“It’s what I told him,” Cole said.
“I figured, or we wouldn’t be here, right?” When Cole nodded, she added, “Which is why I did it. You didn’t want to die, but Logan would never forgive himself for going against what he believed to be your wishes. And I don’t think you’d have forgiven him either. So I bit you. That way, you get to live, and if you need someone to blame, it can be me and not Logan. Because I think that would kill him.”
Cole couldn’t look at Logan, didn’t want to see whatever it was that Max was implying. There was enough going on in his head right now, no room for anything else. “I don’t hate you,” he said instead, facing Max. “I’m not sure what I feel exactly, but it’s not hate.”
“Well, that’ll do for me.” She yawned, covering her mouth. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve had enough excitement for the time being. I need a nap.” She gave them a wave, turned, and disappeared around the corner.
“What time is it?” Cole asked, aware that he had no idea what day it was or how long they’d been here.
“Two o’clock. In the afternoon,” Logan added when Cole frowned. “It’s Saturday.”
“Oh.” So he’d lost an evening and a morning. Not too bad, all things considered. “I feel weird.” He rolled his shoulders, skin seeming strangely tight, then laughed when he realised what he’d said. “I mean weirder than—” He pointed at his teeth and then wiggled his fingers, hoping Logan got the gist.
“The full moon is early tomorrow morning. You’re feeling its effects for the first time as a shifter. Coupled with the fact that you’ve been one for less than a day, I’d say weird was probably an understatement.”
“Yeah.”
Silence had never been awkward between them, but Cole felt it now in all its uncomfortable glory. They needed to get something out of the way. “Thank you.”
Logan scrunched his face in confusion. “What for?”
“For not biting me. For trying to stop Max from doing it.”
“I don’t understand. If she’d listened to me, you would’ve died, and you said that’s not what you wanted.” He looked pained, and that wasn’t what Cole wanted.
“I’m not explaining myself properly.” He bit his lip, deciding right then to be as honest as he could be. “I know you like me. And I know it must have been hard to think about watching me die.”
“Fucking awful,” Logan murmured.
“But you would’ve done it anyway because you thought it was what I wanted. So, thank you.”
They stared at each other, the tension in the room thick with whatever this was between them.
Cole had no idea what he wanted to happen or not happen. But he didn’t want Logan to go. He knew that much.
“Stay with me?” he asked, lip drawn between his teeth.
Logan searched his eyes for something, seeming to find it because his smile grew slowly but steadily, lighting up his whole face. He reached up and gently tugged Cole’s lip free before brushing his thumb across it, touch feather-lite. “Of course.”
Cole took Logan’s hand then pulled him up onto the bed beside him.
With Logan on his back and Cole tucked into his side, they both let out a soft sigh.
Maybe Logan needed this as much as Cole.
Only when Logan pulled a blanket up over them did Cole realise he’d been in his boxer briefs the whole time. He didn’t know whether to be mortified or laugh. Neither Logan nor Max had thought anything of it. Maybe being half naked wasn’t a big thing to shifters.
Just one of the things he was going to have to learn about.
One of the many, many things.
He had so many questions. About his future and his new... body, existence, whatever you wanted to call it. But for now, he pushed all that aside and focused on Logan’s arm around him, his hand stroking soothing patterns through Cole’s hair, all of it lulling him into a kind of daze where nothing else mattered.
He had no doubt that everything would hit him hard in a few hours.
But for now, it was perfect.
WHEN COLE WOKE a few hours later, his mind was a lot clear than it had been.
