The Touch of Her Hands [The Wind River Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Missy Martine

small truck. Her arm jerked, sending the truck careening off the road, bouncing roughly down a dirt embankment. “Zack!” She watched in horror as he was thrown forward, hitting his head on the cracked windshield. “How am I gonna stop us?” she sobbed. Before she could come up with a plan, the truck slowed, and the engine died as it attempted to climb the slight incline on the other side of the gully.
    When the truck came to a stop, she glanced at Zack. He was unconscious. She could hear the other truck up on the road. Biting her lip, she grabbed his gun, pushed open the door, and climbed out of the truck. Taking a deep breath, she moved behind the bed and aimed the weapon up the hill. Her hand was steady, her finger on the trigger and her eyes glued to the road. She forced herself to breath slow and steady.
    When she heard a car door slam, she took a breath and as she released it, she pulled the trigger. The recoil threw her back a couple of feet, and she quickly got back in position and prepared to shoot again. Before she could aim the gun, she heard the sound of an engine starting, and then gravel sprayed as it sped away. Frowning, she peeked around the truck. Did they leave? She waited a couple of minutes but heard nothing but the screech of birds and the chattering of monkeys. Satisfied they’d gone, she hurried to check on Zack.
    He was still unconscious, with a small gash across his forehead. She climbed onto the seat and slowly pulled until his head was lying in her lap. Taking a moment to center her thoughts, she breathed in and out deeply. She rubbed her hands together to warm them, and then laid her fingers on his warm skin. Closing her eyes, she sent out her healing energy.
     
    * * * *
     
    Zack settled deeper into his dream, not wanting to open his eyes. A pleasant warmth was spreading through his body, and he’d never felt better. He felt like he might be missing something, but the place he rested was so comfortable, he never wanted to leave. He could hear a voice that sounded far away.
    “Zack, come on now. Wake up for me.”
    Zack’s coyote growled and pushed at his consciousness. Mate protect! Mate protect! Groaning, Zack opened his eyes and looked into the chocolate gaze of his distraught mate. Huge tears trickled down both her cheeks. “What’s wrong, love? Are you okay?”
    Aurelia broke down and sobbed openly. “I thought you’d never wake up. Hell, I thought you were dying and it was all my fault.” Zack frowned and moved to sit up. She laid a hand on his chest. “Not so fast. Give yourself a minute.”
    “I’m fine,” he scoffed and sat up, then looked around the clearing. “Where the hell are we?”
    “I ran us off the road. That’s where the hell we are.”
    Zack suddenly growled as he remembered being chased by the other car. He glanced toward the road. “What happened to the guys that were chasing us?”
    “They drove off after I shot at them.”
    He frowned. “You shot at them?”
    “I didn’t think I had a choice. You were out of it, and I heard them stop and get out of their car up on the road above us.”
    “Did you hit anybody?”
    Aurelia shook her head. “Not unless it was with a ricochet. I shot toward the street, but I never saw anybody even look down the hill.”
    “They just took off after hearing one shot that went wild. That makes no sense at all, and I don’t like it.”
    “Join the club. That makes two of us.”
    “How did we get off the road?”
    “Your gun scared the crap out of me, and I lost control. We’re lucky you choose this place for your shoot-out. A mile back down the road and we could have both been killed.”
    Zack sighed and pulled Aurelia into his embrace. “You healed me, didn’t you? That was the warm, nurturing feeling I felt coursing through me.” He kissed the top of her head. “Thank you, mate.”
    “Don’t thank me.” She squeaked. “Don’t you understand? I nearly killed you.”
    Zack gripped her hair and pulled her