I don’t bother hiding my growl this time. “Did you just growl at him?” Tessa asks me softly. Her voice still sounds nasally from the hit she took, and it makes me even more on edge. Zane gives me a pointed look. “Why don’t you let Evie come in and help her change her shirt.” Hearing him talk about my girl getting dressed does the exact opposite of calming me down. I instinctively step in front of her, blocking Zane’s view of her.
“Slater?” she asks, putting a hand on my arm. The skin to skin contact nearly makes my eyes roll back in my head. She suddenly leans forward and pinches her eyes shut.
“Hey.” I catch her as she pitches forward. Alarm spreads through me.
“Sorry,” she whispers. “My head is killing me all of a sudden.” I move into her space and put a hand under her knees and one behind her back. I slide her against my chest, being careful not to bump her swollen nose. Every time I see it, it makes my rage flare. I take the two steps to the door and go chest to chest with Zane.
“Move,” I order him. I don’t care that he has superiority over me. I don’t care that one day, he will be my alpha. I only care about the fact that my girl is in pain. Zane backs out of my way without a word. I carry her to my room and close the door behind me. I close the curtain, so it’s dark.
“Slater?”
Her quiet, unsure voice kills me. “I’m here. You’re safe.” My words are still guttural with my wolf present. “I’m just bringing you into my room where it’s dark, so you can rest. That helps me when I have a headache.”
I stand at my bed but don’t put her down; I’m not sure if I can, now that I have her in my arms again. Her soft body against mine is very nearly my undoing, but her being in pain makes it even harder to put her down. I force myself to lay her on my bed. “Do you get headaches often?”
“Yes.” I look around for a soft blanket and curse myself when I realize I don’t have one. I’ve never needed one. I make a mental note to buy one asap. “Let me pull the covers down; I don’t have any other blankets.” It takes a moment, but I get her settled. I start to step back, but she puts a hand on my arm.
“I’m sorry you get headaches often.”
Her soft voice and concern make me angry. She’s worried about me when she’s in pain? It makes me want to hurt something. “It’s fine,” I grind out.
“It’s not fine.” She falls silent after that, and I take a step back. I’m hoping she can rest, so she can feel better. I don’t think I can make myself leave the room, though. She’s quiet, and I listen to her breathing. It hasn’t gotten deep yet, so I know she’s not asleep. “Thanks, Slater.”
“You shouldn’t be thanking me.”
She sighs, and I feel it deep in my soul. “You carry the weight of the world on those strong shoulders, don’t you?”
She doesn’t say anything else, and I listen as her breathing evens out. I make a mental note that she’s a lightweight when it comes to pain pills. Those two pills I gave her wouldn’t touch anything for me, but it knocked her out pretty fast. There's a quiet knock at the door, and I scent Zane.Go away.
Just checking on you and Tessa. Is she okay?
I take a deep breath and remind myself that he’s not the enemy.She has a headache. She’s sleeping now.
Okay. I’ll tell Evie she’s okay. Let me know if we can do anything, all right? Does she have security tonight?
No.I know she doesn’t work tonight, but I make a mental note to get her work schedule for the rest of the week. I need to know when she’s sleeping in her dorm at night and when she’s on security. When she sleeps in her dorm, I stay outside in wolf form, close enough that I can keep an eye on the front door but not too close that anybody sees me. Thankfully, there’s a line oftrees behind her dorm that sort of curve around, giving me a view of the front door. Zane used to do it, and the guys would help when they could for Evie. Now, it’s Tessa’s turn. Only she isn’t in her dorm very often at night because of her security job. I hate that she works security. She’s so tiny and vulnerable and human; she has no right being on security. But it’s not my place to say anything to her...at least not yet. It worries me;sheworries me. I haven’t worked out a schedule with the guys yet as it’s all happened so fast. One day, I didn’t even know she existed; and then she slammed into my life with the impact of a freight train. Now, my life’s turned upside down, and I don’t know how to make everything work. I haven’t been sleeping at night because I’m keeping watch to make sure she’s safe in her dorm on the nights she sleeps. On nights she does patrol, I keep my distance but keep an eye on her. I hate that she’s alone, but I hated it more when she worked with other males. I keep her in my sight all night. One of these nights, I’m going to need to sleep; but at least I don’t need as much sleep as humans do. I can go for longer on less sleep, and I’ve never been so grateful for that.
I let Tessa sleep for two hours but then start to worry about her when she doesn’t wake up. I lean over her and shake her gently. I can see her eyes even in the dark room, so I know when she opens them. She groans. “Slater?”
“How are you feeling?”
“Like somebody bashed my nose in.” Her voice has that nasal quality again. “Are you sure it’s not broken?”
“Let me feel it. I’ll be really careful, okay?” I reach out my fingers and probe her nose. She hisses through her teeth, and I force down my growl. Relief flows through me. I didn’t think it was broken, but now I can confirm it. “No, it’s not broken.”
“Okay.”
“Do you want to get up and eat something?”
She’s quiet a moment, and I would think she went back to sleep if not for her breathing. I can hear it hasn’t evened out. “I guess.”
“You don’t have to.”
Her stomach growls right then, making the decision for both of us. “What are you hungry for?” I ask her.
“Something I don’t have to crunch or move my nose for.”
“How about soup?” It’s the first thing that comes to mind.
