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  “Yes, you do.” Mathis turned her to face him again. “Come home with me.”

  “Why should I?” Sadie wasn’t usually so confrontational but after the day she’d had, she couldn’t seem to help herself. “You don’t really want me there and I don’t want your pity. I’d rather stay in my car.”

  “Goddamnit, woman!” Mathis let out a frustrated breath and scrubbed his hand over his face. “I do want you with me, all right?” he burst out. “More than I should. That’s why I asked you to leave last night. And for the record I did not kick you out.”

  “You might as well have,” Sadie yelled over her shoulder, heading for the car again. “You acted like an asshole and your apology is not accepted! Leave me alone!”

  “Like hell I will!”

  He spun her to face him and then ducked, getting one broad shoulder under her waist. Before she knew quite what was happening, Sadie found herself being lifted high in the air, her head hanging down as Mathis carried her like a sack of grain slung over his shoulder.

  “No! No!” she shouted, beating at his broad back with her fists. “Let me go! Let me go!”

  “I’ll let you go when I’m damn good and ready,” he growled and tightened his grip on her thighs. It seemed he meant it—no matter how much Sadie fought and kicked, he kept a firm grip on her and continued his steady pace toward his cabin.

  At last, Sadie went limp, all the fight abruptly leaking out of her body like air from a punctured tire. Her wet hair slapped her in the face with each of Mathis’s steps and she felt some emotion welling up inside her—a feeling of misery so complete she almost couldn’t breathe past it. What a horrible, horrible day! And now that her huge neighbor had her, who knew what might happen? Sadie didn’t know and she felt so wretched she almost didn’t care.

  Finally they reached Mathis’s cabin. Once inside, he slammed the door closed and set her down to drip on the small throw rug that decorated the entryway.

  “Now,” he said, glaring down at her from his immense height. “You’re not going to your car, and you’re sure as hell not gonna try getting into your cabin with that damn widow-maker halfway through your roof. You’re staying right here with me tonight—understand?”

  “Yes,” Sadie said, and burst into tears.

  “Hey—whoa, whoa. What’s wrong?” Mathis was instantly concerned. He leaned down, trying to get a better look at Sadie’s face, but he couldn’t because she’d covered it with her hands as her shoulders shook helplessly with sobs.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked anxiously.

  “No.” She shook her head, her voice muffled by her hands. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had such a . . . such a shitty day.”

  Oh, okay. Well, at least he wasn’t the source of her pain—or not the main source, anyway. It had been a long time since he’d comforted a female but Mathis found he hadn’t completely lost the knack.

  “C’mere,” he said, gathering her, wet and dripping, into his arms.

  “No!” At first she fought him, but Mathis wouldn’t let her get away. The pain in her called to him—wringing his heart. He needed to hold her—to make it better if he could.

  At last she relaxed against him and sobbed, pressing her face to his soaking shirt as she cried. Mathis wrapped his arms around her and noticed she was shivering—no surprise since she was drenched through. They both were, come to think of it, but his Shifter blood kept him warmer than someone who hadn’t had their first Shift yet. Plus, Sadie had moved here from Florida—she had thin blood to start with from living down south.

  “Sadie? Sweetheart?” He lifted her chin gently, trying to get a look at her. “You wanna tell me about it? About your day?” If she was anything like Kathleen had been, she just needed to talk—to get it off her chest. The thought of his lost mate gave him a twinge of guilt but he pushed it away. He was trying to comfort Sadie, not claim her. “Wanna talk?” he asked again softly.

  She sniffed. “Well, there’s not much to talk about. Just that I tried to go grocery shopping but everyone was staring at me and then there was this bizarre fight and the manager kicked me out of the Piggly Wiggly instead of the boys that were fighting. And then, when I got to my car, someone had slashed all my tires. All I wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed but now I don’t have that option because my cabin is ruined and I don’t have the money to fix it—that’s all.”

  She started crying again, her lovely features twisted in pain and Mathis’s heart ached for her. He held her close, stroking her trembling shoulders.

  “Hey, it’s okay. It’s all right,” he murmured soothingly. “First thing in the morning I’ll go out and look at the damage—I’m sure it’s fixable.”

  “Sure, if you have the money to fix it—which I don’t,” she said flatly and sneezed. “Oh, God—I’m sorry. I’m just miserable and tired and freezing.”

  Mathis looked at her again and frowned. She was shivering uncontrollably, and her lips were actually blue. That was no good—he couldn’t have her going into hypothermia.

  “Come on.” He took her by the hand and tried to lead her down the hallway but Sadie resisted.

  “Why? Where are we going?”

  “To warm you up.”

  “Wait, my boots are a muddy mess.” She took off her boots and Mathis took his off as well, leaving both pairs on the much-abused entryway rug—he’d have to throw it in the washer later.

  When they were both barefoot, he took her hand again and led her into his large master bathroom with its oversized tub.

  “Wow.” Sadie’s eyes grew wide when she saw the tub. “That’s huge.”

  “Custom built,” Mathis said with a touch of pride as he began running her a hot bath. He added bath salts, which he used when he soaked after a Shift, and then found an ancient bottle of bubble bath he’d kept because the scent reminded him of Kathleen. Pouring some into the tub, he couldn’t help remembering that he’d done this for his mate but again he pushed the memory away. He wasn’t trying to seduce Sadie—just keep her from keeling over from hypothermia.

  “Okay,” he said to her, once the tub was mostly full. “I’m going in the other room for a minute. I want you to get in and get under the bubbles.”

  Sadie bit her lip, looking at the tub uncertainly.

  “I could just take a quick shower.”

  “That won’t warm your core temperature,” he said firmly. “Don’t argue, Sadie—just get in the damn bath.”

  “Yes, sir.” She gave him a mock salute that made Mathis smile. Good, she was feeling a little better. Or if not, at least a little feistier.

  “I’m going to go change—you get in the tub,” he said, heading into his bedroom. As he closed the door, his shaft stirred in his damp jeans, reminding him that when he wasn’t worried about her being ill or injured, the rut came back full force. Her Juvie scent when she was naked and wet in the steamy tub was going to be pure torture to be around.

  Mathis didn’t care. He just wanted her near him tonight. Wanted her here, under his roof where he could care for her and protect her and know she was safe.

  You want her close so you can claim her, whispered an accusing little voice in his head.

  Mathis frowned. That wasn’t true. He’d made a promise to never take another mate after Kathleen died and he didn’t intend to break it. He just wanted to take care of the little Juvie, he told himself. To make sure she was all right. And where was the harm in that?

  There’ll be all kinds of harm if your rut gets out of control, the voice informed him. Was it the voice of guilt or the voice of self-doubt? Either way, Mathis pushed it aside. He was pure Alpha—he could control himself no matter how good Sadie smelled or how bad his rut got. He just had to focus his self-control and he was perfectly capable of that.

  It’ll be all right, he told himself firmly. It has to be. And if things get too bad I can always Shift later on tonight, after she’s gone to sleep.

  Though it seemed counterintuitive, changing to his animal form actually help