Kate Allenton by Guided Loyalty Page B

quirked. “Yep…bought it after I met you.”
         Well, that was a weird thing to say. Maybe he’d been searching the market; maybe he’d just liked the place. “Where are we?”
         “Home.”
         “We can’t hide from him. He’ll find us.”
         Ethan clicked his tongue and crossed his arms over his chest. “We aren’t going back until we have a game plan. And even then….you’ll be staying here.”

                                                        Chapter 8

         “Like hell—” she started to protest.
         “You guys can argue later. Jonah needs a place to rest.” Tessa helped Jonah down the steps into the living room.
         Ethan nodded. “You two can take the spare room on the bottom level so Jonah won’t have to climb the stairs.” He led them out of sight down the hall.
    Cathy peered out the window into the darkness. The move was out of habit if nothing else. Paranoia was becoming standard practice. Darkness quickly cloaked the lake she’d seen when flying in. It had been one long-ass day. She’d gone from being kidnapped, confronted by Black, lied to by Edward and found again by Ethan, who evidently had gotten her out of a sticky situation. Her eyes were drooping, her arms fatigued, and the muscles in her shoulders were tied up in knots. Cathy patted the vials still in her pocket. Breathing a sigh of relief and thankful she could relax for at least a minute. The stress from the day was wearing her down.
         Exhausted, Cathy sank down into the comfortable couch cushion to wait for Ethan. Half of the time she had to save her friends had dwindled away from her. Not hearing back from Tara put a wrinkle in any plans Cathy could make. In a few hours, Black would know that she wasn’t at
    Edward’s anymore. In a few more hours, she was going to have to make the decision of her life.
         She laid her head against the couch. Unable to hold her lids open, she let them slide shut.
                                                           ****
         Ethan got Tessa and Jonah settled into their room. They were going to have to share since there were only two rooms in the cabin. Cathy might not be happy when she figured that out, but he hadn’t been worried about sleeping arrangements when he’d whisked her away from Edward’s
    compound. Did he honestly think Edward would have hurt her? No. The answer came fast and resolute, but men did crazy things for revenge, and Ethan wasn’t taking chances with his mate.

         Mate…well, his intended mate, the woman he was going to marry. Now all he had to do was get her to agree and keep her alive to follow through.
    Ethan lifted Cathy up in his arms, cradling her petite frame against his chest. Her eyes never opened, and yet, she snuggled deeper into his warmth. This was how things were supposed to be with her. He was supposed to take care of her and love her and enjoy getting to know everything that made her tick. Black was going to pay with his life.
         Ethan carried her up the stairs to his bed. A bed that he’d bought with her in mind. He’d wanted a place they could make a home, a place to whisk her away to….and not because they were on the run. He’d wanted to show it to her under different circumstances, happier circumstances. Ethan strolled into the room, pushed the covers to the end of the bed, and settled Cathy down on the mattress. He removed her shoes but didn’t dare try and remove her clothes. He eased the covers back over her and went back downstairs, leaving her to rest. Just because everyone in the house was getting settled didn’t mean he could rest. No, now more than ever, he needed to make sure he
    wouldn’t be surprised.
         Ethan walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He popped the top and pulled out his cell phone. He speed dialed the