Guarding Mari by Ella Grey Page B

finish it.” She shrugged. “I’m the perfect bait. Since it’s me he wants.”
    Daniel touched her shoulders, a warm, reassuring gesture. “You are strong, beautiful, and Ryback made a terrible decision in letting you live for this long.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    At a gentle brush of his lips against hers, some of the tension left her. “He let you get stronger.” His hands moved from her shoulders to cup her face. Her body craved his touch. Together they could take the monster out then get back to living their lives together. “Do you remember what I said to you in the motel?”
    Mari’s lips twitched into a half smile. “I’m guessing you didn’t mean all the things you promised to me in the dark?”
    A teasing grin crossed his lips, the look in his eyes darkly male and enticing as hell. “Believe me, I fully intend to keep every one of them. You were in touch with your wolf in a way that takes years to master. It makes you dangerous, unpredictable and we can use that against him.”

 
     
     
Chapter Ten
     
     
    Is Ryback tracking us? If the rogue stays downwind, it’s gonna be more difficult to catch his scent . He carefully turned on the road, making sure to take it slowly. They were high in the mountains. The thick snow on the ground made him thankful for the 4x4 Adam gave them. It wouldn’t do much good if they ended up wrecking the car before they reached their destination. Daniel’s car would have been useless on these roads. It would have been easier to travel in their wolf forms, but they’d needed supplies, and it was impossible to carry a sniper rifle without thumbs. The chances were high they wouldn’t need it, but when she slept, he planned on standing guard. It didn’t make any sense leaving the small cabin during the night which meant his sleeping mate would be defenseless.
    As if she called to him, Daniel glanced over at his silent mate; she hadn’t spoken since they’d left the Black Paw Pack compound. Instead, she spent a majority of the traveling time gazing out of the window. Does she even know where we are, or is she trapped in her own memories?   The mood had changed dramatically from earlier. The playfulness vanished completely. Instead, an unbreakable tension filled the car. The hair on the backs of his arms stood on end. He reached out and brushed his fingers against her knee. She glanced over at him, sadness in her grey eyes.
    “Are you okay?”
    She shrugged looking back out the window, her elbow resting on the door, her hand tucked under her chin. “I was thinking.”
    He’d never stop blaming himself for that night. If he’d been faster, killing Ryback in the desert instead of getting hurt, then maybe Mari never would have been infected. Out of tragedy, something beautiful had happened. He’d been blessed with a mate who’d waited for him. One he hadn’t deserved. “About him?”
    “I wish I wasn’t but yeah. I’ve tried to not think about him, hoped he’d died. It’s a horrible way for a doctor to think, but he’s a monster, a killer. He’s hurt so many people. The thing is, I know I would never have met you if he hadn’t ended up in the morgue.” The way she sighed tore at his heart. Her words echoed his thoughts perfectly. “The world is a fucked up place.”
    “Yes, it is.” He turned another corner, heading higher up into the mountains. “There’s the cabin. Me, William, and Adam used to spend a lot of time here when we were kids. I’ve got no clue what states it’s in.” The cabin had been tiny with three young wolves playing in it. “You know this used to be a lot smaller.” He studied the building through the windshield.
    “Adam spent some time up here with Kat, helping her with her wolf, so he sent some of the pack up here to add to it.”
    She wasn’t kidding. When he was a kid, the building had one room, now there were three. “What did they add?”
    “A bedroom and a kitchen, Kat told me it’s pretty cozy, but if we want