Page 966 of One More Kiss
Chapter4
Kiley driftedin a realm without shape or substance. One moment she felt as if she was in swan form, stretching her wings as she soared majestically over the placid waters of a pristine lake. The next, she realized there was no lake, no air to soar through, nothing at all but a dull, throbbing ache that pervaded her entire being.
In those moments Kiley believed she was asleep, trapped in the dream realm. She tried to awaken from the nightmare, but it seemed like she moved through sand. The more she tried to dig her way out, the more sand piled on her.
Then, relief poured through her and the throbbing lessened before all but vanishing. Her shifter metabolism had kicked in at last. She settled into a more restful slumber. Yet, she still felt as if something was amiss. The feeling kept her from drifting all the way past the veil between dream and waking world.
Kiley stirred, a groan escaping her mouth as she reached to the lump on the back of her head. She felt the knot subsiding, slowly. Her eyes struggled to open against the glaringly bright lights. A collection of vaguely humanoid shapes came into focus.
She was not alone in the room. Shit.
“I know you’re awake, Kiley.” The voice cut her ears like a knife, sharp and shrill with an air of demanding arrogance. Anton, the nest’s alpha.
He strutted closer to her bed. As usual, he wore an impeccably tailored suit. The color straddled the cusp of lavender and charcoal as it set off the brightly patterned green tie hanging from his neck. His bald, shiny head reflected the overhead lights.
“Where am I?” Kiley’s voice sounded weak even to her own ears.
It made Anton sneer in contempt. “You’re at JP. Some human EMTs took you to Sacred Heart initially, where they tried to dope you up with drugs instead of letting your shifter metabolism do its fucking job.”
He made it sound as if the mix-up was somehow her fault. That was Anton all day long, and she tried not to take it personally.
Kiley reached up and pulled the cotton wadding from her nostrils, noting it was sticky with blood.
“They had to re break your nose to set it,” Anton said. “I can’t tell any difference to be honest with you.”
“Gee, thanks.” Kiley checked her nose and it seemed okay. She did a test inhale, and a variety of scents hit her at once. The hospital smell, of course, as well as Anton and the goons he’d brought along with him. The smell of strangers who Kiley assumed to be the hospital staff.
But all of that was just seasoning, flavor dressing for the buffet. A primal, musky, absolutely compelling aroma conquered all else. She remembered smelling only a hint of it at the competition.
Now she recognized the scent for what it was—her mate. At some point, her mate had picked her up and held her—touched her skin on skin.
But if that was true, where was he? Where was her mate? She looked around, seeing Anton and his fellow bald eagle shifters in the hospital room. Outside, she could hear Larry bellowing in anger at someone. Kiley knew she would bear the brunt of at least some of his rage and mentally prepared herself for his tirade.
All of that paled before Anton’s mounting rage. His eyes burned with sneering contempt and a desire to punish her.
For the alpha of her nest to be at the hospital meant one thing. She’d been out cold for hours. She cursed silently. This day just kept getting worse and worse.
“Well, would you like to know where you placed in the World Diving Championship finals, Kiley?”
Kiley glared at him. “Judging by your comically sweet tone, I’d say that I didn’t place very well.”
“Oh, that’s an understatement, Kiley. Not placing well means failing to score in the top three. You’re lucky number thirteen. Just barely good enough to be invited back next season.” He clucked his tongue and looked at her with mock sympathy. “You know, the one reason I let you talk me into this whole diving bullshit was you were good at it. You know?” He sighed and stuck a cigarette in his lips.
“I am good at it, Anton. And you can’t smoke in a hospital.”
“Let them fucking try to stop me.” Anton lit the cigarette and blew out a smoke ring before turning his glare back on Kiley. “You used to be good at it. Now you’re an embarrassment. Your coach told me all about it. Larry said he told you to play it safe. Instead, you tried to do some ninja Luchador bullshit and nearly got yourself killed.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me.” Kiley rubbed the back of her head and winced.
“This is serious, Kiley. You made the nest a laughingstock.”
“Maybe, but I also just created a viral sensation. I’m sure videos of me whacking my head on the diving board are going to be all over social media.”
“Laugh it up, Kiley. You’re going to need that sense of humor for what I’m about to tell you next. You’ve been an embarrassment to our nest for far too long.”
“What, are you kicking me out?”
He grinned ear to ear. “No, Kiley. At least, not yet. You are to return to the nest with a suitable mate within the next forty-eight hours.”
