I expected to get whisked away on a stretcher the way people did in movies, but the first person who saw my wounds promised I’d be fine.
After that, Bo calmed down.
Slightly.
twenty-one
MADISON
We spentthe rest of the afternoon and evening, as well as most of the night, in the hospital. Other people were higher priority than me, because to no one’s surprise, humans were more fragile than shifters.
Probably also because Bo kept snarling at the nurses, and no one appreciated that. Including me.
It wasn’t until a shifter doctor showed up around 2 AM that my wound was finally cleaned and bandaged. The guy said I’d be fine pretty quickly—like that was a helpful timeline—and sent us home.
I had called the police from Bo’s phone to report the deaths shortly after we arrived, so I was sure the whole town had already heard what happened.
The skulk definitely had.
I didn’t know who was going to take it over, and I didn’t care. They would leave me alone. I was positive of that. Kitsunes could be truly, ridiculously stupid—as the alpha had proven when heattacked me while my grizzly could hear—but we did know how to stay alive.
Coming after me obviously wasn’t a good way to do that.
Besides, the town was going to give them hell for the way the alpha and my dad had attacked me in my studio. They’d be forced to play nice, even if they hated me.
It was6 AM when we finally got home and collapsed in bed together.
Bo still wasn’t convinced I was okay, so he was being insanely careful with me, but I didn’t mind. It was nice to know I wasn’t alone.
Artie and Emily woke us up with a phone call around eight to demand information about what happened. We told them the story, only stumbling over our words a little, before Bo told them I needed to rest. And hung up.
I was definitely going to like having him on my side instead of Artie’s.
That wasn’t entirely mature of me, but I didn’t care.
We spent the next few days resting and relaxing. My period came and went, which was a relief. No baby for us yet. I was going to get to decide who I wanted to be instead of just pumping out kids like an infant factory.
Bo only agreed to let me leave the house when I suggested shifting and spending time in the forest.
I wanted to develop a connection between my human and beast side, for the first time in my life.
That part of myself had played a huge role in keeping me alive, and I was starting to feel bad for suppressing it for so long.
Now, I was going to try to embrace it.
Bo didn’t have a problem wandering behind me in his bear form while I explored the forest around our house. When my winter fur came in after a full day outside, his chest swelled like three sizes bigger, and he tackled me proudly to the dirt, wrestling and nuzzling me for ages.
It should’ve annoyed me, but I loved it.
I lovedhim.
I just wasn’t sure how to tell him that.
When we went back to the house late that night, I curled up in bed with Bo. He held me close, kissing my forehead lightly.
“How did you know I’d be on the road that night?” I murmured.
He didn’t have to ask what I was talking about. “I smelled the smoke. Honestly, I would’ve helped anyone whose car was burning like that.”
