Greg nodded, while Lucas and Matt exchanged a silent, weightedglance.
“You staying, right, Greg?” Lucasasked.
“Sure.”
Lucas pinned me with his blue stare. “Just until one of us comesback.”
Did Lucas fear I would finish the job the bullet had botched, or was he scared Liam might need a doctor on standby? I hoped it was the latter but believed it was the former. Sadly, Lucas and Matt had every right to be distrustful ofme.
“I’ll stay out here.” Greg sat on the sofa, then picked up a large book from the wrought-iron coffee table.The History ofWolves.
I wondered if it mentionedwerewolves.
“We should be back in a half hour max,” Mattsaid.
“That’s fine,” Greg said. “I’m not on calltonight.”
So hewasa realdoctor.
He put his feet up on the table and feigned great interest in the reading material on hislap.
“You gonna be okay in there, Clark?” Lucasasked.
I doubted he cared if I would be okay. What he cared about was if Liam would be okay with me in the same room. Still, I said, “Yes,” before I advanced toward the bedroom. Even though the door was ajar, I knuckled it. “Can I comein?”
A hoarse, “Yes,” answeredme.
Without looking back at the others, I entered the bedroom, leaving the door open to show I had no ill intent. Liam was propped up on three pillows. Although still pale, some color had returned to his cheeks and some life to his eyes. In the darkness, they gleamed disquietingly bright, their beam ensnaring me. The hard set of his jaw told me he wasangry.
Reallyangry.
The front door banged shut, and Ijumped.
“Close the door.” His voice was deep and raspy, as though the bullet had scraped histhroat.
My heart banged like Aidan’sshotgun.
“Please.” His Adam’s apple bobbed in his cordedneck.
I bit my lower lip, eyeing the doorknob. Finally, I wrapped my fingers around the cool metal and pushed it. The click of the latch bolt against the strike plate echoed harshly in the quietroom.
I’d decided never to lay eyes on him after what he’d done to me, and here I was locking myself inside a bedroom with him. The night was stretching the limits of my sanity. I crossed my arms and raised my gaze tohis.
“I know you can’t stand to look at me after what I did to you.” He watched what his words did tome.
My nostrils pulsed. The coppery scent of blood mixed with the smell of his skin was making my head spin. Or maybe it was the intensity with which he was studyingme.
“I wish I could erase my actions, Ness. I wish I could go back in time and let you go without acting like a…a”—even though his voice wavered, his gaze didn’t—“a savage. I am so deeply ashamed of what I did to you.” His voice was soft like the patter of the raindrops tapping against thewindow.
“Is that why you took a bullet for me tonight? So I would forgive andforget?”
“No.” His lids slid shut for a long second. When they lifted, his eyes were even brighter than before. Wolf eyes. “I’d understand if you never forgaveme.”
My chest tightened like afist.
“Please say something,” hecroaked.
Pressing my arms against my abdomen, I said, “I’m glad you’reokay.”
