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She searched my eyes for several long seconds. And when she found what she was looking for, she sighed. Because she was only human, whatever strength or adrenaline had been keeping her alert faded before my eyes. She slumped forward onto Vince, unconscious.
27
BRYN
I emerged from the unconscious void slowly. As I did, the words, “strange wolf,” were soft on my tongue. The first thing I noticed was the smell of green grass, earth, and the freshness of the woods. I buried my head deeper into the scent, the hard, smooth surface beneath me barely giving way to my snuggling. I could have stayed burrowed in its warmth forever and never opened my eyes again.
As I became more aware of my surroundings, I realized that the hardness beneath me wasn’t an object but a body. I knew that it was Night’s chest that I was pressed against, just like I’d known in the cave that the midnight black wolf with the blazing green eyes was him. He had come for me and saved me from certain doom. For the second time.
I could make out voices around me, but the heat emanating from Night’s body made me want to curl up and go back to sleep. The moment the fight ended, the adrenaline and fear that had kept me going evaporated. When I’d looked into Night’s eyes, I knew I was safe again, and I’d blacked out. Now that I was recalling more about what had happened, I realized that the blond, almost-white wolf was likely Dom. I couldn’t be sure who the wolf with the brassy, coppery coat was, but he had to be pack too.
Dom, Night, and the third wolf must have brought me and the injured wolf out of the cave somehow. It couldn’t have been an easy process given how tight that tunnel was. Worry twanged at the back of my mind. Night had been injured in the fray. I remembered that he had been slammed into the cave wall and that it had taken a lot for him to pick himself up and save me. But now, he was able to hold me, and my nuzzling into his chest didn’t seem to be hurting him at all.
My worry began to subside, but fresh concern filled its place. What about the injured wolf? Had it survived all of that?
Concern for the wolf forced me out of my warm, sleepy cocoon. I opened my eyes, but I was still surrounded by darkness. I must have been under the covers, nestled deep in the crook of his arm. I shifted to try and prop myself up in Night’s arms. Only, his arm refused to budge an inch as if it was made of iron. He wasn’t going to let me go.
“Night, Bryn’s awake.” It was Violet’s voice.
Night said nothing and refused to move, his arm still strapping me against his side.
“You big brute,” Tavi said. “Let her go so I can hug my best friend.”
Night gave a warning growl in response.
I sighed quietly. I needed to get out of this on my own. I didn’t want to leave the warmth of his bare, sculpted chest, but there was no way I could stay here when I knew that the others were waiting to talk to me.
I tried to wiggle out from under Night’s arm. “I’m up,” I said, my voice muffled by his muscle. “I’m okay. You can let me go now.”
Night still refused to release me. I wiggled a bit more, and the movement started to make things too warm. Finally, I popped my head out of the covers and turned to take in my surroundings. We were in Night’s cabin, in his living room. Night and I were on the couch. I lay across his lap, and my face had been buried between his side and the crook of his arm.
Violet, Tavi, Dom, and Jasper stood around the couch. They had their arms up, and though their expressions were calm, concern was evident in their stiff postures. They looked like they were trying to convince a lion to set down a baby. Like they were dealing with a wild animal.
I looked up and found Night’s lips pulled back in a snarl, his teeth still sharp and wolf-like despite being in his human form. His pupils were dilated to the point that I couldn’t see the green of his irises. They twitched from person to person like he expected them to take me from him.
I wasn’t sure what had happened to put Night in such a state, but I wasn’t afraid of him even though I was literally inches away from those sharp teeth. Listening to the same instinct, which had encouraged me to go into the cave, I freed one of my arms and reached up to touch the side of his face.
The moment my hand touched his cheek, he relaxed, and his hold on me softened. He still held me against him, but less desperately. Slowly, his wolf receded—his teeth returned to normal, and his pupils slowly contracted until they revealed the beautiful green of his eyes.
Those eyes scanned my body, likely looking for injuries, even as he pressed his cheek into my hand, worry written all over his face.
I felt like that look was chipping away at what remained of the walls I’d built to protect my heart. The way he looked at me, like he cared, like I was someone that mattered, made me want to melt against him. I knew I shouldn’t feel that way. He and I weren’t even friends—he was my captor, and I was his prisoner. But I didn’t believe that was all we were anymore. I knew that something had changed between us, something important.
Suddenly, Night’s gaze slid away, and his face closed off, returning to the stoic mask he always wore. His grip on me loosened further, and I climbed off the couch. The moment I was free of him, he got to his feet and stalked toward the kitchen. He probably wanted to get himself something to drink.
Tavi rushed to me and hugged me almost as tightly as Night had. She was crying, her tears moistening my sweater like they had the night of the bonfire.
“I thought you were dead,” she sobbed. “I thought someone had taken you. I thought you had been injured. I—I thought you were never coming back.” She sniffled, holding me even more tightly. “Why did my best friend have to be human? If you were a wolf, I wouldn’t have to worry so much about you.”
I forced a laugh and patted Tavi on the back. I’d thought the same thing in the cave. If only I were stronger, if only I were a wolf—I would have been able to protect the injured wolf better. I might have even been able to bring him home by myself.
Violet came to my rescue. She pulled Tavi off me so she could fold me into a much softer embrace.
“You did so well,” she whispered. “I’m proud of you, Bryn.”
“I did?” I didn’t understand what she could mean.
Violet pulled back and winked. “You’ve made connections and promises that you’re not even aware of. Yet. But these things will become clearer to you with time.”
