Slowly, like a mountain rising from two tectonic plates, Matt got up. And even slower, he limped besideme.
Don’t tell anyone you saw me naked or I’ll stick a snare in yourbed.
He let out a smallgrunt.
Metal blinded me as I focused on the scrap of red fabric. There were cars. Lots ofthem.
Good, because I was done withwalking.
Probably for the rest of mylife.
I thought of my driver’s license then. At least now that I was out of the stupid running, I’d have plenty of time to getit.
Matt slowed. Iwaited.
Just go, LittleWolf.
I shook my head.Stop growling and move your furry ass. I’m out; Ichanged.
But they don’t knowthat.
I took the blood oath same as you. Frankknows.
Matt gave me a lingering look, then finally set forth toward Eric. We reached him at the same time. I was finishing this race for myself. I’d cheated, but at least I hadn’tquit.
A shiver of pride pulsated through me as I collapsed at the man’s feet. Sunlight and loud voices danced around me like dandelion florets. I made a feeble attempt at getting back up, but I…just…couldn’t.
A paltry thought inserted itself inside my mind. If I changed while unconscious, everyone would see my naked ass. I almostlaughed.
Almost, because I was still a wolf, and wolves didn’tlaugh.
But then, my muscles slid and slotted back. Unable to fight off the change, I let it sweep throughme.
What a pitiful sight I must’ve been. Thankfully, darkness enveloped me before I could hear anyonelaugh.
Chapter Nineteen
Iwokeup to Evelyn glowering at me. If I’d thought her eyes were black before, they were a whole new shade of black now—sewer-hole-at-night-black.
“ThankGod!” She lobbed the book she was reading on the table next to the armchair and stalked over to me on slippered feet. “Ness Clark, I am so mad at you! If you were my daughter, I would ground you until your thirtieth birthday! Rock-climbing alone!Sola!” Even through her layers of foundation, her cheeks were the same dark pink as the sky behind her. “When thatchicocarried you into theinn—”
“Whatboy?”
She blinked a great many times, seemingly startled I’d interrupted her rant for something as silly as the identity of the person who’d handled my nakedbody.
“LiamKolane.”
“Liam?” My neck felt hot; my jaw too. Fucking crap. I groaned fromembarrassment.
“Sí, and you were unconscious and covered in blood.Mi corazónstopped beating. My heart stopped!” Her Spanish always bled through her English when she was agitated. “I thought…I thought your spine wasrota!” Her brash voice was trembling. Her hands, too. All of her wasquivering.
Even though I was still dying a little from the fact that Liam had carried me back, I reached out and enclosed her cold fingers in mine. The contact wasn’t enough for her, and she sandwiched her other hand overmine.
Tears cascaded down her cheeks, dragging tiny clumps of mascara off her wet lashes. And then a sob racked her body. I sat up, and the momentum had her stumble and plop down on the bed next to me. The momentum also had me gritting my teeth. I don’t know how long I’d been out, but apparently not long enough. My flesh felt like someone had clobbered it with a meat mallet before rubbing it against a cheesegrater.
“I’m sorry, Evelyn. Sorry I put you through this.” I let go of her hands so I could hug her. My arms felt like they were attached to fifty-pound dumbbells, but I fought through the pain to pull her inclose.
She crushed me against her, and I yelped from all the bruises her grip awakened. She didn’t loosen her arms—probably hadn’t heard me yelping over her sobbing. “Never again. Never again. You promise? Two days of being by your side. Of watchingyou—”
