Page 14 of Moonlight & Mayhem

“You mentioned that,” he whispered under his breath.

“You tore open your sutures,” she said.

“Mentioned that too,” he said.

“You lost more blood,” she continued.

“Also covered that too,” he breathed.

“And whatever this substance is, it reacted when you shifted.” That shut him up.

Mayhem watched her. “What do you mean?” Moon’s expression changed, and he could tell that the doctor in her had taken over. He recognized it now—the way she tucked emotion behind precision whenever she was scared.

“I took another blood sample after Tempest and the others carried you back in here,” she said.

“Carried?” he questioned.

“You passed out,” she said.

“I was resting my eyes,” he joked.

“You were unconscious.” She walked toward him carrying a tablet. Mayhem immediately noticed she stopped just outside his reach. That bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

“What happened to my blood?” he asked. Moon handed him the tablet. There were photographs on the screen with microscopic images.

Mayhem frowned. “I have no idea what I’m looking at.”

“The first one is your blood before you shifted,” she said. It had black threadlike particles twisted between the cells.

“And after?” he asked. She swiped to the second image, and it was worse. The black strands had multiplied. Mayhem stared at it. “What the fuck?”

“That was my reaction, too,” she admitted.

He looked up. “You’re saying shifting caused that?”

“I’m saying something changed when you shifted. I don’t know if your wolf triggered it or if it reacted to the process itself.”

Mayhem handed the tablet back. “Which means?” Moon hesitated, and Mayhem’s stomach sank. “Just say it.”

“You can’t shift again,” she said.

His wolf slammed against his ribs, and Mayhem winced. “Tell him that.”

“I’m serious,” she said.

“So am I,” he mumbled under his breath.

“If shifting accelerates whatever this is—” Moon started.

“What am I supposed to do if someone attacks?” he asked.

“Use a gun,” she said.

“And what if someone attacks you?” he asked. Moon went quiet. “Exactly. I won’t just sit back and let someone hurt you, Moonlight.”

Her jaw tightened. “You almost died protecting me.”

“I’d do it again,” he insisted. She turned away, and Mayhem’s wolf growled. He pushed himself upright, and pain tore through his side, but he ignored it.