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her that distracted him, it was that quality that was the most dangerous. The bag on his shoulder was a reminder that he could never simply be a male. There were too many people relying on him to be more than that.
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
     
    True to his words, Cain had only let Sarah sleep for a couple of hours before rousing her just after noontime. She had gotten up with all the grace of a zombie, lumbering into the woods to go pee and then coming back to slump down next to the newly-built fire. He’d caught another hare and thankfully hadn’t asked her to clean it, though he’d assured her the next one would be her responsibility. The meat had been just as good as the one before, and Sarah was worried that if she ever made it back to civilization she wouldn’t be able to look at a rabbit without her mouth watering.
     
    In the past few hours they had reached the peak of the mountain and were finally on the ir way down. Although she was tired, Sarah was grateful for the midday sun illuminating the path down the mountainside.
     
    Cain had told her that once they were a few miles into his territory, he would shift and carry her rest of the way. They would be at his den by nightfall. Sarah hoped that she’d done a good job of hiding her disappointment and hadn’t looked as miserable as she’d felt.
     
    Three days ago, traveling upstate to see her mother had been just about the most interesting thing she’d ever done. Now, she’d met a werewolf, climbed a mountain, and been chased by bears. She was having the adventure of a lifetime and she wasn’t ready to give it up. She wasn’t ready to give Cain up.
     
    Although she ’d told herself time and time again not to get attached, she’d gotten attached anyway. If it were just the fact that he was handsome, she could have dealt with that. She’d slobbered over many attractive men, but always had a firm grip on reality. The reality of it was that attractive men didn’t go for overweight, bespectacled women.
     
    She knew that Cain wasn’t any different. Every time he pulled a tree branch out of her way, or took her hand to help her climb up a rock, it was because he felt responsible for her. When he smiled at her, or laughed at something she said, it was because he thought she was amusing. When he had tried to make love to her, it was because he was in the mood and she had been there—not because under any other circumstances he would ever want to be with her.
     
    It was a pessimistic outlook, but how many times had she thought, or worse, hoped that there was something there that wasn’t? Too many times, she’d let herself fall head over heels for a guy who was just being nice to her. After the last time, Sarah had told herself that she was better and deserved more, yet here she was again, letting herself fall for a man that she couldn’t be with even if he wanted her back.
     
    Wrapped up in her thoughts, she nearly walked into Cain when he came to a stop. Banishing her depressing thoughts with a shake of her head, she glanced around. She realized that she must have been on autopilot for a while, because she didn’t recognize any of their surroundings. The bare deciduous trees had been replaced by evergreens as far as she could see. Patches of snow had melted on the ground, revealing a forest floor that was littered with browned pine needles.
     
    Looking past Cain, she realized they were near the edge of a cliff. She took a few steps forward to see that the cliff dropped off sharply. As if a giant had run its finger through the mountainside, there was another cliff on the other side, too far to jump, probably even by Cain’s standards.
     
    “I will go first,” he said from behind her.
     
    She looked back at him. “What?”
     
    For a moment, she thought that he expected her to jump, but he nodded towards the left. She followed his gaze. Several yards away a large tree had fallen, bridging the two cliffs. It looked like it had been there a long time