“No-o!” I grumble.
I hear shuffling aroundthe door and then my alpha’s dominant voice. “Barker, you need to shift backnow, so Doc can see to your injuries. That’s an order.”
I hesitate before whining through my canine lips, “Fi-ine.” I reach for the blanket, which the nice vampire nurse left for me, and drape it across my lower extremities before transforming.
“I… hur-rt!” I yelp as the full weight of my pain—both physical and emotional—crashes over me with the force of a maelstrom. Like others of my species, I have far better pain tolerance in my werewolf shape.
The door opens, and Doc and Jake enter; Rob hangs back, blocking the doorway, probably so he can prevent anyone else from witnessing my humiliation.
Doc gives me an assessing gaze and kneels beside me with his black bag, but Jake grimaces, bringing a hand to his nose and gagging slightly.
I take a whiff and wrinkle my nose at the amalgamated odors of damp fur, perspiration, dried blood, and body odor; I don’t believe I’ve smelled this horrid since I was a pup in diapers.
Doc checks my stitches, prescribes an antibiotic and something to help manage the pain, and rises to his feet. “You’re going to need those dressings changed twice a day, especially that bite on your shoulder and the gashes on your back. Do you have any family nearby to help you?”
Shaking my head, I start to say, “No…” But I pause at the familiar patter of footsteps crossing the concrete floor beyond my door.
I hear several shouts, and suddenly a foolhardy faerie is trying to shove her way inside my rank lockdown cell,the location of which is a closely guarded secret. No one other than Jake’s pack and a handful of vampires knows of its existence in the basement of the fire station.
Rob tries to block Sophie, who’s shouting, “Let me through—I know Teddy’s here, and he’s hurt! But why is he staying in this dreary basement? Teddy likes blue skies and bright flowers and pretty sunsets. Are you trying to depress him or something?”
What is Sophie doing here?
How did she even find me?
And when did she learn so much about me? She’s right of course… I adore all those things.
Hang on! The love of my life is ten feet away, pounding on my beta’s chest; I glance down at myself, horrified. Yanking the thin blanket up to my chin, I hiss, “Don’t let Sophie see me like this… or heaven forbid, smell me!”
But there’s a loud scuffle as Rob yelps indignantly, “She just bit me!”
And then Sophie charges into the room, her face flushed from her spat with Rob, her hair a glorious tangle around her gorgeous face. Jake spreads out his arms to stop her and growls, “You shouldn’t be here, Sophie! You’re not pack!”
But Sophie tickles Jake’s underarms, causing him to curl into himself with a surprised chuckle, and then she dodges around him to reach me.
I don’t know whether to be delighted or dismayed Sophie has gone to the trouble of tracking me down. Either way, I clutch my blanket more tightly, mortified she’s here to witnessmy utter degradation.
When our eyes meet—or partially meet, since one of my eyes is swollen shut, and the other is only half open—Sophie begins to wail, “Oh Teddy, oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!”
She neither gags at my stench nor retreats at my injuries. Dropping to the floor beside me, Sophie takes my battered face in her hands and whispers, “How can I help?”
I lick my split lip, which stings, unsure how to reply; there are so many possible responses. I close my one eye, which I realize is leaking; a tear trickles down the side of my face.
Sophie is here… Somehow, despite all the secrecy surrounding our pack… she found me. That has to mean she cares, at least a little.
Doc says gently, “Come along, my dear. I believe you may be able to assist Teddy later. But first, he needs some privacy so he can bathe and dress.”
Doc helps Sophie to her feet; she allows him to guide her to the door, obviously in shock at my sorry state. The vampire calls back over his shoulder, “Teddy, I’ll replace your bandages after you’ve washed up, and then you may go home.”
After Doc escorts Sophie upstairs, Jake gives me a hand up. “Let’s go, Barker. You need a shower… and then you need to talk to Sophie. We’re not going throughthisagain.”
“Going through what?” I drape the blanket around my shoulders and wobble, but Jake steadies me. I’m lightheaded with lack of food, and there isn’t a part of my body that doesn’t hurt. Even the soles of my feet arescraped raw and painful. Jake leads me to the service elevator and punches a button to take us up to the men’s locker room.
“Mate blight,” grunts Jake. “Which was entirely preventable if you’d just told Sophie how you felt.”
“Easy for you to say,” I grumble, leaning against the wall of the lift for support. “You haven’t met your fated mate yet.”
Jake’s head snaps up, as if he’s trying to recall something just beyond the reach of memory, and his eyes grow misty. As the elevator door swooshes open, Jake shrugs. “That’s true. But after watching how much you’ve suffered, I’m planning to tell my mate as soon as possible; there’s no way I’m putting myself through that torment.”
