“He’s outside keeping guard. He spread some stuff around so the dogs would lose our scent. We think we’re safe here. At least for a while. We need to get you home.”
“How are you feeling?” Connor asked as he knelt beside me.
I could see Rafe standing a little off to the side, his worried gaze on me. Having two guys who wanted you was probably every girl’s fantasy, but it came with so many complications—especially when you had to choose one. Soon.
“I’m hurt. Not too badly, though.” The pain wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d expected.
“We found a first-aid kit,” Connor explained. “Had some pain meds in it. Your thigh is lacerated from where the dog pulled a Cujo on you, and your shoulder has a hole in it where the bullet went in and traveled out. We were able to pack your wounds to stop the bleeding, but Kayla is right. We need to get you home. We were thinking of tying you behind me on the bike.”
I forced myself to grin. “That’s not a ride we ever went on at an amusement park.”
“No.” He brushed my hair off my brow. “We need to move quickly, before infection starts in.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m going to scar.” In a few more days, when I could shift, wounds would heal without scarring, but now—
“Maybe not. Or not too bad. And if you scar…well, I think scars are sexy.”
I laughed lightly. “You do not.”
“Sure, I do. Try to drink and eat a little. Then if you feel strong enough, we’ll go.”
I knew that even if I didn’t feel strong enough, we needed to go. Because I wasn’t going to get any better without medical attention.
Connor moved away. As much as I knew Rafe wanted to approach, he didn’t. It wasn’t his right. Until I made my decision, until I told Connor that I wasn’t choosing him, he was my guy.
They both went outside. Maybe to check on the bike or on Lucas. Maybe to continue fighting where I couldn’t hear them.
“They’re both pretty worried about you,” Kayla said as she twisted the top off a bottle of water before handing it to me.
I nodded, knowing she was trying to make a point: They were equal in their affections and concern for me. Maybe she was also acknowledging that she understood the difficulty of my decision.
“Only a few nights until the full moon,” she said quietly.
I groaned low. “I know.”
“If you’re still recovering, will your body delay its transformation?”
I slowly shook my head. “No such luck. The moon has some kind of mystic power over us. It’s stronger than anything we face on earth. When it calls, we have to answer.”
She handed me a peanut butter cracker. “You need protein,” she said distractedly, then, “That is so weird—about the moon, I mean. I’ve felt it. I’ve gone through the transformation and it’s like nothing I ever felt before. You can’t prepare for it, and maybe that’s the reason the guys don’t talk about it. I know I tried to explain it, but it’s as though for a short time your body isn’t yours, but it is yours. It’s foreign and yet it’s so familiar. All because of a full moon.”
“It’s just the way it is,” I said, using the bottled water to wash down the dry cracker. I guess it was easier for me to accept these things because I grew up with them.
“What if you choose the wrong guy?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t know. I’ve known Connor forever. I’ve only recently become aware of Rafe in that way. What if all this confusion and doubt is just because he’s forbidden to me? How did you know with Lucas?”
“I just knew. Not much help, huh?”
“None at all.”
Hearing footsteps, I glanced toward the entrance. Connor stood there. “Dawn’s coming. We need to get going while you have the strength.”
I nodded. “I’m ready.”
He came over to help me stand. “You’re gonna be all right, Lindsey.”
I gave him a thumbs-up of assurance. Physically, maybe, I’d be fine. But my heart was still engaged in a battle, and I didn’t know how it was going to end.
SIXTEEN
I kept opening and closing my eyes. And each time I opened them, there was a new scene before me.
Eyes open: The forest rushing past.
Eyes closed: Connor and me building a sandcastle.
Eyes open: Connor’s back.
Eyes closed: Connor and me going skiing for the first time.
Eyes open: Rafe’s worried face.
Eyes closed: Connor taking the blame when I broke my mother’s favorite crystal vase.
Eyes open: Kayla making me drink water.
Eyes closed: Connor holding my hand when my grandmother died.
Eyes open: Lucas ordering me to fight.
Eyes closed: Connor giving me my first kiss.
Eyes open: Dr. Rayburn shining a light in my eyes.
Eyes closed: Connor and I making out in the back row at the movie theater.
Eyes open: Bright lights, a hard table, people staring down at me.
Eyes closed: Connor dancing with me at the prom.
Eyes open: My mother crying and combing her fingers through my hair.
Eyes closed: Connor declaring me as his mate.
Eyes open: My father, my strong dad, with tears in his eyes.
Eyes closed: Connor and me beneath a full moon.
Eyes open: Connor lying on a bed beside mine.
This time my eyes stayed open. I squinted at him, vaguely remembering the bullet hitting me. “Are you real?”
He smiled at me. “Yeah.”
“Where are we?” My voice sounded as though it was coming from another room or another dimension, as though it wasn’t even here with me.
“Wolford. The medical hallway.”
I scrunched up my face. “This is no fun. You should just shift and heal.”
“I did.” He held up his arm and I could see a needle with some kind of tubing coming out of it. “This is for you. You lost too much blood.”
“You’re giving me blood?”
“Yeah, we’re the same type.”
I thought I said thank you before drifting off into the peaceful realm of oblivion. I heard Connor say, “You’re welcome.”
The next time I woke up, my mom was sitting beside the bed. She poked a straw into my mouth and ordered me to sip. It was the best water I’d ever tasted.