Chapter 17
The house was quiet when I snuck in just after nine in the morning. On a Saturday, that wasn't unusual. Still, I inhaled deeply as I entered, checking to see if trouble waited for me. Gabby and Rachel's scents drifted in the air along with a faint trace of Peter's but no hint of any werewolf's. I let out a relieved sigh and slowly made my way to Gabby's room.
I was exhausted and couldn't name a spot that didn't ache. Quietly, I disrobed and dropped my clothes on the floor. Gabby would flip if she saw the number of bruises I had now. I shifted quickly and hopped up on the bed, already half asleep.
She moved slightly as if I'd disturbed her, but her feet didn't search for my warmth like they normally did. She must really be out. I curled up and closed my eyes.
She moved again, her breathing oddly shallow.
I lifted my head and looked at her as she attempted to sit up. Her eyes were open but she still looked like she was sleeping, her moves uncoordinated.
"C-clay, we need to get to the Compound. Can you drive?"
Her stutter worried me as did the wince on her face when she tried to sit up again.
She managed to lift herself and slide from the mattress, but she only stood on her shaky legs for a second before she sat once more. Her head hung down as if it hurt too much to lift it. I shook off my exhaustion and inhaled. Her scent was off. What was wrong? Was she sick? I knew she'd pushed herself too hard after whatever had happened to her at that party.
Confused and worried, I hopped off the bed, quickly shifted back to my skin, and slipped on my jeans. Before I could button them, she moved to stand again.
This time, I was there to steady her with an arm around her back. She willingly leaned into it. Beneath my arm, she trembled.
She lifted her head, and her reflection in the mirror seemed to catch her attention. I could understand why. She was pale with dark circles under her eyes.
Her glazed eyes drifted from her reflection to mine, and my eyes narrowed. I knew that glazed look. She'd been the same after the Halloween party. I inhaled deeply, near her hair, pulling in the lingering scents of alcohol, perfume, and my kind. Had she seriously gone to another party while I was fighting?
"A lot happened last night while you were gone. Rachel talked me into going clubbing. I'll tell you about it on the way."
Guilt filled her eyes; and she looked away, but not far. Her gaze swept over me appreciatively, lingering on my stomach. I almost sighed. One look and she wiped away my anger and made me want to grin. I was hopeless around her. She shivered, and I reached for her forehead just to be sure she wasn't actually sick. No fever, just like last time.
I continued to watch her in the mirror as her gaze finally gained some focus and ever so slowly drifted upwards. She was eyeing every piece of exposed skin my chest offered. Suddenly, she squinted and scowled. It wasn't hard to figure out why. She was glaring at the bite someone had given me.
Then the scowl cleared, and she sighed.
"I need to use the bathroom then start packing."
After what happened with Sam, I knew something serious had to have happened for Gabby to want to return to the Compound. Maybe she thought the Elders could help with whatever was happening to her.
Not liking the idea of going back, but needing to do anything I could to get her well again, I nodded and helped her through the door. She leaned heavily on me as each slow step brought us closer to the bathroom.
I heard movement from Rachel's room and wanted to groan. A second later, Rachel stepped into the hall. She glanced at Gabby whose head hung low, then at me.
"Hi, Clay. How'd you get here?"
Gabby and I paused, and Gabby forced her head up as she answered Rachel.
"I called him. Sorry, Rachel, I didn't want to bug you."
Rachel's gaze drifted to me. She eyed my chest and the jeans I still hadn't managed to button. Her perusal made me nervous even though a hint of her concern for Gabby remained in her eyes. I didn't trust her. The last time she'd looked at me with concern, the vet had nearly unmanned me.
"It's okay; I get it," she said, still eyeing me.
Gabby shivered again, drawing Rachel's attention. I wanted to hug Gabby.
"Are you sure you should be going?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah," Gabby said as I helped her take a step toward the bathroom. "Clay's going to pack for me, and then we'll go. Oh, and he came by last night, saw the dog out, and took him home. We'll take him with, so don't worry."
As soon as Gabby reached the tiled floor, she grabbed the door and shut it, leaving me in the hall...alone...with Rachel.
Slowly, I turned to face her. She grinned at me, her eyes again sweeping my bare chest. I fought the strong urge to cover myself with my hands. She grinned wider. I sidestepped her and backed toward the bedroom. By the time I reached Gabby's door, Rachel was laughing softly. That woman had issues.
I closed the door, pulled on a shirt, and buttoned my pants. Then, I grabbed Gabby's bag and started stuffing it. I didn't pay much attention to what I threw in. I was busy listening for Gabby and for Rachel. I didn't want Gabby to fall. She'd barely had the strength to walk. And, I didn't want Rachel to...well, corner me.
After I had the clothes, I grabbed our toiletry stuff from the top of Gabby's dresser then shut the bag. Since Gabby was still in the bathroom, I put on my shoes and brought the bag to the car.
My breath fogged as I tossed the bag into the backseat. It was too cold outside for Gabby. I quickly started the car, then headed inside to grab a blanket and Gabby's shoes. I took everything out to the car and made a little nest in the front seat for her. The heat was finally blowing warm.
When I came back in, Gabby was out of the bathroom and shuffling her way to the closet. Probably on her way to find shoes, which were already in the car. In two steps, I was behind her and scooped her up in my arms.
She squeaked in surprise but smiled up at me.
Rachel stepped out of her room as I made it to the kitchen. I didn't slow down.
"When you're feeling better, let's talk about rental rates," she called after us with a snicker. "And I'm not talking about the house!"
Not in her dreams. Ever.
Outside, I held Gabby close, trying to keep her warm as I opened the passenger door. Carefully, I set her on the blanket. She twisted in her seat and pulled her phone from the bag in back before she sat facing forward again. Her breathing was shallow and strained. Exhaustion painted her face paler with each passing minute. I was worried.
I closed the door, and as I jogged around the hood, I watched her buckle. She drew her legs under her and huddled under the blanket.
Sliding in behind the wheel, I closed the door quickly to keep the heat in. She continued to shake beside me. I reached over and tucked the blanket around her. She clutched her phone in one hand and the edge of the blanket in the other. Her knuckles were white on both.
I gently soothed my fingers over her skin then focused on backing out of the driveway. Beside me, she struggled to stay awake.
I almost told her to go to sleep but knew talking would have had the opposite effect on her.
"I don't want to keep going on like this," she said once we cleared town.
What did she mean by that? I glanced at her, feeling the cold weight of worry in my chest. She caught my look.
"I don't mean being with you. I like that. But I don't like seeing you bruised."
I smiled at her concern, and she scowled.
"There's nothing amusing about it. I don't like worrying."
She lifted the phone and dialed. Her arm trembled as she brought the little device to her ear.
I heard Sam answer.
"I'm on my way," she said. "Put out a call for tonight only."
I stopped breathing as she disconnected. The road blurred before me. Put out a call? Elders did that for Introductions. They put out a call to all unMated males. Wh
at was she doing? Had she really given up on us?
She tossed the phone on the back seat. It immediately started to vibrate.
"It's not what you think, Clay. I don't want to do another Introduction, but something happened last night. Like I said before, I went out with Rachel to a club downtown. Not one of my best decisions, but I think I've figured out what's going on with me."
I'd been right, then, and she did need the Elders' help. She had my attention.
"Remember the party with Nicole? When I touched her, I gave her a huge shock. That happened again last night. I think I can transfer my gift, that thing with guys, to other people. I didn't know how it happened the first time. But I think I've figured it out.
"Last night, these two women at the club had been on their own until Rachel and I-and the groupies I'd collected-joined them. When we made to leave, the women had been so disappointed. They knew the guys would walk away when we did. I felt so bad for them that I went to...I don't know...pat them, I guess. I'd just meant it as an 'I'm sorry' gesture, but then it happened again just like before. A huge shock."
Her words were slurring. She was exhausted. I wanted her to sleep, but I also wanted to know what the hell a shock had to do with setting up formal Introductions at the Compound.
"Both times I was thinking about how I wished I could help find the person they were meant to be with. And, I think that's the key. I don't understand why I can see the lights, but I know it must be all tied together because when I try to use my sight, it hurts. Really bad."
I could feel Gabby's gaze on me. She was obviously waiting for a reaction. However, I was still waiting for the reason we were heading north to push her in front of the very men I'd been fighting the last few weeks.
"Oh, yeah. Before I shocked those two, a Forlorn came up behind me and started a conversation. My fish finder still worked then."
I knew she meant the lights she could see in her head.
"There were more werewolves in the crowd, Clay. The one talking to me said he just wanted a chance to say hi. He was very persistent so I told him I would see them at the Compound for an official Introduction. They left right after that but gave me the impression that if I didn't show up, they'd come looking for me. I got the feeling they'd been pushed too far."
They'd been pushed too far? I'd known something like this would happen. One of them had scared her. I wanted to hit something. Damn the Elders. They should have never allowed unsupervised Introductions. What were they thinking?
"Has it been the same werewolves trying to see me or is it always different?"
What did it matter if I was fighting the same werewolves or different ones each time?
She sighed, almost as if I'd spoken aloud, and snaked a hand out from under the blanket to touch my leg.
"It hurts to see you like this, Clay. If I have to put up with an Introduction to keep you safe, then that's what I'll do."
And, again, she melted my anger. This time with just a touch.
"I'm sorry, Clay," she mumbled sleepily. "I wish I could just get over my need for freedom and Claim you. We both know you're the one. I just don't want to lose myself."
She immediately fell asleep.
I ignored the tear trailing down to my beard.