“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.” My eyes drifted to the door. I focused and immediately cradled my throbbing head. My eyes watered as I tried to breathe through the pain. “Crap.”
Behind me, Clay grunted in annoyance.
Luke’s smile slipped. “Listen, I think you should still be in bed, little one. No disrespect intended, but you don’t look well.”
My hair hung wet and uncombed around me. I could imagine what I looked like. I pressed my cool fingertips to one temple and wished I hadn’t been so stupid. Clay started to rub my back soothingly, working his way up to my neck and then lightly stroking my hair. It helped.
“I know you’re right, but I can’t go back to sleep yet. I need you to tell me what happened.”
Nicole told me that she’d really connected with Randy. Even after my pull wore off, they had continued to date. I couldn’t go back to the two women at the club to find out what they’d experienced. I needed to get more information from Luke.
“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.”
Clay’s tight hug when I woke made more sense. He’d been worried about me, taking care of me and keeping the Elders away.
I forced myself to stay focused on Luke.
“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,” I muttered. Luke was too sure of himself for any woman to have a chance.
His startled expression told me I was right.
“Did you meet anyone special while I was out?” I asked glancing at the door again and wishing we didn’t have an audience.
I looked back in time to catch Luke shaking his head. Still unMated. I’d thought as much but had to be sure. Normal humans wouldn’t tempt him, and there were too few unMated females at the Compound. I had an idea but needed sleep and time to think through everything.
“Luke, there is so much I don’t understand, and I really need your help.” I nodded toward the door and hoped he’d know I meant with the Elders who probably waited outside. “I need some time to myself to understand what I’m feeling.” This is why Clay had to be in the room with me. Anyone standing in the hall would probably think I felt torn between Clay and Luke.
Luke looked from me to Clay then back again. He started to ask a question, hesitated, then gazed at the door once more. Finally, he stood.
“I’ll be around,” he said.
I hoped he’d understood I wanted his help to get us out of here. The door had barely closed behind him when a knock sounded.
Still sitting on Clay’s lap, I turned to him. He met my gaze. I shook my head and wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms cradled me as he stood and carried me to the bedroom. He set me on the bed, covered me, then closed the door. I listened to him answer the apartment door.
I heard Sam’s voice but didn’t bother trying to hear what Sam had to say. The Elders would come to get me soon enough. My exhaustion didn’t wait for them. I fell asleep again.
My stomach growled so loudly it woke me. I listened for a minute before opening my eyes. Clay had left the lamp on so I could see. I turned my head. He lay next to me, on top the covers. Given the steady cadence of his breathing, he still slept. I let my mind drift, content to think and let him get the rest he needed.
Whatever I had in me, I could temporarily pass to people via a shock, but the effect only lasted until I recovered. I could also zap more than one person at a time, and I felt certain now that my emotions, in addition to my touch, triggered the transfer. The drain I experienced afterward varied. It felt like the flu the first time, but when I passed it to the two women, the symptoms intensified.
Shocking Luke had been different. I couldn’t say if the drain had been worse since I’d started out drained. However, focusing on a specific person’s spark was new.
Based on the yellow-violet coloring, I guessed it belonged to another compatible, like me. Could it mean my ability was to find Mates for the people I touched? But then, why hadn’t I zoomed in on a single person when touching the others? Maybe a werewolf amplified my ability, and the view appeared whether I wanted it or not. Or maybe one spark had stood out when I’d touched the rest, but I hadn’t focused on my spark-sight to check.
But what about my pull? Where did that play into this? There were still too many possibilities. I needed a test group. Immediately, I thought of Rachel and Peter. When I sensed them without touching Rachel, I knew they were a perfect match. If I tried to pass my pull to Rachel and saw Peter’s spark, I’d have my answer. If it didn’t work on them, I wouldn’t rule out my theory completely. The difference between human and werewolf might be the key to the results. I could experiment on Clay. He knew I was his match.
In addition to figuring out why I had the ability to pass on my gift, I needed to understand why I saw different werewolf colors. The one who’d left the line and the others waiting for him worried me.
Regardless of my anger at Sam, if trouble stalked the pack, he needed to know. But I needed to talk to Clay about it before I could talk to anyone else. He would help me figure out how it all tied together. However, I couldn’t talk to Clay here. There were too many ears, and I was still uncertain if I could trust Sam with everything.
I needed to leave before the Elders started pushing me for answers I didn’t have. What reason could I give Sam for my sudden faint during the Introduction? He’d know any lie before I told it. And if I gave him the truth, would he then share it with all the Elders? After seeing those werewolves leave the Introduction, I couldn’t blindly trust Elder Joshua. Too many werewolves of that same color acted unusually.
Feeling a light caress on my hair, I turned to look at Clay, who watched me again.
“Do I say good morning or is it close to goodnight again?”
He smiled at me, reached down to twine his fingers through mine, and brought my hand to his mouth. Instead of kissing it, he whipped his head toward the door. A silent snarl pulled back his lips. The bedroom door opened, and Luke poked his head in.
“Better hurry. You carry her, and I’ll grab her things,” he said, speaking directly to Clay.
I let out a relieved breath. Luke had understood and come through. I opened my mouth to thank him, but Clay leapt off the bed and quickly scooped me into his arms, covers and all. With the blankets twisted around me and partially covering my face, I felt a moment of disoriented panic as he lifted me.
I shook my head to dislodge the blanket and sent Clay a quick scowl. His lips twitched.
Over his shoulder, I saw Luke cramming my things into my ragged messenger bag. My bag wouldn’t last through another werewolf packing.
Clay left the room. Just in case anyone else roamed the halls, I laid my head on Clay’s shoulder. He held me closely and walked quickly. We quietly made it out the main entrance with Luke following us.
The black sky twinkled with stars, and crickets conversed with their night song as the two werewolves stealthily moved over the graveled parking area. It had to be Monday night. I regretted missing a day’s worth of classes, but there’d been no way to help it.
The car faced the gate. Luke must have moved it. The door’s loud creaking groan made us all cringe. Clay quickly settled me inside, reached across me to secure the seat belt, then silently jogged around the hood to get in behind the wheel.