Wolf’s Heart (12 page)

Carlee felt something was definitely off and Ryden wasn’t telling the whole story. She had yo-yo brain going on, one part of her screaming to run like hell and the other wanted him to wrap his arms around her and let her drown in his warmth.

“Listen up, Peaches, who’s keeping secrets now? Whatever happened, I will figure it out. You can’t keep it from me. You have to admit that this whole situation is a little odd. I haven’t seen you for years, we were never
that
close. Well I mean we had a relationship, but you made it clear you didn’t want to see me anymore and certainly wouldn’t drop your life to come running to my rescue. I don’t know what pheromones you’re wearing but don’t mess with my head. There is enough clutter in there that I could be the grand prize winner on
Hoarders
.”

She started towards the bathroom then stopped, turning to face him. “One more thing…you put me to sleep again with a needle and I’ll…I’ll…I
will
pee on the floor of your car next time.” And with that, she shut the bathroom door.

She let the water beat down over her as she tried to sort out the events of the last week and a half.

Ryden was right, he hasn’t done anything but help me, so far.
But the questions all remained and most importantly, why was he here?
How did he get me from the balcony? How did I wake up healed?
Washing her hair, she stopped.
Exactly what the hell
is
he?

She finished her shower quickly, dried off and dressed. The shirt came down almost to her knees, the pants were a joke, but what the heck. They covered her. On the counter, she saw the medical bag from the doctor. She took out one of the shots and wrapped it in a towel on top of her head. What she had in mind wasn’t going to be easy.

Ryden had already returned with food when Carlee came out of the bathroom. She couldn’t believe how good she felt, physically. She was nervous as hell about the plan, but she needed to get away from him, not sure if it was for her own safety or his. A quick jab in the neck then she’d run out to his car. She knew the extra key was under one of the wheel wells, and hoped that hadn’t changed. Taking a steadying breath, she walked over to him.

He sat there with the food laid out on the table. Bottled water was poured in the hotel plastic cups and he looked up with a smile on his face. Seriously, he looked like part of the meal, sitting in the drab hotel chair with his handsome face beaming. On the table sat a juicy burger that made Carlee’s mouth water in spite of her declaration of being a vegetarian. When she saw the large salad, topped with boiled eggs, cheese and an oil based dressing sitting in a plastic cup beside it, she almost regretted what she was about to do.

“Special delivery from down the street. A large tip got them here on the double.” He stood and pulled out the other chair for her, but she ignored it.

“Peaches, the food smells terrific. I want you to know that I genuinely do appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I know I wouldn’t be alive now if it wasn’t for you. I really owe you.”

“Carlee, this isn’t something you’re gonna repay, you know. You didn’t ask for my help, but I’m offering it. Correction, I’m insisting on it. I know you’re not happy about being with me right now but I’m keeping you safe and we’re gonna figure this out.”

Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Ryden welcomed the embrace without question and pressed her against him. She pretended to laugh as the towel fell from her head as she grabbed the needle. In one swift movement, Carlee stuck it in his neck and pressed the plunger down. She nearly fainted when he growled.

His arms went limp and he dropped to his knees. Carlee’s hands were out in front of her as if to fend him off.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She chewed on her lip. “G’night, Peaches. See ya around sometime.” She couldn’t resist a quick kiss on his cheek. Carlee ran for the door, threw it open, and with one hand holding up the oversized sweats, she did the only thing she could—she ran.

“Carlee, stop!” She ran out the door and Ryden shook his head, trying to clear the fog that had hit him when the drug hit his blood stream taking him to his knees. It wouldn’t last long. His body would quickly burn off such a small dose, but it would still be enough for her to get a head start. “Shit, Carlee, stop!” He stumbled to his feet and lunged for the door. At first, he couldn’t see her, and then he realized she was trying to find his extra key under the wheel well. He’d moved it and had it stored under the rear bumper now.

“Carlee, you don’t have a chance in hell of getting away. Stop this and come inside.” She stood up and then began to run in her bare feet. “Damn it, I will spank your ass when I catch you!” Ryden took off after her, hoping the drug would clear out sooner rather than later, but he still caught up with her easily.

“Let me go! Ryden please! Just let me go!” She screamed and fought against him as his arms grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off her feet. Since the surgical wound was no longer an issue, he tossed her over his shoulder, and gave her ass a quick slap.

“Stop or I’ll do more than give you one smack. My patience is wearing thin, Carlee.” He carried her back inside the room and unceremoniously tossed her onto the bed. She bounced and then was right back up, making a run for the door again.

“Dammit, stop this shit!” Ryden growled low and knew she heard it as she backed away, her eyes wide, like he was some creature from her nightmares. Truthfully, he was. It took everything had to stop the change from coming. She’d seen how different he was, and so much was unexplained. It was time Ryden took his chances and just told her the truth.

“
Sit!
” He pointed to the bed. The growled command brooked no argument and she sat down with a thud, grabbing the pillow she’d lugged around since he’d found her. Ryden shut the door and ran his hand through his hair, trying to find the words to tell her what she needed to know as he paced back and forth, trying to get a handle on his emotions.

“Dammit, you just have to know every fucking thing, don’t you? You can’t leave well enough alone? That’s what’s gotten you in this mess to begin with, but I can’t blame you one bit. Hell, I wake up some days and wonder if I’m living in a damn nightmare. Just know one thing, Carlee. I meant what I said. I won’t hurt you, ever. You’re not in danger around me. Just please...” Ryden’s hands reached out to her, imploring her to believe him. “Please, just trust me.”

He gauged her reaction, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes then took a deep breath and reached deep inside himself. He wouldn’t risk a change in broad daylight, but there had to be some way to tell Carlee and not frighten her any more than she was at the moment.

Instead, Ryden focused energy to his hands, letting them change. Fingers shrank down, becoming shorter and almost paw-like even as the fingernails changed from the blunt tips to long sharp claws. Fur sprouted onto the top of what had been his hand, but now looked more like the paw of an extremely large dog, the palm becoming tough black pads. When it was done, he opened his eyes and looked at her, still holding tightly to the short leash he had on the wolf inside him. He could imagine what she saw in his eyes. They would have changed from blue to a nearly golden color and possibly even his face had shifted a bit with how close the wolf was to the surface. What bothered Ryden most was the utter terror that registered on her face. How he could change that, he had no idea. It would take time.

With a resigned sigh, Ryden let go of the energy and allowed his body to return to normal. His hands itched with the change and he scratched at them as he waited for her reaction.

“Carlee, I’m a werewolf. I was turned by a rogue werewolf while I was in Afghanistan. Please, just trust me. I won’t hurt you.”

Carlee hands shook as she clutched her pillow tighter, eyes wide, but she wasn’t screaming, not yet. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it a second time, her voice coming out like a whisper. “Are you drugging me? Am I, like, having withdrawal or something? That kinda stuff doesn’t happen.”

He only shook his head slowly, feeling defeated. “No, Carlee. No drugs, no hallucinations. This is me.”

She got off the bed and began pacing the room, staying well away from Ryden, then began talking out loud.

“I am a scientist. A very good one. How am I supposed to believe this? Werewolves do not exist. Maybe you were bitten by a rabid dog or something. No, wait, that wouldn’t cause this. Maybe you should have your thyroid checked? Wait, you said a
werewolf
?”

If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Ryden might have laughed at Carlee’s rambling as she struggled to make sense of it all.

Spinning on her heels, she looked at him, eyeing him suspiciously as if he was going to attack her, or change into something much worse. Ryden just stood there, waiting for it to all sink in and remembered all too well when he was first told about this nightmare.

“Carlee, it’s all true,” he said as he sat down on the bed. “It’s top secret in the military. We’re a small group that works within the various branches in the special forces. I’m Delta Force, and if they knew I was telling you all this, they’d kill us both, but I’m tired of living a lie where you’re concerned.”

When she finally stopped pacing, her next question surprised Ryden. “Peaches, are you okay? Do you, like, hurt or something? Do I need to do something?”

He looked up and saw the genuine concern in her face. “Um, sometimes, but it’s more of an itch than actual pain. The first time was, um, well it wasn’t fun, but it gets easier as time goes on.”

Finally, she moved across the room, slowly. His heart sank, knowing she was afraid of him, and he prayed she’d come to trust him again. She continued across the room, walking around the bed. When she was finally standing in front of him, she knelt down and he looked into her beautiful green eyes. The fear was gone, well mostly, and in its place was concern. After all she’d been through, it was his wellbeing on her mind. To say he wasn’t expecting that was an understatement. There were still a lot of questions he hadn’t answered, but there would be time for that later. Instead, he took her hands in his and brought them to his lips. He could hear her breathing hitch.

“I’m just sorry I couldn’t tell you. I stayed away for the last three years to keep you safe. I didn’t trust myself around anyone except those like me. I was afraid I’d hurt someone, hurt you, and not be able to control the wolf. But lately, you’ve been on my mind a lot. I felt pain in my whole body the night you were hurt and for several days after. It wasn’t until I first found you, the pain stopped.” He placed one hand over her belly right where her wound had been. “The only thing I can figure is I could sense you were in trouble. Your face was the only thing I could see. I had to find you.”

He pulled her into his arms and laid her back on the bed. Her still-damp hair spread out under her, and he stroked his fingers through it. She reached up and touched his face, then asked the one question he was afraid to answer.

“How did I heal so quickly, Peach?” Ryden leaned over and touched his forehead to hers, trying to figure out how to answer her without scaring the hell out of her.

“I made a phone call to a friend, asking for help. I knew you were getting worse. Your incision was red, inflamed and obviously infected. You were running a fever. Taking you to a hospital was too much of a risk. I wasn’t sure if I could protect you there, but I couldn’t wait to see if you got better. Running with you hurt wasn’t an option either.”

He took a deep breath, raised up and looked in her eyes. “I licked the cut clean and dripped some of my blood onto your incision. My blood healed you, or at least that’s what I assume.”

He waited for the bomb to drop. Waited for her to lash out at him, to scream at him and worry about what the side effects would be to his blood being on her open flesh.

She laughed softly and touched his face.

“At least now I know why lying next to you feels like being wrapped in a fur coat. Of course, you know I’m a vegetarian, and I don’t wear fur either.” There were long periods of silence as Carlee seemed to be trying to process everything and he gave her the time, quietly holding her while he continued to run his fingers through her hair. She moved her head and looked into his eyes, and he saw the trust there.

“Peach, I just don’t get it. I mean, I am glad you found me, but how could you feel me? Why would you feel me? You broke things off with me, with a lame phone call, I might add. No contact since and now you felt my pain? How does that work?”

He knew the answer but hoped she wouldn’t push it for now. Ryden just continued to comb his fingers through her hair, picking up a curl and rubbing it between his fingers as though it was fine silk.

“I don’t know, Buttercup, I just knew this is where I needed to be. I couldn’t think of anything else but getting to you, so here I am.”

He felt Carlee relax a bit against him. Given everything she now knew Ryden could still feel tension in her body. When he spoke of licking her wound, putting his blood on her incision, she was calm, but he could hear her rapid heartbeat. He tried not to think of the ramifications, just knew he hated the sound of fear and regret that was in her voice.

“That doesn’t mean anything, right? You know all the legends and stuff. Don’t you have to, I don’t know, like bite me or something for me to turn?  I had electrolysis, it hurt like hell. If I grow hair, I will have to kill you.”

He saw her glance over to the table and the uneaten dinner. They were so close, her being in his arms felt too right. He didn’t want to get up but knew they had to eat. Carlee still needed to gain her strength back.

“How about that dinner?”

Ryden got up, pulling her up with him, and they walked to the table where the cartons had been placed.

“Your blood or not, I’m still a vegetarian. I’m gonna eat my veggies and be just fine. Oh, about the trip to the farm to see the little cow? Definitely off the agenda.”