Bonded (11 page)

Brandi was
standing by the bed now and she sat down beside him, her hands
folded neatly in her lap. He noted the sheen of moisture in her
eyes, but her voice was calm and cool. “So you’re omnipotent
now?”

“What the hell is
that supposed to mean?” She got his attention with that one.

“It means you’re
all powerful and can control everyone’s actions. Sort of like a god
and no one can hide anything from you.”

“I know what the
fucking word means.” He snorted in disgust. “Yeah, I really knew
everything this time. I had no idea there was a third family. No
one said anything until we were two hours away.”

“So, if you didn’t
know and no one told you, how is it your fault?”

“I don’t—” He
broke off and snapped his mouth shut. Damned DCs always thought
they were so smart. After a moment, he glared at her. “It just is,
okay?”

“No. It’s not
okay.” She glared back at him, her temper—the one that matched her
hair—was starting to show through.

So much for
expecting tea and sympathy, he thought.

“The Alpha was
purposely deceitful. The other families were so wrapped up in
themselves they didn’t mention the ones left behind. Yes, maybe
your team should have double checked, but this has never happened
before. It’s not your fault, Reno. It’s a tragic, unfortunate
incident that we’ll all learn from so something similar never
happens again.”

He looked at her
and blinked. Her words were slowly sinking in, making at least some
sense though it irked to admit it. A shuddering sigh escaped him—he
hadn’t even realized that he’d been holding his breath—and then he
allowed himself to fall back on the bed, his eyes closed.

The coolness of
the mattress pressing against him seemed to eradicate the numbness
of his body. Suddenly he was aware of every single screaming nerve
ending.

“God, I hurt
everywhere.”

“And so you
should. Just look at you! You’re ripped to pieces. There’s blood
all over the bed and there’s a trail leading from the parking lot
to here. I’ve already had to stop the motel manager from calling
911.”

“Really?” He
opened one eye to look at her. She was standing beside the bed
glaring down at him, her hands firmly planted on her hips. “What’d
you say?”

“That you were a
bleeder with a large paper cut, but I had the proper medical
supplies to deal with it.”

She said it with
such a straight face that he started to laugh before wincing in
pain. A gash on his side throbbed and his ribs hurt with every
breath he took.

“Come on. Get up.
Go take a shower and when you come out I’ll patch you up.” Brandi
clapped her hands like she was commanding a dog to perform a
trick.

“Don’t you have to
be somewhere?” He grumped, easing himself off the bed to comply
with her instructions.

“Nope. My new
partner, Al Zimmerman, is at the scene right now. I was sent to
deal with you.”

“Drew the short
straw, did you?”

“Something like
that.” She gave a soft laugh and followed him into the bathroom.
After adjusting the water, she started to undo his shirt.

“Still can’t keep
your hands off me, I see.” Even feeling like crap, he couldn’t seem
to resist teasing her.

“Still full of
yourself, I see.” She quipped back as if she hadn’t a care in the
world, however he noticed how she hissed and furrowed her brow upon
seeing the gash on his side. “I’ll bandage that up once you’re
clean.”

He fumbled with
his belt, his broken fingers not up to the task. With a soft growl,
she pushed his hands away, efficiently undoing the buckle and only
turning away as his jeans started to slide from his hips.

“I’ll set your
fingers, too. Call me if you need anything.” She left the room as
he kicked off his shoes and dropped his pants.

As the door
clicked shut, he stepped under the steaming water. Every cut and
scratch stung, breaking through any remaining fog that might have
addled his senses and bringing him into full awareness of how
battered his body really was. Bloody water swirled around his feet
and he winced as he washed the various wounds clean. Thankfully,
his Lycan metabolism was already healing the minor injuries while
the deeper cuts were slowly showing signs of improvement.

Wrapping a towel
around his waist, he headed back into the bedroom. Brandi was there
with a pair of shorts in her hand.

“Come prepared, do
you?” He took the clothing, wondering why she had men’s underwear
with her and why that fact bothered him so.

“They’re Al’s, my
partner’s. I took them from his suitcase.” She turned her back and
he let the towel fall to the ground and began to don the shorts.
Just as he was pulling them up, he glanced her way and noticed she
was watching his reflection in the mirror.

“Enjoying the
show?” He smirked as their eyes met and she flushed bright red.

“I just wanted to
make sure you didn’t fall over. You don’t seem very steady on your
feet.”

“Liar.”

She huffed and
looked away, hurt evident on her face, and he mentally kicked
himself. He’d called her a professional liar the last time they’d
met but had forgotten until that moment.

“Look, Brandi,
I...um...I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”

“It doesn’t
matter. It’s slang for my job. I’m used to it now.” She shrugged
and picked up a first aid kit she must have brought in from the
car. With a flick of her hand, she gestured for him to sit on the
bed.

Wordlessly, she
patched up the worst of his wounds and he struggled not to react to
the feel of her hands on his body. Her hair fell forward hiding her
face and he stifled a groan as the silky strands teased his
skin.

“I’m sorry, did I
hurt you?” She pushed her hair out of the way and looked up at him,
concern in her eyes. He wondered if she’d noticed the thundering of
his heart and what she attributed it to.

“No, it’s okay.”
He let his gaze wander over her features, taking in her big green
eyes and thick lashes, the curve of her cheek, her soft pink mouth.
She darted her tongue out and wet her lips and he bit back another
groan.

“Good.” She
exhaled her answer, her breath feathering over his flesh and he
clenched his fists, trying to hide his reaction.

Gently she
smoothed a final piece of gauze into place, pressing the tape to
his chest. When she would have moved away, he put his hand over
hers, trapping it against his chest and preventing her from
leaving.

She looked at him,
their eyes almost level and he felt himself being pulled towards
her. Something was there, something more than just her wolf. It was
like another part of him was waiting, a siren calling out for him
to come and be united so he could finally feel whole. At that
moment he was sure Eve and the apple had nothing on the temptation
that was before him.

Using his other
hand, he cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb over her lower lip.
Memories of how she felt, how she tasted flooded him. Despite his
aches, his body sprang to life. “Brandi, I—”

“Shh...” She
pressed her fingers to his mouth. Closing her eyes, she swallowed
hard. “Not now, Reno. Maybe later. Right now, you’re too... You
need to get some rest.”

A pang of regret
filled him, as she slowly pulled away, her fingers briefly
caressing his chest before breaking contact. However, he said
nothing, merely grunting and sinking down onto the pillows.

“You go to sleep.
I’m just going to sit here and start making some notes,” she said
as she packed away the first aid kit.

He was too
exhausted to question why she didn’t have her own room and let his
body relax into the soft mattress. Tense muscles unclenched and his
eyes grew heavy. Mentally and physically he was exhausted. On a
deep exhale, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

It seemed like his
eyes had only been shut for minutes when he started to relive the
horrific events of the night. Blood everywhere, children crying,
snarling wolves. He began to thrash about; he had to go, to help
save the halves, but something was holding him back.

He tried to run
but his legs were like dead weights. The cries were louder. They
were calling his name, begging him for help yet the harder he
tried, the slower he seemed to move. Tree branches were reaching
down, blocking his path, holding him back. His feet were sinking
into the ground.

Looking down, he
frowned wondering where the thick mud that mired his ankles had
come from. And then he realized the ground was red. It wasn’t mud.
It was blood. Shocked, he glanced around and saw blood dripping
from the trees, splashing on the soil below and forming puddles
that seemed to grow impossibly fast.

And still the
voices of the halves cried out to him, asking why he’d left them
behind, why he didn’t save them...

“Reno. Reno!” The
voice was right beside him now. Hands were shaking him. He started
awake and sat bolt upright, breathing hard, shivering as the
air-conditioned air played over his sweat-dampened skin.

“I’m coming!” He
stared around in panic and tried to climb out of bed determined to
find the halves that needed him. Soft warm hands pushed against his
chest, preventing him from getting up.

“Reno. Snap out of
it! You’re just having a bad dream.”

“What?” Something
caught his attention and he blinked, finally noticing Brandi
crouched beside the bed, her face pale and tear stained. She’d been
crying. The sight of her tears was like a knife to his heart.
Pushing his own feelings aside, he reached out with shaking hands
and brushed a salty drop from her face. “Are you okay?”

“Me?” She gave a
half laugh and shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine. You’re the one
having the nightmare.”

“A nightmare?”
Reno frowned and the horror of Langstaff came rushing back to him.
He closed his eyes and took a deep shuddering breath trying to rid
himself of the suddenly queasy feeling in his stomach. It was a
struggle, but he brought it under control. When he opened his eyes
again, Brandi was studying him carefully.

“Are you okay
now?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.
Why are you crying?”

“These?” She wiped
her face. “Just watching a sad movie.”

He flicked his
gaze towards the TV. It wasn’t on. He opened his mouth to say
something, then changed his mind. Sometimes a person just wanted to
be left alone. She’d tell him her problem if she wanted him to
know.

“You need to go
back to sleep.” She pressed her hands against his chest, forcing
him to lie down again. He complied, still tired and a bit
disoriented. She pulled the covers up around him, tucking him in
causing a hint of a smile to grace his lips. How long it had been
since someone had done that for him? “I’ll just sit here beside you
on the bed and read for a bit. If you need something, I’m here,
okay?”

He nodded and
closed his eyes.

There were
rustling sounds as she found reading material; next the bed dipped
and the springs squeaked when she climbed onto the other side. In
the background a clock ticked. The swishing of tires as vehicles
sped by on a nearby highway occasionally punctuated the night.
Everything was as it should be, yet Reno held himself stiff,
unwilling to chance sleep again, to face the nightmares that
magnified his failings.

He fisted his
hands and tried to distract himself. Brandi. She was beside him.
Why not focus on her, on the rhythm of her breathing, the sound of
pages turning.

She shivered and
he opened his eyes, noting she was just wearing a t-shirt.
Goose-bumps showed on her bare legs and arms.

“Get under the
covers.” The words came out more gruffly than he’d intended and she
shot him a nasty look.

“Reno, this is
hardly the time—”

“Brandi, I feel
like a bag of shit. I’m not trying anything. You’re cold. Get under
the covers.” He gave her a level look and she eyed him for a moment
before nodding.

Slowly, she pulled
the blankets back and scooted underneath, carefully ensuring she
was on her side of the bed.

He gave a grunt of
approval and closed his eyes again, though he kept his ears alert
to the sounds she made. After a few minutes, he heard her exhale
softly, felt the bed jiggle as she adjusted her position and once
again noted the quiet flick of a page turning.

Slowly, the heat
from her body crept across the space separating them. Her presence
beside him was comforting, providing him with a sense of peace that
had escaped him these past few months. Cautiously, he allowed his
tense muscles to relax, his jaw to unclench. He thought of her
curly hair and soft skin, inhaled the sweet scent that was uniquely
her.

Eventually, he
fell into an untroubled sleep and when he woke in the morning, she
was lying wrapped in his arms. It seemed the most natural thing in
the world to kiss her.

“Reno?” She looked
up at him with sleep laden eyes, a soft smile playing over her
lips.

“Shh... It’s still
early, I think. Go back to sleep.”

She murmured
something, then closed her eyes and snuggled in closer, her thumb
idly stroking back and forth across his chest. It felt so right
being with her like that, feeling her soft warm body pressed to
his, her rhythmic breathing feathering over his chest. He inhaled
deeply, her sweet heady scent filling him. His eyes drifted shut
just as his wolf raised its head, suddenly alert.

Still half asleep
himself, Reno didn’t bother to remind the beast who was in charge.
He was tired and it felt good just to drift along as an observer.
Without even being aware, he began to stroke Brandi’s back, cupping
her hips to pull her closer. She whimpered softly and nuzzled him,
her tongue licking at his collarbone before gently biting down.