Chapter Four
Sky
Waking up to Colt's Omega friend – associate? – was like waking up to an oddly gentle whirlwind. The Alpha – Alrick, I think they called him – was strangely subservient as his Omega, Sebastian, took control of my care. Even Colt had immediately yielded to Sebastian's apparent expertise.
The entire situation was…odd.
Once he'd injected me with an antibiotic and rewrapped my arm, he settled next to me on the bed and began spooning a thin, milk-like substance onto the back of my tongue, one tiny amount at a time.
"This is a high-calorie, high-vitamin food replacement drink," he explained as the first spoonful dribbled down my throat. "Since you can't really chew, this is our best option for helping your body start healing." He pulled a face and winked at me. "It tastes terrible, so it’s a good thing that you don't have active taste buds back this far!"
Sebastian continued to feed me, all the while talking about the trip down from New Hampshire and all the things they'd seen. I was pretty sure that he was trying to distract me from the two Alphas who had wandered off to the farthest corner of the room and were speaking in voices so low that I could barely catch the sound.
"There," Sebastian said cheerfully, finally setting the empty bottle on the bedside table and dropping the spoon into it. "That should help." He stood up and, leaving me propped up, tucked the blankets tighter around me. "Are you warm enough?"
I managed a small nod.
"Good." He studied me for a moment. "I really want to let your stomach settle before we try adding a pain reliever into the mix. If you vomit, it's going to cause a whole other can-of-worms, infection-wise."
I nodded again.
"Good." Sebastian laid his hand incredibly gently over mine. "Are you okay with Colt resting with you for a while?" He gave a helpless shrug of his shoulders. "If you want to avoid the hospital, we need all the tools in our kit and he is an Alpha from a very strong bloodline. It will help speed your healing."
I must not have answered fast enough, because he cleared his throat. "I, ah, have known him for quite awhile and I can promise he won't take advantage of you."
I tilted my head again and Sebastian smiled his approval and crossed the room to the Alphas. The conversation quickly became heated, with whispers flying back and forth at the speed of, well, sound.
Finally, Colt huffed and threw up his hands. "Fine!"
I saw Sebastian smirk at him, but when he turned back to me, his smile was genuine. "Alrick and I are going to see about renting a room for ourselves while you rest. I'll be back in a few hours for your next dose of antibiotics, okay?"
I nodded, wishing I could thank him, but he nodded at me like he understood. "You're welcome, Sky. We're happy to help."
Then, Colt was locking the door behind them and walking over to the bed, stripping down to a pair of red boxer briefs on his way.
He stopped next to the bed, looking down at me almost shyly. "I'm sorry if this is uncomfortable for you," he muttered, shifting from one foot to the other. "Seb is adamant that you need as much direct contact as you can take."
I tried to smile, actually managing to get the corner of one side of my mouth to rise. Slowly, I pulled my arm out of the cocoon of blankets and managed to lift the corner in invitation. Colt smiled back and took it from my finger, gently tugging it up until he had enough room to slide in. He reached over and flipped the bedside light off, leaving us in nearly complete darkness.
"I'm going to lie here and let you decide how much contact you want," he said softly. "I don't want to hurt you any worse."
That, I had to admit, was a real concern. Every inch of my skin throbbed and every muscle ached, each tiny movement sent new pains sparking through me. With my body bandaged nearly head to toe, there was also the question of how I was supposed to get that skin to skin contact.
"I have an idea," Colt suggested when I still hadn't moved. "I'll roll over on my stomach and you can rest your hand on my back?" he suggested. "That way you don't have to bend your arm."
And, since my hands weren't bandaged, that would solve the problem, I realized. So, after Colt rolled onto his belly, I laid my palm on the small of his back and inhaled deeply, trying to drown myself in the pheromones that he was flooding over me.
It was, I decided with a sigh, the most comfortable I had been in months, nearly dead or not.
