Hope(less) (34 page)

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 laughed, “Sure, but I don’t imagine it’d be much of a
conversation.”

I heard him call out to Clay and set the phone down.  A
moment later, a husky voice said, “Hello?”

After not talking to me for so long, hearing his voice
startled and, yes, 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 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 frequently calling
and Rachel texting occasionally, my 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 avoiding curling into a ball
and laying 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 Dale pulled away and he strode in.

Still wearing his greasy coveralls with his hair pulled back,
he looked like an angel - a grimy one - come to save me.  Again.

“Hi,” I whispered looking up at him.

His eyes softened as he looked me over and saw how bad I
was.

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 and slid out of the booth.  Standing, I
reached for him and wrapped my arms around his waist trying to look 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 tucking 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 him, but when I
got back, the light shone 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.”

I played with the quilt a second not sure if I should bring
up the rest.  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.

“When I touched Luke it’d been different.  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, thinking of 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 watching me intently. 
His serious expression conveyed his concentration on what I said.  When I
finished, I waited for his reaction.

Instead of shrugging as I expected, his head suddenly snapped
toward my bedroom window, the one facing the front of the house.  A soft snarl
filled the air as he threw off the covers and couched on the bed, head moving
to track something I couldn’t see.

Scrambling to my knees, I stared at him, wondering what he
heard.  Fangs exploded from his mouth and his ears partially changed.  Now I
knew what Luke had been laughing about.  But I didn’t find it a bit funny as I
watched.  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.

Opening my mouth to point it out, I wasn’t prepared when his
hand darted out nudging me backward before I could make a sound.  Too close to
the side, I lost my balance.  As I tumbled over the edge of the mattress, he leapt
toward the bedroom door clearing it and switching off the light before I landed
on the floor.

The explosion of the front door slamming against the wall as
he flung it open echoed through the house.  It closed itself on the backswing,
cutting off the chilly breeze that had gusted along the floor.

Hidden in the semi-darkness, 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 snarling
outside my window grew in volume, too loud to sleep through.

Despite Clay’s obvious wish that I stay down, I peered over
the mattress, my eyes adjusting to the gloom of my room.  The window glowed
from the streetlights outside.  Snarling, growling, even vicious yowls filled
the air out there.

Inside the house remained quiet, except for my frightened
breathing.  I tried quieting it and pulled myself up to crawl over the bed
toward the window.  Cautiously, I pulled the curtain aside about an inch to peek
out.

Clay and another man fought on the front lawn in the snow. 
I cringed looking at 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 either.  The neighbors would not only be
able to hear them, but see them as well.  Didn’t the idiot challenging Clay
think of that before he approached our house from the front?  Pack law forbade
public shifting.

The snow crunch under the challenger’s feet as he rushed
Clay.  Clay spun avoiding the charge.  He used the man’s momentum to trip him
up and then knock him into the snow.  As the man fell, he shifted noticeably.

Clay shifted further as well, his mouth extending better
enabling the use of his fangs.  I cringed at the thought of the neighbors spotting
him and trying to explain away the disconcerting appearance of his ears and
fangs.

The other man rolled and rose to his feet with his head almost
completely contorted to wolf form.  My eyes rounded.  I wanted to look that the
houses around us, but couldn’t tear my gaze from them.  He snapped at Clay,
narrowly missing Clay’s chest.  His attempt distracted Clay from blocking a
well-placed punch to his gut.  I cringed and then silently cheered when Clay
gave back as good as he got.

Twice the other wolf feinted away from the house, but Clay
refused to follow forcing the Challenger to come back to him.  I understood
then why they skirted so close to the streetlights.  The Challenger jabbed,
taunted, and evaded Clay always edging toward the street.  Clay would not
distance himself any further from the house and leave me unprotected.

Knowing I’d regret it, I stretched my sight unsurprised to
see another’s blue-grey light nearby.  As quickly as I opened my spark-filled
view of the world, I closed it.  It hurt and I couldn’t afford to distract Clay
with my pain.

Instead, I went back to the old way of looking at things and
used my eyes, ignoring my headache.  The challenger didn’t look like the same
werewolf who’d attacked us on our way back from breakfast.  The sprinkling of fur
starting to cover his skin appeared lighter than the original challenger’s dark
grey fur.

I began to doubt this fight was just another mating challenge. 
Their movements increased in speed until they mostly blurred.  I could hear
when one of them connected, but not see it.  The solid ‘thunk’ of it
reverberated through the house.

I hoped Clay gave more than he received.

In the few minutes since the start of the fight, the sky began
to lighten.  Down the road, a few of the streetlights blinked off.  They needed
to end this soon, but the fight didn’t seem to be winding down.

Neighborhood dogs barked in earnest creating a chorus.  In
spite of the noise, I still heard the back door open.  So did Clay.

In a fierce move, he hit the other werewolf in the head with
a sickening crack.  The man dropped to the ground.  Clay didn’t wait to see him
land.  He turned and ran for the house before I could even think to scramble under
the bed and hide.

The front door slammed again.  I thought of the damage and
winced.  The temperature in the room dropped further.

Clay and the new werewolf met in the living room with a thud. 
I didn’t think, just sprang from my crouched position near the window to
scramble over the bed.  It might be safer hiding, but I worried more not seeing
the fight.

Easing myself off the end of the mattress near the door, I
stared out at the fight.  Glad Clay couldn’t yell at me to get back, I edged
closer trying to make them out in the dim living room.

Two shapes struggled in the center of the brown rug.  I
identified Clay, his back to me, by his long hair.  The other man had his arms
wrapped around Clay attempting to squeeze him.  Clay fisted his hands together
and hammered them down on his attacker’s face.  They broke apart, the attacker
almost bumping into the TV.

Cold air wrapped around my legs.  I glanced at the front
door, which stood ajar, but didn’t move to close it.

When I looked back at the men, I had a clear view of the
attacker.  My breathing stopped.  I stared at the man, stunned.

I’d grown accustomed to the stomach acrobatics I suffered
every time I looked at Clay.  Feeling it when I looked at this new wolf
devastated me.  I gasped in a ragged breath, hurt by fate’s cruelty.  It distracted
the newcomer who met my eyes with recognition and then calculation.  Clay took advantage
and brought him down like the one outside.  The sickening thud made me cringe.

Without thought, I moved out into the living room and stared
down at the unconscious man.  His short sandy blonde hair contrasted with the
brown of the rug.  It moved in the cold wind sweeping the floor.  I didn’t feel
it as I studied his tall lean frame.  He had no facial hair.  Except for the
tall part, he looked like Clay’s opposite.

How could I feel that pull for two men?  Sam assured me that
I would know when I met the right one because there would be a pull, a burning
curiosity like no other.  This didn’t make any sense.

His hand lay on the carpet close to me.  His fingernails had
partially shifted before Clay hit him, changing from pale pink to a glossy
black.  Looking closer, I saw his ears had shifted too.

“What do we do Clay?”  I looked up at him and found him
watching me closely.  I gave no indication what I felt toward the man on the
floor.  “He’s part changed.  With the noise of you two fighting outside, I’m
thinking the police will be here soon.  Can we leave him here like this?”

Clay nodded and motioned for me to go back into the
bedroom.  His knuckles bled and he had the start of another black eye.  I
wanted to walk to him and hug him, but felt too confused.  Instead, I turned
away to hide my watering eyes.

I didn’t look back at the man on the floor as I walked into
my room.  In the distance, I heard sirens.

Fate or not, I belonged with Clay.  He’d earned my loyalty. 
But I wasn’t sure anymore if I was his prize or punishment.

Shaken, I let Clay put me back into bed.  Having all the
doors open made the heat kick in.  It did little to warm me.  He left me in the
room, closing me in and leaving me to my thoughts.  Moments later, I heard the back
door close and then nothing as the sirens got closer.

Reacting to someone other than Clay felt like cheating and
it bothered me a lot.  I didn’t know what to do about it or how to stop it.  It
wasn’t something I could talk to Clay about.  I hurt him enough already.  If I
could trust Sam, I could maybe ask him.

The sirens quieted with a chirp before they reached the
house.  Muted red and blue lights danced on my bedroom wall by my head.  I
wondered what Clay planned to tell them.  No matter what I’d just felt when I’d
looked at the man passed out on the living room floor, I trusted Clay
completely.  He had a plan and I just needed to wait.