I blinked up the dark ceiling with blinking lights. It looked like a million stars.
Frowning, I tried to get a better look. As I laid there staring up at the ceiling, the events of the previous night returned. Fear was the first emotion that rushed through me. I carefully moved my leg, expecting to feel pain shooting up it, but there was no pain. I just felt the slight tug of something on my skin.
I carefully sat up and pushed the thick blankets away from me. It was only when the cool air hit my skin that I realized how hot I felt. The shirt I wore clung to my skin because it was soaked in sweat.
My eyes darted around the dark room. I blinked a few times but everything stayed the same. The confusion came next. Usually, I could barely see anything but silhouettes in a room this dark, but I could clearly see everything. My eyes snapped over to the bedside table. There was a tall glass with two small pills next to it, a bowl with a cloth hanging over the rim, and the lamp.
I reached over and switched on the lamp. I had to blink rapidly when the bright light filled the room. The room was unfamiliar—one I haven’t been in before—so it had to be one of theirs. My attention was drawn to the bandage covering my leg close to my ankle. My hand shook as I reached down to pull it away from my skin. I gasped in surprise at the sight. The wound looked at least a few weeks old. Had I been out for that long? It couldn’t possibly be that long since it happened.
I pressed the bandage back in place and moved to the edge of the bed. Swinging my legs down to the floor, I stood. I was careful not to put any weight on my injured leg yet. Air left my lungs in a rush when I took a small step forward. There was a little pain when I put weight on my leg, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
The house was deadly silent when I opened the door and stepped out into the hall. The small lights at the bottom of the walls were on, leading the way downstairs. Voices from the living room drew my attention. With my back pressed to the wall, I listened intently to them.
“Jesus Devon!” David growled. “You should have thought of the consequences before going through with it.”
“If I hadn’t done it, she would’ve been in a lot of pain!”
“She has a fucking fever! She could be in pain and we are unaware of it. The blood could have a diverse effect on her health.” There was a loud thump.
“What the hell was that for?” Devon snarled.
“I could fucking kill you.”
“No!” I screamed, moving away from the wall and stepping into the room.
I blinked at the scene in front of me. Devon was on the floor with an angry David hovering above him. The couches were pushed against one wall and a thick blue mat covered the floor in the middle of the room. I had seen the same mat used in the gyms at other packs. They used them when they trained.
My eyes snapped back to them when they moved. Devon got to his feet and turned to watch me. They were both dressed in a pair of black shorts and sweat coated their skin. I studied them—taking in the red marks on different parts of their bodies.
“W-where you training?” I asked softly.
“You’re out of bed,” David muttered, sounding surprised. “She shouldn’t be out of bed yet, right?”
They glanced at each other. Neither one of them made a move towards me so I made my way to them. I stopped a few feet away and sucked in a breath. The smell of sweat, man, and something else filled my nostrils. My eyes snapped up to Devon when he stepped closer. He reached up and pressed the back of his hand against my forehead. He frowned.
“She’s not burning up anymore, but her temperature is higher than normal for a human.”
“What do you mean higher than normal?” David stepped forward and repeated Devon’s actions. “Her temperature is the same as ours.”
I shifted from foot to foot as they frowned down at me. The movement seemed to snap them out of their thoughts. A gasp fell from my lips when I was suddenly scooped up into his arms. Devon held me tightly to his chest as he spun around and headed for the stairs again. I gripped his shoulders and glanced behind us to find David close on our heels. His eyes caught mine briefly before darting away.
A few seconds later I was placed back down on the bed. He moved down and took a seat on the edge of it. Devon grabbed my foot gently and placed it on his lap. I stared at his face as he pulled the bandage away. His mouth fell open and what little color he had in his cheeks was drained as he stared down at the wound.
“Call the doctor. Now!”
***
Doctor Allison was a woman in her mid-thirties with pale hair that was tied in a long braid down her back. Her skin was a shade darker than the men’s, but she was just as tall and fit as they were. She gently probed the wound on my leg with her gloved fingers and hummed before straightening and turning toward them.
“It’s healed,” she said softly. “It will be tender for a few more days. I don’t believe that it will scar.”
“Is she okay?”
Before taking a look at my wound, Doc Allison had checked my temperature and took my blood pressure. “Her temperature is a little higher than it was when I took it earlier, but I’m guessing that has something to do with your blood in her system.” She turned to smile at me. “Since this is the first time your blood was given to a human, I suggest she stay in bed until it works out of her system. We don’t know what side-effects it could have.” She glanced at the men. “No stress or staining exercises. Make sure she eats and gets plenty of rest.”
“Thank you, Doc,” David muttered.
She collected her bag, and with a nod in my direction followed him out of the room. My eyes darted back to Devon when they disappeared. He hesitated and then took a seat on the edge of the bed next to me again. I glanced down at his chest and then back into his eyes.
“You gave me your blood?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I panicked. It was stupid and a huge risk but I was afraid that you would die.”
“I wouldn’t have,” I whispered. “I walked into a bear trap.”
“You’ve already lost a lot of blood by the time we reached you. The wound was deep and you’re only human.”
“I hate that.” I narrowed my eyes on him. “I’m the same as you. You’re only bigger, and obviously a lot fitter with a few more inhuman abilities.” I sighed. “Okay, just forget I said that. I just don’t like being seen a weak.”
“We don’t see you as weak. You’re delicate and small,”— his eyes dropped to trail down my body, — “but we know that you're strong.”
Heat flooded my cheeks when his eyes fell on my lap. I glanced down to see that the shirt had ridden up to expose my pale legs. My eyes shot up just in time to see him sucking in a deep breath. His eyes fluttered closed and his lips parted slightly. I sucked in a breath too, wincing as the smell of sweat and blood filled my nostrils.
“I should go take a shower. I stink. I smell blood too. Did I get hurt somewhere else?”
“You smell blood?”
I nodded. My mouth fell open in astonishment when he lunged at me. My back hit the mattress and he came down on top of me. Our faces were hovering only inches apart, making his warm breath fanned my lips. I could tell that he recently drank whiskey. He growled, making his chest rumble against mine. Devon’s face lowered and his nose brushed against my chin. I turned my head to give him better access to my neck. Goose bumps broke out over my skin when his lips brushed my skin.
Devon growled again. My body jerked when he suddenly licked me. His tongue was raspy—very inhuman-like.
“You smell blood because David and I have been fighting. He got a lucky shot. That wound had already healed.”
“But I can smell it,” I whispered.
He pulled back to glance down at me. “I’m hoping that it’s just a side effect of my blood.”
“Why?”
“Doc Ali took some of your blood earlier. She will do the test David asked her to do. Once we have the results, we’ll talk about it.”
“I still want to take a shower though.”
His face dropped to my neck again. I relaxed when he started licking my skin. Reaching up, I gripped his shoulders. My stomach quivered and heat spread through me. A low moan fell from my lips. He shifted, using his legs to spread mine apart. The hard ridge of his arousal pressing against my sex was unmistakable. I hesitated and then wrapped my legs around his hips. That action must’ve pleased him because he growled again.
“I want you, little dove.”