Free Wynter's Captive by Milly Taiden

a different level of concern on his face.
    “Did he—” Cade asked, cupping her face with a shaky hand.
    She shook her head. “No. But he was going to.”
    “Lili, I’m sorry. This wouldn’t have happened if I—”
    “Please, Cade. Stop.” She glanced at Brandon. “I want to go.” Numbness filled her. She needed to get away from the image of what Cyrus had tried to do.
    “Come with me, Lili. I’ll take care of you,” Cade offered. His worried frown eased some of the shock in her system.
    She shook her head.
    “I need to think, Cade. I’m not sure that’s the right thing to do.” Wincing, she stepped away from him and to her car. “Please, Brandon, I want to go to Jay.”
    Brandon glanced at Cade, who nodded and stepped back and away from her. She held on to the tattered front of her coat and let Brandon guide her into the passenger side of her car. Moments later he was at the wheel. Lili looked over her shoulder and saw Cade watching them drive away. A longing to go back to him filled her. She had to figure out what to do about him. It was clear she wanted to be with him, but lies had no place in any relationship she took part in.
     

Chapter Eight
     
     
    It was a snowy, cold day, and Lili sat on a frozen bench. She’d fought her instinct all day until she couldn’t anymore. Howling wind whirled her hair around her shoulders. Something wanted her to leave, look for Cade, and stay close to him. It was more than merely missing him; it was a strange longing from somewhere deep inside her. She glanced up at the building. His building. He was up there. She knew he was and couldn’t figure out how she knew that. It was like some strange link had forged between them.
    Suddenly her vision turned blurry and heat licked at her skin. What the hell was wrong with her? This was the second time she felt this way in the last few hours. Only now it was worse. As if someone had lit a match under her skin. She had explained her injuries vanishing overnight as quick healing, but even she knew that was a crock of bull.
    Beads of sweat crowded her upper lip and chin. Holy crap. She was probably sick or something. She’d never heard of the flu doing this to anyone. What if having sex with a werewolf made a woman sick? The burning on her skin intensified. She screamed and tore at the wool coat. The material felt rough and constricting against her flesh.
    “Ma’am?”
    She glanced up.
    A blurry security guard stared at her with concern. “Are you OK?”
    She opened her mouth to speak, but her answer was cut off by a low, pain-filled moan and the need to strip off every piece of clothing. What the hell was going on? She shook her head and removed her cardigan. A red cami and jeans were all she wore. She’d die before she took any more of her clothes off. She doubled over, every muscle in her body aching as if they were being stretched taut.
    The security guard gave her a sympathetic smile.
    “It’s OK. You’ll be fine. Someone’s coming to help you.” His voice sounded farther and farther away. Like it would if she were underwater.
    Did he say someone was coming to help her? Whoever that was better hurry the hell up. She was in a whole mess of pain. A sense of being called made her jerk her gaze around, but all she saw was the blurry security guard on his walkie. This was the backside of the building, and nobody else was around. Everything she looked at swam out of focus. She breathed deeply, hoping the sick feeling of vertigo would stop, hoping the increasing muscle pains would diminish. But they didn’t.
    She dropped to the ground on her hands and knees and shut her eyes, groaning in pain. Her mind focused solely on calming the burning in her skin. That’s when she saw it. A beautiful golden wolf inside her head. The animal cocked its head and walked tentatively toward her. She stared at the wolf. Mesmerized, she took in the beauty of the animal. Sleek limbed and thick coated, the golden fur shone brighter the