The women looked stunned. I just laughed it away and patted their arms.
“Sorry,” I shouted over the music and waved goodbye.
This time when I moved to go, no one paid me any attention. One of the men behind the girls had already called the bartender over to order more drinks for the group. I hoped the women would stick together and be smart about the attention soon to be showered on them.
The first wave of dizziness washed over me as Rachel and I pushed our way through the crowd toward the door. The bouncer didn’t even give me a second glance as we left. No man did. It confirmed what I had already guessed.
Our heels tapped out a rapid cadence on the sidewalk, but the clipped sound seemed like it came from under water. I wondered how long it would take my ears to recover from the loud music.
“We need to get home,” I said as soon as we were far enough away from the club that I could hear.
“Why? Is someone following us?” She turned to look behind us.
I hadn’t thought of that. I hoped the Forlorn would keep their word because I couldn’t look for them with my sight. I didn’t want to drain myself further.
“No, I’m just really not feeling well.”
We reached Rachel’s car, and I slid into my seat. By the time Rachel eased into the driveway, I shivered uncontrollably. She had cranked the heat in the car, but it hadn’t helped. After all, the shivering wasn’t because of a chill or a fever. I didn’t argue when she parked and told me to stay sitting. She came to my side of the car to help me out.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner that you weren’t feeling well?” Rachel said with one arm wrapped securely around my waist as she helped me into the house. The cold beads of the dress tickled the backs of my legs.
“I d-didn’t know. It c-came on f-fast.”
Rachel unlocked the door. We’d stayed at the club an hour at least, but the house remained quiet and dark.
“Clay?” I called from the kitchen. No answer. How long did Dale keep him on a Friday night? Rachel helped me to my room and frowned at the empty bed.
“I wonder where he is,” she murmured.
Too late, I realized my mistake. When I’d called for Clay, I’d wanted the man, forgetting all about Clay-the-dog. Thankfully, I hadn’t said anything more.
She unzipped the back of my dress because I shook too badly to reach it, then left my room to search the rest of the house for Clay. I let the dress fall to the floor and struggled to put on my warm pajamas. Rachel came back a few moments after I’d managed to pull up the pants. She looked even more worried.
“I can’t find him anywhere.”
“M-maybe he got out. I’m going to bed. I’m sure he’ll s-show up tomorrow,” I said, crawling under the covers.
Rachel got me a glass of water, set it on the dresser, then felt my forehead.
“Doesn’t feel like a fever. Maybe it’s low grade.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ve had this before and just need sleep.” I burrowed deeper under the covers and tried to curl up to stop shaking. I wished for Clay again. I needed him. He warmed me, comforted me, and I needed to tell him about my promise to go to another Introduction. That wouldn’t go over well.
Rachel continued to watch me—nurse Rachel, not friend Rachel. I needed to distract her before she insisted I go see someone.
“I forgot to tell you. I have plans to leave tomorrow to see Sam. If Clay’s back, I want to take him with me.”
“You sure you’ll be up for it?”
“Yeah, it’s not something I have a choice about.”
“All right. Wake me up if you need anything.” She left the room but kept the door ajar. It made my heart ache as I recalled how, first my mother, and then my grandmother, had done the same for me whenever I’d been ill.
Chapter 16
I felt Clay hop up on my bed and forced my eyes open. Tremors still shook me, and the mid-morning light sent shafts of pain into my aching head. The last time this had happened, it had taken close to twenty-four hours of sleep before I woke up without a headache. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to sleep this one off. If I didn’t show up at the Compound on time, those Forlorn would come looking for me, and Clay would get hurt again.
My mind worked sluggishly as I stared at the time. The clock displayed nine. It would take a little over eight hours to get to the Compound. We’d arrive around dinner.
“C-clay, we need to get to the Compound. Can you drive?” I struggled to sit up. He cocked his fuzzy head at me. “A lot happened last night while you were gone. I’ll tell you about it on the way.”
I tried to stand, but a wave of dizziness knocked me back onto the bed. Blood rushed to my head and pulsed in my ears. I almost didn’t hear Clay move while I sat there panting. I waited a moment, took a deep breath, then tried to stand again.
This time, Clay wrapped an arm around me to help. He’d shifted. I glanced at the door. It stood ajar. Was Rachel still home? He needed to be more careful. My wandering eyes caught our reflection in the mirror.
He stood beside me, looking down at me with concern. No wonder. I had my arm curled around his bare waist in a death grip, just to stay standing. My pale face enhanced the dark circles under my eyes. A frizzy mass of hair haloed my head. I looked like hell.
He, however, looked—I stopped gazing at his naked chest long enough to see his eyes narrow—pissed. He’d just figured out what I’d done again, and for the first time, I experienced a sense of appreciation that he didn’t talk. Not wanting to meet his gaze, I decided to go back to enjoying the view. He wore jeans, unbuttoned and low on his hips. One arm wrapped around my shaking shoulders. He started to rub little circles on my skin with his thumb. He reached up with his other hand and lightly touched my forehead. Though he was upset with me, his concern was plain, as was...I squinted in an attempt to see clearly and then scowled.
He once again sported bruises and what looked like a bite mark. How many challengers were there out there? I’d thought just a couple. He came home with bruises too often for it to be the same few. And a bite? I frowned at the mark on his shoulder, but my fuzzy brain distracted itself again. I lost my scowl. Even with his bruises and bite mark, Clay looked incredible. I would have drooled at the view he gave if I weren’t so sick.
“I need to use the bathroom then start packing.”
He nodded and helped me through the door. My head throbbed with each step. I leaned against him, let my head hang a little, and trusted him to guide me. Because of my position, I saw Rachel’s feet as she intercepted us.
“Hi, Clay. How’d you get here?”
I forced myself to look up. Still in her pajamas and sleep rumpled, she looked gorgeous. How she pulled that off, I had no idea. Concern filled her eyes when she took in the sight of me.
“I called him. Sorry, Rachel, I didn’t want to bug you.”
Her gaze drifted to Clay. “It’s okay, I get it.” She eyed Clay’s bare chest and his face as he continued to support me.
I’d forgotten she hadn’t seen him cleaned up like I had. Although bruised and bitten probably wasn’t the best first impression, being shirtless kind of made up for it. She certainly wasn’t looking at him in a clinically concerned way, and it made me smile. Rachel was a free spirit and loved life. She didn’t mean anything when she looked, but I could sense it made Clay a little uncomfortable. I shivered again. Perfect timing.
“Are you sure you should be going?” she asked, managing to look away from Clay.
“Yeah, 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.”
I closed the bathroom door on both of them and focused on pulling myself together. I splashed some water on my face, leaned heavily on the sink, and ran my fingers through the snarls. It didn’t help much, but I didn’t think it would matter anyway with a long drive ahead of us. I took care of business and shuffled out of the bathroom to look for shoes, not concerned about changing.