Chapter 11
Ashleigh
It was late by the time the chalet was fully cleared.
As the night wore on, Becca started looking more and more tired and it soon became apparent that we were going to have to find her a safe place to sleep.
I cleared out two bedrooms on the upper floors and Elijah carried her up the stairs, finding a bedroom and tucking her into bed.
“We’ll be right next door if you need anything,” he whispered. “I’ll make those pancakes for you in the morning.”
“You promise?” she asked, her small voice carrying in the tiny room.
“I promise,” he replied gently. “Now get some sleep, Becca.”
Her eyes were already closing. By the time I closed the door behind us, she was already fast asleep.
I turned toward Elijah and wrapped myself around him.
He winced and I pulled back, searching his face for the reason why.
I gasped when I glanced down. It was difficult to see against the dark color of his shirt, but when I reached out and touched the side of his torso gently, I could feel that it was wet.
I pulled my fingers away and the tips were stained red.
“Get inside. Let me tend to you,” I demanded.
He didn’t fight me when I ushered him inside the bedroom that had been prepared for us. The moonlight illuminated his features, revealing the paleness of his face and the tiredness in his eyes. Slowly, I led him over to the bed and started to unbutton his shirt.
“If you wanted to get me naked, little wolf, all you had to do was ask,” he chuckled.
“You’re hopeless,” I chided him, but I didn’t really mean it. Carefully, I peeled the fabric away from his skin. His left side was covered with blood. The silver blade had cut him deep, practically skewering him in the process.
“I didn’t want Becca to see. She’s already been through enough,” he murmured. I used his shirt to gently pat away the blood.
“Stay here,” I ordered. I rose to my feet and rushed off into the attached bathroom.
I dampened several towels and found a first aid kit under the sink.
There was a bowl that I filled with water too.
Elijah would heal, but his wound would need to be cleaned before it would get any better.
I carried everything into the room with me.
“This part isn’t going to be pleasant,” I warned, and he nodded. I hesitated for a moment, and he grunted.
“It’s alright. This isn’t my first run-in with a silver knife,” he added.
I’d give him points for bravery, but he was losing a lot of blood.
I dabbed at his side, trying to mop some of it up with the towels.
He didn’t flinch, so I slowly increased the pressure.
I glanced up to see him gritting his teeth.
I knew it was hurting him. I could see it written all over his face.
By the time I had his side cleaned of blood, he’d gone several shades paler. I laid him down and laid a cold compress over his eyes.
“I need to clean inside the wound now. You will heal much faster if I can get that done quickly,” I ventured warily.
“Go ahead, little wolf. I can take it,” he replied bravely. His voice was a little strained and I hated seeing him in pain more than anything. With a steadying breath, I started to dab at his wound. I squeezed water over it, rinsing it first before I wiped it clean.
Lesser men would be screaming and begging for mercy from an injury like this, but he hardly made a sound. I dried his wound and he sat up so that I could wrap his waist with bandages I tore from a clean sheet I’d found in a nearby closet.
“Thank you, my sweet,” he murmured.
“Let me get you something to drink, maybe a bite to eat too,” I offered, and he shook his head.
“Come lie with me. Let us rest,” he whispered.
“But you should—” I began, but he cut me off.
“I’ll be much better in the morning, little wolf. Trust me,” he insisted.
I sighed, not wanting to argue with him when he was in a state like this. He reached for me, and I carefully crawled into bed beside him. I tried hard not to jostle him, but he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me against him anyway.
His body warmth surrounded me, and I closed my eyes. I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring in this new place, what was supposed to be our new home.
His breathing evened out, and I listened to it for a long time. It was soothing. There was no wheezing or rattling thankfully and I closed my own eyes.
I didn’t understand the need to care for him like I did. A part of me felt like I’d done it out of kindness, that I just didn’t like to see anyone get hurt, but another part of me knew I hadn’t taken care of him for that reason alone. There was more to it than that.
I’d been afraid for him. The possibility of losing him had cut through my heart. I didn’t understand it. Maybe it was the bond. Maybe it was just fate playing with my heart.
It couldn’t be that I was actually falling in love with him.
* * *
When the sun rose the next morning, I opened my eyes and yawned. An arm squeezed around my waist, and I turned my head to see a familiar set of sparkling gray eyes. He wasn’t nearly as pale as last night.
“How are you feeling?” I asked quickly and he smiled in return.
“Much better,” he whispered. He leaned forward and kissed the back of my shoulder gently.
“I should change your bandage before Becca wakes up,” I said.
“I suppose you’re right,” he murmured. With a groan, he pushed himself up to a seated position as I climbed out of the warm cocoon of our bed.
I tore through another sheet, quickly making a few additional bandages.
When I was ready, I unwrapped his waist and gasped at how much the wound had healed since last night.
Our species could heal quickly, but I’d never seen it in action quite like this.
Most of his flesh had knitted back together, leaving a pink cut that was only about half an inch deep.
I used the bowl of water from last night to wet another towel before I cleaned it again.
He didn’t make any sound at all. When I was finished, I wrapped him back up.
“By tomorrow, I don’t know if you’ll have anything more than a scar,” I mused.
“I’ll add it to the collection, I suppose,” he answered.
My gaze played along the other scars that marred his chest. I reached for one and traced my finger along it.
“That one was from a human. Had a switchblade on him,” he explained. “He didn’t survive the encounter.”
“Good,” I replied, and he smirked.
He stood up and opened his own bag. He pulled out another shirt and shrugged it on, covering the bandages. He strode into the bathroom, and I heard the sound of running water while he got ready.
I gathered all the bloody towels and stuffed them in a basket. I had only just put it in the bathroom when an excited knock rapped at the door.
“Can we make pancakes now?” Becca exclaimed and I had to suppress a chuckle.
“Coming!” Elijah bellowed as he exited the bathroom and stuffed his feet into his boots, hurrying so that he could finish getting ready.
“You,” he said, pointing at me. “We will go into town together today. Take all the time you need to freshen up. Breakfast will be ready for you when you come downstairs.”
“Blueberry, please,” I smiled, and he nodded.
He winked in my direction before he headed out the door to a very excited little girl.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the way he grasped her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder.
She giggled animatedly. I didn’t turn away until they descended the stairs and were well out of sight.
I walked into the bathroom and brushed my teeth.
After I was done, I stripped. I turned on the water and waited a minute until it grew nice and hot.
I grabbed my toiletries from my bag and washed up, enjoying the warm spray of the rain shower above my head.
When I was done, I dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve blouse.
I slipped on a pair of boots and brushed my hair free of tangles.
I found a hair dryer and dried it enough to where it wasn’t dripping wet before I headed downstairs too.
The scent of fresh baked goods was overwhelmed by the delicious aroma of bacon. When I walked into the kitchen, there was a smorgasbord of food all across the kitchen island.
“How many of us are you trying to feed?” I chuckled.
“Theo bought some of it, but most of it was given as a welcome gift from the town,” he answered with a grin.
“What for?” I asked. I took a seat on one of the stools by the island. I couldn’t resist grabbing one of the ripe strawberries in front of me. When I popped it in between my lips, Elijah stared at me suggestively. I blushed, squirming just a little as an explosion of flavor burst across my tongue.
Strawberries were my second favorite fruit. The only thing better was raspberries. There was a bowl of them just outside of my reach. Elijah noticed me staring at them.
“Do you still want blueberry pancakes, or shall I make them raspberry just for you?” he asked, and I started. He was perceptive.
“I would love some raspberry pancakes,” I answered. He grinned and grabbed the container of berries. He emptied some of them into his mixing bowl before he walked over and handed the rest of them to me. I popped one in my mouth and hummed happily. They were incredibly fresh and delicious.
Becca already had a full plate of both chocolate and blueberry pancakes. She smiled up at me, her mouth full. She waved and I grinned in return.
“How’s the chef?” I asked her and Elijah glanced back at me with an expression that told me I was precariously close to earning a very red bottom. I snickered and turned back to Becca.
“He’s pretty good. Not my mom, but overall, I could recommend him,” she answered, and I had to bite my cheek to keep myself from laughing out loud. Elijah didn’t though. His raucous laughter echoed through the room.
“I’m glad I could be of service,” he added joyfully.
“Yeah,” Becca replied, and I couldn’t stop myself from giggling this time.