Page 17 of The Bookseller and the Alpha
Despite the pain killers I’d been given by the nurse, my head wound throbbed and I had the beginnings of a headache behind my eyes. The doctor had said something about possible concussion. I sighed, shutting my eyes and slumping back against the pillows. The scene in my hallway kept playing on repeat. The intruder appearing suddenly; Sam shouting, pushing me down. The crack as his bone broke. I shuddered. Poor Sam.
My mind returned to a question that had been bothering me. How had the intruder gained access to my apartment? He hadn’t come through the front door. Sam and I had been running that way, and the burglar had appeared behind us. Had he come in from my balcony? I tried to visualise the living room as I’d last seen it. I was positive the curtains had still been pulled shut. Had the man climbed to my balcony and let himself in?Hidden behind the curtain? But Sam had been in that room and his enhanced Shifter hearing should have made it impossible for anyone to break in without him noticing. It made no sense.
My head throbbed again, making it hard to concentrate. Sluggish, I reached for the dinky plastic cup of water. Maybe I needed another drink. Luc had left it somewhere on the tray. My outstretched fingers found the cup, but when I brought it to my mouth, it was empty. I was surprised by a surge of temper. I was officially over all this crap. My heart rate spiked and a flush of heat spread across my body. Where was my damn drink? I forced my eyes open. The jug was on the far side of the tray. I almost snarled. Water. Now. I opened my hand and the jug literally flew across the intervening space, smacking hard against my palm. I was so surprised I nearly didn’t catch it.
Holy shit. My temper fled abruptly as it had arrived, leaving me confused… and more than a little shocked. How had I done that?
Chapter 19
Luc
When I returned to Calypso’s cubicle, she was pale and sweating. My heart lurched in my chest. “What’s wrong? Does your head hurt?” I turned to call a doctor.
“I don’t need a doctor.” Her teeth worried her bottom lip. “My head was hurting but I’ve had some water and I feel a bit better.”
Hmmm. She wouldn’t meet my eyes. There was something she wasn’t telling me. “The doc said you can go home if you want, but someone needs to keep an eye on you in case you have a concussion.”
“Home? Gods, yes please.” She hesitated. “What about Sam?”
“Sam has already been released. He’s being looked after.”
“Oh, that’s good. I was worried about him.” She smiled and my heart turned over in my chest. She was smart, compassionate and so fucking beautiful. She wasperfect. “I could ask my neighbour to check in on me I suppose.”
“No need. I’ll be staying with you for the rest of the night.”And every night, whispered Beast.Shut up, I told him.It’s too soon.
She flushed but met my eyes. “Thank you,” she said simply.
She wants us, Beast purred.Her heart beats faster for us. I’d seen the blush, which made it the second time she’d visibly reacted to me tonight. It was a tiny start. But I would take it.
It took half an hour to navigate the hospital bureaucracy and get the approval for Calypso to go home. The middle-aged discharge nurse offered a wheelchair down to the carpark. “No thanks,” said Calypso. “I can walk.”
“Not a chance.”
Caly squeaked in surprise when I lifted her into my arms. “I don’t need you to carry me, I’m fine.” Her voice was slightly muffled against my chest.
“You’re not fine.” It was half a lie. She wasn’t well, although she probably could have made it to the car. It wasn’t that far away. The truth was… I wasn’t fine. I was a long way from fine. She was hurt. A head injury and maybe a concussion. I needed to care for my mate. I hadn’t been there to stop her being hurt. Since the phone call I’d been running on adrenaline and Beast was pacing, close to the surface. My skin felt tight, prickly. I needed to have her in my arms; feel her curves against mine and her breath in my ear. I needed to know she was safe.
The nurse turned to me. “You’re staying with her tonight?”
“Yes.”
She looked me up and down and her eyes went squinty. Her hands went to her hips. “Just remember. No strenuous activity.” She put a stress on ‘strenuous’. “She needs to rest.”
My lips twitched and I avoided looking at Calypso. “I understand,” I replied, as gravely as I could manage. “No strenuous activities.” The nurse didn’t need to warn me off. Calypso had been injured, and right now she needed myprotection. I met the woman’s eyes with mine and held them. “Calypso will be safe with me.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Calypso sputtered, finally catching on to the nurse’s innuendo.No, I am more. Much more,I thought. “We won’t be doing any activities. Just sleeping,” Caly continued.
“So Tall, Dark and Broody over there assures me.” The nurse waved us on our way. “Behave,” she said. I gave her a wink. I didn’t care if my obsession was obvious. Caly wasmine.
In the elevator, Caly’s perfume filled the small space. I tilted my head down, nuzzling her hair. The tightness in my chest eased, just a fraction more. My mate was in my arms. She was safe. “The elevator was further away than I expected,” she admitted to my shoulder. “Probably just as well I didn’t walk, but for your sake I hope your car’s parked nearby. I’m no lightweight.”
“Shh.” This was the second time she’d said something negative about herself. Beast grumbled in my head. My thumb rubbed the bare skin at the side of her neck, and she snuggled in against me more closely. I wasn’t even sure she knew she was doing it. The pressure in my chest eased a little further.
The elevator doors opened with a ping. Calypso tried to wriggle out of my arms. “You’ve carried me too far already. I can manage the rest.”
I snarled and she stilled. I wasn’t letting her go. Not now. Not ever.
Chapter 20
