Catching Red by Tara Quan

teeth clattered from fear rather than the cold. “That can’t be true. We haven’t even…”
    “Whether or not we have sex doesn’t change how I feel about you.” He let out a heavy breath and looked up at the gray sky. “It sucks, but that’s the God’s honest truth.”
    She stood on tiptoe and grabbed the collar of his jacket. With a hard yank, she forced him to look at her. “Then change your mind.”
    He raised his eyebrows. “Why don’t you change yours? If you let me come with you, I won’t stop you. I won’t stand in your way. As an added bonus, I’ll do everything in my power to get you out of this mess in one piece.”
    She clenched her jaw. “I’m not a child you need to protect. I don’t plan on dying.”
    “That’s not entirely true, is it? You’re taking a gamble. Based on what little I’ve seen so far, the odds aren’t in your favor.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.” Part of her needed him to understand. Part of her needed him to forgive her when the time came for her to flee. “I can’t live with myself if people I care about die because I couldn’t deliver. I’ve made promises.”
    He closed his hands over her wrists. “Consider this your one and only warning.” The vehemence in his tone rooted her to the spot. “Bring me with you, and I’ll help you every step of the way. But if you run”—his grip tightened—“I’ll catch you. Then I’ll tie you up and haul your ass back to the city. I won’t give a shit about what it is you’re trying to do. If your tidy little plans are wrecked because of my interference, then so be it.”
    She tried to infuse her voice with a confidence she didn’t feel. “If you haven’t noticed, I don’t react well to threats.”
    The determination etched on his face made her falter. His voice was barely above a whisper, but it made her knees shake. “This isn’t a threat, Red. It’s a promise.” As she struggled to contain her fear, he released her arms and cupped her face. His expression grew tender. His gaze bore into hers. “If you were in my shoes, what would you do?”
    His words doused her anger. He was right. If he were in danger, she would risk her life to keep him safe. What was between them couldn’t be undone. Over the past week, the bond that started with mutual respect had morphed into something more. And even though it complicated her life, she had no desire to turn back time.
    She took half a step forward so they stood toe to toe. With a sigh, she turned her face and kissed his palm. “I hate how you manage to win all our arguments.”
    He lowered his free arm to circle her waist. “It helps that I’m always the voice of reason.” He tilted her face up. “I’ve put all my cards on the table. Now you get to decide what happens between us.”
    Though she wasn’t entirely certain what her decision was, her heart pounded. Her lips parted, but a rustling sound sent her body on high alert. His fingers clenched before he let her go. In unison, they turned to face the lone undead. The blizzard had only just relented. This particular brain-eater must have been buried under snow and ice for the past seven days. Its movements were slow and uncoordinated. It posed no real threat.
    Marcus shielded her and pulled his ax free from the strap on his back. “Damn. I just finished washing off all the blood.”
    With a snort, she grabbed one of the two knives strapped to her lower back and hurled it straight into the undead’s right eye. Though she was weaker than usual, her aim was true. The lumbering creature stopped in its tracks before turning stiff and falling backward. She walked around her protector’s large body to recover the blade from the monster’s face.
    Crouching, she washed away the viscous black blood with a handful of snow. As she tucked the knife back into its sheath, she turned her head and grinned. Being protected was nice, but certain problems she would rather handle