He glanced down and she followed his gaze. The rope he held touched her wrist and she gasped when the thing seemed to move on its own, reminding her of a snake. It wrapped around her skin, tightening just below where he gripped her with his fingers. She was too stunned to do anything but watch as he used the other end of it to tap against his own wrist. It wrapped around his skin too, linking them together as if they were handcuffed. He let go of her wrist.

“What is that?”

He swayed on his feet and bent again, reaching into the bag a second time. He pulled out a palm-sized box and a light emanated from it. He growled in a long, broken pattern. She tried to identify what he held but it wasn’t anything she’d ever seen before. It kind of reminded her of a cell phone but it didn’t have a lighted screen. It just had lights coming from the side seams of the slim device.

He swayed again and she looked up at his face. His golden skin tone had paled considerably.

His eyes rolled upward and he collapsed.

Lynn cried out when he pitched sideways. The rope-like thing connecting them didn’t break. She was jerked forward, landed on top of his side, and lay sprawled there. She stared at his face. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be out cold.

She twisted, rolling off his big body and crouching next to him, studying the link between their wrists.

It felt like some kind of weird, lightweight metal. There wasn’t a keyhole anywhere to be found and it wasn’t moving anymore. She tried to tear it off but it wouldn’t release her wrist. She gave up and focused on the downed man. His chest rose and fell, assuring her he lived.

“What are you and who are you?”

He fascinated her. Lynn reached up to cup his face with both hands but his heavy arm kept one of hers down. She pushed against him until he lay flat and lifted his arm until it rested over his chest. It freed her to gently cup his face so she could study him carefully. He was attractive in an odd way. Her focus fixed on his mouth. He had plush, full lips that were slightly parted, those two long fangs denting his bottom lip. It didn’t take much to tilt his head just enough to get his jaw to open more.

The rest of his teeth looked almost normal. They were white and straight. She ran the pad of her fingertip across his tongue. It was pink like a normal person’s except a bit wider and more pointed at the tip. The texture wasn’t as soft as it should have been—a bit raspy, but not sandpaper quality. She pulled her finger away from his mouth and lowered her gaze.

He really was in great shape. And huge. His shoulders were broad, his biceps thickly muscled and well defined. She looked lower, having to admire his stomach. Even though he was unconscious, she could distinguish every ridge of muscle that waved down to the waist of his strange leather underwear. He had to weight about two hundred fifty pounds and she couldn’t spot a single hint of flab.

She lifted up to stare at his unique choice of leather Speedos but quickly noticed the bright red that had seeped through the bandage she’d put over his inner thigh. It was bleeding again. She moved down his body, dragging his arm so she could tend to the wound. It was a struggle to untie her bra to get a look at it.

He needed stitches and a doctor. It was obvious the dog had bitten down, just tearing the flesh instead of removing it. She twisted, stretching her hand out to snag his backpack. He thought he might have a first-aid kit but all she located were some items of clothing. She grabbed what appeared to be a folded gray shirt and used it to press against the wound, putting her upper-body weight into it. He’d die if she didn’t get the bleeding to stop.

“Hello? Please wake up!” She stared at his face but he didn’t flinch, move, or react in any way. “You’ve got to get this thing off my wrist. I need to get you help. Wake up!”

He didn’t stir. She lifted her chin to stare at the darkening sky through the tree branches above them. The sun would go down and they’d be in a world of shit. She wouldn’t be able to find the cabin without some light. Mr. Avery’s land wasn’t exactly a place she’d visited often. He had to own a few hundred acres. Animals would be drawn to the river and to the scent of blood.

A list of predators streamed through her mind. There were coyotes, snakes, feral hogs, some bobcats, the occasional mountain lion, and she’d had to trap some vicious raccoons and opossums in her time. They didn’t usually attack humans but even the normally timid creatures might come after him, especially if they were hungry, injured, or diseased. The man in front of her would seem like an easy meal, too tempting to resist. Her weapons were too far away to drag him back to the river’s edge.

Even if the wildlife wasn’t an issue, he needed medical attention. Infection seemed to have already taken hold in him. His skin felt feverishly hot, and he’d lost blood on top of it. She struggled with the rope-like shackle again, with no luck.

“Son of a bitch!” She slapped her open palms down on his chest in frustration.

He jerked under her and his eyes flew open. It took him a second to focus on her as she inched up his body, staring back at him. He growled low, an animalistic sound.

“You need to let me go for help.” She lifted her arm enough to jerk on his where they were connected. “Get this off me.”

He shook his head.

It pissed her off. “What’s your name?”

He growled.

“Stop that. Just tell me your name. I know you’re in pain but this isn’t the time to act like a jerk.”

He growled again.

She realized he’d never said a single word to her. “Can you talk?”

He hesitated then shook his head.

It came as a shock. He wasn’t just messing with her. The guy only made those sounds. She had to take a deep breath and calm. “You can understand me?”

He nodded.

That’s something. “Okay. Listen to me. You’re really hurt. We’re near a big watering spot for animals. This is Johnson Avery’s land. He’s an old man and he doesn’t trap or hunt anything anymore. His property is fenced off to keep everyone out. Do you know what that means?”

He shook his head.

“We have hunting seasons for a reason in this part of the country. It’s not just to kill stuff and snap photos to post on the internet. It’s because the animal population can grow out of control. We’re currently on over two hundred acres of wildlife gone unchecked. Is that clear enough for you? I know he has a ton of coyotes because last year he told me about hearing them. I offered to come out and see how bad it had gotten but he refused to let me. There could be dozens of them.” She paused. “More. The larger the pack, the more fearless they are.