Moonlight Kin 4: Tristan by Jordan Summers

mud covering the toes and
scowled.
    When she reached the front door, Izzy slipped
her shoes off and turned them upside down. At least if something
crawled inside them, it would fall out when she lifted them up. She
hoped.
    Izzy pulled the screen door open and stepped
inside. Tristan was right. It did look better on the inside than on
the outside, but it was still only a one-room cabin.
    A large quilt-covered bed had been shoved
against the back wall. At the foot of the bed sat a small table
with two chairs. The opposite wall held a couch. Perched beside it
was an overflowing bookshelf. Whoever lived here liked to read,
which surprised her.
    A kitchenette, which consisted of a stove, a
sink, and a couple of cabinets, had been tucked in a corner next to
a small fridge. Izzy scanned the space, but didn’t immediately spot
a bathroom.
    “Don’t worry.” Tristan pushed what she
thought was the back door open. “The bathroom is in here. The place
has a generator and its own well.”
    Good to know , Izzy thought.
    “I’m going to take a shower,” he said. “If
you’re hungry, Pierre keeps the kitchen fully stocked.”
    “I’m fine. I’ll just...” –Izzy searched for a
quick distraction— “read a book.”
    He hesitated then shook his head. “I’ll be
out shortly. Try not to get into any trouble.”
    Izzy waited until she heard the water come
on, then slipped out onto the front porch. She pulled her cellphone
out and called Stone again. This time, he picked up.
    “Isabel?”
    “It’s me,” she whispered. “You told me to
call once we settled into a spot. I don’t have long. The shifter is
in the shower. I’m in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. I need you
to get me out.”
    “Describe it,” he said.
    “Woods, mosquitos, and swamp,” she said.
“There weren’t any road signs once we turned off.”
    Stone grew quiet. “I’m going to need a little
more info.”
    Izzy glanced over her shoulder, but the
bathroom door was still closed. “We turned right before we got into
Jean Lafitte Park, then took a road that was barely visible. We
made one or two more turns, then crossed a creek. I’m sorry. I’ve
always had a bad sense of direction, especially when there aren’t
street signs.”
    “It’ll be okay,” he said. “We have time. He’s
not going to hurt you as long as you’re of use to him. You’ve given
me enough information. I’ll be able to find you. Just stay put. You
did the right thing by calling me.”
    Before she could ask when he was coming,
Stone disconnected. Izzy turned the phone off and dropped it into
her purse. She came back in the cabin as the bathroom door opened
and Tristan stepped out.
    Water dripped down his bare chest, and his
hair was slicked back away from his chiseled face. He’d wrapped a
towel around his trim waist, which only accentuated his rippling
muscles. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe.
    Tristan scanned the cabin. “Who were you
talking to, Isabel?” he asked as he finger combed his long, white
hair.
    Izzy flinched but managed to keep her
composure. “No one,” she said. “Why do you ask?” Her voice
squeaked.
    Tristan’s silver eyes narrowed. “I heard you
speaking to someone. I’m a wolf, remember?”
    Oh God! How much had he heard? Izzy didn’t
know and couldn’t ask. Maybe he just suspected and hoped she’d
confess. She needed to stay calm.
    He stalked forward.
    Izzy’s heart skipped, and her mouth went dry.
She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from his moist flesh. This
close she could smell the soap he’d used.
    Tristan stopped in front of her and sniffed
the air, then his expression darkened. “You’re lying,” he said.
“Who was here?”
    The accusation snapped her out of her
momentary fascination. “No one,” Izzy said, which was the truth. As
far as she knew, they were alone. “I doubt there’s another soul
around here for miles.”
    Tristan walked past her and stepped out onto
the porch. His skin glistened in the