I nodded and reached for the ketchup while they walked out the door. Squirting a big pile on my plate, I looked up in time to wave to Rachel as they backed out of their spot. I pretended to nibble on a fry as I watched their car. Once they left, I dug out my cell with shaking hands and dialed Dale’s Auto Body. It looked like I would need to miss a few more classes.
Dale answered after the third ring.
“Hi, Dale, it’s Gabby...Clay’s girlfriend.” It felt weird giving myself that title, but I pushed it aside. Bigger issues to deal with. “If he’s there, can I talk to him?”
Dale chuckled. “Sure, but I don’t imagine it’d be much of a conversation.”
I heard him call out to Clay. A moment later, a husky voice said, “Hello?”
After not talking to me for so long, hearing his voice startled and annoyed me slightly. He would talk to a perfect stranger, but not me? I opened my mouth to say something about it, but the pain in my head insistently prodded me to get on with the important news.
“Clay, I did it again. I’m at the diner where we had breakfast. I need you to come get me before it gets worse.”
He didn’t say anything for so long that I looked at the phone to see if I still had a signal. The screen said disconnected. Would it have killed him to say “Okay” or maybe even “Bye” before hanging up? His hello had been too shocking to recall the sound of his voice.
I sighed and put my cell away. With Sam’s frequent calls and Rachel’s occasional texts, my remaining minutes dipped into the double digits. I needed to adjust my budget to buy more airtime. Did life really need to throw me this many curveballs? And all at once?
I forced myself to eat more of my mostly untouched meal so the waitress wouldn’t bother me as I waited.
The last of the waves hit me. Only determination and a hand over my mouth kept me from whimpering. After about ten minutes, I settled the bill and watched out the window for Clay, barely checking the need to curl into a ball and lie down on the padded bench. The waitress kept a close eye on me, probably thinking she would need to clean up barf soon. She might.
Dale’s huge tow truck pulled into the parking lot. Clay opened his door and leapt out while it still rolled to a stop. Through the window, he spotted me. His eyes never left me as he strode in and Dale pulled away.
Clay still wore his greasy coveralls, and with his hair pulled back, he looked like an angel—a grimy one—coming to save me. Again.
“Hi,” I whispered, tilting my head to meet his gaze.
His eyes softened as he looked me over.
My legs trembled just sitting there but with so many students from campus, I wouldn’t leave by any means other than my own two feet. I handed him the keys to my car, slid out of the booth, and reached for him. Standing, I wrapped my arms around his waist. I hoped it looked like I wanted to snuggle instead of holding myself up. He maneuvered us out the door and to my car with no trouble.
Minutes later, he carried me through the back door. He knew the drill and gave me a drink before he tucked me into bed.
Close to dawn, I woke feeling much better. The shivers had faded while I slept, and the lingering headache was manageable. The full bladder wasn’t.
I snuck to the bathroom, hoping not to wake Clay. But when I got back, the light was on and he lay awake waiting for me. With his hair still back, I easily read his expression. I hated when he looked at me like that. All disappointed and hurt.
I stalled saying anything until I slid back under the covers. Warmer, I met his gaze.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t plan it...” Technically. “...but I think I’ve figured out what I am, Clay. I’m like a GPS for werewolves. I can find people. Not just people, but compatible Mates like me.” My feet refused to warm so I tucked them under his legs. He didn’t even flinch. Probably because I did it all the time.
“When I touched Rachel yesterday, I really paid attention. I saw the energy I release when I shock a person. It goes into them and pulses outward, passing through almost everyone else. And everyone this energy passes through fades in my mind, almost dimming to the point of non-existence. Five people didn’t fade, Clay. In the whole world, there are only five. Six if you include me. And when the energy I release touches them, it bounces off to come crashing back on me. That’s what’s been knocking me on my butt.”
Unsure if I should bring up the rest, I played with the quilt for a second. He nudged me, and I smiled at him. I should know better. Even when he didn’t like what I had to say, he listened. He always listened.
“It was different when I touched Luke. With him, I zoomed in on one specific spark, a yellow-violet one on the east coast. The paper I gave Luke? That was directions to find her. I think she belongs with him. I think I found his Mate just by touching him.” I grinned when I recalled the phone call from Luke. “I don’t think he appreciates my help, though.”
Through my entire monolog, Clay lay on his side, up on an elbow, and watched me intently. His serious expression conveyed his concentration.
When I finished, instead of shrugging as I expected, his head snapped toward my bedroom window. He snarled softly as he threw off the covers and crouched on the bed, head moving to track something I couldn’t see.
I scrambled to my knees, staring at him. Fangs exploded from his mouth, and his ears changed. Now I knew why Luke had laughed at Clay’s partial transformation but didn’t find it a bit funny as I watched.
Clay remained frozen in a crouch, listening. I held my breath and strained to hear what he heard. The beating of my own heart filled my ears.
Both our heads turned toward a chuffing laugh near the window. A taunt to draw Clay out.
I opened my mouth to point it out but never made a sound. Clay’s hand darted out and nudged me backward. I lost my balance. As I tumbled over the edge of the mattress, he leapt toward the bedroom door. He cleared it and switched off the light before I landed on the floor.
The front door slammed against the wall. The explosive sound echoed through the house as did the chilly breeze that gusted along the floor. I shivered, hidden in the semi-darkness beside the bed. The door closed itself on the backswing, cutting off the cold.
I righted myself as I caught my breath. Luckily, I’d landed on a pillow which I’d knocked off with me. Any recovery I’d experienced while I slept had vanished as soon as I hit the floor. My head pounded with renewed vigor, but I thought clearly enough to wonder if Rachel had spent the night here or with Peter. The sudden noise outside distracted me from my thoughts.
Loud snarls and low growls filled the air.
Despite Clay’s obvious wish that I stay down, I risked a look over the mattress as my eyes adjusted to the gloom. The window gave a soft glow from the streetlights. The sound of my frightened breathing echoed in the room. I quieted it, pulled myself up, and crawled over the bed toward the window. Cautiously, I inched the curtain aside to peek out.
Clay and another man fought in the snow on the front yard. I cringed at the sight of Clay’s bare feet and chest. The challenger at least had shoes and a shirt.
Clay swiped at the man, ripping a good portion of his shirt away. Good. Clay wouldn’t be the only cold one.
They skirted the direct glow of the streetlight, but didn’t stick to the shadows closest to the house. The neighbors would not only be able to hear them but see them as well. Hadn’t the idiot challenging Clay thought of that before he approached our house from the front? Pack law forbade public shifting.
The snow crunched under the challenger’s feet as he rushed Clay. Clay spun and avoided the charge. He used the man’s momentum to trip him and knock him into the snow. As the man fell, he shifted noticeably.
Clay shifted further as well. His mouth extended to enable the use of his fangs. I cringed at the thought of the neighbors spotting him. There would be no way to explain away the disconcerting appearance of his ears and fangs.