outdoors?”

“Yes, as long as you do exactly as I say. You aren’t to step off the porch. I want you standing next to the front door and paying attention to me at all times. If something happens, you’re to run inside and close the door when I tell you. Just do exactly as I tell you, when I tell you.” Suddenly looking like he was aware that he was barking orders at her like a drill sergeant, he modulated his tone. “Got it?”

“Yes.”

“And if anyone approaches, let me do the talking.”

“With pleasure.” So far none of Rafe’s associates had struck her as having particularly worthwhile conversational skills. She was more than happy to let him take the lead. “I doubt any of them wants to lower themselves by talking to a human anyway.”

Rafe stopped with his hand on the door knob and looked at her sadly. “You know I don’t think of you that way, right? As inferior.” He curled an arm around her waist and gave her a slightly awkward hug. “You’re not.”

“I appreciate that.” She hugged him back. “Just like I don’t think of you the way I think of the others. As an animal.”

Rafe released her with a weary chuckle. “Except that’s exactly what I am, Katie. It would be a mistake to forget it. I just control the animal inside of me a little better than some of others.”

“I know what you are. And I still can’t help but love every part of you.” She bumped his shoulder and gestured at the door. “Let’s go shoot something.”

A chilly blast of winter air took her breath away when Rafe pulled the door open. At his silent command, she lingered within the warmth of the cabin as he strolled down the length of the porch and checked their surroundings. His movements were sure-footed and powerful, predatory in the extreme. The way he surveyed his environment reminded her of a wolf on the hunt. She knew he could see, hear, and smell so much that she couldn’t. Nothing about his abilities frightened or disgusted her. Rather, he intrigued her in a way that no mere mortal could.

“Come outside.” Rafe kept his voice low, clearly concerned about being overheard. “Leave the door cracked behind you.”

Katie stepped out into the cold, studying the trees beyond the porch. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she turned her attention to Rafe. He walked to her side and placed the revolver in her hand. She leaned into him unconsciously, glad for his heat. Already the chill had permeated Rafe’s thick winter coat and settled into her bones. “So what should I aim for?”

He pointed at a tree not far from the corner of the porch. The trunk split about six feet off the ground, each thick segment exploding into a riot of smaller branches. “See where that one forks?”

She raised the gun and lined up the sight, aiming directly at the juncture of the two branches. The revolver felt odd in her grip, quite unlike the rifles her father had encouraged her to master. Rafe reached for her free hand and guided it into a supportive position on the grip. She nodded in acknowledgment and set her feet apart, bending her knees ever so slightly. “Should I just shoot?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Katie narrowed her gaze, exhaled, and squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened.

Rafe reached past her to flick off the safety. “There’s the most important thing to remember for tonight.”

“Safety off. Got it.” Her face heated despite the cold air. “Clearly this practice was a good idea.”

“It’s not like you go running around shooting things in your daily life.” He nuzzled her flushed cheek with his warm nose, then moved his lips to brush against her ear lobe. “It’s okay. That’s why we’re going over this now.”

Exhaling, Katie leveled the gun and focused in on her target once again. Rafe backed away a step and stood to the side, watching without speaking. She aligned her stance, set her sight picture, and carefully squeezed the trigger. A loud crack echoed through the forest as a chunk of wood flew through the air from a couple inches left of the split in the trunk. Rafe whooped and clapped her on the back.

“That’s my girl.” He folded his arms over his chest and set his own bare feet apart on the deck. Still clad in only a long-sleeved shirt and thin linen pants, he looked like he should be shivering. But instead he grinned broadly at her, rocking on his heels. “Can you do that again?”

“I think so.” Katie aimed once more, not giving herself as much time to line up her shot. After all, she wasn’t going to have the luxury to plan everything out tonight. Despite her rush to fire, the second shot hit the tree directly in the juncture where she’d aimed, sending another shower of splinters into the snow.

“May I just say that I find this very attractive?” Rafe shot her what was truly a wolfish smile. “The city girl knows how to shoot.”

As pleased as she was by his approval, she wished her ability to fire at a stationary target while her emotional rock cheered her on made her feel better about the night ahead. Unfortunately, a rampaging wolf wasn’t going to do her the courtesy of standing still and letting her aim. “I picked off a lot of bottles on fences with my dad. Can’t say I’ve ever tried to hit a moving target, though. Let alone a living one.”

“Hold that thought.” Rafe jogged to the porch steps and descended them in one giant leap. “You stay right there. I’ll be back.”

Her stomach dropped when he disappeared around the side of the cabin. “Rafe…”

She heard a door close in the distance. “I’m right here. I’m coming back.”

Convinced that she would be ambushed before he could return, Katie searched the trees for monsters. She saw no signs of life, but two gunshots had to have drawn someone’s attention. Whether they would take the shots as a warning or an invitation was the question. She told herself nothing would happen. Not until tonight. Surely she’d feel more ready by then.

“I’m back.”

Katie yelped at the sudden realization that Rafe had snuck up behind her. She set the gun on the flat porch rail and fell into his arms with a hoarse cry, unashamed by how badly she wanted to be held. “I’m freaking out.”

“I know.” He rubbed his hands over her back, warming her through the coat. “Everything is going to be okay. It really will.”

He couldn’t know that, but it was sweet of him to try and make her feel better. She pressed her body against his, unconsciously drawn to the heat that emanated from his solid form. It floored her that this man would give his life for her. She wished she could do something more than hide inside while he fought for both of them. “I don’t want to let you down tonight.”

His heart pounded against hers. Its vibrant rhythm thrummed through the thick layers of fabric covering their chests, in perfect synchronicity with her own. Rafe threaded his fingers through her hair. “I don’t want to let you down, either.” He pressed his mouth to hers in a brief but passionate kiss. “But I’m not worried about you. You’re going to be great.”

She looked down and noticed what he’d fetched for the first time. “A log. And rope.”

“Yeah.” He shouldered the log like it weighed nothing. It was nearly as tall as she was. Twin lengths of rope joined the load, balanced in his arms with negligent ease. “I’m going to go right over there to rig this up.” He nodded at the tree she’d been shooting at. “Keep your eyes peeled and the safety off.”

She swallowed. “All right.”

“It won’t take long.” He ran two steps then planted his hand on the railing of the deck, vaulting over with an athletic prowess that set Katie’s pulse racing. He landed with a muffled thump in calf-deep snow, perfectly stable despite the heavy burden he carried. He turned and raised his eyebrow. “You liked that.”

Katie cleared her throat, both amused and embarrassed that he was so in tune with her body’s reactions. “I found it very attractive.”

Rafe grinned and swaggered over to a pair of trees close to the one with the split trunk. He tied a length of rope to one end of the log, then did the same thing at the other end. Katie divided her attention between Rafe’s activities and the forest surrounding them, which seemed almost suspiciously quiet. She kept the revolver pointed safely at the ground in front of her, but stayed ready to raise her weapon and fire at the first sign of trouble.

“Katie.”

She snapped her focus back to Rafe. “Yeah?”

He pulled a canister from his pocket and drew a crude, bright-orange circle on the middle of the log, which now hung horizontally between the two trees. After pocketing the spray paint, Rafe gave the log a hard shove. It swung back and forth, a perfect moving target. “Try it now.”

She waited until he was back on the porch before bringing the gun up to aim at the painted circle. The log’s movement had barely slowed at all, and she honed in on its lazy cadence fairly quickly. She kept the gun still and waited for the target to pass in front of her sights. On the return pass, she slowly squeezed the trigger. The bullet glanced off the top of the log, inches high and to the left of the bullseye. Katie cursed under her breath, frustrated by her lack of precision.

“That was pretty damn good for your first try.” Rafe vaulted over the railing, gave the log another shove, then raced back to her side before she had a chance to register his absence. Stepping behind her, he wrapped an arm around her stomach and pressed his cheek to hers as she sighted the painted circle again. “Shoot ahead of the target. Not where the bullseye is, but where it will be. Lead the target, if you know what I mean.”

She relaxed into his embrace, and he reacted by tightening his fingers on her belly and bumping his hips against her bottom. The sensation of his hard cock pressed against her ass wreaked havoc on her concentration. “Are you trying to distract me?”

He growled, a low rumble that bubbled up from his throat and vibrated against her back. “Just trying to engineer an appropriately challenging training scenario.” His hand trembled on her stomach before he abruptly let her go. “I’m sorry. Just take the shot.”

She bent at the waist slightly, pushing her bottom into his crotch. He grabbed her hips and uttered a strangled grunt. Smiling, she murmured, “Distraction is good.” Straightening, she took aim and fired a single shot that landed just outside the orange circle. Dissatisfied, she followed up with another shot on the return swing. This time she landed within the target circle, only an inch off-center.

Rafe touched her lower back. “Nice job.”

His praise made her whole body sing with happiness. “Thank you.”

“Try again. Faster this time.”

Katie lowered her weapon, took a breath, then lifted the gun and took two more shots, adjusting her aim for the second. The first landed fairly accurately, and the second was only a couple inches off target. Not at all bad for less than a clip of practice rounds.

“Reload.” Rafe snarled next to her ear, sending an unpleasant chill down her spine. “Now.”

She knew without asking what Rafe was trying to do. Tonight she would be operating from a place of true, stark fear. Rafe could never truly frighten her like the other wolves did, but his sudden aggression instinctively triggered a rush of adrenaline similar to what she’d felt during her assault. Her hands trembled as she tried to release the cylinder hatch so she could reload. She couldn’t remember feeling so clumsy in her entire life.

Rafe grabbed the gun and demonstrated in silence. Then he snapped the cylinder back into place. “Now you do it.”

She mimicked his action, finally pushing the cylinder through the frame. He handed her a box of shells and she fumbled five rounds into their individual chambers. Rafe stalked around to her side and bent to whisper in her ear. “You smell delicious, bitch.”

Katie jolted at the ugly words and nearly dropped the box of shells. Rafe snatched the box from her hand with another fierce grumble. As soon as her hand was free, she brought the gun up and aimed at the still-swaying log. Blocking out her warring sensations of fear and arousal, Katie hesitated only an instant before firing two shots in quick succession. The first landed within the bullseye, the second just outside the painted circle. She took a breath and squeezed off a third shot, gratified to see that she could correct her aim at a moment’s notice.

She startled when Rafe touched her waist again. “Darling, you’re going to be just fine.” He gave her a reassuring squeeze. “You’re a natural.”

Katie tried to relax at Rafe’s murmured encouragement, but couldn’t. After spending all morning insistent that Rafe could never hurt her and that she wasn’t afraid of him, she was surprised by how intimidating she’d found his playacting. “Thank you.”

“Hey.” Rafe captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger and gently forced eye contact. “You okay?”

She nodded quickly. “I’m fine.”

“But I frightened you. I’m sorry.”

“Well, that was the point. Right?”

He looked almost ashamed. “Yeah.”

“It was good. God knows I could practice like this for weeks and still not feel ready to defend myself against werewolves.” Katie conjured up her bravest smile. “You wouldn’t be doing me any favors by holding back. So throw everything you’ve got at me. I can handle it.”

Rafe regarded her with a look of half-hunger, half-respect that sent a pleasant flutter through her belly. “Ready for the good news?”

“Very ready.”

He stepped into the cabin and emerged a moment later with a shotgun in hand. “Cooper left this here last night. He didn’t say anything to me but I assume it’s meant for you.” He held up a battered cardboard box. “You’ve got ten shells. I don’t want to use any to practice right now because this is the weapon I want you to rely on tonight. You’re great with the revolver, but there’s no way you’ll miss with a shotgun. You’ll have the handgun as backup if you run out of ammo. And I’m sure you’ll kick ass with it. But at least you can take ten shots with this bad boy first.”

Katie’s heart lifted. She took the shotgun and turned toward the still-swinging target, then lifted the weapon and adjusted to its weight. “Why didn’t you tell me we had this?”

“I wanted to train for the worst-case scenario first.” Rafe curled his arm around her waist and she leaned into him on instinct. The shotgun was more awkward to handle than the revolver, but it made her feel powerful. Rafe pressed his lips to her temple and inhaled deeply. “Feel better now?”

“I do.” She lifted her face and planted a grateful kiss on his mouth. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Rafe started to say something else, then froze. His entire body went on high alert, not unlike Shilah’s when he’d heard Cooper and Alpha lurking around outside the night before.

“What is it?” Katie whispered. She swung the shotgun to the left, then the right, scanning the tree line for any sight of a threat. She saw nothing.

Moving with deliberate care, Rafe put his mouth against Katie’s ear and whispered, “Keep the safety off. We’ve got company.”