He nodded, abruptly wishing he hadn't when his stomach lurched.
When he stood, the world spun. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If he didn't want to spend the night in the hospital, he'd have to walk out of this place before he collapsed.
Somewhere between the hospital door and the parking lot, Jen circled her arm around his waist and helped him to the passenger seat. “I need your keys.”
He dug them out of his pocket and handed them to her. He just wanted to be home.
Even with his eyes shut, Rob felt dizzy. He fell asleep on the way home, waking up when Jen removed his seatbelt. Her voice was quiet, “Rob, you need to come into the house with me. If you're too sick, I'm turning around and checking you into the hospital.”
That got him moving. He opened his eyes and pushed himself up. “No, I was just resting.”
It was late at night and the world was dark. He clenched his teeth about halfway to the door, feeling a strong urge to throw up. Even with Jen's help, he stumbled at the steps.
Once she got him safely to his bedroom, Jen asked, “Do you have an extra t-shirt I can borrow?”
Rob couldn't help but wonder how Jen could think of a t-shirt at a time like this. He was about to hurl all over. “Yes.”
“Thanks. Let's get you to bed.”
“No. Shower.”
Rob didn't give Jen a chance to change his mind. He stumbled to the master bathroom, not stopping for anything. He'd never felt this way before. He barely made it to the toilet in time. He'd eaten some vending machine food at the hospital. It was coming back for a second round and not in a good way.
Rob didn't necessarily feel better. He turned on the shower. His head felt like a woodpecker was tapping on his skull. After washing his hair and poking at the bite on his neck which had swollen to an angry red color and leaked pus, he discovered that he could take a shower while sitting.
He had frankly forgotten that Jen had taken him home and still was in his house when she knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you okay?”
He roused himself, “I'm good.”
Rob couldn't very well shut off the shower right after Jen knocked. She'd know he had drifted off under the water. So he stayed for a few more minutes in the tepid water.
He'd been in such a hurry to get to the bathroom that he hadn't stopped off for fresh clothes. The idea of putting on jeans he'd been sitting in a basement floor in didn't appeal.
He opened the door and peeked out. Jen was curled up on his bed in one of his t-shirts and a pair of his shorts large enough to make her look like a rapper. She must have taken a shower in his second bathroom because her hair was wet, and she had folded a towel and was using it as a pillow so that she wouldn't get his bed wet.
“Jen?”
“I'm here.”
“Can you get me some clothes?”
When Jen stirred, Rob shut the door, listening to his dresser drawers open and close as Jen found the items he needed. There was something intimate in having a woman go through his things.
Jen knocked on the door and handed in one of his plain t-shirts, underwear, and his favorite shorts for sleeping. How did she know what he liked? Rob didn't much time thinking about it. He felt too sick.
The world spun so much that he felt that he was stumbling through getting dressed. He stepped out of the bathroom, surprised when Jen swung her legs off the bed and hurried over to put an arm around his waist. “I knew I should have had a doctor check you over.”
Jen helped him to the bed, “Lift up your arms. Your shirts in the way.”
Rob grumbled, “I just got it on. It took forever.”
But he helped Jen helped him pull it off. She put her hand on the skin near the bite. Rob yelped. “That hurts.”
“It's infected. Wait here.”
Rob wondered exactly where he would go. His eyes were on a merry-go-round that forgot the rest of his body, and his stomach churned restlessly. One false move and he'd be back in the bathroom.
Jen settled on the bed next to him with a cloth and a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide. “We'll get it cleaned out first.”
He would have enjoyed being nursed more if he didn't feel so bad. He liked the way she brushed his hair back with one finger when the cleaning was done, and kissed him on the cheek.
The next thing he knew Jen was waking him up, bossing him around, telling him to drink water, putting a cold cloth on his head and speaking to him in low tones. She was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes. Her hair was a complete mess, and he felt undeniable attraction at seeing the strands of hair coming undone.
She was so pretty. He smiled up at her. She looked like an angel with a glow around her and the cloth felt so good on his aching head. He mumbled the words, “I love you.”
Chapter 14
Jen was worried. It was three o'clock in the morning and Rob was thrashing in his sleep. It seemed like she'd just fallen asleep on the sofa in his living room when the yelling started. Rob was in the middle of a nightmare. He kept saying, “Be careful” over and over.
Grabbing Rob's arm, she said, “Rob, wake up.”
He mumbled something than sighed. His arm was slick, and from the looks of him, Rob was having night sweats.
Glad that she'd left the lamp on, even if it was at the lowest setting, Jen grabbed a washcloth from the closet and ran it under the faucet, wringing it out.
She grabbed another t-shirt from his drawer, shaking him awake. Rob jerked awake, then coughed and looked around wildly. “Rob, you're okay. We're home now. You need to put this on.”
Jen helped him change shirts and tucked him back under the covers. His other t-shirt was soaked. Then she got him a glass of water and some aspirin.
After finishing, he closed his eyes.
She put the washcloth on his forehead. “This should make you feel better.”
He opened his eyes and smiled and Jen felt a little flip-flop in her stomach. As if he could read her mind, he looked up at her and said, “I love you.”
Jen was so glad that he immediately closed his eyes afterward. Because she was afraid he was going to say someone else's name after those words, afraid that he had no idea what he was saying or who he was saying it to. And it would break her heart when he did. But he just smiled at her. And closed his eyes.
She watched him sleep for a few minutes, holding his hand and filled with such longing. Life was easier before he meant so much to her. Once he cooled off, he fell asleep again—this time into a deeper sleep. Jen watched his breath rise and fall until she could barely keep her own eyes open.
Then she returned to the couch.
Rob was making breakfast when she woke up.
“You look good today.” Jen blurted out.
“So I guess that means I didn't yesterday?” Rob teased. He stirred the scrambled eggs and pushed the bread down in the toaster.
“Not really. I was planning to drag you to a clinic today.” Jen yawned and slid out from the quilt. “Maybe Ali will be doing just as well.”
“That would be nice.” Rob paused. Jen knew from the look on his face what was coming. She wanted to run out of his house right then and avoid the discussion. “Jen, did I say anything to you last night, when I was out of it?”
“Like what?” Jen held her breath. She feared this was coming from the minute Rob professed his love for her...or whatever woman he was dreaming about at the time.
“You're going to make me say it?” Rob asked.
“I think that would be best.” Jen sat on the edge of the couch and waited.
Rob winced.
Please make him stop. I really don't need to hear that he made a mistake. Of painful moments, Jen decided this was worse than walking in on a moon tryst.
“Yesterday, did I tell you I loved you?” Rob asked, “Or was that a dream.”
Jen swallowed, searching Rob's face for some sign of which direction this conversation was heading, “You were out of it, but yes, you said it once. I didn't think you wer
e saying it to me.”
“You were the one I was looking at.” Rob said carefully, “But it's premature. Until we run the full moon together, there is no way to know. I shouldn't have said anything yet. Either way, I'm glad you were here last night.”
“Me too. You looked like you needed a friend.” Jen put an emphasis on the word friend just so that Rob knew they were cool.
After breakfast, Jen borrowed Rob's car to visit Ali in the hospital. Things had gotten really weird—and Jen was confused. But Ali needed her now. She could sort out her relationship with Rob later.
Chapter 15
Ali woke up in bandages with an I.V. running into her paw feeling thirsty and confused. Jen was sitting in a chair next to the bed with dark circles under her eyes. Ali struggled to speak, but her mouth was too dry. Her body felt so heavy and before she could say a word, Ali fell asleep again.
The second time Ali woke, Jen was gone and instead of that dizzy disorientated feeling, she suffered a whole lot of sharp pain stabbing at her paws. Ali took inventory. Bandages on both legs and one arm, and the hospital staff had shaved her, in more than one place. How humiliating. Her peripheral vision was blocked. Ali tried to wiggle up and found that she couldn’t twist to the side. Her head stopped short of the mattress. Why couldn’t she move? Ali suddenly realized…
Of all the indignity, there was a cone on her head. A cone?!!! The kind they use on dogs after surgery to keep them from biting themselves. Only vets were supposed to use cones. Ali did have a strong urge to bite someone, a very strong urge.
Squirming in the bed, human-sized with a foam cushion designed for smaller were-animals, Ali rubbed her neck back and forth against the cushion, twisting and tugging, trying to pull the cone off. When that didn’t work, she yowled, although with dry-mouth, the yowl sounded more like a yelp.
“Hey, you don’t want to do that.” A young nurse with blond hair pulled back in a pony tail under her hat hovered at the edge of the bed.
Ali figured the nurse would continue hanging back, afraid of a bite and went back to struggling with the cone. A doctor heard the nurse’s pleas and stopped in.
“Humph, that’s a feisty one.” The doctor chuckled, but Ali didn’t get the feeling that he was making fun of her. His tone almost sounded respectful. She turned her head trying to get a look.
Oh.
The doctor was tall with reddish-gold hair and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, and she definitely smelled the were on him. He smelled so good, furry, but not overly so, not like that strong alpha-werewolf scent that Rob had. No, he carried a delicate woodland smell, a polite smell that invited her in.
Ali stopped fighting her cone and gazed at him, sniffing a bit to place the scent. Wolf? No. Not this man. None of the cocky assuredness of wolfdom applied to him. Bear? Not quite. Definitely not a cat. Thank heavens. Jen would never let her get over that.
Ali tilted her head to the side, trying to figure him out. Her cone brushed the pillow and she snorted in disgust, although to the doctor and nurse she just looked like a raccoon wrinkling its nose.
She sure wanted to ask the doctor a few questions. What did he like to do for fun? Was he married, engaged, or attached? If not, would he like to be? And would he please, please take this satellite dish off her neck?
As if to read her thoughts the doctor held her eyes. “If I remove the Elizabethan collar for a few minutes, do you promise not to lick or bite your bandages?”
Elizabethan collar? Huh.
With a spare nod, Ali felt gentle hands near her neck. She’d always been sensitive about her neck. Ali hated turtlenecks and tight collars and normally would flinch if anyone came as close to touching her throat as this doctor had done. He had magical hands. She heaved a sigh of relief when the doctor put the cone on the counter.
“I’m one of the mammal specialists for the were ward. Travis MacBrear. I know your name is Ali.” Travis pulled a chair to the side of the bed. “Would you like me to tell you a bit about your injuries and what’s going on? If you’re too tired, it can wait.”
Ali made an affirmative sound. She and Jen could practically carry on whole conversations with their animal voices, but then they’d spent most of their lives together. She just hoped that Travis could speak raccoon.
“Okay, both of your hind paws and one of the front paws were broken. We sewed the laceration on your thigh. You should be able to make the change to human tomorrow. We'll put the casts on then, and if everything still looks good, we’ll release you in a few days.”
Ali leaned her head on the soft cushion, making the same acknowledgement noises she made before.
Travis smiled, his eyes the color of the sky on a warm summer’s day. “When you feel well enough to change, the police will want to question you. Your friends have already given their statements. Jen asked me to tell you that she will be back again in a few hours. The police found her car abandoned a few miles from where you were attacked. She was planning to come right back, but I told her to go home and get some sleep. She’s looking pretty ragged.”
Ali felt so warm and safe. Even with a freaky vampire on the loose and maybe on the hunt, she felt completely relaxed with Travis. He wasn’t a raccoon. His scent was so strange. If only she could place it. Ali closed her eyes and felt the pain diminish as her body started floating into dreams.
“We’d better get that collar back on.” Travis said in a bare whisper, but Ali heard.
Ali was too tired to be a tough girl and whined the most pathetic pitiful whimpering whine she could muster.
“I’m sorry.” Again the hushed voice, so gentle Ali longed for him to read her stories or sing the way her dad used to when she was little.
A hand brushed the fur on top of her head and Ali’s eyes closed completely. Travis waited until she was fast asleep before re-attaching the cone.
Chapter 16
“Call me if you need anything.” Rob was holding Jen’s hand outside her door, trying to think of a reason to hold on longer. A small part of him wished he was still sick. Jen would have stayed another night if he'd shown any inclination of needing her.
“I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about Ali than the bogeyman.” Jen squeezed Rob’s fingers. She didn’t let go either.
“I’ll drop by tomorrow to take you wherever you need to go.” Rob cringed inwardly. They’d already covered this ground and now he was just repeating himself so that he wouldn’t have to leave.
An impish grin spread across Jen’s face and she teased him, “If you’re afraid to go home, you could stay and watch a few movies.”
A dimple touched Rob’s cheek. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all, but fair warning. If you end up staying late, you’ll be sleeping on the couch.”
That sounded like a great plan to him. And he just happened to have an overnight bag in the in the back seat.
* * *
Francis hesitated at Jen’s door. The sun’s last rays disappeared across hills ragged with pine-tree tops. He needed to get the amulet. Garan’s boss promised him another fifty thousand dollars if he recovered it.
Francis demanded twenty thousand up front. That would bring his current total up to $45,748 less the $2,000 bribe he paid to Garan after the latest kidnapping fiasco. Francis kept his expectations of payment at the front money. The twenty thousand in the bank were all that he needed. He liked living, even as a somewhat dead-ish person.
Of course, if he didn’t get the amulet Francis would find himself deader than usual. That was the catch in taking up-front money from scary people.
Taken into that context, a little were-mouse really wasn’t that scary. Her boss was, though. If only Francis could keep him from finding out.
With a sigh, Francis knocked on the door. A few seconds later the door opened.
Uh-oh.
“What are you doing here?” Rob stepped forward, cold anger on his face. He forced Francis back into the hall. From the living room, Francis could hear Jen’s voice asking Rob
who it was.
“I need to talk to Jen.” Francis didn’t try to get past Rob. Wolf vs. Vampire and the wolf usually wins, even human wolves. And the myth about inviting vampires in…well, in this case turned out to be true. A vampire in an unwelcome house felt intense pain from every cell. No flames or disintegration, just intense pain. Although a hungry enough vampire would suffer it just for a midnight snack. Most just tried really hard to get a decent invitation and found victims bamboozled by the latest fad in vampire romance television.
Jen came to the door, her hair tousled and eyes sleepy. “What is it?”
“Don’t invite him in.” Rob’s voice deepened to a growl. He was all wolf, that one.
“I won’t. Francis, just tell me what you want.” Jen rubbed her eyes and leaned closer to Rob.
“The amulet that you stole. The guy is a lunatic and if you keep it, he will track you down or send someone worse than Garan.” Francis swallowed. “We’re all dead if we don’t give him the amulet.”
“First of all, I didn’t steal the amulet.” Jen said, which was mostly true. Ali stole the amulet, after all.
“A moot point.” Francis said. “What would it take? I could give you money, a promise that he won’t come after you?”
Jen tugged on Rob’s sleeve when he seemed ready to attack the vampire, and gave Francis the same stern and yet sympathizing expression that she reserved for solicitors and used-car salesmen. “Not interested. Sorry.”
Francis found himself staring Jen’s closed door. That conversation did not go according to plan. He considered getting another real estate agent, but that didn’t seem right after everything they had been through together.
Having struck out with Jen, Francis decided he would visit Ali in the morning. Francis worried about his own reception at the hospital. Anyone who had seen Garan's face in the aftermath would. Nobody likes a dead guy and Ali’s claws were sharp.
Vampires Bite: Book 2 (When, Were, & Howl Series) Page 5