Page 59 of Panther's Magpie
I don’t call her, though. Instead, I dial Panther as I head back to the main room.
“What’s wrong?” he mumbles into the phone, voice full of sleep.
“I’m sorry.” My voice cracks as my hand covers my mouth.
“Don’t be sorry.” He sounds much more awake now.
I can hear shuffling in the background, then a door shutting.
“What’s wrong, Magpie?” he asks again.
“I had a bad dream. Aspen was there, and she was saying all these mean things. Then she was dead.” I sob into the phone.
“Shh. It’s okay. Aspen is alive. Remember? She is going to be okay. That was a nightmare speaking to you. Aspen loves you and wouldn’t say those mean things to you,” he says, his voice slightly out of breath.
Vaguely I wonder what he is doing, but I can’t focus on it right now. “What if she would? What if she wants me to go home when we rescue her? What if she wants to stay here without me?”
“She won’t. She has spent more time with you than anyone else. Trust me, she is going to need you when we finally get her back. You’re her best friend.”
His words are like a balm to my damaged soul.
“Thank you,” I whisper to him as I slide against the wall to the ground in the middle of the main room at the clubhouse.
“It’s the truth. Where are you right now?” he asks.
“The main room. I should go back to my bedroom now. I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” I tell him.
The phone hangs up, making me frown. Did he hang up on me?
“Magpie?” I hear him call out.
Standing, I find him by the back door.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him.
My eyes take in his body.
He is slightly sweaty from whatever he did to get here. His chest is bare, and all he has on is these gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips. Even his feet are bare.
“You called, I came,” he tells me.
“From where? Where are your clothes? Or your shoes?” I mutter.
He walks over to me, pulling me into his arms. I can feel how tacky his skin feels against mine, but I don’t complain. I need the hug. I need the comfort.
“I didn’t have much time to pull on clothes. I wanted to get here as soon as possible. You were freaking me out,” he admits.
“I’m sorry.” I wince when I realize what he said. “You were naked?”
He nods. “Yeah. Are you okay now?”
My cheeks heat. He was naked and in bed. Was he with another woman? Oh god. This is embarrassing. Not only is my heart hurting, but I’m not thinking about him naked. Talk about contradicting emotions.
“Yeah. I’m fine. You can go back to, uh, whatever you were, uh, doing,” I tell him, looking at the ground.
He pulls my chin up to meet my gaze. “I was sleeping. I can’t go back to sleep now knowing you were so upset. Why don’t you come back with me? That way, if you have another nightmare, you won’t be alone,” he tells me.
It’s exactly what I need, but I’m not sure I should accept it. Dream Aspen’s words still echo in my head.
