Skin and Bones

by Susan Harris

  Ever came awake in a haze of pain and confusion. Her whole body ached, and when she tried to open her eyes, the lights above shone so brightly that she let out a groan of pain. Instantly, the lights dimmed, and she cracked her lids open again a fraction. A cold cloth dampened her eyes, wiping away the crust and dirt that seemed to prevent her from opening them completely. She shifted from her prone position, but agony tore through her and she whimpered in pain.

  “Hush now, Ever. We need to let the wolf sleep, or he may awaken grumpier than usual.”

  The familiar voice eased the tension and fear that crept up as she tried a third time to open her eyes. Caitlyn balanced on the edge of the bed, a worried expression darkening her features. Ever opened her mouth to speak, yet a croak was all she could manage. Her throat was dry, and she reached for something to drink. Her hands trembled, but Caitlyn snared the cup for her and held it to her lips. Ever took a sip or two, then nodded, and Caitlyn removed the cup.

  “Better, chère?”

  “Yes, thank you… where am I?”

  Sweeping her hair off her face, Caitlyn studied her for a moment before she spoke. “You’re in hospital, Ever. You’ve been unconscious for three days. You both had us all very worried.” She inclined her head to her right.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a dark-haired figure asleep in the bed next to her. His chest rose and fell, causing relief to spread throughout her. Ever rubbed her forehead, her memories hazy. She was alive, Derek was alive, and she had no clue how.

  Ever made to sit up, but nausea and dizziness halted her. Silently, Caitlyn slipped her arms behind Ever and hoisted her up, slipping another pillow behind her for support. Returning to her spot on the edge of the bed, she watched Ever with great trepidation.

  “What happened, Caitlyn? Is Donnelly dead?”

  Caitlyn’s grey eyes flashed red for a second. “Do you truly not remember what happened in the woods?”

  Ever cast her thoughts back, but the last thing she remembered was Derek lunging for Donnelly in wolf form. She tried to think harder, to clear the haze in her mind, but pain laced through her head.

  “I don’t remember much. I remember Donnelly blackmailing me to come to meet him and then Derek coming to help me. After that, it’s all a blur.”

  “That is what mon loup says as well.”

  Ever breathed in through her nose and out her mouth. She breathed in the scent of wood and Derek, a familiar scent now ingrained on her very self. “Has he been here all along?”

  Caitlyn answered with a weary smile. “He has refused to leave your side since he woke. He hissed like an alley cat any time someone tried to remove him from the room. I told them, it is not wise to get in between a wolf when he has chosen his mate.”

  Mate…

  A flash of memory reminded Ever of what Derek had done to keep her alive. She touched her fingers to her neck, where he had bitten her. “He pushed me into mating with him so he could force his strength into me. To keep me alive.”

  “Yes, he returned the favour you bestowed on him. I was witness to it all, and I have not told a soul. But there are things we need to discuss when you are well.”

  Confused, Ever found it hard to comprehend what the stunning vampire was saying. She rubbed her temple, eager to get Caitlyn to elaborate, but something in the vampire’s expression told her to leave it alone for now.

  “He may be a wolf, Ever, but Derek is an old soul. He protects what is his, and now he has claimed you as his mate. Now he will be twice as possessive, twice as stubborn, and twice as likely to argue with you. Do you love him?”

  Caitlyn’s question caught her off guard. Casting her eyes to Derek’s sleeping form, she asked herself the same question… and was a little taken aback by the answer.

  “Yes. I do.”

  Caitlyn grasped her hand. “Good. That is good. I like you, Ever, and would hate to have to hurt you if you hurt him. Derek is my family, and I would bleed anyone who hurts him.”

  Ever gave Caitlyn’s cold hand a squeeze. “I have no plans to hurt him. I wasn’t expecting to find him or to fall so quickly, but the wolf has my heart in his teeth. He has the power to undo me.”

  Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Caitlyn smiled. “You may do after all, Ever Chace.” She leaned in and continued in a hushed tone. “I don’t know what you are, but you are far from human. What I saw? What you did? Mon Dieu, it was as if you were possessed and a divinity had overcome you. You breathed life back into a dying man’s body.”

  At Ever’s wide eyes, Caitlyn said, “I haven’t shared what I’ve seen with any other soul. And I will not. The others happened on you both as Derek made you his mate but do not know the rest. Once you have had time to heal, we will revisit what happened in the woods.”

  Suddenly tired, Ever closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was alone in the room with a sleeping wolf. She could hear the faint sound of his snoring in the darkened corner. His back was to her, but she could make out the outline of his shoulders, muscular back, and that gorgeous, chestnut hair that made her want to reach out and tease her fingers through it. He was beautiful, her wolf, and her heart fluttered knowing he was hers.

  Quit looking at me like that, Mate. I can’t sleep with you staring at me like that.

  Ever let out a squeal and instantly put her palm to her forehead as pain lashed out again. Swearing, she heard him move in the bed and watched as he pulled the wires free from his bare chest. The machines shrieked, and a nurse ran in, quickly retreating as Derek growled and pulled the plug on the machine.

  “That wasn’t very nice.”

  “I never claimed to be nice. Push over.”

  His voice was thick with emotion as Ever budged over and Derek climbed into the bed with her. He yanked her against his chest, and a rumble of pleasure rippled through him. She leaned into him, trying to ignore the pain in her body. For some reason, the tenderness of being held caused tears to well up, and when Derek pressed his lips to her forehead, the dam broke and sobs wracked her body.

  Derek simply held her and murmured comforting words to her. After what felt like an age, the tears dried up and embarrassment surged through her.

  “I’m sorry. I snotted all over you.”

  “I’m a big wolf; I think I can handle a little snot.” He chuckled.

  She sighed against him. “Are you okay?”

  “Watching you lie there like that almost killed me, Ever. I could feel the bond here, ya’ know,” he tapped a finger to the side of his head, “but I couldn’t get you to wake up. What happened in the woods? Caitlyn says you don’t remember.”

  Ever shook her head. From the look on Caitlyn’s and now Derek’s face, Ever wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know what had happened. Maybe some things she was better off not knowing. “I’m sorry. It’s still all a bit fuzzy.”

  Pressing his lips to her forehead again, he ran his hands down her arms, and she shivered under his touch. Her heart raced, and she swallowed hard as Derek bent at the neck to press a kick to the side of her neck, where he had bitten her. She bit back a moan as heat lit up her veins, but she tilted her head so Derek would have better access.

  A very satisfied grin pressed against her skin. “I’m sorry I didn’t wait until we did this right, but you were dying, and neither man nor wolf could let that happen.”

  Ever pressed her hand to the side of his face, and he all but purred. Maybe Caitlyn was right and Derek was part cat. He nipped at her ear as if to chastise her, and Ever knew then she had projected her thought into his head.

  “It’s gonna take a little time to get used to having you in my head.”

  “Ditto,” he replied before becoming serious once again. “Are you sure you’re not mad? You understand why I did what I did, right?”

  Turning her head, she looked up at him and saw the fear in his eyes. He was afraid she would leave him. That forcing her to mate him might have ruined whatever it was they had. For as long as she could rem
ember, Ever had only wanted to feel like she belonged because too many times she had felt so alone. Falling in love with a werewolf was not in her plans, but destiny was a funny thing. She felt safe in his arms, as if she finally belonged.

  “I’m sure. It happened before either of us had planned, Derek, but what’s done is done. Now we need to figure out how we deal with everything else.”

  “Like?” he enquired.

  She shrugged. “To be honest, I’m not sure, but we can’t rush us. I won’t move in with you or anything like that.”

  When he growled, Ever sighed. “Not yet, anyway. We need to get to know each other. Likes and dislikes. And you still owe me a proper date. That’s a major stipulation of this mating.”

  “Okay. Okay… a date. I think I can do that. But now I really need to kiss you. It’s instrumental to my recovery.”

  Ever laughed with an eyebrow raised. “Oh really?”

  A devilish smile lit up his handsome face. “Yup. Doctor’s orders.”

  “Well then, how could I refuse?”

  His chest vibrated before his mouth found hers. It was tender at first—Derek simply tasting her—before he nipped at her bottom lip, causing her to gasp, and his tongue invaded her mouth. The kiss turned hungry rapidly, and Ever traced his stomach with her fingers.

  “My eyes! My eyes! Need to scrub them clean… will have nightmares!”

  Ricky’s cry dragged Derek’s lips from hers, but she could only smile.

  “Perfect timing as always, Ricky.”

  Wagging his finger at Derek, a smirk a mile long on his kisser, Ricky said, “Sarge is on his way up. Thought it best to interrupt so her godfather doesn’t rip you a new one.”

  Derek simply scoffed at Ricky’s cheerful quips and wrapped his arms around Ever. Sarge stalked into the room, shot Derek a look, and came to give Ever a hug. She returned the bear’s affection, and as soon as Sarge let Ever loose, Derek wrapped his arms around her again.

  “Your mother’s not happy with you mating a wolf.”

  “My mother’s not happy I’m seeing anyone at all. Is she here?”

  Tom shook his head. “No. Samhain left to take care of a coven meeting, and your dad is still in Europe. He should be home by Friday. She and Dr. Val have been having quite the conversations about you, Ever, and Samhain left strict instructions for you to call when you woke up.”

  Ever groaned. “I’m still asleep. For a little while, anyway.”

  That brought a smile to Tom’s face. “Okay, but do call her. She was worried about you. As were we all.”

  “Yeah, Ever, you circled the drain a couple of times, girl. Did he tell you about the wall he decimated when you coded in the ER?”

  “You decimated a wall?”

  “You died… twice.”

  Fair enough, she supposed, but she still slapped him softly on the chest. Laughter filled the room, and Ever finally breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was good. Donnelly was dead. But could she really go back to being a teacher now that she had seen the darkness that lurked around the corner and survived?

  “No.”

  Derek’s voice snapped her from her thoughts.

  “Damn it, Derek! Stay out of my head until we learn how to stop some thoughts from going through.” The hurt on his face made her soften her voice and say, “I just mean that I need to be able to keep some part of myself, and even though we’re mated, you can’t order me around. If I want to ask Tom to join the team, I’ll do it and you can’t stop me.”

  Derek growled and glared at Tom, who held up his hands. “Don’t look at me, she’s your mate. I could’ve told you how stubborn she was if you’d have listened.”

  “Hey!”

  “Look at it this way, D,” Ricky moved to stand by the table, plucked a grape from the punnet of grapes, and swallowed it, “if Ever is consulting with us, then you can keep a better eye on her. Closer she is, the less grumpy you’ll be, too.”

  The door to the room swung open, and Dr. Val entered. “Ever, it’s so good to see you awake. Now, I need to give Ever the once-over, so gentlemen, that means you have to leave. That includes you, too, Derek.”

  Derek growled, earning a slap from Ever. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

  With a quick peck to her cheek, Derek slipped from the bed and caught the T-shirt Ricky tossed him, the warlock muttering about Derek causing a riot if he went out shirtless before he slipped from the room, Derek in his wake. As soon as Derek had left, Ever called Tom back, asking Dr. Val for a moment to speak with the bear.

  He sat down on the bed and held her hand. “You okay, love?”

  “I’m okay. Just a little confused.”

  Have you already forgotten who you are?

  Her tormentor was back to drive her to madness. While she could cope if she were going mad herself, she was now linked to Derek, and she could not let the madness seep into him. She would not let it destroy him, even if it took her over.

  You’re not going mad, sweetheart; simply waking up.

  “Of course you are. A lot has happened. You just woke up after being out for a few days. Time will make it easier. Now, what can I do for you?”

  She had a second to back out, but her mouth worked of its own accord. “Remember when you said if I ever wanted to find my biological parents you would help? Does that offer still stand?”

  For five heartbeats, Tom studied her before he finally answered. “Of course. But Ever, be sure you want to go down this avenue, and realize you may not get the desired result. Why now, when you were adamant that you had no interest in locating them?”

  Did she dare tell him that she thought she was losing her mind? He would usher in a psychologist, and it would turn into a circus before too long. If she was to go mad, then she wanted as much time with Derek as possible.

  Shrugging, Ever explained, “Maybe this whole almost dying has made me realize I’d like to know where I’m from. And I think I’d like to understand why my mother abandoned me. It’s a new feeling.”

  “Alright then, leave it with me. I will do my best to look into it.”

  Tom rose to leave, but Ever grasped his hand tighter. “Please don’t tell Samhain. She will be upset, and there is no need to tell my parents anything until we know something, right? And Derek doesn’t need to know, either… just us, okay?”

  Tom eyed her suspiciously, but nodded. “Not a great way to start out a relationship, Ever, but okay. For now, it stays with us. Caitlyn might be able to help as well if you don’t mind her knowing. She will be discreet.”

  “That would be good. And Tom? Thank you.”

  Tom gave a shake of his head, his greying hair sparkling with the lighting. “No thanks needed, Ever. You are family. And if Derek hurts you, I’ll break both his legs.”

  “How could he dare when I have two dads to hunt him down?”

  Tom left swiftly after her comment, and she reckoned he didn’t know how to respond to it. She did look at him as another father figure. Anxiety spread across her chest at the thought that she may hurt her parents by looking for her biological parents. She would tell them, but only when she finally sorted out what was going on in her head.

  Closing her eyes, Ever leaned into the pillows and exhaled a breath.

  Do you seriously think that we would leave you in peace to forget about us? You will remember, Ever, and it will all come back to you in one swift rush. Your champion is by your side. Your powers are unleashed. Remember what you are now… believe it.

  Valkyrie.

  A sob bubbled in her chest and her eyes sprang open as Dr. Val strode into the room. With one look at Ever, she came to stand beside her and smoothed her hair away from her face. “Now dear, don’t cry. It’s been a long few days, and you need to rest. Dry your eyes, and let me give you a quick check. Then you can sleep for a while before your wolf comes hunting for you again.”

  Ever nodded and closed her eyes again as Dr. Val checked her over. But Ever was afraid she would never sleep again. The nightmares th
at stalked her when asleep were beginning to plague her during the day. Death scented the air, and Ever breathed it in as Dr. Val injected her with something and told her to rest for now. So she did.