Page 90 of Campfires & Canines
Jasper meets my eyes, shaking his head.
Does he want Slate to hurt him? Maybe coming home injured is the only way his mother won’t blame him for my escape. I stifle a sob.
Marigold and Cedar flank Slate, halting at the edge of the water, ready to help if needed.
Slate steps away, his chest heaving. I sag with relief. But there’s a grim look on Jasper’s face. “Is that all you’ve got?”
“You’re not worth it,” Slate says over his shoulder.
"Doesn’t she taste like berries when you kiss her?" Jasper taunts.
Slate snaps. He rounds on him, and I turn my face into Onyx, unable to watch. But as the sound of fists striking flesh echoes around me, I can’t help but peek.
Slate grips Jasper’s shirt. He lands a blow into his gut, and Jasper gasps for air. Slate releases him and he crumples into the water.
Without looking back, Slate stalks towards me, his eyes dark. Onyx releases me.
Jasper rises, water dripping from his black clothes. He wipes blood out of the corner of his mouth.
Pushing past Slate, I start towards Jasper, but he holds up his hand. His expression is resigned. "Go back to your mate." The disdain in his voice is like a knife. He turns and walks away, clutching his ribs.
I stand there, stunned, the icy water rushing around my ankles.
“What happened?” Slate asks gruffly, grabbing my forearm to get a better look at my wrist. “Hazel, who hurt you?” His voice is so low, goosebumps break out over my arms.
His eyes work their way down me, searching for other injuries. I ignore him, watching as Jasper trudges up the hill and into the trees.
Slate stands beside me. "Did he touch you?" My stomach drops. Of course, he hates Jasper.
"He protected me,” I insist. Slate's lip curls.
"Not very well," Onyx growls.
"He shielded me from his pack and then risked himself to help me escape." A shiver racks my body. Slate wraps his arms around me, his warmth seeping into my chest.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I should never have left you.”
I can't even answer. I can barely see through the blur of tears. I let Slate sweep me up in his arms. His woodsy scent washes over me, the promise of safety and refuge.
He scales the hillside effortlessly, and I press my face into his chest. I could fall asleep like this, except I'm filthy and he is damp.
He sets me down as we near his cabin.
His hand stays around my waist, and he grips Onyx's arm with the other. Marigold and Cedar are already gone. "Thank you, man." Onyx nods.
"I'm glad we got you back. Slate was getting pretty unbearable," Onyx says to me, his familiar grin in place. Slate lightly shoves him. Onyx laughs and jogs off towards his family's cabin.
Slate lifts my arm again, just below the wrap. "We should take you to Sable to check your arm."
"Yeah," I agree, but we don't move. He takes slow, deep breaths. I rotate in his arms so I can look up at those evergreen eyes, almost black in the night. Under the trees, where the stars can't reach us, he is a silvery outline. I missed him so much, it doesn't feel real.
His hand rubs up and down my back, tangling in my hair.
"I triedto run. They locked me in a basement. Sienna thought she could beat me until I agreed to be Jasper’s mate, and he didn’t even want that either. We poisoned everyone so they couldn’t shift, and Jasper’s sister attacked me…" The words rush out.
Slate starts to respond, but I suspect it's going to be threats of violence against anyone who even looked in my direction during this ordeal, so I stop him the best way I know how. Grabbing his shirt, I yank him down and cover his mouth with mine.
Heat races through me, my skin tingling. I might be angry with him, but I need him more. He grips my ass and lifts me, my legs looping around his waist. Turning us, he presses my back into a tree. A thrill zings in my blood and I scratch my nails down his ribs.
