“Love you too.”
How I’d gotten through this day without having a panic attack was beyond me. I set the phone down and hurried to my bedroom, the bottle of painkillers still in hand. When I entered, Tak was in my bed, the blanket pulled up to his waist. A few puncture wounds had already healed some, but not the claw marks on his right shoulder that stretched down to his chest. They were deep, and the Relic hadn’t bandaged them since getting an infection was impossible, and bandaging an unconscious man could cause more damage if he shifted. The towel beneath him collected the blood still seeping from the wound.
I sat down beside him. Only the inked side of his face showed since Edward had draped an ice bag over the right side of his head. I gently lifted it off and examined him closely. His skin was bright red all around the lump, which stretched the skin taut just over his right eye.
“Tak,” I whispered. “Can you shift?” I placed my hand on his chest and felt a rumble. “Wake up,” I said more loudly. “Wake up or else I’m going to tell everyone the truth.”
His left eye popped open, but he didn’t say anything.
I had nothing to tell except for how brave he was, but I was willing to try any tactic to get him to listen.
“Please shift for me. You’ll scar if you don’t.”
Tak slowly closed his eye. When his breathing grew heavy, I knew he’d fallen into a deep slumber.
Even though the bed was too small for the both of us, I curled up next to him as close as I could get. Every breath he took was a gift, and just thinking about that split second when I thought I’d lost him made me nuzzle against his shoulder. How had he known to come at the moment I needed him most?
Moonlight poured through the open window and held us together. For the first time, my wolf felt indescribably content. She knew where she wanted to be even if she didn’t understand the uncertainties that still lay ahead. What would Lakota say about my devotion to Tak? What would Tak’s father say when I called him in the morning to tell him his son was severely injured? How soon would they arrive to take him home where I might never see him again?
How many precious hours did I have left to hold him in my arms?
Chapter 26
When I opened my eyes, I was staring at the ceiling. Tak had his arm draped over my hip, and somehow my legs had wound up beneath the covers. The moon no longer hung in the sky outside my window, but the city lights were bright enough to cast a dim glow in the room. Disoriented, I turned my head to find him asleep. The ice pack must have slipped off, because I could see the shadowy outline of the lump on his head. His wounds were neither better nor worse.
It was the first time I’d ever slept with a man. Truly slept. His breathing was deep and restful, and I didn’t want to move an inch. I wondered if our wolves would get along, and the thought of them curled up together warmed my heart.
A sound from another room startled me, and my eyes widened.
What time is it?I thought.Did I lock the front door?
In a haze, I slipped out of bed and hurried into the living room. My eyes stung after I switched on a bright lamp.
When the apartment door abruptly swung open, I grabbed a heavy candleholder and held it over my head.
Lakota rushed in like a storm and pulled me into a tight hug. The candleholder fell to the floor with a thud, but I didn’t care. As he kissed my head, I felt the protection of family once again. He then held me at arm’s length, his blue eyes brimming with concern. “Are you hurt? Do you need a Relic?”
Tak’s blood was still all over me, and I realized how shocking it must have looked. “No, I told you I’m fine. I’m sorry about all this.”
“Don’t be sorry. The son of a bitch who had the audacity to threaten my blood is the one who’s going to be sorry.”
“He already is.”
Mel slung their bags inside. “Why is Wheeler’s wolf in the hall?”
I blinked in surprise when I saw a brown wolf scratching his ear. “I don’t know. I thought he left. Where’s Mother and Father?”
“They came on the same flight but took a different cab from the airport,” Lakota said, rubbing his face. “I told him not to trust that driver. He looked like one of those idiots who takes his passengers on the scenic route. Where’s Tak?”
When I pointed at the hall, he stormed off.
Mel gave me a quick hug and widened her eyes at my appearance. “I’ve been worried to death. What can I do? Your mother gave me some kind of herbal sedative to calm me down, so I had plenty of sleep on the plane… and on the cab ride over for that matter.”
“Christ!” Lakota boomed. “Tak, wake up.”
Melody stepped near the hall. “What’s wrong with him?”
I gripped her shirt. “Leave him. He needs rest, not an audience. The Relic said there was nothing more he could do. I haven’t had any luck getting him to shift. Maybe Lakota can help.”
