don’t know any more than I’ve told you,” Ward interrupted, his face bathed in sweat as he continued to bleed out at an alarming rate. He glanced toward the woman who was lying unconscious next to him. “Take my mother and keep her safe.” He pulled his gun from beneath his jacket, his face grim. None of them needed to be Healers to know that he wasn’t going to survive long enough for them to get him to a doctor. “Go.”
Moving forward, Cammy grabbed Karen around the waist and tossed her over her shoulder before she was straightening. Ice hesitated, no doubt consumed with the need to discover more about the virus that had the potential to destroy them. But the sound of footsteps outside the door had him spinning around with a curse.
With blinding speed he had the shelves shoved aside, revealing the tunnel. Cammy didn’t hesitate as she darted forward, entering the dark, moldy passageway with Karen still slung across her shoulder. They could only hope that Ward would be helped by his guards.
Right now nothing mattered beyond getting out of the compound so they could warn Raphael of the newest danger to their people.
CHAPTER 5
It felt like an eternity had passed before Ice could at last give in to the fierce instincts of his puma.
First, it’d been the silent drive back to the Wildlands. Then, leaving Karen in the capable hands of the Healers, they’d sought out Raphael and Parish to reveal what Ward had told them. Next, Xavier, the head of the Geeks, had demanded an opportunity to grill them for information.
They were all on edge with this latest threat, and it’d been difficult to find an opportunity to spend time alone with Cammy. Now, however, he refused to be put off any longer.
Shifting into his cat form, Ice ran through the Wildlands, his animal roaring with pleasure as he worked off the edge of his frustration before he was heading to the small cabin near the edge of the communal center. His lips twitched as he shifted back to human. Trust Cammy to be in the middle of the action.
His own cabin was built in the middle of a distant bog, far from his nearest neighbor.
They would have to find some way to compromise.
Giving a sharp knock on the door, he released a soft purr as Cammy pulled open the door. It was past midnight, allowing him to appreciate her lush beauty brushed with silver in the moonlight.
Her thick hair was tumbled around her shoulders, her amazing violet eyes glowing with the awareness of her cat. Her feminine curves were outlined by the satin robe that was belted around her slender waist.
Glorious.
“Hello, Cammy,” he murmured, leaning against the doorjamb.
She arched her brow, her gaze taking a slow survey of his casual jeans and sweatshirt.
“It’s late,” she murmured.
“Not that late.” He reached out to lightly touch her cheek. “How’s Karen?”
Cammy grimaced. She’d left the meeting with Raphael saying that she wanted to visit the clinic before she went home.
“Physically she’ll heal in a few days. The bullet only grazed her temple,” she said. “Emotionally, she’s a wreck.”
Ice gave a slow nod. They had no way of knowing if Ward had survived. He had Pantera blood, but all hybrids were different. And they had no way of knowing if the guards would have tried to get him help, or if they’d put a bullet through his head.
“Understandable.” Firmly dismissing the shitload of troubles that were waiting for them, he trailed his fingers down the line of her jaw. “Can I come in?”
She hesitated, her cheeks flushing as the air scented with the spice of her arousal.
“Yeah,” she at last conceded.
“Good.”
Cammy stepped back to give him room to enter, only to gasp in surprise when he abruptly scooped her off her feet. Kicking the door shut with his foot, he cradled her against his chest as he headed toward the back of the small, cozy home.
“Ice,” she said with a halfhearted protest.
He glanced down, his inner cat already anticipating her sweet taste. The only question was whether to lick her from head to toe…or to start at the bottom and work his way up.
“You said I could come in,” he reminded her, his voice a low growl.
She glared at him even as her eyes heated with sensual anticipation. “I didn’t say you could manhandle me.”
“I’ve been waiting to manhandle you for a very long time.”
He moved through the open door, entering the bedroom that was filled with a