They were a lifesaver.
Of course, if she had to go to the dentist, that could be her chance to escape.
Only she was so weak she wasn’t sure she could make a run for it. It hadn’t taken her long to get into this state. Likely because she’d already been rundown and exhausted.
And to top it off, she was worried about her sister. Was she all right? Did she think that Keira had abandoned her?
Well, she couldn’t do anything to help her right now. First, she had to help herself.
Her bladder let out a protest, letting her know that she’d spent too long in bed.
Her toothache had been building for a while, but she’d been ignoring it. There was no way she could have afforded a visit to the dentist. And no way she would have gone, even if she could have.
Dentists terrified her.
She remembered having to go to one as a child and her father telling her all these horrible stories about dentists. She’d been so terrified that she’d fainted before even getting into the seat.
Didn’t matter that the dentist had been lovely, and it had barely even hurt. She still had those scary stories in her head.
She held on tight to Squeaks as she tried to ignore the throbbing.
“Keira, it’s time to get up. I brought you some breakfast.”
Her body zinged to life at that voice.
Oh shit. So, not Webb at all.
Instead of answering him, she shifted herself further under the covers, dragging them up over her head.
She held her finger to her lips as she stared down at Squeaks. He couldn’t make any noises and alert Zander about where they were.
“Keira, come out now.”
Keira? Not Little Thief? She didn’t know why that made her feel unhappy. But it did.
It wasn’t like she wanted to be branded a thief.
But when he called her that . . . well, she guessed she could kid herself into thinking it was said with affection.
“Keira,” he said in a low tone.
Ooh, that low, commanding voice almost had her complying. Until she remembered that she didn’t have to do anything he said.
“All right. I’m going to count to three and if you’re not out from under the covers then, well, you don’t want to find out.”
She snorted at that. His threats needed work.
And she wasn’t going anywhere.
“One.”
Nope. Not moving.
“Two.”
He could count to two thousand, and she wasn’t going to move.
“Three.”