Luke looked from her to me then back again. He opened his mouth to ask a question, hesitated, and then glanced at the door once more. Finally, he stood.

“I’ll be around,” he said.

The door had barely closed behind him when a knock sounded.

She turned in my lap, met my gaze, and shook her head. I slid an arm under her legs, and standing with her in my arms, I glanced at the door. I knew she didn’t want to talk to whoever waited, but I doubted the Elders would be put off for long. She’d fainted during the Introduction and had been out for two days. And when she woke, the first thing she’d done was talk to Luke. They would want to know why.

I turned and carried her to the bedroom. There I set her on the bed, covered her, and closed her in her room.

With no choice, I went to answer the apartment door. Sam stood on the other side as I’d expected. There were several other wolves with him. Most likely spectators drawn by my removal of Luke from the common room. No other Elders, though.

I stepped aside to let him in.

“Where’s Gabby?” Sam asked, eyeing the closed bedroom door.

“Bed,” I said softly. “She’s still sick.”

Sam took a step toward her room, and I stepped in front of him. It was dangerous to challenge an Elder. If he really wanted to, he could physically force me aside or simply command me to move. Instead, he sighed and looked at me.

“Is she getting better?”

“She woke up. That’s something.”

“Clay, I know you’re upset with how we handled the Introduction, but this is better for her.”

“Did it look better?”

He sighed again and ran his hand through his hair. “Let me know when she wakes up again. I want to talk to her.” Then he turned and left.

I went back to the bedroom and found Gabby already asleep. Lying on my side, I pulled her close and closed my eyes, ready to sleep for the first time in days.

Instead, her conversation with Luke replayed in my head. Her comment, “I need some time to myself,” took on new meaning. The key was her look at the door. She’d known the Elders were out there listening. The way she’d held Luke’s gaze afterward...she’d been trying to get him to understand something.

We needed help leaving the Compound without the Elders catching us.

A noise woke me. Gabby’s stomach. It growled again, and she shifted in her sleep. I smiled and waited for her to open her eyes. The lamp was on, illuminating her features. She looked better. Less pale.

Her breathing changed, a sign she was awake, but she didn’t open her eyes. She was thinking. I’d seen her do that many times. Gabby wasn’t the type to just shoot out of bed. She liked to take a minute. I figured she used that time to make a plan for her day. She seemed to like making plans and sticking to them.

I gently brushed her hair from her face. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at me, and my heart swelled at the emotion I saw there.

“Do I say good morning or is it close to good night again?”

Smiling, I reached for her hand and brought it to my mouth. A noise from the apartment stopped me from pulling her into my arms. Frowning, I turned my head and focused. The sound of the apartment door closing barely reached me.

Sam hadn’t returned since our last talk. Could it be him? I tensed as the bedroom door opened.

Luke poked his head in.

“Better hurry. You carry her, and I’ll grab her things,” he said, looking at me.

I didn’t hesitate. I leapt off the bed and scooped Gabby into my arms, covers and all. I couldn’t believe Luke had understood Gabby. I’d barely understood her.

She squeaked as I lifted her. Blankets covered her face, and she shook her head to dislodge them since her arms were pinned. Her scowl made me grin.

Luke already had Gabby’s bag and was cramming her things into it. I turned and left the room, Luke trailing behind me. Moving quickly, we quietly raced through the halls and made it out the main entrance without being seen. I was sure we’d been heard, though.

In the dark yard, the car faced the gate. Luke must have moved it. With a burst of speed, I reached the car and shifted Gabby’s weight to pull the handle. The door’s loud groan made me cringe and move faster.

I settled Gabby inside and buckled her in. As I moved away, Luke took my place to hand her bag in. She took it as I jogged around the hood, but she motioned for him to wait. She grabbed a scrap of paper from her bag and quickly wrote something. She handed it to Luke with a wave, keeping silent.

Luke quickly closed the door. As he scanned the note, I started the car and slammed it into gear. When I looked back at him, Luke was already on a motorcycle. I took off in a spray of gravel. As I’d expected, the noise brought someone to the door.

The motorcycle roared to life and quickly zipped past us. Luke saluted Gabby with a grin then disappeared from sight.

Sam stood on the porch, his gaze locked on us.

We need to talk to her, son.

She doesn’t want to talk.

I waited for a reply, but none came. A relieved sigh escaped me. Gabby didn’t notice.

She laid her head back, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. She didn’t stir the whole way home or when I pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. I sat for a moment, watching her.

She still had dark circles under her eyes, she hadn’t eaten, and she hadn’t told me what exactly had happened when she’d touched Luke. Hopefully, the next time she woke, she’d eat then start talking.

Chapter 20

I didn’t get my wish. Gabby woke just a few hours after I put her to bed.

Since Rachel was home, I was back in my fur, lying in my usual spot, when I felt Gabby move. She reached for her phone and checked the screen. I knew what she’d see. Sam had called it twice since we’d left.

“Crap,” she mumbled when she squinted at the display.

I thought she was referring to Sam until she left the bed saying, “I’m going to be late.”

Did she seriously think she was going to school? I hopped off the bed and planted myself in front of the door.

She didn’t notice as she grabbed clothes. When she turned and saw me, she paused.

“Clay, I have to pee so bad it hurts. Can you move, please?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. Did she really think she had me with that? Although I couldn’t hear a lie, I knew her well enough to guess what she was doing. I stepped away from the door, letting her believe she’d fooled me, and watched her grin and leave.

As soon as she’d closed herself in the bathroom, I hid her keys in the towel drawer. She needed more rest to recover, not a day on campus.

When the bathroom door opened, she didn’t walk into the kitchen as I’d expected. Instead, she went to her bedroom and brushed out her hair. It took her awhile, and I regretted not brushing it for her after her shower. I watched from the doorway. Each stroke moved slower than the last. She was so tired. Why was she so determined to leave?

She set the brush aside and left her room. In the kitchen, I heard her pause. I took my time joining her. She turned to glare at me as soon as she saw me.

“Clay,” she whispered. “Give ‘em to me.” She couldn’t yell because Rachel was still asleep.

I sat down in the archway.

Gabby sighed and looked around once more. I wanted to shake her. Gently. Instead of looking for her keys, she should eat something. Then, go back to bed.

“Please, Clay. I think I’m figuring out what’s going on with me but won’t know for sure until I talk to Nicole. At school. I need the keys.”

I remained mute and unmoved. She could ask Nicole tomorrow. Meanwhile, I could hear Rachel stirring as Gabby continued to stare at me. I knew it wouldn’t be long before Rachel would be coming into the kitchen.

“If I can’t find my keys,” Gabby said, “I’m going to walk.”