Part 9 (1/2)

He got to his feet slowly, partly because he wasn't sure of the leg and partly because he didn't want to look like he was on the attack.

”How long have I been out of it?”

”Two days.”

He grimaced. It seemed more like a few hours, but he accepted the a.s.sertion that a lot of time had pa.s.sed.

”I don't suppose there's anything I can wear besides this blanket?” he asked.

”She left clothes in the bathroom. She said she thought they'd fit.”

”You're Haig, right?”

”Yes.”

Haig got up, and Logan tensed as the man approached him. But he only lifted a hurricane lamp out of a wall holder and offered it to Logan.

Light in hand, he headed for the enclosure at the side of the cave, still moving slowly. But he was delighted to find that the leg supported his weight with no problem.

After closing the door behind him, he used the toilet. A basin of water sat on a table. On the wall above it was a broken piece of a mirror. Clothing lay folded on a wooden stool.

He stripped off the blanket and hung it over the freestanding rack along the wall.

Once he was naked, he looked down into the small river that ran along one side of the room. It might be a way out-if he wanted to leave. Quickly he washed with soap and cold water, wis.h.i.+ng he had something warmer.

When he looked at his face in the mirror, he grimaced. His left cheek was abraded. Deep circles shadowed his eyes, and beard stubble darkened his cheeks. Looking around for a razor, he found one-an old-fas.h.i.+oned straight blade like you only saw in cowboy movies. Could he shave with it and not cut his throat? And in cold water to boot.

THE white wolf stopped silently behind a tree. In the clearing ahead, she could see a rabbit munching on greenery. The animal would make a good dinner for Haig, Logan and herself. They needed food, and she focused on the small animal that didn't know it was being stalked.

As she hunted, her mind was still working on what had happened between herself and Logan. The intimacy in the cave made her nervous. But the worst part was the dream.

She had imagined herself in his arms, and she had the feeling that it had been no ordinary dream. It had felt so real, and she had awakened hot and needy.

That was more frightening than the simple physical part of the encounter. He had aroused her.

She didn't want to desire him-or anyone else. If she hadn't brought him through the portal, she could have walked away from him. But he was in her cave. And she had made him her responsibility.

So now she was plowing herself into catching dinner and trying to wipe away the tingling sensations that a.s.saulted her body.

She sprang from behind the tree, leaped across the clearing and grabbed the rabbit by the back. She broke its neck, putting it quickly out of its fear and misery, because she understood what it was like to be caught and helpless.

As soon as she had made the kill, she picked up the animal in her teeth and started back to the cave. Falcone would have men out looking for her, and she'd better pay attention to her surroundings.

Because her wolf senses were sharper than her human senses, she stayed in animal form, scanning her surroundings carefully.

When she got close to the cave, she changed back into a woman, then washed her mouth in a stream and put on the clothing she'd discarded behind a rock.

She dragged in a deep breath and let it out before marching toward the entrance. Maybe Logan was still asleep, and she could avoid him for a few more hours.

WHILE he washed, Logan tried to figure out where he was. Not just in a cave. In a world that wasn't much like home.