“Where is he?” I asked.
“Home,” Gage said, handing me a slip of paper with an address on it.
I looked at him questionably, and he said, “Our clan doctors prefer to do most of their work at the homes of their patients, or in our dens, if necessary. Because of the unique nature of our bodies, we really wouldn’t want to raise suspicions at normal locations.”
I nodded my head. That made sense. I hugged everyone there and thanked them for saving me, then headed straight over to Jared’s house.
After knocking, I went in and found him lying on his couch, completely naked. I guess I didn’t know what else to expect, considering where he had been shot, and also the nature of his, well, nature. He was a wolf. They tend not to wear a lot of clothing.
His arm, side, and leg were bandaged. I rushed over to him, almost forgetting to shut the door. I put my purse down on the ground and knocked over a vase full of flowers, before kneeling on the floor next to him.
I ran my fingers through his hair then grasped his hand. “How are you? I’ve been so worried about you.”
“I hurt like you wouldn’t believe, but I’m okay,” he said. “I’m going to live, thanks to you.”
“I wish people would quit saying that. You wouldn’t have been hurt at all if you hadn’t come to save my butt.”
“It was a stunning butt to save. Besides, if you hadn’t been kidnapped, I would never have met you.”
I leaned over to kiss him. The kiss was about to get passionate when the doctor came in. “Sorry to interrupt, folks,” he said.
“No worries, Doc,” Jared said.
He introduced us, and once again, I was told how brave I was. This time, I just smiled and thanked him. Trying to be humble didn’t seem to have an effect on these guys.
We helped Jared to the bed, and the doctor checked his wounds, which were healing nicely, according to the doctor.
“Shifters tend to heal rather quickly,” the doctor told me. “It is likely because of all the trouble they get into,” he laughed.
Jared pretended to be offended until the doctor asked him how many bullets, during his lifetime, had to be taken out of him, and how many were still buried deep in his body. His mouth opened, and then Jared realized that he had no good comeback, so his mouth snapped shut again.
I told the doctor I was going to be hanging around for a few days, so I could make sure that Jared ate well and got plenty of fluids. The doctor thought that was a splendid idea. He showed me how to dress Jared’s wounds, using a compress of some kind of stinky plants. He handed me his phone number with instructions to call if I needed anything, then left.
Jared and I hung out for the next couple of days. I might be able to ride a bear, shoot a gun, and fight Iranian terrorists, but I was never able to get the hang of cooking. The good thing was that Dad’s cook brought over meals every day so that Jared and I could both eat. Otherwise, it would have had to be takeout or beef jerky again. To be honest, if I never saw another piece of beef jerky again, I wouldn’t be sad.
Jared was healing quickly. He was soon able to move his arm and hobble around.
I didn’t want to crowd him, so I told myself that I would be leaving the next day.
That night, we cuddled. We talked about the adventure and how much fun we had. I told him that it was certainly more of an education than I could ever get at a university.
“I’ve always believed that life can teach people more than any school,” he said.
“After you learn to read and write,” I added.
He grinned.
To me, these last few days had felt as though we were bonded together by much more than a piece of paper. Yet, he hadn’t asked me to stay and hadn’t told me he loved me. I knew that I shouldn’t be so chicken and that I should tell him exactly how I felt, but I wasn’t able to. I started several times, but then my throat would close up, and no air would come out.
The next morning, while he was still asleep, I kissed his lips gently.
I left a note that said, “Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime. Thank you for saving me. You are my hero. I will always treasure my time with you. With love, Elise.”
Then, I quietly walked out the door, shutting it softly behind me.
19
Jared