Page 61 of Her Shifter Pack

Ollie took the phone and pointed at the bike still providing the only light in the cave. “Check out the side bags on the bike. Toni’s a hiker. She might have some stuff in there.”

“Great idea,” I said, and walked over to the motorcycle while Ollie texted his family to let them know what we were up to.

“Oh my God, Toni, I love you,” I whispered, staring down at the contents of her bags. There was a large flashlight, which I picked up and turned on. “She does pack well.”

There were energy bars, packets of candies, bottles of water, a change of clothes and matches.

I turned off the motorbike, not needing the headlight anymore, and Ollie trotted over. “You got everything?”

I ripped open an energy bar and handed it to Ollie, then grabbed one for myself. “Yeah. Eat while I unpack.”

The clothes were way too big for me, but fit Ollie enough so he was a bit warmer.

I spread out the extra blankets next to Markus’s shaking body. “Let’s get some sleep. I’ll give him more water through the night.” And Tylenol every four hours, if I woke up that often, which I would.

When I pressed my hand to Markus’s cheek, he was still warm, but not as hot. “I think he’s a little better.”

“He’s not shaking as much,” Ollie said, sitting on the ground beside me and studying his brother. “Come on, sweetheart. Lie down.”

“I better take these pants off.” They were still super wet and now that I was slowing down, I was cold.

“Please do,” Ollie said, a wicked smile in his voice.

I rolled my eyes in the dark, even though he couldn’t see it, then peeled the cold leggings down my legs and pushed them to the ground.

My underwear and socks were next, and although I was technically colder now, I’d be better able to warm up out of the wet gear.

My tank top and bra were dry, so I climbed under the blankets with Ollie, shivering hard. “Well, th-th-this is romantic.”

He chuckled and rolled on top of me. “I’ll warm you up. Just give it a minute.”

Ollie was heavy, but I clung to him, loving the reassurance of his body heat and heartbeat against me.

And slowly I began to warm up, the cold seeping out of my bones and letting my muscles relax. Ollie must have felt it because he slid off me, rolled us both toward Markus, and spooned me from behind.

I reached out for Markus, touching his rapidly cooling skin. Relief crashed over me. “You’re not allowed to leave me, you understand?” I whispered to Markus. “I need you both.”

I rearranged Markus’s blankets, shuffled a little closer to him, then fell into a fitful sleep sandwiched between the two precious men.

Every hour I woke to check on Markus, my back aching from the rock mattress we were sleeping on. I force-fed my sick mate more water and Tylenol, praying for the first rays of light to peek over the forest and the rain to ease so we could go home.

But the night stretched seemingly forever, and Markus still didn’t wake up, and the rain beat down relentlessly outside, like it would never stop.

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