Clay's Hope (22 page)

My distraction didn’t keep me from noticing
the scent of several wolves in the abandoned building. I rolled my
shoulders and cut around back, hoping it wouldn’t take me too long
to send the new challengers on their way. I didn’t like the idea of
Gabby spending any time alone in the house. Hopefully, Rachel would
be there tonight.

The house was quiet when I snuck in just
after nine in the morning. On a Saturday, that wasn’t unusual.
Still, I inhaled deeply as I entered, checking to see if trouble
waited for me. Gabby and Rachel’s scents drifted in the air along
with a faint trace of Peter’s but no hint of any werewolf’s. I let
out a relieved sigh and slowly made my way to Gabby’s room.

I was exhausted and couldn’t name a spot
that didn’t ache. Quietly, I disrobed and dropped my clothes on the
floor. Gabby would flip if she saw the number of bruises I had now.
I shifted quickly and hopped up on the bed, already half
asleep.

She moved slightly as if I’d disturbed her,
but her feet didn’t search for my warmth like they normally did.
She must really be out. I curled up and closed my eyes.

She moved again, her breathing oddly
shallow.

I lifted my head and looked at her as she
attempted to sit up. Her eyes were open but she still looked like
she was sleeping, her moves uncoordinated.

“C-clay, we need to get to the Compound. Can
you drive?”

Her stutter worried me as did the wince on
her face when she tried to sit up again.

She managed to lift herself and slide from
the mattress, but she only stood on her shaky legs for a second
before she sat once more. Her head hung down as if it hurt too much
to lift it. I shook off my exhaustion and inhaled. Her scent was
off. What was wrong? Was she sick? I knew she’d pushed herself too
hard after whatever had happened to her at that party.

Confused and worried, I hopped off the bed,
quickly shifted back to my skin, and slipped on my jeans. Before I
could button them, she moved to stand again.

This time, I was there to steady her with an
arm around her back. She willingly leaned into it. Beneath my arm,
she trembled.

She lifted her head, and her reflection in
the mirror seemed to catch her attention. I could understand why.
She was pale with dark circles under her eyes.

Her glazed eyes drifted from her reflection
to mine, and my eyes narrowed. I knew that glazed look. She’d been
the same after the Halloween party. I inhaled deeply, near her
hair, pulling in the lingering scents of alcohol, perfume, and my
kind. Had she seriously gone to another party while I was
fighting?

“A lot happened last night while you were
gone. Rachel talked me into going clubbing. I’ll tell you about it
on the way.”

Guilt filled her eyes; and she looked away,
but not far. Her gaze swept over me appreciatively, lingering on my
stomach. I almost sighed. One look and she wiped away my anger and
made me want to grin. I was hopeless around her. She shivered, and
I reached for her forehead just to be sure she wasn’t actually
sick. No fever, just like last time.

I continued to watch her in the mirror as
her gaze finally gained some focus and ever so slowly drifted
upwards. She was eyeing every piece of exposed skin my chest
offered. Suddenly, she squinted and scowled. It wasn’t hard to
figure out why. She was glaring at the bite someone had given
me.

Then the scowl cleared, and she sighed.

“I need to use the bathroom then start
packing.”

After what happened with Sam, I knew
something serious had to have happened for Gabby to want to return
to the Compound. Maybe she thought the Elders could help with
whatever was happening to her.

Not liking the idea of going back, but
needing to do anything I could to get her well again, I nodded and
helped her through the door. She leaned heavily on me as each slow
step brought us closer to the bathroom.

I heard movement from Rachel’s room and
wanted to groan. A second later, Rachel stepped into the hall. She
glanced at Gabby whose head hung low, then at me.

“Hi, Clay. How’d you get here?”

Gabby and I paused, and Gabby forced her
head up as she answered Rachel.

“I called him. Sorry, Rachel, I didn’t want
to bug you.”

Rachel’s gaze drifted to me. She eyed my
chest and the jeans I still hadn’t managed to button. Her perusal
made me nervous even though a hint of her concern for Gabby
remained in her eyes. I didn’t trust her. The last time she’d
looked at me with concern, the vet had nearly unmanned me.

“It’s okay; I get it,” she said, still
eyeing me.

Gabby shivered again, drawing Rachel’s
attention. I wanted to hug Gabby.

“Are you sure you should be going?” Rachel
asked.

“Yeah,” Gabby said as I helped her take a
step toward the bathroom. “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.”

As soon as Gabby reached the tiled floor,
she grabbed the door and shut it, leaving me in the
hall...alone...with Rachel.

Slowly, I turned to face her. She grinned at
me, her eyes again sweeping my bare chest. I fought the strong urge
to cover myself with my hands. She grinned wider. I sidestepped her
and backed toward the bedroom. By the time I reached Gabby’s door,
Rachel was laughing softly. That woman had issues.

I closed the door, pulled on a shirt, and
buttoned my pants. Then, I grabbed Gabby’s bag and started stuffing
it. I didn’t pay much attention to what I threw in. I was busy
listening for Gabby and for Rachel. I didn’t want Gabby to fall.
She’d barely had the strength to walk. And, I didn’t want Rachel
to...well, corner me.

After I had the clothes, I grabbed our
toiletry stuff from the top of Gabby’s dresser then shut the bag.
Since Gabby was still in the bathroom, I put on my shoes and
brought the bag to the car.

My breath fogged as I tossed the bag into
the backseat. It was too cold outside for Gabby. I quickly started
the car, then headed inside to grab a blanket and Gabby’s shoes. I
took everything out to the car and made a little nest in the front
seat for her. The heat was finally blowing warm.

When I came back in, Gabby was out of the
bathroom and shuffling her way to the closet. Probably on her way
to find shoes, which were already in the car. In two steps, I was
behind her and scooped her up in my arms.

She squeaked in surprise but smiled up at
me.

Rachel stepped out of her room as I made it
to the kitchen. I didn’t slow down.

“When you’re feeling better, let’s talk
about rental rates,” she called after us with a snicker. “And I’m
not talking about the house!”

Not in her dreams. Ever.

Outside, I held Gabby close, trying to keep
her warm as I opened the passenger door. Carefully, I set her on
the blanket. She twisted in her seat and pulled her phone from the
bag in back before she sat facing forward again. Her breathing was
shallow and strained. Exhaustion painted her face paler with each
passing minute. I was worried.

I closed the door, and as I jogged around
the hood, I watched her buckle. She drew her legs under her and
huddled under the blanket.

Sliding in behind the wheel, I closed the
door quickly to keep the heat in. She continued to shake beside me.
I reached over and tucked the blanket around her. She clutched her
phone in one hand and the edge of the blanket in the other. Her
knuckles were white on both.

I gently soothed my fingers over her skin
then focused on backing out of the driveway. Beside me, she
struggled to stay awake.

I almost told her to go to sleep but knew
talking would have had the opposite effect on her.

“I don’t want to keep going on like this,”
she said once we cleared town.

What did she mean by that? I glanced at her,
feeling the cold weight of worry in my chest. She caught my
look.

“I don’t mean being with you. I like that.
But I don’t like seeing you bruised.”

I smiled at her concern, and she
scowled.

“There’s nothing amusing about it. I don’t
like worrying.”

She lifted the phone and dialed. Her arm
trembled as she brought the little device to her ear.

I heard Sam answer.

“I’m on my way,” she said. “Put out a call
for tonight only.”

I stopped breathing as she disconnected. The
road blurred before me. Put out a call? Elders did that for
Introductions. They put out a call to all unMated males. What was
she doing? Had she really given up on us?

She tossed the phone on the back seat. It
immediately started to vibrate.

“It’s not what you think, Clay. I don’t want
to do another Introduction, but something happened last night. Like
I said before, I went out with Rachel to a club downtown. Not one
of my best decisions, but I think I’ve figured out what’s going on
with me.”

I’d been right, then, and she did need the
Elders’ help. She had my attention.

“Remember the party with Nicole? When I
touched her, I gave her a huge shock. That happened again last
night. I think I can transfer my gift, that thing with guys, to
other people. I didn’t know how it happened the first time. But I
think I’ve figured it out.

“Last night, these two women at the club had
been on their own until Rachel and I—and the groupies I’d
collected—joined them. When we made to leave, the women had been so
disappointed. They knew the guys would walk away when we did. I
felt so bad for them that I went to...I don’t know...pat them, I
guess. I’d just meant it as an ‘I’m sorry’ gesture, but then it
happened again just like before. A huge shock.”

Her words were slurring. She was exhausted.
I wanted her to sleep, but I also wanted to know what the hell a
shock had to do with setting up formal Introductions at the
Compound.

“Both times I was thinking about how I
wished I could help find the person they were meant to be with.
And, I think that’s the key. I don’t understand why I can see the
lights, but I know it must be all tied together because when I try
to use my sight, it hurts. Really bad.”

I could feel Gabby’s gaze on me. She was
obviously waiting for a reaction. However, I was still waiting for
the reason we were heading north to push her in front of the very
men I’d been fighting the last few weeks.

“Oh, yeah. Before I shocked those two, a
Forlorn came up behind me and started a conversation. My fish
finder still worked then.”

I knew she meant the lights she could see in
her head.

“There were more werewolves in the crowd,
Clay. The one talking to me said he just wanted a chance to say hi.
He was very persistent so I told him I would see them at the
Compound for an official Introduction. They left right after that
but gave me the impression that if I didn’t show up, they’d come
looking for me. I got the feeling they’d been pushed too far.”

They’d
been pushed too far? I’d known
something like this would happen. One of them had scared her. I
wanted to hit something. Damn the Elders. They should have never
allowed unsupervised Introductions. What were they thinking?

“Has it been the same werewolves trying to
see me or is it always different?”

What did it matter if I was fighting the
same werewolves or different ones each time?

She sighed, almost as if I’d spoken aloud,
and snaked a hand out from under the blanket to touch my leg.

“It hurts to see you like this, Clay. If I
have to put up with an Introduction to keep you safe, then that’s
what I’ll do.”

And, again, she melted my anger. This time
with just a touch.

“I’m sorry, Clay,” she mumbled sleepily. “I
wish I could just get over my need for freedom and Claim you. We
both know you’re the one. I just don’t want to lose myself.”

She immediately fell asleep.

I ignored the tear trailing down to my
beard.

* * * *

The Compound was teeming with unMated when
we pulled to a stop before the porch. Gabby slept in her seat. She
hadn’t stirred once during the long drive.

Men watched as I got out and circled to her
side of the car. One made a move to stop me.

“She’s not yours any longer.”

I stopped walking and stared at the man. He
had no hope to challenge me but there were many others behind him,
still and watching.

“She’s sick,” I said, glancing at them
all.

Sam, get out here, now.

A moment later, the door swung open; and Sam
strode out. Counting on his presence to keep things peaceful, I
ignored everyone and turned back to the car to open Gabby’s door.
She didn’t move when I unbuckled her or when I lifted her, blanket
and all, from the seat. When I straightened, Sam was right there to
close the door.

He studied the dark circles under Gabby’s
eyes then looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Sick.”

His gaze drifted to the men watching us
before settling back on her.

“How long has she been like this?”

“Last night. Took her three days to recover
last time.” Now that I knew we weren’t here to help her, I didn’t
want her to try to go through an Introduction.

“Why did she call this morning?”

I shrugged, unwilling to answer something
that should be so obvious given the number of men listening to
us.

Sam’s silence spiked my impatience.

“She needs a bed.”

Sam nodded. “Yes. Right. You know the
room.”

He remained beside the car, looking at the
unMated he’d called to the Compound, as I carried Gabby inside. I
could give a damn about the men he’d called.

Those who passed me in the hall glanced at
Gabby but let me continue without protest. I reached the room and
shifted her weight to open the door. Once inside, I took her
straight to the bed, lay her down, then went for a glass of water.
She’d be thirsty again when she finally came out of whatever spell
she was under.