Page 56 of Haze

Trusting Dinah, I do as she says and grab the first container of food. The cheeseburger is tasteless in my mouth. I eat it as fast as I can, ready to move forward.

Dinah comes out to the kitchen and opens another container.

Between bites, she explains, “Cade is getting us in at the U. He said you’d be able to help push us through? I don’t want you to panic. She’s sick, but I don’t think this is fatal.”

Her telling me not to panic does nothing for how I’m feeling. Did I do something wrong? Spreading my hands out on the counter, I look at the half-empty container of soggy chips in front of me.

“Finn,” Dinah says. “You didn’t cause this. You being here might be the difference between life and death.”

I shake my head. “I couldn’t make myself leave. We didn’t talk about us first. Obviously, ignoring the connection between us was daft, but it wasn’t supposed to be an issue. I wanted to win her over.”

Dinah listens while she eats. A few minutes pass before she puts in her two cents.

“Lena has spent so much time pushing people away, this may have been her only opportunity to connect with someone. Even if she’ll hate it. It might be nice for her to have someone grounding her and keeping her safe. She could do significantly worse than the O’Brien’s Enforcer.”

“O’Leary. Ex-Enforcer.” I correct her.

Dinah’s eyes glint with what seems like a devious flare, something she knows that I don’t.

* * *

Inside the hour, Dinah and I help Lena into some clothes before I carry her to the car and again into the back door of the animal science building. Despite the late hour, Doctor Thorpe and a couple of the other medical staffers are there.

They rush us through a wing I hadn’t been into during my observations. I set Lena down on a gurney. They quickly undress her. I don’t know how to help, but standing here, watching her and being powerless to fix this, fix her, fills my body with cold fear.

“Finn, I know we just met. I know you’re scared, but we can’t work if you keep growling.” Dinah looks at me. She catches my eyes, holding my gaze. Her look pleads with me. “You have to calm down, or you will have to go outside.”

I force myself to back away against the wall and hold my hands up in surrender.

My wolf demands we do all we can to stay with Lena.

Doctor Thorpe sees my mating mark on Lena’s neck. The most condescending tone comes from him as he states a disapproving, “Ah.”

A snarl comes from within me. I stride forward while hot anger burns away the fear deep in my gut.

“Finn!” Dinah snaps.

Boldly she puts herself between me and the judgmental Doctor Thorpe. Her proximity stops my snarl. The growl keeps rolling, and my wolf is at the surface, ready to fight, to defend our mate.

She pushes an Alpha command that presses forward but doesn’t compel me. “Go outside. Call Cade.”

“I’m not leaving her alone,” I growl, and my last words come out with a hateful snap in Doctor Thorpe’s direction. “With him.”

Dinah places her hand on my sternum, like Lena had, and speaks with a calm tone and quick words. “Think of what Lena is feeling from you through your bond. She needs you steady. I’ll be here. I won’t leave her alone.”

I step back from her, chewing on my tongue. I try to think of anything that’s not putting Doctor Thorpe’s head through a wall as I step back in retreat.

“It’s clear he’s still experiencing the effects of her condition.” Doctor Thorpe’s voice drips with a tone that makes me see red.

Does Dinah need his assistance? I could remove his head from his shoulders for that.

Drawing my attention to her, Dinah nods me off and doesn’t engage with Doctor Thorpe’s remark. She tunes her attention, strictly focused on Lena. She’s right. I have to take my cue from her. Lena doesn’t need turmoil from me in our already weak bond.

Dinah leans down and murmurs to Lena, trying to be too quiet for me to hear, but I catch most of it and am able to fill in the rest. “When we get you better, I’m gonna be so mad at you first and proud of you second.”

“That’s fine,” my mate whispers back.

It hurts she hasn’t spoken to me. Now’s not the time to sink into the pain it’s causing in my chest. I’ll figure out what’s happened between us, why she’s pulling away, after she survives this.

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