I grabbed a fresh glass of water and the pills and waited for her outside the door.

She didn’t leave me waiting for long. She pulled open the door and yelped when she saw me. Guilt and pain stole over her features. She knew she shouldn’t be up yet just as she knew I didn’t want her up. She held the door for support, her knuckles white.

I offered the pills in one hand and the glass in the other. She took them both. I waited until the pills were down and the glass empty before I picked her up.

She sighed and rested her head against my chest as I moved toward the bedroom.

In the doorway, I hesitated. Would she want to brush her hair first or just go back to bed? She studied the room then turned toward me. She leaned in and kissed my cheek, surprising me. I really hoped she wanted to go back to bed.

“You are so sweet, and I truly appreciate this, but I’m not going back to bed, Clay.”

Damn.

“I need to see Luke.”

I clamped my jaw shut and swallowed the growl that wanted to surface along with some cussing. With care, I stepped into the room and placed her on the bed. Then I stalked out of her room, seething.

After watching over her and worrying for two days, she wanted to see Luke? What happened to knowing I was the one?

The apartment door suffered my anger. My ears burned, and I knew they’d shifted. I glanced at my arms as I walked the halls and saw fur. I tried to pull the change back but couldn’t. I was too pissed to concentrate. I needed to find the Brit. I didn’t care why Gabby wanted to talk to him or what kind of connection or—I swallowed—affection they had. I owed him for his part in the last two days of hell I’d lived through.

I narrowed my eyes and scented the air. There were too many trails here. If he’d stayed, though, he would probably be in the common room.

Since it was close to lunch, the room was full when I pushed my way through the double doors. Hesitating just inside, I looked around. People stopped eating and stared. Conversation faded to silence.

Luke’s copper head was hard to miss. He lounged in a stuffed chair near one of the unlit fireplaces. When he saw me, a wide, mocking grin split his lips. I stalked toward him. When I neared, he stood.

I hit him hard and fast. His smug, cocky expression changed to one of surprise just before he fell over. I grabbed the cuff of his pants and started dragging him, caveman style.

The base of my spine itched, and I knew I now sported a tail.

Despite the punch to his face, Luke was still conscious. And my new tail caught his attention as I pulled him out of the room. His mad laughter reminded me of a braying ass.

I wanted to hit him again and struggled to maintain any remaining thread of control as we passed through the halls.

Just before we reached the apartment door, I inhaled and pulled myself together. The tail receded as did my ears and fur. I opened the door and pulled my quarry in behind me.

Gabby stood in the living room, staring at us in shock. Probably because the Brit was still laughing.

As I kept tugging my burden forward, she came to herself and rushed to close the door behind us. When I reached the middle of the room, I dropped Luke’s leg and turned back to the door, which she still blocked. I didn’t care. I didn’t want to hear what she would say to him. I didn’t think I’d be able to hold it together much longer.

I crossed the room, and she leaned back against the panel. When I made to reach for the knob, she held up her hand.

“Clay, I need you to stay and listen. Please.”

She was killing me.

“Please,” she said again. “Give me a chance.”

Then she touched my face. Her warm fingers coaxed me until I met her gaze. She looked worried and sad, and I knew I’d stay.

“I’ve asked so much of you already and know it’s not fair to ask again, but I am.”

I sighed, reached up to cup her face, and gently smoothed my thumb over her cheek. Behind me, I heard Luke move. Dropping my hands, I turned. Luke lay where I’d left him. The smirk was back as he watched us. He needed to lose the smirk.

I walked toward him on my way to the couch and kicked him in the ribs as I stepped over him.

Luke grunted and started to sit up, his laughter finally starting to quiet.

“Most people wouldn’t laugh while being dragged through the Compound like that,” Gabby said, watching us. She stayed by the door.

Luke stood and turned toward me with a grin.

“I’ve never seen anyone hold a transformation like that. He was man, but the fangs, ears, fur...it was amazing, and hilarious, mate,” he said as he settled himself on the couch.

“Um, isn’t that a sign that he’s in an extreme emotional state?” Gabby said.

Luke continued to smirk at me. I could feel his hilarity over the unmentioned tail.

Gabby walked behind Luke and smacked him hard on the back of the head.

“Meaning, you should stop trying to annoy him.”

I grinned. Maybe this conversation wouldn’t be so bad.

She walked around Luke and came toward my chair. She then gingerly perched on one of my knees. She’d picked me. In front of him. He didn’t look so smug anymore.

I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her back into my lap, turning her until I could see Luke, too. She settled against me.

“Luke, what happened when I touched you? What did you feel?”

“One hell of a shock. Listen, did you bring me here for a reason, or was it just to rub your relationship with him in my face?”

“It’s for a reason.”

She tried to lean forward, but I kept her on my lap with an arm around her waist. She didn’t fight it.

“How long have I been sleeping?”

“Two days, love. Everyone’s been pretty worried, and the Elders are waiting to talk to you.”

“I bet.”

I felt her attention drift and watched her study the apartment door. When she winced and held her head, I knew what she’d done. She’d tried to look at the lights in her head.

“Crap.”

I made an annoyed sound at the same time I rubbed her back. She needed to stop trying to use her abilities.

“Listen,” Luke said, sounding hesitant, “I think you should still be in bed, Little One. No disrespect intended, but you don’t look well.”

He was right. I mean, she was beautiful; but she did look sick and like she needed more sleep.

“I know you’re right, but I can’t go back to sleep yet. I need you to tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know what happened, love. You shocked me, told me not to leave, then fainted. After that, Clay picked you up and ran inside with you. He hasn’t let anyone near you for two days. We only knew you were still alive because he didn’t take off into the woods.”

“And after Clay left, what about you? What did you do?”

Luke began to look uncomfortable.

“Uh, I went out for a bit then came back here.”

“The constant attention probably went to your head,” she said under her breath.

I understood then that she’d done to Luke what she’d done to Nicole. Yet, his cocky attitude in the common room probably meant it’d been women he’d pulled in.

Luke looked up at Gabby, seemingly surprised that she knew what had happened. He had no idea just how special Gabby was.

“Did you meet anyone special while I was out?” she asked, glancing at the door again.

I wondered if she knew who waited in the hall. The soft movements told me more than one person waited, but not who. My guess was Sam and perhaps another Elder.

Luke shook his head, answering her question.

“Luke, there is so much I don’t understand, and I really need your help.” She nodded toward the door. “I need some time to myself to understand what I’m feeling.”

Luke and I both stared at Gabby. Her nod toward the door was the only thing that stopped me from being upset by the words. She wasn’t talking about her feelings for Luke. But I wasn’t sure what she was trying to tell him, either.