Chapter Four

Leah pressed her back up against the tree, her fist clenched tightly around the hilt of the knife sheathed at her waist. What she wouldn't give for the flare gun right now, but she'd made the mistake of leaving the campsite without it. As she listened to the steady rustling of leaves headed her way, there was a glimmer of hope within her that it was Blake on the move and not the vile creature they'd been tracking. She hadn't seen her friend in two days, though, and she feared the worst for him.

The soft, steady shuffling drew closer. Leah thought about the legend, which said wood devils tended to blend in with the trees and wait for their prey to pass by. If so, this would be out of character, but she had no idea if that was truly the only way they hunted. She supposed she'd find out soon enough.

For all she knew, this wasn't the wood devil at all, but merely some friendly little forest animal out for a stroll. As insane as it seemed at the moment, Leah couldn't help but find the thought of hiding from Thumper somewhat amusing.

That feeling didn't last long, however. It was beside the tree now and it hesitated. Did it sense she was there? Did it smell her? Leah held her breath, waiting for the creature to either move past or swing around in front of her. An eternity went by in those few seconds, then the leaves rustled again and a dark form came into view.

She could wait and hope it continued on or she could use surprise to her advantage. Leah didn't hesitate. Lunging forward, she pushed hard against its' body, knocking it to the ground. Dropping her weight on top of it, she quickly straddled it as she whipped out her knife and raised it high over her head, prepared to drive the blade deep into the wood devil's chest.

It wasn't the devil, although it was close enough in Leah's eyes. She was staring down into the sinfully beautiful face of Dean Winchester!

Breathing hard, Leah sat atop him, knife poised in midair. Fear and adrenaline were pumping through her body and she wasn't quite sure how to handle the sudden turn of events. Dean's hands, which had shot up to grab her wrists when he saw the knife, slid up and wrapped over hers. Their size and warmth were comforting and she felt herself relax enough to lower her arms.

"Dean!" Relief washed over her, but anger was fast to replace it. "What the hell are you doing here, sneaking around in the woods? I almost killed you! I thought you were a wood devil."

"Wood devil, huh? Hell, Leah, I'm not that hairy." He laughed a bit nervously as he tried to ease the sharp weapon from her tense fingers. "Why don't you let me hold onto this. Just until you, you know, relax a little."

Leah shook her head. "I've got it." She leaned slightly forward, her lovely face hovering above his. "You're not scared are you, Winchester? You know me. I don't hold a grudge." She straightened back up. "But then, you are alone in the middle of the woods with a jilted lover who's wielding a knife... I can see why you'd be a little scared."

She enjoyed the way those gorgeous green eyes of his opened slightly wider. "Don't worry, baby." she said, slipping her knife into the sheath. "You're not worth it."

Leah rested her hands on Dean's chest and pushed hard as she raised herself off him. The whoosh of air it forced out of him made her smile, something she was surprised she could do after five long days in the woods, her friend's disappearance and seeing Dean again.

Dean sat up and watched as she stood before him straightening her clothes and brushing back long strands of hair that had escaped her pony tail. He let his gaze rake over her body. Long limbs and firm in all the right places, just as he'd remembered.

She was covered in dirt and sweat. Her clothes were stained and torn in places. And she looked hotter than hell. He was painfully hard from their close contact, and he shifted around, trying to adjust himself without being obvious.

Christ! They were in the middle of the woods with some freakish creature running around somewhere, she looked like she'd just gone three rounds with a friggin bear and he wanted her. What the hell was wrong with him?

"You didn't tell me what you're doing here. You're not alone, are you? Where's Sam?" Leah was asking him.

"I came here looking for you. And yeah, Sam's here. He's not too far back."

"Well, now that you found me..." She held out her hand. "don't just sit there on your pretty little ass. Let's find Sam and get to camp. It's nearly dark."

He flashed her one of his heart-melting grins as his hand grasped hers. "Still think my ass is pretty, huh?"

Leah jerked him roughly up from the ground. Her eyes glinted as they ran the length of him before settling on his face. "It doesn't really matter what I think, does it Dean?"

It mattered. More than she'd ever know. He would love to tell her how good it felt seeing her and hearing her voice again. Touching her again. The urge to pull her close and kiss her was driving him insane and he wondered what she'd do if he gave in to it. Hell, he already knew the answer to that - she'd punch the crap out of him. Still, to taste her one more time would be worth it. It wasn't like he hadn't felt the sting of her fist before.

Dean's heated gaze and subtle smirk hadn't escaped Leah's attention and she knew exactly what path his thoughts had wandered down. Well, he could just forget it because it wasn't happening. Oh, she felt it too. She would always want Dean. But wanting and having were two different things and she wasn't going to let herself get caught up in any sexual games with him. They had their chance and he'd wanted his freedom more. There were no second chances as far as she was concerned. What mattered now was finding Blake, or his body at least, and finishing off the thing that killed him. Then she would get as far away from Dean Winchester as possible.

"So, how did you find me?" she asked, wanting to shake him from whatever lewd thoughts he was having.

However it wasn't Dean that answered.

"We found your name on the trees." Sam said as he made his way toward them. "Great idea, by the way."

Leah grinned and reached for him, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. "Sam! It's so good to see you!"

Dean felt an instant pang of jealousy as he watched her embrace his brother. She was more than happy to show her affection for Sam, and he understood that but it wasn't easy to watch. Not when all he wanted was her body pressed up against his own.

"Hey you two. I think you've gone past the appropriate hugging time for friends." He tried to tease, hoping at the same time his words would get them to separate.

To Leah, Dean almost sounded jealous and it set off a small spark in her heart, but she quickly snuffed it out.

"Oh, poor Dean. Feeling left out?" She released her hold on Sam. "Sorry, but there's no time limit on hugs between friends. Only between ex-lovers. And that's zero, which is why you didn't get one."

Turning her back on him before he could comment, Leah faced Sam. "That damned thing got Blake, Sam. I haven't seen him in two days. I moved the camp and I've been searching the area, but I can't find him."

"I'm sorry, Leah. But there's always the chance it's just holding onto him. Winter's coming and maybe it's storing up."

"Maybe. Each day that goes by, though... I've got to find him, Sam. I hate not being able to search at night." She looked up at the darkening sky. "Hell, it's getting late. We should get back to the campsite. "

Sam agreed. "Sounds good to me. Lead the way."

Dean watched as Leah and his brother talked and headed off for the camp without a word to him. "Nice." he grumbled, not enjoying the feeling of being so completely disregarded. "Hey Dean, come on. Camp's this way."

Sam glanced back at his brother. "You say something, Dean?"

"Me? Hell no. Don't worry about me. You two go ahead. I'll keep up."

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Okay." He continued on with Leah, leaving his brother to mumble and complain as he tagged along behind them.

TBC