Maybe she could help Bear out by getting a fire going. She didn’t want to alert Carrigan to her location, but she also didn’t want to freeze to death.
She went to move and Bear shot to his feet and pivoted to face her.
“Sit,” he growled and she glared at him.
Or more specifically, what he was holding in his right hand.
“Here I thought you were being civilised and nice by helping me to this chair.” Callie kept her eyes locked on the rope that dangled from his fingers. The urge to bolt was strong, but she kept her ass planted to the chair, aware that the only way out of the cabin was near Bear. “Is that really necessary?”
“I don’t trust you,” he gritted.
“I get the feeling you don’t trust anyone,” she countered and swallowed as he closed the distance between them in only two strides, came to tower over her, looming like a shadow in the darkness.
At least outside, the faint light of the stars had been enough to reveal his features to her, giving her a chance at knowing what he was thinking. As she stared up into the inky gloom at his face, her eyes adjusted to reveal it to her, but not as clearly as she had been able to see him outside. What she could make out about him didn’t help at all.
His rough features were a stony mask, his eyes revealing nothing to her.
He eased around behind her, grabbed her arms and tugged them back. Callie yanked her right one free, was tempted to elbow him in the groin, but stopped herself at the last second. Angering Bear wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Well, it wouldn’t get her anywhere other than dead.
He grabbed her arm again and she huffed as she forced herself to relax and let him have his way.
“This is a little unnecessary, isn’t it?” She couldn’t stop her mouth from running though, mostly because she wanted to make him feel terrible for how he was treating her. “I mean, you’ve pointed out plenty of times that I’m some weak little wolf who doesn’t stand a chance against you. Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?”
He scoffed. “No. Just being precautious.”
“Precautious? That’s a mighty big word. You sure you know what it means?” She angled her head towards him, regretted it when he stood and she got an eyeful of his crotch. Her gaze zipped to her knees and she wriggled her arms, gritted her teeth and growled as she tested her bonds. The bastard was good at tying people up.
“I know what it means.” He moved around her and dropped to his knees, his gaze on her ankles.
Callie kicked him in the chest, knocking him onto his backside, and scowled at him. “That’s not necessary!”
Bear growled, flashing huge fangs, the threat enough to have her locking up tight and behaving like a good little wolf.
He got back onto his knees and reached for her left ankle, and she panicked.
“At least tie them together,” she blurted, fear getting the better of her again.
His gaze collided with hers.
She knew when he had seen the fear in them, when he had realised why she was afraid of him tying one of her feet to each chair leg, because he averted his gaze, pushed to his feet and tossed the rope over the other chair instead. She breathed a little easier, her panic subsiding as Bear moved away from her, as he made it clear he wouldn’t tie her legs.
He rubbed the back of his neck, looked at everything but her, and she could sense the shift in his mood.
And then nothing.
She frowned at him as he went outside, leaving the door open, leaving her alone. How did he shut down his emotions like that? She thought about the tattoo on his nape and had the feeling his past had something to do with it, and also with the way he moved without giving away what he intended to do.
Bear stomped back into the room with an armful of wood, kicked the door closed behind him and sank down in front of the burner. He opened the door, placed the split logs inside, and got the fire going impressively quickly. He closed the door and pushed to his feet, coming to face her.
Firelight chased over him, casting shadows in the valleys between his honed muscles and around his eyes. Making him look every bit as dark and dangerous as she knew him to be.
“Why are you running?”
The same question he had asked her before.
“Can you just take me to your alpha?” She ignored the way his eyebrows knitted hard and fire flashed in his eyes, warning her that he didn’t like her questioning him. Or maybe he didn’t like that she wanted to meet his leader. “I mean, he can’t be any more unreasonable than you.”
“Just answer the question, Wolf.” He seemed quite determined to keep bringing up the fact she was a wolf.
“Answer my question, Bear.” Two could play at that game.
He changed the rules in his favour by coming to loom over her though, forcing her to tilt her head back, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
“You want me to change my mind and tie your legs too?” He glanced down at her right one. “Injury like that might heal tonight, fusing with the rope. That’ll hurt.”
She glared at him. “You wouldn’t.”
The thought of having to pull a rope from her flesh sickened her, had her on the verge of answering his question, but she held her tongue. If she responded to his threats, he would keep on threatening her until he got all the answers he wanted. He would use her fear against her.
“I didn’t know this was Black Ridge territory. I’m just passing through and I don’t want to cause any trouble.” She tried to sound calm, but the twist to his lips said she hadn’t managed it.
“You’re not passing through anywhere. You’re running scared and I want to know if I’m about to have a whole troupe of hunters in my pride’s territory.”
“I told you, I’m not running from Archangel!” She lunged towards him, unable to stop herself as anger and fear flooded her, a heady combination that ripped a reaction from her.
His broad mouth twitched at the corners, as if he wanted to smile. “So you are running then.”
She wanted to curse him, wanted to curse herself too for giving that away. “Fine. I’m running. All you need to know is that the ones who are after me aren’t hunters. It isn’t Archangel. They’re not a threat to you—they’re a threat to me.”
His eyes rapidly darkened.
Made him look as if he wanted to find the ones who were after her and destroy them for her.
She was imagining that, seeing in his expression what she wanted to see, because she had no allies and she badly needed one. She told herself she would have one soon. She would get to the White Wolf pack, and Carrigan wouldn’t be able to touch her.
“You going to tell me who is after you?” Bear eased down into a crouch before her.
Callie was tempted to kick him again, even when it wouldn’t get her anywhere. “No. I don’t answer to you. You can’t make me talk.”
The cold smile that curved his lips said he could.
He wouldn’t.
She searched his eyes, hoping to see in them that he wouldn’t hurt her to get answers, but they were blank again, anything he was feeling buried under a layer of ice.
“Take me to your leader.” It was a risky move, but it couldn’t be worse than being alone in a cabin with Bear. The leader of his pride might be more reasonable, might treat her with a trace of civility and help her. She didn’t like bears, but she wasn’t dumb enough to turn down help from one. They were powerful, far stronger than wolves. Bear here could probably take on Carrigan and his men alone and decimate them all.