Grim groaned, and I squirmed. “Easy,” he rubbed my back soothingly. “Stay.”
The command was there, the stillness holding onto me as I let my head rest on his shoulder. My body slumped, but his grip never wavered. He held me close as the deep purr in his chest lulled me to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
Grim
Igrowled,watchinghereyes flutter closed. My body stiffened, feeling Locke behind me. “Back away,” I grunted and relaxed at his fleeting footsteps and his hands out in surrender.
Journey’s dark hair was wet with sweat, and her body, once trembling, now lay limp in my arms.
Tucking her closer to my chest, my wolf purred deeper, causing her to grip my chest with her tiny hand.
“Is she all right?” Locke kept his voice low, knowing my wolf was close to the surface.
I had yet to shift now that my wolf was speaking to me—more like ordering me to keep our mate safe. I had no damn clue what was happening.
“I don’t know,” I said, strain in my voice. “She went to sleep after I grabbed her.”
Journey’s body was curled in the fetal position, her stomach touching mine. I kept her head under my chin, feeling the gentle pants of her breathing. “She’s breathing. That’s all that matters.”
Locke ran his hand through his hair, cursing under his breath. He pulled out his lighter, flicking it on and off. The constant clicking would normally bother me. The click, click, click, and his swearing didn’t matter anymore. My eyes had locked onto my mate, memorizing every detail of her face. I couldn’t look at her longer than a few seconds at a time while she was awake, fearing she would shy away, and my wolf couldn’t handle it.
She had tiny freckles sprinkled over her cheeks, and her eyelashes were dark and thick. Her body was still too thin, but she was gorgeous nonetheless, and she was mine.
All damned mine. Lifting one of her hands, I could see pale scars on her knuckles. I frowned, wondering what it could be until the knock at the door. Locke jumped to open it.
“Bones.” Locke nodded, plastering the uncaring visage onto his tanned face. He walked Bones, our club doctor, over, and Bones kneeled on the floor.
“Damn, you got your wolf back,” he muttered quietly. “Did you know about this?” Bones pointed to me, his eyes lingering on my mate.
I snarled as he looked at her face for far too long, and he stood back. “Hold on,” he snapped his fingers. “Are the rumors true, then? His wolf has some attachment to this girl?”
“There are rumors?” Locke cursed. “No one should be talking about this.”
“Doesn’t help when you look at every woman coming into the bar, Locke,” I interrupted. “Even Hawke figured it out, and he can be dense with social interactions.”
“Fuck,” he whispered. He pulled out his lighter again, flicking it on and off.
“So, is she your mate? Truly?” Bones kneeled in front of me again, using two fingers to take Journey’s limp arm. He glanced at his clock, measuring her heartbeat.
“Mine,” my wolf surfaced, growling at the question. Bones nodded, pulling out his bag and taking out a stethoscope.
“Yours, old, friend. She’s yours. I’m just checking her health. Nothing more,” he said to pacify my wolf. “I need to listen to her heart. I must put this on her chest.”
My wolf snatched the probe and laid it in between her breasts. Bones said nothing as he listened, except for when he asked me to move it to various parts of her body.
“She has pneumonia, if it was my guess,” he muttered. “I don’t have an x-ray machine, but her breathing is labored. How did she come into your hands? Where did she come from?”
I ignored the question, letting Locke explain where we found her at the club. I rose from the couch, not wanting to let Journey go, but if she was to sleep comfortably, the nest is where she should go.
I laid her down reluctantly, her hand latched onto my shirt not letting go. My lips twitched as I gently prodded her fingers away. A dull moan left her as I put several pillows behind her head.
“Yes, keep her elevated, if possible. It will help her breath better.” Bones clicked his pen and wrote notes. “I’ve got to take some blood. Make sure she doesn’t have any underlying diseases since she came from that…place,” he spat.
I had forced away the thoughts of any other shifter or human touching her, but there was a high probability she was forced to perform acts she didn’t want to. She had been sold into a business that trafficked young women, and paying for a virgin would cost a pretty penny.
“Easy Grim,” Locke approached.
