Page 62 of The Bull's Head

“No, nothing. Let’s find courses you can take, if you’re still interested.”

Then Byk understood. “You just want me to bake things so you can eat them.”

Teddy chuckled, and the vibrations went through Byk. “Busted.”

Still, it was a good idea. “Can we do that? What if I have to leave to go somewhere for school?”

“Then we’ll go together.”

“But your job?—”

“Is nowhere near as important as my mate. Now, shut up and sleep.”

Teddy would go with him? “Yes, dear.”

The man kept making Byk’s life better and better. He wanted that lifetime with Teddy, and he would do whatever he had to in order to get it.

Chapter 20

“I’m sorry, Gwyneth, I can’t help you.”

All day that was what Teddy had heard. Can’t help. No way to fix it. Can’t be undone.

“What the fuck does that mean?” he roared. “You haven’t met him, you don’t know a goddamn thing, but you can sit there and say you can’t help. I say that’s bullshit! It’s not that you can’t help, it’s that you won’t.”

“Teddy, you need to calm?—”

Teddy clenched his fists so hard, his nails were digging into his palm. He could feel the warmth of the blood as it trickled down his fingers. “Don’t, Gwyneth. Don’t tell me to calm down. I’m sick to fucking death of everyone saying Byk is going to….” He swallowed hard, the words choking him. “Going to die.”

“That isn’t what I’m saying at all,” said Dr. Tanner. “I’m saying I don’t know how to help him. What you’ve sent me is so far over my head, it would be like showing advanced calculus to a kindergartener and asking them to solve the equation. I’m not even sure where they would get this kind of information, because I read every journal on the brain I can find, and I have never even heard of this. What they did is take science fiction and turned it into science fact.”

Teddy had never been good at hiding his anger, always riding so close to the surface. He sneered at the person on the screen. “So long story short, he’s going to die.”

Her features softened. “I don’t have answers. I don’t even know how to begin to find them. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m guessing they all had the same problem. I truly am sorry, but I simply don’t know. That said, I’m more than willing to come there to see if I can do anything at all, but I’m going to be honest, it’s not likely.”

“This isn’t fair!” Teddy bellowed. “He’s a good man, and this isn’t fair!” He turned and slammed a fist into the window of the office, shattering it, the shards spreading out into the hallway.

“Teddy!”

Gwyneth took a few steps toward him, but Teddy shook his head and held up his other hand. “Don’t come near me, Gwyn. Just… don’t.”

A shadow fell over the room, and Teddy knew this was what he needed.

“What the fuck did you do?”

Teddy turned and snarled at Cece. “What the hell does it look like I did?”

“Something stupid, obviously. Talk to me.”

“Just get away from me, Cece.”

She gave him a soft smile. “Not how it works, Teddy bear. You might be Mal’s pack now, but you’re still a brother to me. I can’t—won’t—walk away when you’re hurting.”

And he was. Every call they made that failed felt like another piece of his heart was being torn out as he came closer to the realization that if these smart people couldn’t help, what could he do? He was utterly helpless.

“Teddy….” She reached out, and the rage boiled up inside him. Teddy needed a target, and with Cece there, he had the perfect one. He swung at her with all his might. It was hardly a surprise when she caught his fist in midflight and stopped him cold as she clucked her tongue. “I thought I trained you better than that? You don’t fight angry. That leads to?—”

“To what? Killing people like Hyde? You were angry then, but you still went after him.”

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