The girl liked to tell many stories of her inmates in the slave establishment who had tried to escape and fallen to into the hands of such predators, but she had not told her that predators like that were in this certain direction she had outlined in the map!
Knowing she had to try anyway, Belle was opening her mouth to let loose a bloodcurdling shriek when she backed right into the arms of a third man. For one heart-stopping moment, terror locked the scream in her throat, but then, as she recognized the feel of him, the fear melted into a nerve-shattering relief that nearly buckled her knees.
One powerful arm encircled her shoulders from behind, settling just above the swell of her breasts.
"Sorry to disappoint you losers," said a deep, smoky rumble of a voice, "but there's more than just wolves roaming these woods tonight."
