The three officers hurried in the direction of the pit.

In their wolf forms, Nathan and Jessica came running to join Anna and Bjornolf.

Bjornolf started issuing orders, not wanting anyone who wasn’t their kind to see them as wolves. “Nathan, go to the Land Rover and shift and get dressed. Jessica, run to the house, shift, dress, and join Nathan in the Land Rover. Until your mother comes home, you’ll stay with us.”

Bjornolf knew the paramedics would take Everton to a hospital and patch him up, and then the police would incarcerate him. The feds would investigate now because the two men murdered were DEA officers.

Jessica and Nathan raced off together. Bjornolf thought of how they were starting their new life as mated wolves amid a world of turmoil. He carried Anna back toward the Land Rover. God, he was glad to have her tightly in his grasp, alive and well.

They’d have to answer questions. She’d have to hand over her gun and Everton’s, and show the feds her credentials.

A federal officer approached them. He eyed Bjornolf with his dark brown eyes for a moment before he said to Anna, “See you’re up to your old tricks.”

Bjornolf smelled the man was a wolf and instinctively tightened his hold on Anna.

She smiled. “Yeah. Well, someone had to do your job, Yale.” She handed over her gun and Everton’s.

The guy grinned, gave her a small salute, took the guns, and waved her and Bjornolf on. “I’ll talk to you later after the drug Everton gave you wears off. In the shape you’re in, no sense in asking what went on here until later.”

Hunter finally arrived at the scene and hurried toward them, Finn in tow, looking like they were ready to take care of Anna, too.

Anna quickly said, “I didn’t need rescuing.”

Finn and Hunter looked at Bjornolf as if confirming her claim.

“Don’t look at him. I shot Everton.” She sounded proud of herself.

He was proud of her. “She did,” Bjornolf said. “We’re going home. We’ll take the kids with us.”

“One of the other families is taking them to their place so you can… get some rest.” Hunter tried to hide a smile but wasn’t accomplishing the task.

“We were going to have dinner,” Anna said, as if she’d been programmed and couldn’t think of changing plans at this late date. “Jessica needs to have the pregnancy test.”

“You’re in no shape to have dinner guests tonight. Someone else can take her to the drugstore and pick up the test.” Bjornolf wanted to spend time alone with her after nearly losing her. He would have provided moral support to the teens if needed, but he knew others in the pack would help out. “The kids will understand.”

She finally sighed and nodded.

Hunter got the door of the Land Rover for them.

Bjornolf set Anna in the passenger seat. “Thanks.”

“Take good care of her, Bjornolf.” Hunter headed off toward the crime scene.

“I’ll fix a nice dinner and you can take a shower,” Bjornolf said as he climbed into the Land Rover. “Then if you’re not too sleepy, we can curl up on the couch and watch a movie.

“Hmm,” she said, “I’d love that.”

As soon as he’d put the Land Rover in gear, she was sound asleep.

When they finally pulled into the driveway of the cottage, Anna raised her head and turned to look at Bjornolf, her expression saying she was ready for something more than just a movie and rest. No sparring, though. Tonight, he wanted to take it easy with her.

“Did you see the hot tub in the bathroom?” he asked.

Chapter 19

After they parked at the cottage, Bjornolf lifted Anna from the vehicle before she could attempt to climb out. “I can walk,” she said, more amused than annoyed.

“You’re all muddy. You’ll get the carpet dirty.” He gave her a devilishly raised brow, as if he was waiting for her to argue with him.

“That better be the reason,” she said in her most serious voice. “What about you?” He was all muddy, too.

He smiled and lifted her out of the car. “I wasn’t in a mud pit.”

She unlocked the front door for him and he carried her inside.

He set her down on the tile floor, then crouched to remove her boots while she rested a hand on his shoulder to keep her balance. He leaned down to untie his boots and pulled them off. Standing, he reached over and locked the front door, and then he said, “Ready?”

Smiling, she hadn’t moved an inch from the tile floor, hoping he’d carry her. She kind of liked this treatment.

Amusement lit up his face. “Good.” He lifted her in his arms and headed for the laundry room.

Laundry room. She hadn’t thought of that. “Good thinking.” They could ditch their filthy clothes there, and then retire to the bathroom.

He flipped on the light.

A mint green, navy blue, and white braided rug ran the length of the terra-cotta tile floor. Windows made the room seem bigger. A slate hand-painted sign hung over the washer and dryer, picturing a pair of jeans, a sock, and a teddy bear drip-drying on a clothesline and proclaiming: “Everything eventually comes out in the wash.”

Yeah. Except for this time, she was afraid. She fretted that they’d get mud all over the place in here, too. And then there was all the stuff they were dealing with—Jessica and Nathan’s mating not the least of it.

A braided country rug of a goose and a gander eyeing each other sat on top of the dryer. White cabinets hid laundry detergents and bleach and the like. A shelf holding baskets to sort clean clothes sat above the washer and dryer and sink.

He set her down on the rug, and she was glad at least her socks were clean. Her pant legs were another story.

He stripped off his black sweater and threw it in the washing machine. “Are your jacket and sweater machine washable?”

“Yeah, delicate cycle for the sweater, regular for the jacket, and neither can go in there with your black sweater. They’ll need tons of bleach. Even then I’m not sure bleach will get the mud stains out.”

“Okay.” He fished his sweater out and tossed it in the sink between the washer and the dryer.

She pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and placed it on the shelf above. Thankfully, she’d found it in the blanket that she’d dropped in the muddy pit.

Bjornolf took her jacket and slipped it in the washer.

She removed her holster and set it on the shelf with her phone. “We could clean yours in the machine and soak mine in the sink for a while.”

“Ladies first.”

“Hmm,” she said, biting her tongue.

He slipped off his charcoal gray shirt and hesitated.

“Sink,” she said.

He tossed it in there.

She sighed. “We could have washed more at one time if we’d taken care of my sweater and jacket later.”

He shook his head and considered her sweater again. “I love it on you.”

“Thanks. It was my favorite.” She appreciated the way he had observed her in the sweater, like he wanted to get his hands on her and kiss her all over.

He helped pull it over her head and added it to the jacket in the washer. He touched the dirt streaking her skin. His touch was gentle, his expression dark and contemplative.

Suddenly, she didn’t really care if she was squeaky clean or not. Or if Bjornolf was. She didn’t want to think of what might have happened. Only of where they were now. Muddy, sure, but alive and well. And hot for each other in the laundry room of a cabin retreat. That’s all that really mattered.

Before they could focus on keeping things clean, they were kissing, tongues and lips colliding. He fumbled with the fastener on her white bra while his tongue was teasing hers and her fingers were unbuckling his belt. The bra went sailing and ended up inside one of the sorting tubs on the shelf above.

His large warm hands slid over her breasts, making them swell, her blood heating. Her hands took measure of his chest, feeling the ripple of muscles, his nipples hardening, his stomach tightening. Somehow they managed to get out of their jeans. She thought her white panties went into the sink when they were supposed to go into the washing machine, but when she glanced in that direction, she saw them hanging off the sign, the teddy bear peeking through the silky fabric.

His white boxers landed on the floor. He lifted her onto the top of the dryer. They weren’t going to make love in here, were they?

He saw the hesitation in her expression, and he spread her legs and moved in close to her. His gaze held hers, and she swore his amber eyes were a little misty. Dark with lust, but misty.

He took her face in his hands and rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs. “I thought I’d lost you today, Anna.”

She thought of making a smart-ass reply because she didn’t want to feel the emotions that were swirling through her—the fear of losing him, of leaving him behind—but she knew what he must have suffered.

She took his hand and kissed the palm. “I wasn’t giving up.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s what I love about you. If I’m not there to protect you, you’re going to do it yourself.” He smiled slightly. She could tell he was damn proud of her for being able to stay alive on her own.

She smiled. That was the end of the serious discussion as far as she was concerned. “Here… or in the bath… or in the bed?”

“In the living room,” he said, his hands stroking her breasts, his eyes focused on them now. He looked up at her to see her expression when she didn’t say anything.

“With the Christmas tree lights on, a fire going, and a wild sword fight on the TV. What could be better?” he asked. “When I saw you standing in front of the Christmas tree after we’d hung the lights, that’s all I could think of. If Nathan hadn’t been in the guest bedroom, I would have made love to you next to the fire.”

She loved the idea. “Sounds like a deal.”

He went over to the sink and took a cloth from the cabinet, then warmed the water and added a little hand soap to it. “We’ll clean up a bit first.”