CoyoteWhispers (2 page)

Steve must have leaned over her because warm, mint-fresh
breath fanned out across her face as he sighed. “Okay, Gordie. I promise.”

His fingers brushed away the strands of hair stuck to her
forehead, his gentle touch again surprising her. Steve was a large man, one she
usually avoided touching but not through fear of physical harm. No, he scared
her for other reasons she chose to ignore. But as drowsiness pulled at her, the
last thing to play across her mind was the big man who treated her with such
care.

Steve cursed himself a fool as he cleaned Doc’s face. He’d
given his word and he wouldn’t go back on it, but damn, she needed to have her
lip tended to. He could stitch it but he knew there would be a horrible scar if
he tried. She’d heal quickly with her coyote DNA, but without stitches it would
leave her with a visible reminder. The bruising on her face had already gone a
deep blue-black, moving through the phases of healing quickly.

The blood and dirt were gone but he hadn’t used the
disinfectant yet. He wanted to keep his promise but he also needed to know she
was okay and he didn’t think he possessed enough skill to trust his own
judgment. Blowing out a breath, he rummaged through the first-aid kit, hoping
to find something that would pull the two sides of her lip together and hold
them there. His fingers landed on a box of steri-strips and he ripped it open
to examine the small bandages.

They could work. Doc would need to keep her mouth still and
he’d have to watch the wound for infection, but if he used a couple of the
strips to pull the sections of lip together it would hold and allow her body to
heal. Reading the instructions one more time, Steve laid everything out within
easy reach. Once he had the area clean and dry, he pushed the open sides of the
cut together and stuck a strip on. Three more and he’d done the best job he
could. He sat back to admire his handiwork and laughed ruefully. Not the
best-looking bandage he’d ever seen but it would do for now.

Steve gathered up the discarded wrappers and went to throw
them into the waste bin next to the bed but remembered just in time he’d used
it to catch her vomit. He put them in a pile beside him and pulled the
first-aid kit back together to return it to the bathroom where he tossed the
garbage in the bin. Back in his room, he cleared away Doc’s bloody clothes, the
waste basket and the bowl of now-cold water. Steve made sure she was resting
before he went to get his pants off the back deck. Detouring past the front
door, he locked it. No way would he allow anyone the chance to get near Doc
again. His pants and beer retrieved, he locked the sliding door to the deck and
went to the kitchen.

He dumped the untouched warm beer down the sink before he
threw the bottle in the bin. Forgoing another one, he grabbed a soda instead.
He’d need his wits about him from now on. Not that one beer would get him
drunk, but anything that slowed his reflexes was off his agenda until he found
the bastard responsible for Doc’s attack. Throwing his pants in the laundry as
he walked by, Steve made his way back to the bedroom. Happy to see Doc resting
easy, he slipped into the bathroom for a quick shower.

With a twist of a tap, Steve turned on the water. He
swallowed the last of the soda and dropped the can in the bin before stepping
into the glass enclosure. Water streamed down his body and he tilted his face
into the spray to let the hot stream wash the dirt away. A shudder traveled
through him. The thought of Doc’s spilled blood made his own boil with anger
and the urge to hunt and destroy the person who’d hurt her. His jaw clenched
and he ground his molars hard. They’d pay for touching her, but he needed to
focus on Doc before he could take revenge.

Steve soaped himself and rinsed. For the second time
tonight, he shut the shower off and stepped out. Brisk movements dragged the
towel over his skin, soaking up the moisture and abrading nerve endings already
on edge. He tucked the towel over the rail and ran his fingers through his wet
hair. Emotions bombarded him. He wanted to hold Doc close and keep her safe but
he also wanted to go out and hunt down her attacker.

Frustration tore at him, but he knew the only thing he’d be
doing tonight would be watching over Doc. Steve gave himself a shake to loosen
his tense muscles before he left the bathroom and returned to Gordie. The scent
of blood still tainted the air and his jaw clenched with renewed anger.
Pausing, he made a conscious effort to relax. It wouldn’t do her any good to
feel his rage and for now it had to be all about Doc.

Making his way to the chest of drawers, he pulled a pair of
boxers out and stepped into them. Three strides had him beside the bed. Doc was
on top of the bedcovers but he didn’t want to disturb her so he pulled a
blanket from the back of his cupboard and draped it over her. Walking to the
other side of the bed he lifted the edge of the cover and crawled in next to
her.

He wanted to pull her into his arms but he didn’t think he
could without hurting her and the last thing he wanted was to add to her pain.
Steve reached over to the bedside lamp and switched it off. Moonlight streamed
through the window and skylight, bathing the room in a soft glow. Doc lay on
her side, facing him, her body curled up as though protecting herself from
further harm. His heart ached at how vulnerable she appeared.

Resistance was futile. The woman he wanted to the depth of
his soul lay hurting alongside him and he had to touch her. With the tip of one
finger he brushed the hair from her eyes. She moved into his caress and he
couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his mouth. In her most unguarded moment,
she knew him, reached for him. Her actions contradicting every protest she’d
made about their attraction.

For three years he’d respected her need to push him away. He
knew her denial of their attraction stemmed from the trauma of losing her
husband and unborn child, but enough was enough. From now on she wouldn’t keep
him at arm’s length. He’d make sure of it. It was time for her to accept him as
her mate. She could object all she wanted, but Steve wasn’t about to let things
continue the way they had been. Not after tonight.

He understood her need to protect herself but in doing so
she was denying both of them happiness. The fear of being mated had stopped him
from pursuing her when they were teenagers, that and her being human. It had
terrified him back then and by the time he’d gotten his head around it Anthony
had stolen her out from under his nose. Steve didn’t plan on letting that
happen again and he’d be damned if he would let her fight him any longer.

It was time to claim what was his.

* * * * *

Gordie’s first registered thought was pain. Everything hurt.
From the tips of her toes to the top of her head, every cell screamed in
agony—even her eyelashes as they weighed down her lids. She tried not to move,
tried to keep her breathing shallow to stop the vise from crushing her chest.
The second thing Gordie registered was the warm body she’d curled herself
around. A steady heartbeat drummed beneath the hot flesh pressed to her face.
Confusion filled her. Where was she? And who was in her bed?

“Easy, Doc. It’s just me.” The muscles beneath her cheek
vibrated as Steve’s voice rumbled through his chest and filled her ears.

The urge to pull away took hold but the slightest movement
brought pain. Gordie opened her eyes, one barely more than a crack, and stared
at the hard male chest before her. Bits and pieces of the night before started
to flit through her mind and she groaned. The walk she’d taken after dinner,
the need to be near Steve but not near him.

The attack.

Steve’s arms loosened, giving her the freedom to move away
if she wanted. But for the first time in three years Gordie wanted to be close
to him. She needed him to hold her, to remind her she was alive—safe.

“Do you feel up to talking about what happened?”

Not wanting the ugliness of the night before intruding on
the moment, she shook her head, and pain ricocheted around her skull, making
her groan.

He didn’t comment, just tightened his arms again and pulled
her a little closer to his side. Warmth and rightness invaded her. The truth of
what she’d been denying since her return to Whispering Springs and the
mountains that had been her home from the age of six, slammed into her like
never before. It terrified her like never before too, but she couldn’t pull
away from him. Not after last night. She felt vulnerable—scared, and Steve’s
steady presence reassured her.

They lay quietly in the predawn light. For long moments
Gordie just enjoyed the safety and comfort Steve offered. She knew she’d have
to go soon enough, knew she needed to check her wounds and return home. But she
didn’t want to leave his warm embrace. Wanted to stay wrapped in his arms and
let him hold her and make everything disappear. But she couldn’t expect Steve
to take care of her problems for her.

Before last night Gordie hadn’t been too concerned by the
strange little things that had occurred over the last month. Random things
moved at both her house and the clinic. Doors unlocked when she would swear
she’d locked them. The creepy, itchy-neck feeling of being watched all the
time. None of it had worried her because she’d been so busy she could have
forgotten she’d moved that picture or those supplies—or even neglected to lock
up after herself.

She couldn’t ignore them anymore.

But she dare not tell anyone either. She had no real
evidence and nothing but the gut-gnawing instinct that Marcus was behind what
had been happening. The only proof anything was actually going on was last
night’s attack and she hadn’t gotten a clear look at her assailant. Gordie
wasn’t even sure she’d identified his scent correctly. Even after all the years
as a coyote shifter she still couldn’t use her senses well. Maybe if she hadn’t
tried to ignore her wild side she might have had better luck.

Gordie had spent the years since Anthony’s death denying her
coyote existed whenever possible. She shifted when the pull became too much but
other than that, her animal lay slumbering. Unless Steve was around—which was
the reason she kept her distance from him as much as possible. When he was
near, her coyote sat up and took notice, wanted to break free and run wild to
be with the animal she recognized as her mate. In the last few months staying
away from him had become more difficult.

Her need to be close to him had driven her to take walks in
the forest below his new home. Before he’d moved into his mountain house they’d
lived on the same street and it wasn’t until he’d started staying up on the
mountain overnight that her true needs had shown themselves. Gordie had managed
to delude herself for so long. Believed she had her feelings under control. The
wild rush of urges and desires had never been a part of her life before. She’d
never felt this drawn to Anthony.

Even after he’d turned her, Anthony didn’t make her pulse
race or her coyote pull to be free. The guilt she’d lived with for years still
haunted her. Gordie had hurt Anthony by accepting his love when she hadn’t
loved him in return. Not the way she should have—the way he deserved. He’d been
her friend and she’d been so desperate to become like everyone else in
Whispering Springs she’d gladly taken all he offered. They’d both paid dearly
for her mistake. She’d spent the years since his death trying to make up for
her decision but the guilt remained.

She closed her eyes tight. Tried to stop her brain from
taking her into that dark place she’d locked away the day she left Whispering
Springs to attend college. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. Gordie
had to think about what to do in the present. Because if she was right in her
assumption of who had started a campaign of terror against her, she was in a whole
heap of trouble and so was the rest of the pack.

Doc was overthinking again. The woman had a brain that
wouldn’t quit. While that was good when she was in her doctor role, Steve
wished she’d let it rest and just feel for once. Then she might see how right
it was for them to be together. He’d let her push him away, let her rationalize
until they were both blue in the face but he wouldn’t give her that luxury
anymore. From now on they were a couple. He wouldn’t push her to mate but in
every other area she’d have to accept him by her side.

First he needed to check her wounds and decide whether she
should see someone about her lip. He’d dozed on and off since he’d crawled into
bed, so he knew Doc had spent a restless night beside him. After he took care
of her injuries he’d make them both something to eat, the healing process would
require extra nourishment and he planned to make sure she got it. Then they’d
talk and she could answer some questions, like what she was doing this far out
of town in the forest after dark. Alone.

“I need to have a look at your injuries. I’m not sure I did
a good job with your lip but I’m not the doctor here.” Steve eased her face up
with two fingers under her chin.

The gash looked to be knitting together already and he
gently cradled her cheek in his palm. The bruising along her jaw and around her
eyes made his stomach churn and his coyote wanted to rip apart the person
responsible for the damage. It took effort and a bit more enamel ground from
his back teeth but he managed to not squeeze her face in his frustration and
anger. Steve let his fingertips trail the dark bruise along Doc’s chin, the
petite angle of her face marred by the ugly mark.

“Damn, Doc. You really got yourself done over. Wanna tell me
what happened?”

She stiffened in his arms and fear flashed in her gaze
before she looked away. Either she’d been more than physically hurt in the
attack or she was attempting to shut him out again.

“Don’t try to shut me out. I’m finished with you pushing me
away. Dancing around what we are, ends now, Doc.” He placed a kiss on top of
her head. “I’ll wait on the mating, I won’t push you on being physically
intimate, but I will push you on everything else. From now on we’re together
whether we have sex or not.”