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Chapter Thirteen

Once I’d reassured myself Jess had only fainted, probably a delayed reaction to what she’d just witnessed, I kneeled next to Caleb. I shook him gently and he groaned. I pulled him upright, supporting his weight as he came around.

“A’ight?” he mumbled blearily, his eyes blinking as he tried to focus.

“I’m fine and so is Jess,” I answered, tilting his chin up as I turned his head, checking to make sure his eyes followed. “You got knocked pretty hard,” I murmured, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Jess was still slumped against the tree. I wouldn’t put it past her to wake up and take off, not that she was going far with her injuries. “Jess is hurt.” Caleb’s expression sharpened, growing alert at my tone. “Can you heal her?” I hated asking for a favor, but his salvia would be more potent than mine, and I wasn’t sure my wolf would be able to let her go if I attempted it.

He nodded, wincing as his hand went to the back of his head. “Yeah,” he answered, clearing his throat as his voice cracked. “Shifting should get rid of this headache too.”

His form blurred and he shook as he landed on all fours, his eyes clearing as the shift healed his injuries. He glanced at me curiously and I nodded to Jess. I wanted to get her healed before she came to and fought the idea. Caleb went to her, his large tongue swiping over her face enthusiastically, as his tail wagged.

I managed to yank on a pair of shorts stashed in my bag before I heard Jess.

“Ew, stop!” Jess woke up suddenly, shoving instinctively at Caleb to push him away. He paused, tongue lolling as he stared at her, happy to see her awake.

She stared at him for a second and then said, “Caleb?” His head rolled toward me, a question in his friendly blue eyes.

“Go home and inform the….others,” I hesitated to say Pack, wanting to respect Jess’s wishes, but it was kind of hard to hide what she’d seen today. Caleb glanced back at Jess and then trotted off. “Are you okay?”

I crouched in front of her, scanning to make sure Caleb had gotten the worst of her injuries taken care of before she woke up.

“Depends on your definition of okay, but I’ll live.” Her hand went to her cheek where the worst of the bruising had been, gingerly feeling the area. She glanced down at her sticky hand, registering it was salvia. “Ewww. He had to lick me?”

“Healing properties,” I answered, watching her for signs of shock. She was taking everything extraordinarily well for someone who didn’t know.

Her gaze skittered sideways and she swallowed hard, spotting Justin’s body. He was the Hanley who’d beat and threatened her, and my jaw locked at how close he’d come to succeeding in kidnapping her as well.

Jess looked at me. “They’re dead.”

“Yes,” I confirmed, growing worried as I stared at her. It almost felt like she was too calm and I kept waiting for the hysterics to start.

“Could you put on a shirt?”

Out of everything she could have asked me that was not on my list. I rocked back on my heels as she rubbed her hands over her jeans, completely serious.

“I don’t have an extra shirt in my bag,” I finally said, wondering if I should get her to a hospital. Maybe she was bleeding internally? I sniffed the air, but it was hard to tell with the blood saturating the ground around us.

“Guess I’ll be grateful for the shorts then,” she muttered under her breath, and I smiled involuntarily. It was just Jess and how she coped with what was going on.

“We should talk about this,” I said firmly, wanting her to understand and be prepared.

“I hit my head pretty hard,” she mumbled. “You came to my aid. You and Caleb. Those guys attacked me. There was a rabid wolf. That’s all.”

I sighed, gripping my thighs as I looked away from her. Part of me wanted to play along, give her the illusion of normalcy that she so desperately craved, and let her go, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

“I don’t want to know your secrets,” she burst out, a lie since she’d witnessed most of our secrets.

“Little late for that,” I answered dryly, looking back at her. “You’re not what I expected.”

“You either,” was her cheeky response.

I nodded and pushed myself up.

“Let’s get you home.” I reached down, my hand clasping hers, and at the touch, I felt the burn of her mark reminding me I could never let her go.

Her lips parted and I tightened my hand around hers, silencing whatever she was about to say. I guided her around Justin, using my body to block her from seeing his mangled form. She peeked though, her curiosity irresistible. “You fought hard,” I praised, squeezing the hand I still held. I’d seen the scratches on Justin’s arms where she’d fought him.