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wrote the story about me being a werewolf. He contacted me… told me to enjoy my runs in the park.”
    “You’ve shifted?” Anton stepped back but kept his big hands solidly clasped about her shoulders.
    Keisha nodded. “Twice. I had to. I missed all of you so much more than I thought I would. I figured if I shifted, I might feel closer to you, feel like part of the pack, but it was so lonely. I went to Golden Gate Park and pretended it was your mountains, but it’s not the same without you.”
    “Oh, sweetheart.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
    She sighed against his broad chest, inhaled his familiar scent and realized there was no fear in her. Not now, not with Anton here to protect her.
    “I got the project. The memorial for the park. I start in two weeks.”
    “That’s wonderful.” Anton stepped back but kept his hands on her. “I knew you’d win. You’re talented as well as beautiful.”
    She dipped her head. “You’re biased, but thank you. I wish I could enjoy the feeling more, but I’ve been so worried. What about the reporter? He could ruin everything.”
    “Leave him to me.” The low snarl behind Anton’s voice left no doubt how he would handle things.
    She couldn’t let him kill.
    I know. However, it’s very tempting .
    He tilted her chin up and forced her to look at him. The naked desire in his amber eyes practically stole her breath.
    “Come away with me. You’ve got a couple weeks before you have to start work. I have a cabin up in Humboldt County, just a few hours north of here. The redwoods and ferns grow thick, there’s no one around, and we can run as much as we want without fear of observation. We’ll figure something out. Please, say you’ll come?”
    She couldn’t speak. How could he know exactly what she needed? “Tell me what to pack. I can be ready in five minutes.”
     
    He wasn’t going to give her a chance to know fear, not this time. Anger, hot and heavy, boiled just beneath the surface, anger he struggled to hold under control. Anton had Keisha’s single bag loaded in the back of the rental car just minutes after his arrival. If the reporter were watching, he’d have a hard time following the nondescript sedan up busy Highway 101.
    If he followed them, actually found them, Anton figured Burns would regret it… but only for the time it took him to kill the bastard. He’d rather deal with an angry Chanku bitch any day than let the reporter expose her.
    Within half an hour, Anton was skillfully negotiating rush hour traffic across the Golden Gate. Once they got through the heavy commuter traffic in Santa Rosa, they sped through the wine country, took a jog to the west at Cloverdale and caught the scenic route over the twisting, narrow coast highway heading north. Just north of Rockport they cut east through miles of stately redwoods to Benbow. At Garberville, Anton took another road back to the west. It was growing dark and Keisha had long since fallen asleep.
    He studied her throughout the long trip, wishing he could find the secret to help her overcome her fears. It was such a temptation to use his mind, his powers to mesmerize, to compel her to want him, to help her forget the attack.
    If he did that, he would be every bit as guilty as the men who assaulted her, would always wonder if she were drawn to him of her own accord or because he had planted the compulsion within her heart.
    That was unacceptable. Keisha would love him on her own…
    Or not at all.
    And that’s just as unacceptable .
    Many narrow, unnamed roads, locked gates, private thoughts and private roads later, he pulled up in front of a small, well-kept cabin. He’d called ahead to have it stocked and prepared for his arrival. It helped that he’d owned the property for years and the caretakers were trusted friends.
    Keisha stirred in the seat beside him, stretched, opened her eyes and looked about her curiously. “Where are we? How long have I been asleep?”
    “We’re