Chapter 16
Isat up so fast the dark room spun.
Shh. It’s just me.Liam was crouched next to the bed, his luminous gaze steady on my blinking one.
No light lined the drawn curtains. “What time is it?” I murmured, digging the heels of my palms into my eyes.
Two.
I opened my mouth to ask a question when Liam put his finger to his lips. Even though my brain wasn’t at its sharpest, it understood that conversations needed to be had outside. I edged toward the side of the bed, got up quietly, then padded into the hallway. Although Liam had a hundred pounds on me, his footfalls were just as noiseless.
As I made my way to the kitchen, my eyes felt like someone had rubbed sand into them.
“Can I use the bathroom before I go?” I whispered.
Liam nodded to the door at the end of the hallway, and I vanished inside. At first, I really was about to just use the toilet, but then I caught sight of my reflection and spent more time scrubbing off the residue of my smudged mascara than peeing. Once I’d gotten rid of my skunk look, I guzzled in some water to wet my throat and clean the lingering taste of screwdrivers off my tongue.
My eyes were red and puffy by the time I was done, but at least my hair still looked nice. Both Lucas and Liam were in the kitchen, both chugging bottles of water. Where Liam had put his clothes back on, Lucas stood bare-chested, in only sweats, an ugly bruise blooming on his left pec and shoulder, right beneath the ends of his shaggy black hair.
I leaned against the granite countertop. “Bumped into a tree?”
Lucas glanced at his purpled skin and smirked. “Close. A car.”
My lids pulled up.
“They were trying to jumpstart an old truck when we found them.”
“So they were still in skin?”
“Unfortunately. Not that their halfwolf physique was all that pleasant, but their dangly bits were less noticeable in fur.”
I snorted at his irreverence. “Glad you found them.”
“Did you doubt we would?” Lucas squashed the empty bottle and tossed it into the bin under the sink, then tapped the side of his nose. “Did Liam forget to mention I got the finest sense of smell in all of Colorado?”
“We got sidetracked discussing your ego.” I added a smile to make sure Lucas knew I was kidding.
“Ouch.” He rubbed his unbruised pec as though I’d physically cut him but then grinned as he stepped past me and into the hallway. “Don’t know about you guys, but I’m gonna go get my beauty sleep. Night night; don’t let the wolf bite.” He glanced over his shoulder, past his stringy locks matted with sweat to toss us a wolfish grin. “Too hard, that is.”
I frowned, until I got his innuendo. Cheeks blazing, I pressed away from the stone edge and walked to the front door. “He’s . . .wittythat one.”
Liam didn’t smile. Just raked one hand through his own hair, teasing the mussed mass at more odd angles. The man cleaned up nice but he also dirtied nice.
I slid on my boots and coat, then turned to grab my bag. “So, they’re back at the bunker?”
Liam jammed his bare feet into his boots, not bothering with the laces. “They are.”
“Are you headed back there?”
“Not tonight.”
“Do you always wear boots to bed?”
He grabbed his jacket and opened the door. “Just seeing you home.”
“That’s really unnecessary. My car’s right outside, Liam.”
“Don’t want you falling asleep behind the wheel. Besides, I was going to check on Niall.”
