by Bru Baker
Nick helped himself to a sports drink from the cooler and leaned against the wall, relishing the burn in his muscles from overexertion. This was better than a ten-mile run for burning energy. He wondered if the gym was open to staff after hours or if he had to come during class time.
Drew was doggedly making his way through an obstacle course made up of tilted boxes, but he wasn’t moving fast enough to build up any of the momentum that made it easy. A split second between jumps, Nick saw Drew’s sneaker slip.
He pushed off the wall, trying to get to Drew before the inevitable happened. He didn’t make it in time to help, but he had a front row seat to Drew falling short of his last jump and hitting his head on the edge of the wooden box on the way down.
Fuck. Panic flared through Nick as he shot to Drew’s side. Drew wasn’t moving, curled into a ball on the floor with his head cradled in his hands. Luke was there in an instant with his phone out, ready to call for help.
“Drew? That was a nasty spill, man. Are you okay?”
Drew cracked an eye open at Luke and groaned. “’m fine.”
Nick highly doubted that. He’d just about swallowed his tongue watching the way Drew’s head had hit. His sister had been hit by a car a few years ago while they’d been out jogging, and even that hadn’t been as bad as watching Drew fall and knowing he couldn’t get there in time to stop it. Then again, he’d known his sister would heal. He didn’t have that kind of guarantee with Drew.
“Let’s get you upright,” Luke said, tucking his hands into Drew’s armpits and easing him up into a sitting position. “Annabelle, would you grab the first aid kit? Cody, there are ice packs in the freezer in my office. Bring us one, please. Everyone else, laps outside.”
The wolflings streaked out the door, probably grateful to get away from the sharp scent of Drew’s pain. It was clouding Nick’s head, and he wasn’t even the one hurt. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like for Drew.
Luke ran through a basic concussion check and felt around the growing bump on Drew’s temple, which just made Drew irritated. He swatted at him, assuring them he was fine.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go into town to the hospital?” Luke asked, a skeptical look on his face. He clearly didn’t want to be the one to break the new guy.
“I’m sure,” Drew said, and Nick had to admit he sounded better. Embarrassment had snuck into his scent, and his pain seemed to be dwindling.
Luke helped him up and excused himself to go find his campers so they could finish the class. Nick helped Drew to the changing area.
“Look, we can call the whole thing off,” Nick said as Drew adjusted the melting ice pack he was currently holding to his head.
“No. You won that one fair and square. Werewolf parkour is, not surprisingly, something I do not excel at.”
“Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?” He hadn’t smelled too injured, but Nick didn’t exactly know what a concussion smelled like. It didn’t come up a lot in his line of work.
“Positive,” Drew said, giving him a thumbs-up with his free hand.
“Can we at least postpone our next class until tomorrow? You should have a doctor look at that lump on your head.”
Drew poked his head into the bathroom and started talking to the mirror. “Good to see you, Drew. How’s the head? Why, it’s fine, Dr. Welch.”
Nick sighed, but Drew kept going.
“Tell me, Drew, did you lose consciousness when you fell? No, sir, I didn’t. I was awake for every painful moment. I see. And you aren’t experiencing any nausea or vomiting? No blurry or double vision?”
Drew turned to face him, eyes clear and lips quirked. “I’m fine, Nick. I swear I’ll go get checked out if I show the slightest signs of any neurological deficits or loss of function.”
“If you can say neurological deficits, you’re probably okay,” Nick admitted. He reached out and gently touched the skin below the welt forming on Drew’s head. “That looks bad, though.”
“You’re supposed to tell me I’m pretty and that it’s hardly noticeable,” Drew said with a smile. He caught Nick’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s go take Kaylee’s evening meditation class. I don’t think I’m up for anything physical, but that should be okay. I tell you what, if I’m not feeling like myself after dinner we’ll skip it, okay?”
Nick’s instinct was to protest, but he stopped himself. He was a work in progress, but never let it be said he couldn’t be taught. Drew was his own person, and if he said he was all right then Nick had to trust that unless presented with evidence to the contrary.
“If you’re up for it. Is it wise to meditate right after dinner, though? I’d think that would be best approached on an empty stomach.”
“No, trust me, that’s the worst. Then you just sit there and think about how hungry you are and obsess over whether or not anyone else can hear your stomach growling.”
That was a fair point.
He kept a close eye on Drew all through dinner, but he didn’t seem worse for wear. He had conversations with several people, all of whom commented on the goose egg on his head, but he waved away their concerns, playing it off as just a symptom of being a clumsy human.
It hadn’t been lack of skill, though. Nick was realizing Drew did that a lot—downplayed his abilities and tried not to challenge people when they looked at his humanity as something worthy of sympathy. He’d been one of the worst offenders on that, and he had a lot to make up for.
“You ready for the gong?” Drew asked after they’d returned their trays.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for the gong. Are you sure your head can take it?”
Drew pulled him into the hallway and kissed him. “I’m sure.” He hesitated and took a step back. “Was that okay?”
Nick’s heart was beating so fast he was half expecting the kitchen staff to come out to see what was going on. He wasn’t particularly worried what they’d see if they did, which probably meant that yeah, this was okay.
“I think so. We may have to do it a few more times to make sure.”
“I know for sure we’ve got the mechanics down. It’s the aftermath I’m worried about.” Drew shot him a wry smile and shook his head. “Totally willing to do more groundwork, though. But we’d better get to the studio if we’re going to take Kaylee’s class. She locks people out once the first gong rings.”
Nick had been hoping Drew was pulling his leg with this gong stuff, but that seemed less and less likely the more he brought it up.
With as much as he’d been dreading it, Nick was expecting to hate the meditation class. But he was shocked when Kaylee announced they were winding down. Ninety minutes had passed in a blink, and he’d enjoyed it, even though Drew had definitely not overstated the use of the gong. He’d actually managed to get out of his head for a bit, which was amazingly refreshing.
When Kaylee led them through their closing rituals, guiding them through gentle arm motions and stretches to transition them from meditation to an active state, Nick was alarmed when he opened his eyes and saw Drew wasn’t moving. He’d curled up on his mat and his eyes were shut tight.
Nick rolled out of his seated posture, ignoring the pins and needles in his legs, and crawled over to Drew. He was breathing steadily, which was good. But was he asleep, or had he passed out?
Kaylee wandered over, curious. She was still guiding the class through their closing rituals, but her eyes were on Drew.
Nick leaned in and shook him lightly by the shoulders, but Drew didn’t respond. Panic rose in him as he tried again, firmer this time, but with no response.
Kaylee squatted down beside him and ran a finger over the bottom of Drew’s bare foot. He shot up like a lightning bolt, then clapped a hand over his head and groaned.
“Thanks for joining me today, class. I hope our practice here today brings you relaxation and joy for the rest of your weekend. May you carry this positive energy with you and release it out into the world.”
T
he wolflings started murmuring among themselves as they stood and left the studio, leaving Kaylee, Drew, and Nick alone in the dimly lit room.
“God. My head. I fell asleep?” he asked, and Kaylee nodded.
“We don’t know that for sure. What if you passed out? And your headache is worse. I can smell the pain.”
“My headache is worse because Kaylee tickled my foot and I didn’t get up slowly. That would normally give you a head rush, but with the headache I already had, it made it spike. It’s already back down to normal levels.”
Kaylee gave him a concerned look. “You came in here with a headache?”
“He came in here with what might be a concussion,” Nick said, smacking Drew’s hand when Drew reached out to poke him hard in the ribs.
“Can we trust the doctor? It’s not a concussion.”
“I’m a doctor too,” Nick groused.
Drew rolled his eyes. “Can we trust the medical doctor?”
“You should stay with him tonight,” Kaylee said. “That’s what they say for concussions, right, Nick? Don’t let them sleep longer than a few hours?”
“Medical doctor right here. And no, that’s an outdated practice. It’s not the protocol for suspected concussions anymore.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Nick promised Kaylee. “But switching gears here, this class—I was the winner, right? I mean, he fell asleep.”
“Which is it?” Drew asked, exasperated. “If I fell asleep, I’m fine. So is it that or are you sticking to worrying I passed out?”
Kaylee ignored him. “You won. I hope you’ll come back again, Nick. You’re a natural.”
Nick preened. “That’s two to zero, Drew. You wanna back out now while you still have some pride left?”
Drew flipped him off and stood up, but Nick’s laughter died when the scent of Drew’s pain spiked again and Drew wobbled. Nick caught his arm and pulled him close, supporting him.
“We’re going to get you home,” he said, and Drew must have been feeling worse, because for once he didn’t argue.
NICK woke up in Drew’s bed, but at least this time he knew exactly where he was and why. Unlike the previous two times, Drew was still fast asleep, which gave Nick an opportunity to study him without catching Drew’s quick tongue.
He really was different from the humans Nick had slept with in the past. He’d never felt drawn to seek any of his other human one-night stands out, and he’d certainly never felt any sort of connection with them. They’d had fun, consensual sex, and then they’d parted ways.
Frankly, he was more than a little spooked by the feelings Drew sparked in him. It wasn’t like he’d had a ton of long-term relationships with other werewolves, but the few he’d had didn’t come close to the way he felt about Drew.
He was going to have to let go of some of his preconceived notions if they were actually to make a go of a relationship. Nick still wasn’t sure that was a good idea—both because he still had reservations and because dating a colleague was always risky, and doubly so when you lived and worked in such close proximity. If things went sour between the two of them, Nick didn’t see a way they could both stay at Camp H.O.W.L.
Drew’s head injury yesterday had been eye-opening. Not because he was surprised Drew was so fragile—he’d known that all along. But because Drew had handled himself like a wolf would have. He’d picked himself up and moved on, doing what he had to do to heal and not making a production out of the injury, even going so far as to get snappy with Nick and Kaylee when they’d fawned over him.
It wasn’t how he’d expected a human to deal with something like that. Drew was full of surprises. He was quietly disproving every stereotype Nick had of humans, and it was tearing down all of the obstacles Nick had thrown up between them.
Drew snuggled into him, turning his body so he was closer to Nick’s warmth. Nick obligingly rolled toward him, curling around Drew and leaning in closer so he could examine his temple. The bump was mostly gone, leaving behind the shadow of a bruise.
Nick brushed a kiss across the abused skin, breathing in Drew’s scent while he had him close. It was intoxicating, but instead of amping him up, it calmed him down. Nick hadn’t experienced anything like that before. Drew smelled like comfort and safety.
He also didn’t scent any pain, which either meant the painkillers Drew had taken last night were still working or his headache had gone away. He was a bit ashamed of himself for hoping it was the former—then maybe they could spend the day puttering around Drew’s quarters instead of taking Anne Marie’s required classes.
They’d gone to bed in clothes last night, since even though Drew was letting him into his bed, he’d made it clear he wasn’t letting Nick in any further until they had a serious conversation about where things were headed. Nick didn’t think he’d get away with vagueness, but he didn’t know how to articulate what he wanted. He wasn’t sure himself.
It was hard to think about it while Drew was in his arms smelling like such a perfect mix of the two of them. Nick needed some time to think, and he was going to have to do it somewhere that wasn’t drenched in Drew’s distracting scent.
He caught a whiff of brewing coffee, his entire body stiffening. Someone was downstairs. He hadn’t heard anyone come in, but anyone could have—they didn’t lock doors here at Camp H.O.W.L. Especially not the infirmary.
Nick eased himself away from Drew, taking care not to jostle his head when he reclaimed his arm. He padded barefoot down the stairs, following the smell of the dark roast Drew preferred over the coffee in the mess.
He expected it to be Scott, but Harris was the one carefully tipping tea leaves from an unmarked box in the cupboard into a diffuser Nick had assumed came with the house, since Drew wasn’t fussy and always used bags.
Things clicked into place the moment before Harris turned around. He remembered Harris telling him he had tea shipped in because he liked to blend his own.
“Morning,” Harris said, unperturbed by Nick finding him there. He poured a cup of black coffee and held it out to Nick. “Heard Drew took a tumble last night, so I thought I’d stop by and check on him. I guess you had the same thought.”
“I spent the night,” Nick said, well aware of the implications. He didn’t care what rumors got started—he wanted Harris to know Drew was off the market, even if he wasn’t ready to have that conversation with Drew. Whatever arrangement they’d had before—and it must have been a good one if Harris kept his special tea at Drew’s house—was over now. “He needed someone here in case his headache got worse or he showed signs of a concussion.”
Harris grinned over the rim of him mug. “Sure. I also heard you’re kicking his ass in the wager you’ve got going. What else is on the list?”
Nick pulled out a chair and sat, grateful when Harris followed suit. He didn’t want to be looking up at him, but his instincts were saying he needed to treat this like it was his own den—hence the sitting. It was ridiculous Were posturing, but he didn’t have it in him to fight it right now.
“I think the plan was to hit up the martial arts class and fencing today. If he’s feeling up to it, of course.”
Harris choked on his tea, his eyes filling with tears as he made an alarming sound between a cough and a gasp. “You let him choose martial arts? Nice knowing you, buddy.”
Nick felt Drew approaching before he heard the stairs squeak and his scent wafted into the kitchen. Nick was on his feet with Drew’s coffee poured before he walked in, sleep-mussed and bleary-eyed.
“You’re both loud,” he grumped, taking the coffee from Nick. He pressed a quick kiss to Nick’s cheek before falling into a chair next to Harris, and Nick’s wolf preened at the absent gesture.
“You don’t normally sleep past sunrise. When you didn’t come to the mess, I thought I’d check on you. I didn’t realize Romeo was already on it.”
Drew took a sip of his coffee and groaned. “I’m not caffeinated enough for this discussion. Before this turns into a dick-measur
ing contest, you’re both pretty. Nick, Harris, and I have been friends for years. Just friends. He’s yanking your chain. Harris, don’t tease Nick. His wolfy ego is having enough trouble with me being human as it is.”
Nick couldn’t even protest much, because it was true. “It’s not ego,” he said. “And I’m trying.”
Harris snickered. “Better try fast. Our boy Drew isn’t known for his attention span.”
Possessive anger licked up Nick’s spine, but Drew got there first. His hand shot out and caught Harris in the solar plexus with enough force to have him doubled up and gasping. “Don’t slut shame.”
“I didn’t call you a slut,” Harris said between coughs. “I called you flighty.”
“Either way,” Drew said breezily. “Don’t be a dick.”
Drew had called Nick that so many times it almost felt like a pet name, and he didn’t like it being applied to someone else. But he also didn’t want to get sucker-punched, so he kept his mouth shut.
“I’m going to go change. The mess is open for a little bit longer. Do you want to grab some clothes from your place and meet me there before martial arts?”
Nick ignored the way Harris was miming a sinking ship. What did he know, anyway? Nick was the better athlete. There was no way he was going to lose at martial arts.
“Looking forward to it.”
Chapter Ten
DREW heaved himself out of the lake, panting. He refrained from a victory dance, but only because he didn’t think he could raise his arms above his head just yet. They felt like limp noodles.
“Un-fucking-believable,” one of the wolflings on the shore said, staring at Drew. “Like, you just smoked him. You had twenty seconds on him, easy. And you’re human.”
Drew gave him a sharklike grin. “I am. I was a human member of the University of Michigan’s men’s swim team the year we finished first in our division. I still hold the record for the long course.”
Nick had pulled himself up onto the shore, but he was lying in an ungainly heap. “Are you part fish?” he asked between gasps.