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A woman’s voice was like a bucket of cold water splashed over Mila. She pulled away from Gio’s kiss and tugged her hand free. Feeling breathless and maybe a little dizzy, she scrambled off the bed.

“What, uh, who is that?” she asked, trying hard to get her jumbled thoughts in some kind of order.

“That’s the woman who’s going to make sure Carter’s fine,” Gio explained, looking a little dazed himself. Without taking his eyes off Mila, he called out, “Upstairs, Faith.”

Mila stood near the door, debating about what she should do when a gorgeous African American woman walked into the room. She had thick dreadlocks streaming down her back and secured in a ponytail by a colorful scarf at the back of her head. It was hard to describe, but she also had an air of calm that immediately made Mila feel better.

“Oh, hello,” the woman said, coming to a stop and staring at Mila curiously.

“Faith, this is Mila,” Gio said quickly, standing up and moving to stand between them. “Mila, this is Dr. Faith. We should probably leave while she attends to Carter.”

Faith raised an eyebrow at Gio but then gave a nod of agreement. “It’d be better if Carter didn’t have to worry about looking strong and manly for you.”

Gio took hold of her elbow and escorted her out of the room. “Wait here for a moment.”

Before she could say a word, he gently shut the bedroom door in her face.

Standing in the dark hall, she tried to process what had happened.

Gio

“New flock member?” Faith asked in a quiet voice as she moved to the bed.

“She’s not flock yet, but she will be,” Gio explained. “She’s human and doesn’t know. We need to tread carefully.”

“I guessed that when you called me doctor instead of knitter,” Faith said with a wry smile. “You shouldn’t wait long. I’ve heard it’s better to do it quickly so there’s less of a sense of betrayal.”

“Nothing can happen until Carter is better,” Gio said, looking down at the wolf shifter. He could feel that Carter had slipped into unconsciousness. Carter was a convenient excuse. Really, itwas Gio who was going to need to work up the courage to tell Mila.

Faith leaned over and placed a hand on Carter’s shoulder. Babette was still on the pillow next to his head. She lifted her head and growled at the knitter.

“Hush now, sweet soul,” the knitter murmured without looking at the dog. “I’m here to help.”

At her gentle words, Babette settled back down. She kept her eyes on Faith, as if ready to jump up and defend Carter, but didn’t growl.

Faith shut her eyes to concentrate. It only took a few seconds for her to assess Carter. With a shake of her head, she looked up at Gio.

“There’s a lot of internal damage there,” she murmured, “I’m going to be here a while, and I’ll need to spend the night this time. I can’t believe he survived.”

Gio pointed to the door keeping Mila in the hall. “I think he was able to draw from Mila until I got to him.”

“He drew enough from a human?” Faith exclaimed. “And she’s able to walk and talk after?”

“I know it’s unusual, but that’s the only explanation,” Gio said.

“Then that’s a good sign for her being in your flock. Go drink some blood and make sure you’re ready,” Faith said, getting comfortable on the edge of the bed. “I’ll need to draw from you later.”

Gio turned to leave but Faith stopped him. “Gio, I need you to watch Mila for any signs of sudden exhaustion,” she said. “If Carter was drawing from her, it might hit her all at once. Encourage her to eat and drink while she’s still moving around.”

“Do I need to call your wife?” he asked, fear making his voice tight.

“I doubt it,” Faith said. “If Carter took enough to be dangerous, we’d already be seeing the effects. Take care of her like you’d take care of Carter after he over extended himself with shifting.”

Gio nodded, he was familiar with that. “Steaks, water, and sleep.”

Faith chuckled. “Not necessarily a steak, but the same idea.”

Opening the door, Gio found Mila waiting in the center of the hallway looking a little dazed. He couldn't be sure if it was the events of the evening or a power drain.