Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Iwoke up to a string of text messages from my dad.
Dad
Why am I hearing about an incident from Gareth?
He said Danny called him last night and filled him in.
I don’t like hearing about things like this from my second.
You should have called me.
Do you have any idea how serious this is?
Danny said someone from the pack will be watching the girl at all times. Make sure this happens. I’d prefer one of the more experienced members. We can’t afford to have an issue on campus.
Call me.
I groaned. I’d completely forgotten to call or text my dad last night to fill him in.
Rowan
I’ll call later. She spent the night here so I could watch her.
Dad
Is she still there?
Rowan
Yes. I need to talk to you about her.
Dad
Likewise. Call when you can talk.
I needed to tell my dad about my weird connection to Laney.
I also needed to talk to Em about it. She had a right to know.
I got the feeling that Em felt something toward Laney too.
Everyone in the house seemed to sense her on some level, so maybe it wasn’t just me.
Although I didn’t think any of them wanted to tear her clothes off and fuck her into oblivion. But that was neither here nor there.
Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and stretched, peering over at her. She was sound asleep on my bed, wrapped in my sheets, her heady smell filling my room.
I got up and went into the bathroom, taking a quick shower and dressing in shorts and a t-shirt. Since we had a game last night, we had the day off.
When I exited the bathroom, Laney was sitting on my bed, running her hands through her long brown hair.
“Morning,” I said, wanting to run my hand through her hair. It looked soft and silky.
Her face turned red. “I should get going.”
I woke her up twice last night to check on her. She’d known her name and was able to answer a few other basic questions. “You don’t seem to have a concussion, but I’d still take it easy today.”
She nodded. “I’m just going to spend most of the day studying.”
I wanted to check her forehead and knee but didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. I needed to give her space. Besides, she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself now that she was calm and the shock of the attack had worn off.
“Do you know where my phone is?” she asked. “I can’t find it.”
“No, I don’t.” I didn’t recall seeing it last night when I’d picked her up and brought her here. Maybe it got knocked out of her pocket or hand when she was attacked. It could still be there. The asshole who attacked her better not have taken it. Not wanting to frighten her, I didn’t mention that.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I asked, “Are you hungry?” I didn’t want to make her breakfast here because there were too many guys around, especially on a Saturday morning without training. “We can grab something on campus, or I can take you to a great breakfast joint not far from here.”
Since I knew nothing about this girl sitting next to me, I wanted the chance to talk to her. It was imperative that I discover if she knew about my world or not. In order to have that conversation, I needed to start gaining her trust.
“What time is it?” she asked.
At least she hadn’t rejected the idea outright. I lifted my phone to check. “Almost ten.”
“In the morning?” she said with a high-pitched screech.
“Yeah.”
She stood. “I need to go.”
“Okay,” I said, drawing out the word while watching Laney rush to the door only to realize she was wearing my shirt.
“Where are my clothes?” she demanded, not meeting my eyes.
She didn’t look at my face often. She seemed to look everywhere but directly at me.
“They’re right over there,” I said, reaching for them. I’d folded her shirt and shorts and had them sitting on my dresser.
“I’m going to change.” She grabbed her clothes and headed into my bathroom, closing the door harder than necessary. Tension and fear radiated from the other side of the door, bombarding me with the force of their potency. It felt as if she were on the verge of a full-blown panic attack.
“Laney?” I called out. Maybe she could talk to me easier without being right next to me. When she didn’t say anything, I forged on. “Is everything okay? Did I do something to make you mad?”
After a long pause, she finally said, “My mom is coming today. We’re having lunch. Plus…” She sighed.
I felt her heat radiating right on the other side, so I put my hand on the door, imagining her doing the same. Her hand would be touching mine, only we were separated by one thin piece of wood.
“I only want to help,” I said, keeping my voice low. “You can trust me.” I wanted her to open up to me.
“It’s complicated,” she whispered. “I’m diabetic and take daily injections.
I was supposed to take my medicine and check in with my mom at seven-thirty.
Since I didn’t, she’s probably freaking out and has been calling me nonstop, but I don’t have my phone.
And I don’t know what time she’s supposed to be here.
I’m trying to prove to her that I can be on my own and handle college.
I’m not off to a good start. When she sees my forehead, she’ll want to drag me back home. ” She sighed, as if defeated.
This was the most I’d heard Laney talk, and she’d revealed an awful lot. I would have to unpack all that later. For now, I needed to calm her down. “I’m sure your mom isn’t going to blame you for tripping over a dog.”
“She won’t care if it was an accident or not. She doesn’t want me here.”
There was a shuffling noise, so I took a step back just as Laney opened the door. I wondered what kind of parent didn’t want their kid going to college. Maybe the kind of parent who had something to hide.
“Come on. I’ll walk you to your dorm.” I had a truck and could drive her. However, it would probably be faster just walking.
“You don’t need to,” Laney said, heading for my bedroom door, still not looking me in the face.
“I know. But I want to. I’m gonna swing by Em’s practice after.”
She rubbed her forehead, then headed downstairs where several of the guys were in the TV room playing a video game.
“Lake,” Adan called out. “I have something for you.”
I bristled at how casually he spoke to her.
Laney froze. “I forgot you lived here.” She glanced between Adan and me. “I…uh…I didn’t spend the night with Rowan. Well, I was in his room, but it wasn’t anything like that.” She kept stumbling over her words.
It was kind of adorable. Most girls would be bragging they’d spent the night with me. I leaned my arm on the doorframe above her head.
Adan paused the game and got up, striding over to Laney. “I know. Ro told us.” He pulled a phone out of his pocket. “I assume this is yours.” He handed it over.
“Yes.” Her face lit up. “Where’d you find it?”
“A couple of us went to where you ran into the…dog. We wanted to make sure it didn’t come back and hurt anyone else.” He glanced at me. “I found the phone and knew it was yours.”
She opened it and frowned. “Shit.”
“Fifty text messages from your mom again?” Adan said, speaking to her as if the two of them were best friends.
“Unfortunately.” She slid the phone into her pocket. “Thank you.”
“Ready?” I asked, placing my hand on her lower back. A jolt of something sharp and pleasant rushed up my arm and toward my chest.
She peered over her shoulder at me under hooded eyes. Instead of answering, she nodded, as if she couldn’t form words at the moment.
Trying to keep my cool, I escorted her outside where I immediately removed my hand. The strange feeling went away. “Is your mom mad?” I found it funny that I’d woken up to a string of angry texts from my dad as well.
“She’s not mad. She’s disappointed with my behavior.”
“Ah.” Guilt trips were sometimes worse than flat-out anger.
We reached the bridge that went over the river and to the main section of campus.
Laney touched her bandage again.
“Is it bothering you?”
“No. I’m just worried about what it looks like. It’s bad enough that I haven’t responded to my mom’s texts and calls. When she sees I’m injured, it’ll put her over the edge.”
“Let me take a look.” I reached out, grabbing Laney’s arm and pulling her to a halt. Pleasure and warmth seeped into me.
She turned and faced me, her focus on her shoes.
Gingerly, I pushed her hair over her shoulder, then peeled the bandage back. While there was a cut, it looked almost healed. As if she’d gotten it over a week ago and not just last night. I removed the rest of the bandage.
“Is it bad?” She peered up, finally looking at my face.
Her eyes were blue like the sky. They were gorgeous. Mesmerizing. The sudden urge to lean down and kiss her soft lips inundated me.
“Well?” she asked.
Blinking, I abruptly took a step away from her. “It looks great. With some makeup, your mom might not even notice.” We continued walking.
“Oh.” She smiled, the simple act making me happy. “Now, I just need to take my insulin, and everything will be good. I hope.”
I peered over at her, subtly sniffing. “You’re diabetic?”
“Yup. Diagnosed when I was a toddler.”
Strange. Her blood sugar level didn’t smell off.
I sniffed again. Actually, now that I was specifically searching for it, she almost smelled stronger.
More wolf. That, coupled with her wound healing quickly, meant she had to at least be a half-breed.
I eyed her sidelong, wondering if she shifted.
Maybe she was a really good actress and had us all fooled into believing she had no knowledge of our world.
The more time I spent with Laney Lake, the more intriguing I found her.
When we reached Blackwall dorm, Laney pulled out her ID and swiped it. The door clicked open.
“Thanks for walking me here.”
I grabbed the door, holding it open for her.
“You don’t need to walk me to my room.” She folded her arms, her shoulders pulling in toward her neck, as if nervous.