When the truck stopped again, most of the bleeding had clotted. Isabelle still watched me with worry. As did the others who waited in the parking lot of the hotel. Charlene gasped at the sight of me.
“He’ll be fine,” Thomas said softly, wrapping an arm around her. Then he looked at Isabelle, who hovered close to me. “You two, go inside. Isabelle, help him clean up. We’ll clean and load the car.”
She and I walked to our room. Her emotions shifted between anger and worry so quickly it was hard to keep up with the scents. I opened the door and stood aside to let her in first. Worry was winning. She went straight to the bathroom and pulled back the shower curtain.
I pulled the shredded shirt from my back and kicked off my shoe. She was twisting on the water while I removed my socks. Bending hurt like hell.
When she turned around, I was right behind her.
Her eyes were wide and bright as she looked up at me.
“Isabelle, stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Worrying.” I kissed her forehead, then stood to the side so she could leave.
Her gaze swept over me, seeing every injury.
“Call me if you need anything,” she said, lingering at the door.
“I will.”
She closed the door behind her, and I stripped and got into the shower. The water ran red then pink. It burned on the cuts, but I stayed under the spray until the water flowed clear. My body ached as I shut off the shower and dried. Without clean clothes, I wrapped the towel around my waist and moved to the door. As I passed the mirror, I caught sight of my swollen eye and the discolored skin.
It wouldn’t take me long to heal. A day or two of discomfort. But, that wouldn’t matter to Isabelle.
I opened the door and stepped out. She had her back to me, at first. When she turned, her gaze caught mine. She picked up an ice pack off the bed and held it out to me. I pressed it to my eye.
“Thank you, Isabelle.”
She nodded and turned slightly away to grab the salve. Her hand shook as she tried to unscrew the cap. I inhaled deeply, trying to determine why. Worry. Grief. Fear. There was so much there. Was it truly all for me, or did seeing me like this bring losing Ethan to the front?
When she faced me again, she didn’t look up.
“I’ll start with your back,” she said, circling me.
Her light, gentle touch soothed on the salve over every cut, big and small. Next, she grabbed the bandages from the bed and began to cover and tape everything she treated.
After she finished with my back, she moved to the front. The way her eyes focused and lingered on each injury gave me my answer. What she felt was about me.
She squeezed some more salve onto her finger and gently spread it over a cut above my right nipple. It wasn’t supposed to feel good, but it did. I shivered at each gentle swipe.
“Sorry,” she said, softly.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Don’t I? You went for that run because I wouldn’t… I should have—”
“Don’t, Isabelle.” With my free hand, I gently ran a finger along her cheek. “You spar to release energy. I go for a run. That’s all that was.”
She nodded and moved to the next cut. I let my hand fall back to my side and continued to study her. My attempt to reassure her had failed.
“You’re still worrying.”
“I think you need stitches,” she said, adding more salve.
“We heal quickly. By tomorrow, the shallow cuts will be scars and the deep ones scabbed over.”
She wrinkled her nose as if she didn’t believe what I was saying or found it distasteful. I leaned toward disbelief. She would learn, though, that I wasn’t fragile like a human.
She took her time to take care of every injury, even the ones that would heal before we reached the next hotel. I didn’t stop her. Each touch was a treasure. When she worked on the bites on my neck, I struggled not to show how much it affected me. My heart hammered and my palms sweat. Someday, it would be her teeth there and not her fingers.
“I don’t see why anyone would ever want to be bitten,” she said, dissolving my dream.
“It would have been different if it were you,” I said softly.
“I’ll see how the others are doing,” she said, moving toward the door. I let her run, unable to give chase even if I wanted to.
My bag was still beside the bed. I took out a set of clean clothes and dressed. Then, I packed everything up and joined everyone outside.
How are you doing? Grey asked, watching me walk toward the car and Isabelle.
Sore. Ashamed that I let my guard down for that to happen.
Nah, you shouldn’t be ashamed for the run. You should feel ashamed for all those band aids you’re wearing.
Never. She took care of me.
Guess that means you’ll be going for another run.
As much as I enjoyed her touch, I wouldn’t put her through that worry again.
Winifred stood by the car and helped put our bags in the trunk. She drove while Isabelle and I sat in the back. The ride was quiet, and Isabelle’s distress swelled and receded like waves. I could often feel her gaze on me, and kept the ice on my eye to shield her from the damage.
After several hours, Isabelle’s stomach rumbled, a reminder we’d skipped breakfast.
“We should stop and eat,” I said to Winifred.
Isabelle startled beside me.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
I carefully sat forward before I tested my back and set the icepack aside.
“Better,” I said, meeting her gaze.
Pity reflected in her eyes, and I reached across the seat to tug her pinky. Her pulse skipped, and she flushed faintly.
“Gabby says that there’s been absolutely no movement since your altercation. We’ll stop at the next place we find,” Winifred said.
The next place turned out to be an ice cream and burger joint with outdoor seating.
“Forget lunch,” Isabelle said. “I’m going for dessert.”
Isabelle was quick to exit the car, but she didn’t go far. She hovered as I carefully eased myself from the seat. Everything was beginning to knit together, and I didn’t want to start bleeding again by straining. I stood for a moment, waiting for a wave of vertigo to pass.
“Why don’t you sit, and I’ll get us food,” Isabelle said with a gesture toward the picnic tables sitting before the roadside grill.
I nodded and veered off that direction while she went to stand behind the rest of the group and look up at the board. Blood pounded in my ears for the first few steps then eased. I reached the table and listened to Isabelle order two burgers, one with an extra patty, and two colas. My mouth watered.
She walked toward the tables where I sat.
“What kind of soda do you drink?” she asked.
“A cola is fine,” I said.
She moved to sit across from me.
“Come sit next to me,” I said, stopping her. “Please.”
She did. There was something about having her beside me that eased some of the pain.
“So, what’s your favorite, though?” she asked.
“I prefer tea over soda and water over tea.”
Her expression fell.
“Sorry,” she said.
It didn’t matter that she’d ordered something I didn’t prefer. It mattered that she was asking questions to know me. That she was taking care of me. I reached over and wrapped my hand around hers.
“Thank you for ordering for me, Isabelle. The burger sounds delicious.”
Her scent fluctuated between interest and nervousness. She eased her hand from mine and studied me.
“What about ice cream? What flavors do you like?” she asked.
“My favorite is butter pecan. What about yours?”
“Anything vanilla with chocolate and caramel mixed in.”
It was the first piece of information she’d voluntarily and purposely given me.
The rest of the group started to come back from the window. Gabby and Clay were first and sat down across from us.
“You look tired,” Isabelle said to Gabby.
The girl wasn’t just tired; she was exhausted.
“How much is she sleeping, big guy?” Isabelle asked Clay.
“Not enough,” he said, not taking his gaze from Gabby.
“Gabby, you need to start sleeping. You won’t do us any good if you pass out when we need you most. They aren’t moving, right?” Gabby nodded. “I don’t think they’re going to. Blake’s waiting for us.”
“I just don’t want anything to happen again.”
“Again?” Isabelle asked.
“Ethan…”
“That wasn’t your fault. It was Blake’s and his men. I’ve put the blame where it belongs. You should, too.”
Gabby looked at me, then. Did she honestly blame herself for my stupidity?
“And Carlos is a big idiot,” Isabelle said before I could speak. “He knows we need to use the buddy system now… don’t you, Carlos?” She turned to give me a look.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“Are you more tired or hungry?” Isabelle asked Gabby.
“Tired.”
“Then, check one last time and go take a nap in the car.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling her,” Charlene said, joining us.
“We’ll be fine,” Sam said.
Gabby looked at Clay. We could all scent his relief. Isabelle wasn’t just taking care of me. She was taking care of all of us.
I was studying her profile when she turned to look at me. She blushed and focused on Emmitt and Michelle, who were at the register paying the bill.
While trying not to acknowledge me, she shivered in the light breeze.
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
My thigh burned when I stood. There was a gash there Isabelle hadn’t seen because of the towel, and it kept sticking to my pants. I wondered what she would do if I asked her to look at it.
I went to the trunk and dug out the sweater I knew I’d packed in my spare bag. When I closed the trunk, Isabelle was watching me. I loved the attention. As soon as I started toward her, she stood and came to me.
“It’ll keep you warm,” I said, holding out the sweater.
Isabelle took it and ran her hand over the material before unfolding it and holding it up. A grin lit her face as she looked at it. A moment later, she was tugging the sweater on over her head. The bottom fell to the tops of her thighs. It was large on her, but she didn’t seem to mind. Looking at her in my clothes sent a bolt of need to my gut.
She held out her arms and laughed at the drooping sleeves that covered her hands.
“This is great. How does it look?”
“Perfect.”
She glanced at me, blushed, and walked with me back to the table. We needed to wait a while for the food, but I didn’t mind the extended break from the car.
Once we finished, Isabelle and I returned to the backseat. She was in one of her pensive moods, again and watched out the window even after dark. When we reached the hotel, she insisted on carrying our bags. We didn’t stay there long. Just enough time for the humans to rest.
The next morning, we started out for New York. I acknowledged the end was drawing closer with relief and trepidation.