He carried me inside, down the hall to the bathroom, while Kylarai ran ahead to turn on lights and wet a towel with warm water. Shaz held me while she cleaned the wound.
“I cannot believe that just happened.” Ky’s eyes were wide with terror. “That was too close.” Reaching into the bathroom cupboard for rubbing alcohol she added, “It’s an ugly gash, but it’s not as deep as all the blood made it look. Let me clean you up, and you should be fine.”
I didn’t feel exactly glamorous sitting tight in Shaz’s arms while Ky cleaned and bandaged a wound on my ass. How embarrassing.
“Since when do we get hunters this close to town?” I wondered aloud. “I hope that’s a one-time thing.”
“That scared the hell out of me when that deer dropped. For a second I’d thought one of us had been hit.” With a shake of his blonde head, Shaz grimaced. “Thank God it wasn’t worse than this.”
“This was not how I wanted to introduce Coby to our world.” I groaned when Shaz gingerly set me on my feet. Pain shot through my leg and rear end. “We need to let the others know. They need to be careful. It could still be dangerous out there.”
I limped my way back down the hall to the kitchen where Coby paced near the dining room table. He’d gotten dressed in jeans and a dark hoodie. The anxiety rolled off him in thick waves.
Shaz swept past me, disappearing outside to fetch our clothing. I leaned on the kitchen counter, using it to hide my nudity from the already uncomfortable Coby. He glanced at me with unease.
“We’ve never run into humans out there. Never.” I didn’t think I was reassuring him.
Coby seemed to be trying to look anywhere but at me even though most of my nakedness was hidden behind the counter. Nudity was second nature to me when I was with other werewolves. He was still adjusting.
“That was pretty damn scary. I mean, the guns were terrifying. I’ve never run like that in my life.”
Shaz returned with our clothes, and I slipped my t-shirt on, struggling a little with the tight fitting jeans. They were not ass-wound friendly.
With a gentle hand on Coby’s shoulder, Shaz attempted to calm the nervous wolf. “It was an isolated incident. We’re safe here.”
“I know.” Coby nodded. “I’m just trying to process what just happened. I knew life was about to get dangerous, but I had no idea what to expect.”
“That’s the thing. You never know what to expect.”
“If it’s not vampires and demons, it’s idiot humans with f**king guns.” I swore up a storm as I helped myself to an iced tea from the fridge.
Kylarai emerged from her bedroom, clad in a long robe. I envied her comfort. My ass throbbed, and the jeans were not helping. I wanted to get back to Arys’s house, to my own robe.
“Well, that was a rush,” Ky said, her soft features set in a grim expression. “As long as nobody starts a wolf hunt out here, we’re safe.”
I nodded, lost in thought. An uneasy feeling grew in the pit of my stomach. It seemed to be a random run in. They’d been hunting deer, not us. Still… I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.
“I’m going to drive Alexa back to Arys’s place. Do you mind if I leave Coby here for a few minutes?” Shaz asked Kylarai. “I’ll be right back for him.”
“No, of course not. He can hang out here for a bit.” Ky gathered her hair into a ponytail before giving me a quick squeeze. “Take it easy.”
I wasn’t too keen on being chaperoned from place to place, but Arys had been adamant that I not be alone. Trouble really had a way of finding me lately, but I didn’t need a babysitter, dammit.
Getting into the small confines of Shaz’s Cobalt was both physically and emotionally painful. I was pretty sure we were about to have a conversation neither of us would enjoy.
“Are you ok?” Shaz asked as he backed out of Ky’s driveway. He gave his head a little toss to flip a stray lock of platinum hair out of his eyes. That one little action made me melt, and I had to stifle a sigh.
“Yeah, it’s all good. Nothing a little time won’t heal.” Unlike other things.
“That’s not what I mean.” He glanced over briefly, long enough for me to see that look in his eyes. It was the same look he’d given me the night he’d discovered Arys and I had slept together. The night he showed up at my door and said those dreaded words, ‘We need to talk.’
I stared at him expectantly, studying his profile, my gaze lingering on his strong jaw line and the curve of his lips. Did we have to do this now? Couldn’t we just continue to sweep it under the rug?
“I’m sorry about last night,” Shaz continued. “I shouldn’t have been such a dick. How are you doing? With the whole Shya incident? Arys said you haven’t slept since.”
“Oh he did, did he? Vampire has a big mouth.” I frowned. They had taken to discussing me behind my back, an annoying habit. “I’m fine. I’m just not ready to relive it in my dreams yet.”