“I don’t know what happened, love. You shocked me, told me not to leave, and then fainted. After that, Clay picked you up and ran inside with you. He hasn’t let anyone near you for two days. We only knew you were still alive because he didn’t take off into the woods himself.”
Clay’s tight hug when I woke made more sense. He’d been worried about me, taking care of me and keeping the Elders away.
I forced myself to stay focused on Luke.
“And after Clay left, what about you? What did you do?”
Luke began to look uncomfortable. “Uh, I went out for a bit and then came back here.”
“The constant attention probably went to your head,” I muttered. Luke was too sure of himself for any women to have a chance.
His startled expression told me I was right.
“Did you meet anyone special while I was out?” I asked glancing at the door again wishing we didn’t have an audience.
I looked back in time to see him shake his head. Still unmated. I’d thought as much but had to be sure. Normal humans wouldn’t tempt him and there were too few unmated females at the compound. I had an idea, but needed sleep and time to think everything through.
“Luke, there is so much I don’t understand and I really need your help.” I nodded toward the door, hoping he’d know I meant with the Elder’s outside the door. “I need time to understand what I’m feeling and I need some time to myself.” This is why Clay needed to be in here with me. Anyone standing outside this room would probably think I felt torn between Clay and Luke.
Luke looked from me to Clay then back. He started to ask a question then hesitated looking at the door again. Finally, he stood and said, “I’ll be around.”
I’d hoped he’d understood I wanted his help to us get out of here, but right after he left, a knock sounded at the door.
Still sitting on Clay’s lap, I turned to him. He met my gaze and I shook my head, wrapping my arms around his neck. He stood and carried me to the bedroom, covering me before closing the door behind him to answer the apartment door.
I heard Sam’s voice, but didn’t bother trying to hear what he said. They would come in to get me soon enough. My exhaustion didn’t wait for them. I fell asleep again.
My stomach growled so loudly it woke me up. I listened for a minute before opening my eyes. Clay had left the lamp on so I could see. Turning my head on the pillow, I considered his peaceful visage. He laid next to me on top the covers. Given the steady cadence of his breathing, he still slept. Knowing he slept light, I turned to study the ceiling, content to think and let him get the sleep he needed.
Whatever I had in me, I passed temporarily to the people I touched. The attraction that pulled the opposite sex to me passed to the person, or people, I shocked but only lasted until I recovered. The drain intensified with a werewolf. Or maybe because I’d started out drained, it just felt worse.
With Luke, though, I’d actually focused a specific person’s spark. An abnormal spark. Based on the yellow-violet coloring, I guessed she would be another compatible like me. I wondered why I’d zoomed in on a single person when touching Luke, but not the others. Maybe my ability worked better with a werewolf.
After touching Luke, I felt certain my emotions in addition to my touch, triggered the transfer. However, seeing a single person when I touched Luke had me wondering if, perhaps, my ability was meant to find mates for the people I touched. Maybe the pull lured potentials in and then… what? How did the lights fit in? Maybe one spark had stood out when I’d touched the rest, but I hadn’t focused on my spark-sight to check. Maybe a werewolf amplified my ability and the view appeared whether I wanted it or not.
Too many maybes. I needed a test group. Immediately, I thought of Rachel and Peter. When I sensed them without touching Rachel, I knew they were a perfect match. If I tried to pass my pull on to Rachel and saw Peter’s spark, I’d have my answer. If it didn’t work on them, I wouldn’t rule out my theory completely. The difference between human and werewolf might be the key to the results. I could try it on Clay. He knew I was his match.
Feeling a light caress on my hair, I turned to look at Clay who watched me again. “Do I say good morning, or is it close to goodnight again?”
He smiled at me then scared me by whipping his head toward the door a silent snarl on his mouth. The bedroom door burst open and Luke poked his head in, speaking directly to Clay. “Better hurry. You carry her and I’ll grab her things.”
Luke had understood and come through. I opened my mouth to thank him, but Clay leapt off the bed and quickly scooped me into his arms, covers and all. With the blankets twisted around me and partially covering my face, I felt a moment of panic along with disorientation when he lifted me.
Shaking my head to dislodge the blanket, I sent Clay a quick scowl. His lips twitched.