“Hmm.You could’ve hooked it up to your laptop.That you didn’t had me wondering.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it.“Shit.Shit.I didn’t think of that.Fuck me, I’m such an idiot.”I pointed a finger at his face, and Lincoln raised his eyebrows as he focused on the digit.“In my defense, shitty day.I had that breakup, and Steven the asshole kept calling.”
Lincoln smiled and kissed the tip of my still-raised finger, which made me pull it back.“That’s okay.Just something that was nagging at me.What matters is that you’re going to be fine, and even if I don’t like how, your forgetfulness brought you to us.”
“Brought me to you?I’m not Uber Eats.”
Lincoln smiled as if he had a witty comeback ready, but he said nothing and just made sure I didn’t collapse on my way out of the bedroom.
At the other end of the living room, there was a staircase I hadn’t noticed last night.Lincoln kept his arm around my waist as I took one step after another and steadied myself on the handrail.Dominic was watching us from the kitchen.
“So it was you who found me.”
“Yes.If your car ever breaks down on you again and you don’t have cell reception or whatever the case may be, I want you to stay there and wait for help to come, maybe flag someone down instead of going for a hike.Okay?”
I snorted.“Like any sane person would stop for a guy waving them down.I was more likely to get picked up by some sort of serial killer who was going to bury me in the woods.”
Lincoln gave me another look, one eyebrow raised.
“What?That sort of thing happens.Have you ever heard of Jeffrey Dahmer?Are you familiar with the Highway of Tears?People are sick.”
“Well, I do work in security, so I can’t say I disagree with you.I promise to keep you safe from anyone who wants to pour acid into your head if you promise not to go hiking in the woods by yourself ever again.”
I blushed.Had I just run into a werewolf who liked true crime?Steven had never been interested in it.Said he’d found it silly or sick, depending on his mood.
We got to a landing.Mounted on the wall was a wood carving unlike anything I’d ever seen.In delicate detail, gorgeously freed from the material, a bird spread its wings from underneath a shelter of leaves.I didn’t recognize the species, and it appeared more like a creature from fantasy than anything that existed in the world.
Just like werewolves.
I turned back to Lincoln.“You’re not making fun of me.”
“Of course I’m not making fun of you.”Lincoln cocked his head.“Let me guess, you walked into the woods because you didn’t want to walk along the road?You didn’t want to get picked up by a fake cop or run over and left for dead?”
Well, this werewolf got me.“I’m not a total idiot, and I downloaded a map of the area.I figured I’d be able to make it to Corpsewood Manor or close.They knew I was coming.”
Lincoln nodded.The top floor had a low roof, and I could see two skylights, one above the stairs, one in a room up ahead, a bedroom maybe.Lincoln steered me toward a bathroom on the left just after the stairs.It was spacious, and he left me standing in the doorway to turn the water off.
The tub sat in the far corner, close to windows that looked out over the green treetops.The tiles were white, almost boring, but near the ceiling there were fancy old-fashioned ones with swirling, Victorian-looking designs on them.It added a high-end retro flair to everything.These were definitely rich werewolves.
I watched Lincoln push up his sleeves and look at me expectantly.
I cleared my throat.“Dude, I don’t know where you think this is going, but I’m not getting into the tub with you just standing there.”
He didn’t miss a beat before he turned his back to me.
I cleared my throat again.It was still sore, but the werewolf in the room was an excellent distraction.“Like, could you leave?”
“Let me wash your hair first?”
He didn’t turn around, and he added the upward inflection of his voice at the end like an afterthought, as if he’d meant to command me and had only just managed to think better of it.
Lucky for him, I didn’t have the energy to stand my ground.Plus, they’d undressed me when they put me into this flannel costume, and Ellis was the only one who hadn’t happily stripped right in front of me.So…quid pro quo, Clarice?Did that apply to getting naked?
I sighed, then carefully took the flannel off, steadying myself against the double sink on the left.I dropped the pj’s right there on the floor, padded to the tub, and got in.
The water was perfect.With this damn cold I’d caught during my little excursion, I didn’t feel like I would want to stay in there long, but I was really looking forward to getting clean.
I saw Lincoln turn back around out of the corner of my eye.He walked to the tub and got on his knees behind me.I felt his presence there, and it made my skin prickle, except not in a creepy way.I knew I should be creeped out, but apparently, the fall I’d taken, combined with the fever, had broken my creep sensors.
