Page 116 of A Wolf's Wound
“See?If I hadn’t done that—” I begin, but Hannah puts her hand on my mouth.
“I wasn’t done talking!”she says.
“Sorry,” I say, my voice muffled by her hand.
“As I was saying, it was fucked up.But you weren’t in your right mind, and everything that Brian did after that was his choice,” Hannah says.“He could have found you the next day and told you what happened.Right?”
I hadn’t thought of that.But she’s right.I nod slowly.
“Okay.Instead, he just dropped out of your life.Not to mention that he provoked you into biting him!”Hannah says.
“I shouldn’t have let him do that.I should have been stronger.And more sober.”
“I mean yeah, you probably shouldn’t have gotten blackout drunk in the first place,” Hannah says.“That’s just stupid in general.But you did, and he saw an opening and took it.Because that was what he wanted, Ryder.”
“And he also wanted all of this chaos,” I say with a sigh.I’m so incredibly tired.
“He did all of this deliberately,” Hannah says.“If you hadn’t bitten him, he would have gotten someone else to do it.I hate that it was you because I know how guilty you feel.But this is not your fault.Noneof it.”
I let her words sink in.Everything she’s said made sense, and a little bit of the guilt that’s been gnawing at my brain recedes.But I know it’s going to take a long time before I no longer carry any guilt for what happened to Brian, for what he became.
“Ryder, I wouldn’t lie to you,” Hannah finally says.
“I know,” I tell her.“I appreciate everything that you said.”
“Good.Then can we go inside, please?”
As we step out of the car, I remember something.“Hey, where’s Shadow?Is he okay?”
“He is,” Hannah says as she unlocks the door.“I sent him home with your parents earlier.He was exhausted.”
“I hope he won’t bother them too much,” I say as I follow her inside.“They’re probably wiped out too.”
“Um, when they left, your mom was carrying him all wrapped up in a blanket like he was a baby,” Hannah says with a laugh.I close the door and grin.“I think they’re pretty happy with the arrangement.”
“Good.”I eye the couch.“I feel like I want to sit down, but if I do, I’ll never get up again.”
“Same.”She nods.“But you could use a shower.Just be careful you don’t get your stitches wet,” she warns me.
I pull off my clothes in the bedroom and take stock of my injuries.The worst is the wound on my head that Hannah had to stitch up and my bruised ribs.My legs are covered in smaller cuts and burns.I know how lucky I am that my injuries weren’t worse.
Hannah goes into the bathroom as I undress.By the time I join her, she’s turned on the shower and the mirrors are steamed up from the hot water that’s pouring out of the showerhead.
I pull the curtain back and step inside.“This feels fucking amazing.”I sigh as the water rushes over my body.I carefully tilt my head back, letting the hot water soak my hair, careful that the spray doesn’t hit my stitches.
“Good,” Hannah says from the other side of the curtain.“I thought it might help.”
“You have no idea,” I reply.“Wait, why don’t you join me?”
There’s no answer, and I wonder if she left the room.Then the curtain slides back and she’s in front of me, naked and gorgeous.
All the fatigue I felt in the car vanishes, replaced by a deep stab of desire.“Hi,” I say, moving toward her and wrapping my arms around her waist.
“Hi,” Hannah replies, putting her hands on my shoulders.
I lean down and kiss her.She responds eagerly, her lips smooth and warm.She pushes my lips apart with her tongue and then plunges her tongue into my mouth.I gasp with pleasure and kiss her back the same way, enjoying how she clutches my shoulders even tighter as I do.
“Hannah,” I moan.
