by Moxie North
“Alicia. You here to follow up on some permits or here to see Becca?” she said with a sly smile.
“I am here to see Becca. She didn’t give me a chance after work yesterday. She was in a rush, and I wasn’t my most charming self. I wanted to apologize and see if she would let me buy her lunch.”
“Well, aren’t you the sweet one? I’m sorry, but she’s out sick today.”
“Sick? She said she had a headache. I thought she would be over it?”
“No, the migraines lay her low for days sometimes, poor thing. She talked to me last night and said she’d be out. I can tell her you stopped by. Or you could try back in a few days,” she suggested.
Angel saw that Alicia wasn’t trying to just shoo him off. She seemed happy that he’d shown up.
“Do you think she would see me if I came again?”
Stepping closer and dropping her voice, she said, “I think you should keep trying. My Becca is a complicated girl, and she deserves a good guy. I think you might be that guy. Besides the fact that you two obviously had a great night together. She was happy, a little confused, but happy. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her excited about anything.”
Angel was glad to hear that. She hadn’t given him any sense yesterday that she regretted their night.
“I like her. More than just like to tell you the truth. I couldn’t get a good read on how she felt yesterday.”
“She was not feeling her best, so don’t take it too personally. When she has a headache coming on, she is focused on fighting it off. Poor thing suffers. I used to go and try to help her out when she wasn’t feeling well, but I seemed to make it worse.”
“It’s that bad? My brother is a doctor and said that it is like a bad headache.”
“That’s how I thought about them too until I saw one. Best thing you can do is give her a few days to get over it and try again. Don’t give up on her; she’s worth it,” Alicia said with a sad smile.
“Don’t worry. You’re going to be seeing a lot more of me. She’s exactly what I need, and I will be whatever she needs. Thank you for letting me know how she is, Alicia.”
“Anytime, honey. You stay cute, and hopefully, I’ll see you next week.”
Angel gave her a smile. “Count on it.”
Walking back to his car, Angel’s bear was telling him that they needed to get to their mate now. She needed them. There had to be something that they could do to help her. Letting her suffer alone was not something either of them could tolerate.
But showing up and surprising her could make it worse. He didn’t ever want to cause her pain; that would kill him. Sitting in his truck, he looked up migraine remedies on the internet. There were tens of thousands of web results. He looked through the first few, noting that they all said medication was key once it started. She had mentioned needing to take something. But he saw a number of other options that could help.
Starting up his truck, he drove over to the local pharmacy that sold more kitschy souvenirs than actual medical products. If you needed a picture of salmon or some local boysenberry jam, they could set you up.
He ran in and bought an ACE bandage, some disposable ice packs and even found some essential oil massaging lotion. There was a good chance that she would just slam the door in his face, but he was going to be persistent. Last night had been torturous for him, lying in his bed alone when his mate was just on the other side of town.
He thanked the cashier and carried his purchases out to his truck. Pulling up the picture that was on her Facebook profile of her home, he drove to the section of town that had those small cottage style homes and puttered slowly down the street looking for a match. He knew that from a human standpoint what he was doing was not cool. From a shifter perspective, it was totally reasonable. A shifter would do whatever it took to take care of their mate. No one would blame him for his actions, at least from the family side. Others might think he was clearly unstable.
Seeing a house with a garden that was overtaking the front yard, he pulled over and stared at the picture. The little house was the right color. There was a garage and no car out front. He wished there was a clear shot of the house number. That would give him a little more encouragement than just matching up some flowers.
His bear decided it had to be her home. Telling Angel if he just got out and went to the door, he would probably smell her and confirm he was in the right place.
Angel grabbed the sack of supplies and jogged up to the door. Stepping onto the welcome mat, he took in a deep breath and smelled coconut.
He could feel his eyes changing, the edges of them would be glowing as his bear crept to the surface. There would be a time he could show his mate his animal, but today was not that day.
Raising his hand, he knocked gently. Waiting for a minute, he knocked again, still just as gently. He didn’t dare use the doorbell. Becca not answering wasn’t something he had considered. If she was feeling as bad as Alicia said, then ignoring the door would be a smart move.
Shit, what would he do if she didn’t answer? Sit on the front porch? Ask Alicia to call her? From what she said, he might have a helpful accomplice in Becca’s friend. He wasn’t sure he wanted to play that card yet.
As he raised his hand to knock again, he heard a noise from inside. It was soft and sounded like shuffling.
The scent became stronger, and he heard a faint whisper on the other side of the door.
“Who is it?”
“Hey, Becks, it’s me, Angel. Alicia said you weren’t feeling good, and I came over to help.”
Angel held his breath as he waited for her to respond. He knew that every word she uttered was probably causing her pain, and he hated that he caused that.
The lock clicked, and the door peeked open, but he didn’t see his mate. She was behind the door, and he took that as an offer to come in. Sliding through the small space she made for him the door closed, and he was in a dark room. The curtains were all closed, and there wasn’t one light on.
Turning to face Becca, he saw she was hunched over, her arms wrapped around her body like she was holding herself together. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a long, nondescript shirt that looked two sizes too big for her and a pair of thermal pants. Even in the dark, he could see the circles under her eyes and the sickly pallor of her skin.
“Oh, baby.” He couldn’t help but whisper.
He saw her slack face break and tears well up in her eyes.
Pulling her into his arms, he squeezed her tight against him and made shushing noises. She was silently crying, and he wrapped her in his embrace, making as much contact as he could. His bear could smell her pain. It clung to her like a second skin.
“I’m here to help. Let me help you, Becks.”
Angel felt her nod against his chest, and he walked her down the hallway looking for her bedroom.
Chapter 23
Becca had heard the knocking, and at first, thought it was just a sound her mind made up. She didn’t usually have hallucinations but who knows what could happen. She decided that since she hadn’t vomited in a while, she could check the door to make sure it wasn’t Alicia. Her friend usually didn’t bother her, but maybe it was an emergency.
When she heard Angel’s voice on the other side of the door, she was surprised she wasn’t more upset. Yesterday, she hadn’t wanted to see him. Today, she knew that he was there to help her or at least try to. It was sweet. He didn’t know her. Taking on a person’s chronic issue wasn’t what she would expect even from someone she’d been dating a while.
When he asked to help her, the words hit her right where she needed it to. She felt herself start to cry, but it was in relief. As his arms came around her, she felt some of the tension slip out of her body. Her meds had been working though she was still in pain. Her gauge on how bad it was no longer had a linear scale. Her pain now could almost be considered as bad as earlier, even though she knew it wasn’t. But her coping skills and endorphins had long worn off. Now was w
hen help sounded like heaven.
Angel walked her back to her bedroom, and Becca was glad that she had brushed her teeth after her last trip of leaning over the toilet. Her room was dark with her blackout curtains closed to the light outside. She saw the edge of her bed come into view, and Angel turned her toward it and sat her down.
Tipping her head up, she squinted at the tiny amount of light that was coming from the open bedroom door. Angel saw it and closed the door.
He didn’t say anything as he came back and set the bag he was carrying down. There was a small rustling as he dug something out it. Becca closed her eyes, and although she should have worried about letting this man into her house, she didn’t feel anxious at all.
She knew keeping her eyes closed was a sucker move. The pain was still so bad that she knew what she must look like. The days following an episode had her looking like she’d been on a bender, which she sort of had. Just with heavy medication instead of alcohol. But even the small peek she’d taken of him at the door, he looked really good. Clearly being young meant you bounced back after a night out partying.
He also smelled great. He had that same manly smell that was stimulating as well as being soothing.
He stood between her spread legs, and if she opened her eyes, she’d have been staring at his stomach.
She heard a small sound, and the smell of jasmine and then the bite of peppermint took over her senses. Becca had let her head fall to his stomach not caring that it might make her look weak. She was feeling weak and broken. She despised not being the strong, confident woman she knew she was. The control she had over her life was something she was proud of. Her life was what she wanted it to be. Except this one problem that always reminded her she was human and not in control all of the time.
There was a moment when she started to wonder what he was doing, and then she felt soft fingertips at her temples. The smell of the oils was thick in the air, but not a heavy perfume that made her headache worse. The jasmine was relaxing, and the peppermint cooling on her skin.
Angel massaged her head, and it felt amazing. She let out a little moan and didn’t even care. Becca let out the breath she had been holding when he first touched her head. The weight of her head kept pushing further into his firm stomach. He moved his fingertips in a circular motion spreading the oil and keeping his touch gentle. His fingers moved behind her ears to tension she didn’t even know she had.
His fingers continued their journey down to the back of her neck where there was a pause as he added more oil and then continued massaging. Becca’s shoulders dropped as he hit all the painful spots that were the leftover of all her tension.
The moan that she had let slip was now a constant sound coming out of her. Angel wasn’t saying a word as his strong hands kept moving over her tendons and muscles. Becca found herself relaxing so much that she was starting to fall asleep against him. His hands left her, and there was rustling again.
She wasn’t sure what he was going to do next but feeling fabric start to wrap around her head was not what she expected.
“What?” she started and tried to pull her head back.
“Shh, I read about this on the internet,” he said quietly. “The constant pressure is supposed to help.”
Becca didn’t want to correct him; he was being very sweet. As the fabric kept wrapping around, she could feel the stretchiness tighten over her head realizing it was a wrap for a sprain. There was no way she didn’t look totally ridiculous at this point. The oil was probably soaked into her hair, and now she looked like a b-movie hospital patient with a bandage on their head.
Staying quiet while he finished, Becca played along. It was starting to feel good, like having your head squeezed.
“Now lay back for me,” he instructed. His voice was still quiet and gentle.
Lying back on her bed, she peeked open an eye to see him digging into his magic plastic bag again. There was a popping noise, and he was shaking an ice pack. He tucked it under her neck and the soothing coolness soaked into her skin.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
She did and felt him sit on the edge of the bed. Her socks were whisked off, and then the smell of lavender filled the room. He started rubbing her feet, and Becca didn’t have any more resistance left in her. It felt too good, the squeezing around her head, the oil soothing her senses, and now her feet being rubbed.
“Sleep if you can.” It was the last thing she heard. Sleep came fast as Angel continued what was clearly his pre-planned attack on her rejection of him the previous day.
He made sure she was asleep and then slipped out of the room to make a call to his Alpha. Cage didn’t question him, oddly enough, and told him he would see him in the morning. He was a bit frustrated with himself, especially after he gave his speech on wanting more responsibility and then took a half day off. That was something he would have to make up for later. Right now, his job was watching over his mate.
Angel let his bear revel in the fact that they were touching their mate. The connection between them sparked to life when his hands touched her, and she trusted him enough to rest against him. It made his bear want to roar his approval at her acceptance. Granted, it was a small concession, but she hadn’t called the police or hit him or anything. She seemed to want him there. He was prepared for a fight, but both he and his animal sensed there wasn’t much fight in her. She needed him, and he was going to try and help however he could.
The fact he was inside her home and inside her bedroom with a pair of dainty feet in his hands was just icing on the cake.
His bear didn’t want their attention on her feet, so he moved his eyes up to her face. He hadn’t done the best job, but then he’d never wrapped anyone’s head in an ACE bandage before. Her eyes were closed, those thick lashes of hers resting on her cheeks. He could tell by her breathing that she was in an easy sleep. When he’d first seen her, she had lines between her eyes that looked grooved in from hours of frowning. Now it was smooth, and her mouth was a little open with a light snore coming from it.
Angel continued rubbing her feet until he felt the last shred of tension fade away. When he felt her deep enough in sleep, he gently crawled up the bed and lay next to her. He reached down and took her small hand in his and kept watch over his mate as she slept.
Chapter 24
The first thoughts of consciousness were that the pain was gone. That the sharp stabbing pain was no longer hitting her from all sides. There were some residual aches from being tense for so long. Her brain was a little fuzzy with the medication still sitting in her bloodstream.
There was also a warm body pressed against her side. It took her moment to remember that Angel had come over. They had barely spoken, yet he cared for her with thoughtful consideration. What that meant she didn’t know. She didn’t have a ton of experience with one-night stands, but she was pretty sure that showing up and taking care of said stand wasn’t normal.
Not knowing if he was awake yet, she slowly turned her head over to her nightstand to check the time. It said five-fifteen; whether that was at night or the morning, she didn’t know yet. Her head hadn’t hurt with the movement, so she risked looking over towards the man she knew was next to her.
She was met with a pair of brown eyes staring at her. Those eyes were bright in the dark, shining at her. There was no expression on his face, but his eyes looked worried.
“How are you?”
Angel’s voice was quiet and soft. Becca took in his handsome face. He still hadn’t shaved, his jaw dark with scruff. His face was angled with the thinness of youth, but she could see that he would continue getting more handsome as he aged. Lucky bastard.
“I’m still tired and sore. Why did you come?”
“You needed me.” He said that like it was obvious.
“I didn’t need you. I get through these headaches all on my own normally.” Becca heard the harshness in her tone and regretted it. Her reflexes were set to attack after being so vulnerable.
; “That isn’t something you have to face on your own anymore. I can help you now. I didn’t do too badly, did I?”
“No, I mean I was on the mend already. Not to sound ungrateful, but I would have recovered and been back to work. This isn’t my first headache.”
“I realize that, but I’m still glad I came and could help a little. How about I go make you something to eat? You up for it?”
“I don’t remember the last time I ate. Do you know how to cook?”
“No, but I can order a mean pizza,” he said with a grin.
Becca knew it would be rude to just toss him out. She was hungry and needed to clean up.
“I’m guessing it’s early evening, not early morning?”
“You only slept for a few hours. I’ll give you some privacy, unless of course, you need any help getting cleaned up.” The look he gave her was lascivious at best.
“No, I think I can handle that on my own. There are pizza menus in the drawer by the fridge. Just nothing smelly please.”
“I’m on it,” he said, leaning over and giving her cheek a kiss.
Becca watched him go and closed her eyes, bringing her hands up to rub over them. Maybe if she just had some pizza with him, he’d feel like he’d done enough. There was a chance that he felt guilty or something for spending the night with her. Oh god, what if he thought their exuberant night was too much for her? Was that what this was about? Like she could have broken a hip or something?
“I’m not that old, damn it.”
Not wanting to have him come in and check in on her while she was in the bathroom, she slowly got up making sure she was steady. It wasn’t uncommon for her to have a bit of vertigo not only from the headache but from the heavy medication.
Finding her feet, she made her way into the bathroom and turned on just the heat lamp that was over the shower. Her vanity lights were way too bright for her just yet.
Making sure to close and lock the door, she turned on the shower and stripped. She only allowed herself a short period to soak under the hot water. She made fast work washing her hair and was a little sad to cover up the peppermint smell with her coconut bodywash.