“I need to talk to you. Don’t leave until I do.”

His brow rose in surprise at my heavily slurred words.

“Clay,” I whispered. My head lolled to the side as I tried to catch his eye. “Catch me.” I let go of Luke’s hand, and the world disappeared.

My pounding head woke me. I couldn’t tell if I lay in a dark room or just had my eyes closed. It didn’t really matter. My skull would certainly shatter if I had to deal with light, too. I tried to whisper for water but only managed a faint croak. When I attempted to clear my throat, the pain in my head brought tears to my eyes. I was dying. I had to be to feel this way.

An arm gently slid under my neck and lifted my head a bit. A cool glass pressed to my lips, and I slowly sipped the contents. I stopped when the darkness began to pull me down again.

I woke several more times, only drinking a bit of water before passing out again. Each time the pain in my head decreased a little until, finally, I woke with more clarity.

“Water,” I whispered into the darkness.

Again, an arm snaked under me and lifted me for a cool drink. I drained the cup. The arm lowered me, and I settled back onto the pillow. My ears rang in the silence.

“How long have I been sleeping?” I asked just to hear something.

Instead of an answer, I got a tight hug.

“I really hope you’re Clay,” I whispered breathlessly.

His gruff laugh wrapped around me, just as comforting as his hug.

“Can we turn on a light?”

He moved away from me, and I took the opportunity to sit up a bit and lean against the headboard. My legs still felt shaky.

The bedside lamp clicked on. I squinted against the light and regretted my request. My head ached slightly. I rubbed a hand over my face as my eyes watered. A tangle of my hair got in my way. I brushed it aside and felt the knots in it.

Blinking several times, I finally focused on Clay. He was dressed in the same clothes he’d worn outside. Maybe I hadn’t been out that long after all. He stood near the bed and watched me with a tender, relieved expression.

“Clay, I think I know what’s going on. Can you help me up? I really need a shower.” And a toothbrush.

He shook his head.

“Clay, now’s not the time to put your foot down. This is really important.” I tried to sit all the way up, but couldn’t. My head started to throb again. “Okay. Maybe you’re right,” I mumbled as I rubbed my forehead. “Can you get me something for my head, please? It feels like it going to explode all over the walls.”

Clay leaned over me, smoothed back my hair, kissed my forehead, then left the room. The guest apartments didn’t have any type of medicine in them because the werewolves typically didn’t need it.

I waited until I heard the outside door close, then I struggled up again. My comment about my head was absolutely true. Therefore, I stayed in a sitting position for a minute before attempting to swing my legs off the bed. But headache or not, I needed to speak to Luke.

Reaching for my bag, I smiled again at Clay’s packing. Flannel pants and a t-shirt were perfect, after all.

Chapter 17

I used the paneled wall for support as I made my way to the bathroom. Sweat beaded my forehead when I finally stepped onto the cold, tiled floor. I flicked on the light and fan then set my clothes on the toilet tank.

Knowing I had limited time, I immediately turned the shower on to let the water warm. I moved to the sink, caught my reflection in the mirror, and cringed. Sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, and hair that stuck out at varying angles, reflected back at me. Without a doubt, Clay really did care about me. I shook my head then brushed my teeth, giving the water an extra minute to heat.

When I finished, I struggled out of my clothes and further depleted my waning energy. I eyed the high edge of the tub and thought back to when Clay had insisted on helping me. If I fell, I’d never hear the end of it. Bracing myself, I successfully stepped over the edge and tugged the curtain closed.

The hot spray felt great, but I didn’t pause to warm up. If I stayed too long, I’d lose what little energy I had or Clay would discover me. I grabbed the all-in-one hair wash and lathered my natty head. My arms grew heavy as I rinsed, and with relief, I turned off the water. Navigating the high edge proved more difficult the second time, and I clutched at the wall after a near fall.

The fan worked to suck the built up heat and steam from the room as I hurried to dry off. My unsteady legs forced me to sit down to finish dressing. The cold helped hurry the process.

I used my towel to bundle my dirty clothes then moved to the door. Though it felt like the process took forever, I knew only a few minutes had passed since Clay left. If I could get to my room and dry my hair, I’d be home free. I pulled open the door and yelped. The steady thump in my head increased its tempo.

Clay stood just outside the door, leaning against the wall. He held a glass of water in one hand and two pills in the other. I tried to read his face, but he kept it perfectly blank. I hoped that meant he wasn’t angry with me. Desperate to relieve the pain in my head, I released my death grip on the door and gulped down the pills.

When I tried handing him the empty glass, he shook his head and picked me up again. My feet had been getting cold, anyway. Holding the empty glass, I sighed and rested my head against his chest.

He went toward my room, and I almost complained until I saw what he’d done. He’d changed the sheets and remade the bed. Socks, slippers, and my hairbrush lay on the quilt, waiting. He’d known I would go for the shower and had given me privacy even though he hadn’t wanted me to get out of bed. Not only that, but he’d gotten everything ready for when I finished.

I looked at him. He studied me, his arms still securely around me. I leaned in, kissed his cheek tenderly, and hesitated there. He smelled so good. I just wanted to curl back up with him. But I couldn’t. I pulled back and looked at him again.

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

The muscles in his jaw clenched as he stepped into the room and carefully set me on the bed. He left without a backward glance.

I stared at the empty doorway puzzled until the outer door slammed hard enough that I heard the wood crack. I flinched.

“I shouldn’t have said I needed to see Luke.”

I hurried to put on my socks and slippers while hoping Clay wouldn’t go too far. The movement made my head feel like it would fall off at any moment. The pills needed to kick in soon. I rubbed my brow again, but it didn’t relieve the pain at all. This wasn’t a normal headache. I just needed to deal with it. With a sigh, I stood.

I’d only made it to the living room when the door burst open again. I stared at Clay as he dragged Luke in by the cuff of one pant leg. Luke didn’t appear to mind. Instead, he was laughing. His hands clutched the waistband of his pants to keep Clay from pulling them off entirely. After they cleared the threshold, I saw a crowd watching from the hallway. Not good. News of this would get back to the Elders. No doubt Sam would want to talk to me as soon as he found out I was awake. I moved from the couch to the door and slammed it closed. The poor door would need some repair work.

Clay reached the middle of the room, dropped Luke’s leg, and without pause, turned back to the door. I didn’t move away from the exit. He reached for the knob without meeting my gaze, but I stopped him with a hand held up.

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

He still didn’t look at me, and I knew asking to speak with Luke had hurt him. Why wouldn’t it? Had I really ever given him much hope we had a future together? Sam showed up at our door just days ago saying I’d rejected Clay and needed to do the Introductions again. Instead of putting my foot down, we went back. Granted I’d told Clay I didn’t like to see him hurt and admitted we both knew he was the one for me, but we hadn’t talked about what we’d do about it.