Chapter 7
SEVEN
Reyes
I drag myself home, eager to see my mate, but hoping that she’s sleeping. I don’t want her to see me like this.
My wolf whines inside me, pawing at me anxiously.
I’m fine, I promise him. The scratches will heal in a day or two.
He shakes his head and paces as I jog up the front porch steps. The TV is still on, and I let out a sigh of relief when I see Taylor fast asleep on the couch. If I’m quiet, I should be able to make it upstairs and shower before she wakes up.
I unlock the front door and tiptoe to the stairs, hurrying up to our bedroom. Stripping off the bloody clothes, I throw them right in the trash. I hop into the shower, praying that Taylor doesn’t hear the water running.
I wash off the blood , standing under the hot water until it runs clear. A few wounds are already healing, including the stab wound on my side. I’ll still have to patch it up. I hurry to dry off and do that before I go downstairs to my mate.
It’s after midnight, and I can already feel the mating heat as I sit beside the couch, brushing Taylor’s hair out of her eyes. It takes everything in me not to bite and claim her right here and now, but I promised to go at my mate’s pace. I won’t claim her until she says I can, even if it kills me.
Will she feel the mating heat, too? I meant to ask some of my friends, but I was distracted with finding Landry and bringing her home to my mate.
Taylor stirs and jerks upright in a rush, her eyes locking onto me. She tears her gaze away, looking around for Landry, before her eyes find mine again.
“She’s okay. She’s at the clinic. There was an incident.”
She looks stricken.
My wolf howls inside me, and I wince at his pain.
“We had to fight to get her out. They must have known we would come for her because they were waiting.”
Taylor grabs her phone. Is she alive?
“Yes, she’s alive. Just needs some medicine and rest.”
And you? Are you okay?
“A few scratches, but they’re already healing. And everyone else is okay,” I say before she can type it out.
She sags with relief.
I push to my feet, offering her my hand. “Come on. Get dressed, and I’ll take you to the clinic.”
Her hand slips into mine, and I lead her upstairs. I pass her some clothes, and she dresses in record time. Grabbing a phone charger and some tea bags, we head out to my car. I have a feeling we’ll be at the clinic for a while, and I need to be prepared.
We make the drive into town and pull into the clinic parking lot. Quinn, Christian’s mate, greets us at the door with a smile.
“Room four,” she says softly.
I take my mate’s hand as we walk to Landry’s room.
“Oh!” Taylor sobs when she sees Landry lying unconscious in the bed.
She rushes to her side, and I’m right behind her. I pull a chair closer to the bed, urging her to sit down.
“It’s just the medicine,” I reassure her. “She’s okay.”
Taylor nods, trembling as she grips her sister’s hand.
I crouch down next to her, squeezing her knee. “I know, mate. It’s okay to cry.”
The dam breaks. I pull Taylor into my arms, letting her cry into my shoulder.
“I know. I know you were scared for her. You’ve both been through so much. You survived, though, and so did she. Nothing bad will happen to you again,” I promise her. “I’ve got you.”
She nods, crying into my neck. I hold her, letting her get it all out. I hate to see her upset, but I know the tears are mostly from relief and stress from the last few days.
We spend the rest of the day at Landry’s bedside. She wakes up briefly, and the sisters cry as they hug. Landry gives me a curious look, and I see Taylor blush.
“We’ll talk about him later,” she whispers.
I stare at my mate, wishing I could hear what she’s going to say to her sister.
I hover over Taylor, leaving only to make her tea or grab us something to eat.
I can see the love between Taylor and Landry.
They smile, their hands clinging to each other.
Both of them are hoarse, but they whisper to each other.
When that gets to be too much, I pass Taylor her phone and hand mine to Landry so they can type to each other.
I talk to Christian about when Landry will be discharged, but he wants to keep her for another day at least.
By the time the sun sets, both girls look exhausted. I need to get Taylor home so she can get some rest.
And so we can claim her, my wolf adds.
We’ll see.
“Mate, are you ready to head home? I think you could both use some rest.”
Taylor sighs, not looking thrilled to leave.
“We’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning. Hopefully, Landry will be cleared to leave, and we can all go home.”
The sisters hug goodbye. Landry tries to pass my phone back, but I shake my head.
“You keep it. In case you need to get in touch with us or get bored.”
She smiles, typing something and showing me the screen.
I like you. Don’t break my sister’s heart.
“Never,” I promise her. “Get some rest, kid.”
She rolls her eyes at the nickname, and I pat her head awkwardly before I take Taylor’s hand in mine and lead her out of the room.
I open her car door for her, and as soon as I’m sitting behind the wheel, the mating heat hits me full force.
I ignored it for most of the day because I was worried about Taylor and Landry, but now that we’re headed home, it’s all I can think about.
Bite her, my wolf growls.
I grit my teeth. We promised we would go at her pace, and we keep our promises to our mate.
I drive home, trying to ignore the pressing need to claim my mate. Taylor smiles happily out at the darkening sky, and I grip the steering wheel tighter so I don’t reach for her.
“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice sounding better.
“For what? Use your phone,” I order when she opens her mouth to answer me.
She rolls her eyes and turns to face me. “For everything. I’m so happy.”
“I would do anything for you, Taylor. Always.”
She nods, turning to stare out the windshield.
I wonder what she’s thinking… and how I’ll be able to make it through the night without giving in to the mating moon and claiming her.