I glanced at her unsure if she was upset by the idea. Her expression was closed but her scent sweet. She was amused.
Instead of answering, I washed my hands then took the diced potatoes from her.
“I’m glad you’re keeping her company. She doesn’t get out much.”
Moving to the stove, I added the potatoes and a bit of oil. Everything sizzled as Rachel kept talking.
“It’s not good for a person to close themselves off from other people. Without social contact and communication, a person’s mental health could deteriorate.”
Rachel stood and came to lean against the wall near the stove. She studied me for a long moment. I kept my eyes on the browning potatoes.
“How’s your mental health, Clay?”
I glanced at her. If she was thinking of taking me to another doctor...
A car rumbled into the drive. Gabby was home. I’d never been so relieved in my life.
Rachel pushed away from the wall with a smirk and moved to the cupboards. I added the chicken as she set the table.
“Do you work around here, Clay? Live nearby? I know nothing about you. Tell me a little about yourself.”
I kept cooking. Where was Gabby? I strained to hear her footsteps as Rachel kept up her one-sided conversation.
“Shy? Don’t worry. How about I tell you a little about myself? Let’s see...I’m a nursing student, which I’m sure Gabby’s mentioned. I’ll be graduating next spring. I love summer and can do without winter.”
Gabby finally opened the door and stepped inside. She looked pale again. Definitely exhausted. She glanced at Rachel then me before moving into the room and closing the door. I remained focused on the food in the pan while Rachel walked past Gabby to get silverware.
“You didn’t tell me he could cook,” Rachel said.
“He cooks, he cleans, he warms up my feet at night, and he keeps the toilet seat down...so hands off. He’s mine.”
My heart flipped. Rachel laughed good naturedly, but I barely heard. He’s mine. The words warmed my insides. Did she realize what she’d said? I turned to look at her. She met my gaze for a moment before Rachel distracted her again.
“How you feeling?” Rachel said, touching Gabby’s forehead. “I asked Clay, but he didn’t say.”
Rachel gave me a pointed look, and I shrugged and went back to cooking. Everything was almost done.
“Not the best, but it’s getting better. I think it’s mental exhaustion, nothing contagious.”
“Mm,” Rachel said. “I still think you should go to the doctor. Could it be something you didn’t think of yet? Pregnant?”
What the...?
My heart seized, and I dropped the spoon. It hit the stove, spattered me with potato shrapnel, and bounced back at me. Swallowing hard, I tried to catch it and fumbled a bit before my brain started working again and I was able to close my fist around the wooden handle.
Gabby. Pregnant. The thought consumed me in the best way. A family. I wanted that. I swallowed again and caught the silence behind me. Without looking, I went back to stirring the food.
“No,” Gabby said with a hint of humor. “Now, behave.”
I turned off the stove and brought the pan to the table. Rachel thanked me as I scooped a portion onto her plate. Gabby smiled when I did the same for her. The remaining food, I dumped onto my own plate.
It wasn’t bad eating with Rachel there. She kept up the conversation, asking Gabby questions about her weekend and her day. Her scent told me she really did worry about Gabby. So did I.
After Gabby finished, Rachel shooed her out of the kitchen with orders to rest while we cleaned up. Rachel turned on me with a grin and started talking about a cute pair of shoes she’d found. As I washed off the stove, I wondered how Peter put up with such a talker.
By the time we had everything clean, Gabby was lying asleep across the bed on top the covers.
“Good night, Clay,” Rachel called from her room just before she closed her door. It was way too early to go to bed. At least I didn’t have to hide the fact I was spending the night.
Gently picking Gabby up, I pulled back the covers. Then I removed her socks. She’d be more comfortable without her pants, but I wouldn’t be. I pulled the covers up, tucked her in, and kissed her forehead. Her nose wrinkled in her sleep when my whiskers brushed her skin. I chuckled and reclined next to her. Not yet ready to sleep, I read for a while. She didn’t move much, but I glanced at her often. I had to. With two words, she’d made it impossible to look away. He’s mine.
I read for a while, slept a bit, then woke and read some more. The sun rose and still she slept. That was what she should have done yesterday.
Finally, she yawned, stretched, and opened her eyes.
“Good morning,” she said, pulling the covers up to her chin.
I closed my book and studied her. She had more color back.
“I want to talk to you but keep falling asleep. If I do it again, wake me up.”
Not a chance. I slid an arm around her and pulled her against my side. She smiled and relaxed.
“During the Introduction, when I said my head hurt, I saw a man step away from the line. I know how your kind views Introductions. It didn’t seem right, so I peeked at his spark. It hurt like hell, but I saw he had the same color light as Elder Joshua and the wolf that’d attacked us. I thought maybe it could be the same guy‒that he needed to leave because you’d recognize his scent. Then, I saw three more, further away. Something’s going on, but I can’t figure out what.
“I know you didn’t stay with the pack full-time, but did you ever notice any of them acting differently?”
I shook my head, and she sighed. Smoothing her hair back, I wished I had the answers she wanted.
Her phone vibrated, but she didn’t reach for it. Usually, only one person called her. Sam.
“If only I could trust Sam. If I could ask him questions about Elder Joshua without him repeating them, I might be able to figure this thing out.”
After the way Sam had handled the Introduction, I wasn’t willing to trust him, either. He’d jeopardized Gabby’s wellbeing with his need to adhere to our customs. I wondered how long it would take for the challenges to resume.
Would he keep them away long enough for her to fully recover?
After almost a full week of silence, Gabby finally answered one of Sam’s calls.
We were in her room sitting on the bed reading, as usual, when her phone rang. She stared at it for a moment, sighed, and picked it up. I stayed where I was and listened to the stilted conversation. I wanted to know if he’d push the Introductions again.
After he asked if she was feeling better, he asked if she’d come back to the Compound over the long Thanksgiving weekend. She avoided a direct answer, and he tried apologizing for his actions. She made non-committal noises, obviously still mad and not yet ready to forgive. Then, he asked what had happened to her during the last visit.
Our gazes met briefly, and she answered vaguely that she had been sick. A long moment of silence passed. When he spoke, he didn’t comment on her answer but asked again that she consider coming “home” over holiday break. She said she’d think about it then hung up.
I thought that call was a signal that life as we’d known it would resume. However, for the next few weeks, no challengers approached me, and Sam continued to call Gabby daily. Most of their brief conversations touched on weather, school, or investments. Anything pack related stayed off limits. He was genuinely concerned about her, but Gabby had lost whatever trust she’d once had in him.
She talked to me often, trying to reason out her ability. She felt certain that the answer lay in the transfer. So I kept a close eye on her to ensure she didn’t pull that stunt again. I didn’t leave for work until she left for school, and I made sure I returned home before she did. I was tempted to follow her, too, but resisted. It seemed less likely she’d use her abilities on someone at school. She wanted to study the effect. That made Rachel the most likely candidate. So, when Rachel was around, I stayed in my fur. Mostly because I could get away with more as a dog. But partly because I thought she’d eventually notice the missing “dog” when I was around. Plus, that woman talked too much when I was a man.