Clay's Hope (24 page)

I paused and looked back at Charlene. In the
door, a man stood behind her. He looked like her and Thomas. His
gaze was locked on Gabby, reflecting a sad worry. I clenched my jaw
against a new wave of anger. Damn the Elders.

“Just tell them to stay away.”

She nodded slightly, looking concerned.
“I’ll do my best.”

She turned, shooed the man away, and closed
the door. I could still hear them, though.

“Will she be all right?”

“I don’t know, Jim.”

“She’s like you and Michelle, right?”

“Let’s talk about this later.”

Their voices faded as I set Gabby on her
bed. I removed the jacket, tucked her under the covers, and turned
off the light. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the soft light from
the main room. No discernable rise and fall of her chest moved
beneath the covers. She was too still, and it scared me.

Frustrated and angry at my helplessness, I
went to the kitchenette to get a glass of water. Please let this be
like last time, I thought, carrying the glass back to her. I closed
the door, set the glass beside the bed, then lay on the covers next
to her.

I laid my hand on her chest to measure her
shallow breathing. She’d obviously used her power again. And this
was the worst she’d ever been. What if—? I wouldn’t let the thought
finish.

“Please wake up from this,” I whispered in
the dark. “I can’t live without you.”

Hours passed. Worry ate at me. Twice I heard
Sam moving in the living room, but he didn’t disturb us. I lingered
in the dark, listening for any sign that Gabby was improving.

When she finally moved slightly, my throat
tightened with emotion. She tried to speak, but she could only make
a dry, raspy noise. I gently slid an arm under her and lifted her
enough to give her a drink. She sipped slowly, each swallow
sounding loud and painful, until she tilted her head to show she’d
had enough.

She’d barely drunk anything. Before I could
encourage more, I saw she’d left again. Was it sleep or had she
fainted?

The worry returned. Why had she touched
Luke? I’d kill the Brit next time I saw him.

It was several hours again before she woke
to sip more water. Again, she barely managed anything. The wait
until the next time she moved wasn’t as long, and I began to hope.
Was it a sign of improvement?

For two days, we existed in darkness. I only
left the bedroom once to get more water. Charlene came once more to
ask if I thought Gabby needed to go to the hospital. I wasn’t sure.
Could Gabby survive on so little water? Charlene had left before
I’d decided on an answer.

I was about to leave and call Charlene back
when Gabby shifted again.

“Water,” she whispered.

Sliding an arm under her, I lifted the glass
to her lips. She didn’t sip. She gulped. My eyes watered. I lowered
her back to the bed, set the cup aside, and waited, listening to
her breathing. It sounded stronger. Would she stay awake this
time?

“How long have I been sleeping?” she
asked.

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her
close. Relief coursed through me.

“I really hope you’re Clay,” she said.

A laugh escaped me. As if I’d let anyone
else near her.

“Can we turn on a light?”

As soon as I left the bed, she tried sitting
up. I watched her struggle in the dark. Every move looked strained.
Turning on the light probably wasn’t a good idea. She needed more
rest. But I wanted to see her. Really see her. I waited to click
the lamp on until she leaned against the headboard. She squinted,
and her eyes watered. She reached up to rub her eyes and brush a
tangle of hair from her sallow face.

After blinking for a minute, her gaze met
mine.

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

She wanted me to help her move around again?
Not happening. I shook my head.

“Clay, now’s not the time to put your foot
down. This is really important.”

It was exactly the time to put my foot down.
She’d been out for two damn days. I felt aged from how much I’d
worried over her.

She tried to sit up further but couldn’t.
She winced as if her head hurt.

“Okay. Maybe you’re right.” She rubbed her
forehead. “Can you get me something for my head, please? It feels
like it’s going to explode all over the walls.”

A request I could easily fulfill. I leaned
over, smoothed back her hair, and kissed her forehead. She smiled
tiredly at me. It was hard to leave the room, even for medicine for
her. But, I did.

The living room was empty. I let myself out
of the apartment and closed the door softly behind me. I’d need to
be quick. I didn’t want anyone to see I’d left Gabby’s side. They’d
know she was awake, and I wasn’t about to let anyone near her just
yet. She needed rest. A lot of it.

When I returned, the shower was running in
the bathroom. I growled. Stubborn woman.

Moving toward the door, I listened. The
water splashed slightly so I knew she was already safely in the
tub. I sighed and set my hand on the door. She’d better be careful
in there.

I returned to the kitchenette, set the pills
down, then went to the bedroom. If she was set on cleaning herself,
I might as well clean up her room, too. I stripped the bed. It
smelled like Gabby, which I liked; but it smelled of sickness, too.
I wanted no memory of the last two days.

The water tuned off as I remade the bed with
clean sheets. I hurried to find what else I thought she might need.
Socks, slippers, and her hairbrush waited on the quilt when I
finished.

I listened to the sounds of her moving in
the bathroom. Every slight noise was spaced apart as if she moved
very slowly. She had to be exhausted again.

I grabbed a fresh glass of water and the
pills and waited for her outside the door.

She didn’t leave me waiting for long. She
pulled open the door and yelped when she saw me. Guilt and pain
stole over her features. She knew she shouldn’t be up yet just as
she knew I didn’t want her up. She held the door for support, her
knuckles white.

I offered the pills in one hand and the
glass in the other. She took them both. I waited until the pills
were down and the glass empty before I picked her up.

She sighed and rested her head against my
chest as I moved toward the bedroom.

In the doorway, I hesitated. Would she want
to brush her hair first or just go back to bed? She studied the
room then turned toward me. She leaned in and kissed my cheek,
surprising me. I really hoped she wanted to go back to bed.

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

Damn.

“I need to see Luke.”

I clamped my jaw shut and swallowed the
growl that wanted to surface along with some cussing. With care, I
stepped into the room and placed her on the bed. Then I stalked out
of her room, seething.

After watching over her and worrying for two
days, she wanted to see Luke? What happened to knowing I was the
one?

The apartment door suffered my anger. My
ears burned, and I knew they’d shifted. I glanced at my arms as I
walked the halls and saw fur. I tried to pull the change back but
couldn’t. I was too pissed to concentrate. I needed to find the
Brit. I didn’t care why Gabby wanted to talk to him or what kind of
connection or—I swallowed—affection they had. I owed him for his
part in the last two days of hell I’d lived through.

I narrowed my eyes and scented the air.
There were too many trails here. If he’d stayed, though, he would
probably be in the common room.

Since it was close to lunch, the room was
full when I pushed my way through the double doors. Hesitating just
inside, I looked around. People stopped eating and stared.
Conversation faded to silence.

Luke’s copper head was hard to miss. He
lounged in a stuffed chair near one of the unlit fireplaces. When
he saw me, a wide, mocking grin split his lips. I stalked toward
him. When I neared, he stood.

I hit him hard and fast. His smug, cocky
expression changed to one of surprise just before he fell over. I
grabbed the cuff of his pants and started dragging him, caveman
style.

The base of my spine itched, and I knew I
now sported a tail.

Despite the punch to his face, Luke was
still conscious. And my new tail caught his attention as I pulled
him out of the room. His mad laughter reminded me of a braying
ass.

I wanted to hit him again and struggled to
maintain any remaining thread of control as we passed through the
halls.

Just before we reached the apartment door, I
inhaled and pulled myself together. The tail receded as did my ears
and fur. I opened the door and pulled my quarry in behind me.

Gabby stood in the living room, staring at
us in shock. Probably because the Brit was still laughing.

As I kept tugging my burden forward, she
came to herself and rushed to close the door behind us. When I
reached the middle of the room, I dropped Luke’s leg and turned
back to the door, which she still blocked. I didn’t care. I didn’t
want to hear what she would say to him. I didn’t think I’d be able
to hold it together much longer.

I crossed the room, and she leaned back
against the panel. When I made to reach for the knob, she held up
her hand.

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

She was killing me.

“Please,” she said again. “Give me a
chance.”

Then she touched my face. Her warm fingers
coaxed me until I met her gaze. She looked worried and sad, and I
knew I’d stay.

“I’ve asked so much of you already and know
it’s not fair to ask again, but I am.”

I sighed, reached up to cup her face, and
gently smoothed my thumb over her cheek. Behind me, I heard Luke
move. Dropping my hands, I turned. Luke lay where I’d left him. The
smirk was back as he watched us. He needed to lose the smirk.

I walked toward him on my way to the couch
and kicked him in the ribs as I stepped over him.

Luke grunted and started to sit up, his
laughter finally starting to quiet.

“Most people wouldn’t laugh while being
dragged through the Compound like that,” Gabby said, watching us.
She stayed by the door.

Luke stood and turned toward me with a
grin.

“I’ve never seen anyone hold a
transformation like that. He was man, but the fangs, ears, fur...it
was amazing, and hilarious, mate,” he said as he settled himself on
the couch.

“Um, isn’t that a sign that he’s in an
extreme emotional state?” Gabby said.

Luke continued to smirk at me. I could feel
his hilarity over the unmentioned tail.

Gabby walked behind Luke and smacked him
hard on the back of the head.

“Meaning, you should stop trying to annoy
him.”

I grinned. Maybe this conversation wouldn’t
be so bad.

She walked around Luke and came toward my
chair. She then gingerly perched on one of my knees. She’d picked
me. In front of him. He didn’t look so smug anymore.

I wrapped my hands around her waist and
pulled her back into my lap, turning her until I could see Luke,
too. She settled against me.

“Luke, what happened when I touched you?
What did you feel?”

“One hell of a shock. Listen, did you bring
me here for a reason, or was it just to rub your relationship with
him in my face?”

“It’s for a reason.”

She tried to lean forward, but I kept her on
my lap with an arm around her waist. She didn’t fight it.

“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.”

I felt her attention drift and watched her
study the apartment door. When she winced and held her head, I knew
what she’d done. She’d tried to look at the lights in her head.

“Crap.”

I made an annoyed sound at the same time I
rubbed her back. She needed to stop trying to use her
abilities.

“Listen,” Luke said, sounding hesitant, “I
think you should still be in bed, Little One. No disrespect
intended, but you don’t look well.”

He was right. I mean, she was beautiful; but
she did look sick and like she needed more sleep.

“I know you’re right, but I can’t go back to
sleep yet. I need you to tell me what happened.”

“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.”

“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,” she said under her breath.

I understood then that she’d done to Luke
what she’d done to Nicole. Yet, his cocky attitude in the common
room probably meant it’d been woman he’d pulled in.

Luke looked up at Gabby, seemingly surprised
that she knew what had happened. He had no idea just how special
Gabby was.

“Did you meet anyone special while I was
out?” she asked, glancing at the door again.

I wondered if she knew who waited in the
hall. The soft movements told me more than one person waited, but
not who. My guess was Sam and perhaps another Elder.

Luke shook his head, answering her
question.

“Luke, there is so much I don’t understand,
and I really need your help.” She nodded toward the door. “I need
some time to myself to understand what I’m feeling.”

Luke and I both stared at Gabby. Her nod
toward the door was the only thing that stopped me from being upset
by the words. She wasn’t talking about her feelings for Luke. But I
wasn’t sure what she was trying to tell him, either.