receive calls from family. The control for the television, blessedly turned off.
When the nurse’s voice faded into silence, KT tried to give her a smile, but suspected she failed miserably. “You’ve been very kind. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Nurse Helena said. She nodded her head toward the double doors. “I know how it feels to have someone you care about in there. Now, I’m going off duty, but if you need anything, just pick up the phone and dial zero.”
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine.” KT sat down on the couch.
This room smells of fear , Andi whined. Why can’t we go after Peyton?
We just can’t , KT returned.
The nurse hesitated and then asked, “Is there someone I can call for you before I leave? Your father?”
KT flinched inside at the thought of her father’s reaction to her part in tonight’s events. By now, the Alliance team would have contacted him. That she had taken such a risk without speaking to him first would send him through the roof. Her cell phone back at her apartment had probably exploded under the pressure. That conversation would have to wait until her head was clearer.
“No, thank you. I’ll call him in a few moments,” she said.
“Well, try to relax. Doctor Williams will come out and let you know how it went. Captain Allers is in good hands.” She smiled and then hurried away.
KT stared at the opposite wall where an over-sized painting of a sun-drenched landscape tried to emulate a restful environment. The waiting room’s calming pastels and subdued lighting should have helped, but KT, and Andi, only wanted to get up and pace.
Why was she here anyway? Why was she here ?
Yeah, she wanted to make sure Peyton would be okay, but she couldn’t actually do anything for him.
He’s our alpha , Andi insisted. We wait for him .
Quit saying that . KT shook her head. Aside from helping me get close to Torne, Peyton is a total stranger. I know nothing about him.
He’s a worthy mate. Strong. Brave. Loyal. Smart. Andi paced along the edges of her mind, irritated . He protected us. He’s our alpha .
KT shook her head. To Andi, it was so simple. “I may be a were, but I don’t choose a mate like this,” she said aloud.
I chose him, and so will you . Andi’s certainty and satisfaction unshakable.
KT huffed. Arguing was useless. Andi would have to learn to accept KT’s judgment on this topic. And yet, here she was, waiting, as if she had a personal stake in Peyton’s condition.
She took a deep breath. Well, of course she did. As a clan leader, she’d been trained to hold her people’s well-being as a priority. Peyton got shot helping her with a plan he believed hare-brained from the start. She was responsible. She just wanted to make sure he came through surgery. Then she could leave.
You won’t. Andi’s confidence scraped along KT’s nerves.
Especially since KT sensed the jag was right. She hit her fist on her thigh. Why was she here?
She took another breath and wrinkled her nose. The smell of dried blood surrounded her and her skin itched with it. Going into the little bathroom, she got a look at herself in the mirror of the tiny bathroom and finally understood the nurse’s offhand comment about cleaning up.
Dark stains covered her shirt and pants. Streaks of dried blood smeared down the side of her face and neck. Peyton’s blood.
She gripped the edge of the sink for a moment as her vision blurred. The throbbing in her temples reminded her of the feel of his heartbeat under her hands. A dozen deep breaths later, she calmed enough to pry her fingers from the rim of the steel bowl.
When she’d practically filled the wastebasket with crumpled paper towels, KT gave up. Her skin was scrubbed clean and she had finger-combed the worst of the knots out of her hair. Wet blotches on her shirt and pants chilled her skin, but the worst of the stains appeared to be gone. She exited the bathroom, flicking off the light and fan, and returned to the couch in
When the nurse’s voice faded into silence, KT tried to give her a smile, but suspected she failed miserably. “You’ve been very kind. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Nurse Helena said. She nodded her head toward the double doors. “I know how it feels to have someone you care about in there. Now, I’m going off duty, but if you need anything, just pick up the phone and dial zero.”
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine.” KT sat down on the couch.
This room smells of fear , Andi whined. Why can’t we go after Peyton?
We just can’t , KT returned.
The nurse hesitated and then asked, “Is there someone I can call for you before I leave? Your father?”
KT flinched inside at the thought of her father’s reaction to her part in tonight’s events. By now, the Alliance team would have contacted him. That she had taken such a risk without speaking to him first would send him through the roof. Her cell phone back at her apartment had probably exploded under the pressure. That conversation would have to wait until her head was clearer.
“No, thank you. I’ll call him in a few moments,” she said.
“Well, try to relax. Doctor Williams will come out and let you know how it went. Captain Allers is in good hands.” She smiled and then hurried away.
KT stared at the opposite wall where an over-sized painting of a sun-drenched landscape tried to emulate a restful environment. The waiting room’s calming pastels and subdued lighting should have helped, but KT, and Andi, only wanted to get up and pace.
Why was she here anyway? Why was she here ?
Yeah, she wanted to make sure Peyton would be okay, but she couldn’t actually do anything for him.
He’s our alpha , Andi insisted. We wait for him .
Quit saying that . KT shook her head. Aside from helping me get close to Torne, Peyton is a total stranger. I know nothing about him.
He’s a worthy mate. Strong. Brave. Loyal. Smart. Andi paced along the edges of her mind, irritated . He protected us. He’s our alpha .
KT shook her head. To Andi, it was so simple. “I may be a were, but I don’t choose a mate like this,” she said aloud.
I chose him, and so will you . Andi’s certainty and satisfaction unshakable.
KT huffed. Arguing was useless. Andi would have to learn to accept KT’s judgment on this topic. And yet, here she was, waiting, as if she had a personal stake in Peyton’s condition.
She took a deep breath. Well, of course she did. As a clan leader, she’d been trained to hold her people’s well-being as a priority. Peyton got shot helping her with a plan he believed hare-brained from the start. She was responsible. She just wanted to make sure he came through surgery. Then she could leave.
You won’t. Andi’s confidence scraped along KT’s nerves.
Especially since KT sensed the jag was right. She hit her fist on her thigh. Why was she here?
She took another breath and wrinkled her nose. The smell of dried blood surrounded her and her skin itched with it. Going into the little bathroom, she got a look at herself in the mirror of the tiny bathroom and finally understood the nurse’s offhand comment about cleaning up.
Dark stains covered her shirt and pants. Streaks of dried blood smeared down the side of her face and neck. Peyton’s blood.
She gripped the edge of the sink for a moment as her vision blurred. The throbbing in her temples reminded her of the feel of his heartbeat under her hands. A dozen deep breaths later, she calmed enough to pry her fingers from the rim of the steel bowl.
When she’d practically filled the wastebasket with crumpled paper towels, KT gave up. Her skin was scrubbed clean and she had finger-combed the worst of the knots out of her hair. Wet blotches on her shirt and pants chilled her skin, but the worst of the stains appeared to be gone. She exited the bathroom, flicking off the light and fan, and returned to the couch in
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