“Shh… shh… shh…”
He hushed me, tried to settle me like you would an animal and I bared my teeth in response. Then his hand landed on me. Hated enemy, my mind told me on the one hand. Blessed relief, said the other. I let out an experimental breath which ended in a long huff as his hand landed on my stomach.
“Hate me all you like,” he said, drawing closer. “But I can tide you over until they get back. Bloody idiots. Like chooks with their heads cut off, rushing out of here like bats out of hell, not leaving any of them to help.” His hand pressed a little more firmly over my abdomen and the warm relief that bloomed as a result near took my breath away before finally allowing me to take a long inhalation, then another. “We need to get you in the bath.”
“Noo…” I whimpered, holding Logan’s hand where it was, not wanting him to pull away. A hot bath would help ease the pelvic cramps, but the heat would make my headache worse. Sweat was already prickling across my brow despite the cool of the bathroom tiles.
“OK, then. We’ll do this your way.” I flinched away when he drew closer, dimly seeing him pause before persisting, moving until my body fitted against his.
“Can’t,” I said, wriggling even as waves of relief washed over me. “I’m bleeding.”
“I know.”
“I’ll make a mess.”
“I know.”
“Logan, it’s gross—”
“Just shut up, beta. Can you do that? I can feel your fucking pain. Menstrual blood comes out. This pain won’t stop until they come back with a heat pack, some Naprogesic and maybe some chocolate.”
“Coffee…” I was damn close to begging and the fact that this was happening with bloody Logan was yet another indignity piled on top of all the others of today.
“That shit is probably what’s causing your damn migraine, beta.”
“Coffee…!”
“I’ll get you one, I promise, as soon as the others get back. I can’t let go of you now. Not yet.”
Some part of my brain wanted to examine that more closely, dissect his words, his tone, but my body had other ideas. The release of pain can sometimes be such a euphoric thing it almost feels like pleasure. I sank into that, into him, not really caring who was providing me with the relief, just that I was getting it.
“What the hell did you do?”
The sharp words had my head jerking up, my eyes opening belatedly.
“Hey there, princess,” Jasper said, kneeling down beside me. “We’ve got some stuff to make you feel better.”
He emptied the haul all across the bathroom floor and I stared at it muzzily, then tapped the extra strength aspirin, clawing a packet of pads closer. But as I shifted I realised blood had seeped from me onto the tiles. I made a face of disgust, little sounds of distress escaping me, but Jasper tore off his clothes and then picked me up, putting me under a shower Damon had just started running.
“It’s alright,” he said, sweeping careful hands across me and in some ways he was right.
I hadn’t felt this before, though I guess I hadn’t needed to. Where there was usually arousal, excitement, pleasure at their touch, instead now there was just warm comfort. I felt fucking ashamed of having to be cleaned like a child, but he muttered soothing words, designed to have me falling limp into his arms until I was escorted back to the room.
“What did you do?” Ben demanded of Logan again. “The front door’s fucked from when you clawed your way inside here.”
“She’s our mate,” Logan spat back. “Painkillers are good, so are heat packs, but nothing will settle her better than the feel of her pack.”
“What?”
“What did you think Dad was doing with Mum all those hours they spent upstairs? He took the pain away, over and over,” Logan shot back. “I could… feel, Lily. She got fucking worse when you lot left.”
“You could’ve told us,” Damon snapped.
“And you would’ve listened?”
Jasper walked over and closed the door firmly.
“Don’t worry about that shit. Let’s get you sorted and then I’ll lay down with you.”