Paul pushed off the bed. “I trust you, Sky. Josef will beat the crap out of me if anything happens to you.”
That made her laugh, she couldn’t help it. Even her exploding head didn’t matter in that moment. There was something very beautiful about their friendship, Paul, Josef and her, which made her happy.
“Boys are so violent,” she observed, blinking back a fresh flood of tears. She was lucky to have the two of them as friends.
“Girls are so mushy,” Paul countered, leaning down to drop a kiss on top of her head. “Don’t go all sobby on me. Can you imagine what will happen if Josef comes in and finds you crying? Sheesh, I’ll be dead meat.”
She made a face at him and gave him a little push, her stomach churning at the reference to meat. “Ugh. Go away before I throw up all over you.”
“You already did that,” he pointed out.
“I did not,” she denied, uncertain if it was true, but adamant all the same. “I carefully and politely turned my face away from you.” She gave him a little huff of disdain, just to emphasize that he must have remembered the sequence of events incorrectly.
“Then why did I have to spend half the day in the laundry room?” he asked with a smirk.
Now she knew he was teasing her. This little room was not in a hotel. She could tell it was a private residence renting out rooms. No hotel was this cozy or had the detailed quilts, obviously handmade, in them. There wouldn’t be a laundry room.
“Go away, mean boy,” she said. “If I don’t take my shower soon, Josef will show up before I’m out.”
“Lock him out,” Paul said as he crossed to the door.
She laughed again. “You try locking him out.”
“He can’t come in if the doors and windows are closed and locked, not without an invitation,” Paul said.
“Really?” She arched an eyebrow. “This is Josef we’re talking about. He’s very adept at picking locks, as you well know. You both have studied enough to be criminals.”
Paul put his hand over his heart. “Ouch. Such a hurtful woman.”
He hurried out the door laughing, slamming it quickly so that the pillow she threw hit the door instead of him.
Skyler sat for a long moment, the smile fading from her face. Paul had allowed her to cry, something she clearly needed to do. He had done his best to assure her leaving Dimitri had been her only recourse. Now she had to heal so she could get back to her lifemate. How much time did she have? She doubted if it was very much. One night. Maybe two.
She staggered to the bathroom, appalled at her weakness. Maybe a chair in the shower would have been a good thing, but she did have some pride. Paul had given blood to Josef twice. He’d carried her to the truck and probably had done the same for Josef after he’d collapsed a second time beside her. Then Paul had driven through the rest of the night to find a place for them to stay during the day. He had to be exhausted.
The hot water felt good on her skin, reviving her a bit. Some of the tension eased out of her neck and shoulders enough to keep her head from shattering into a million pieces. Twice she had to stop washing her hair and just stay very still to keep from getting sick. Both times she held on to her head, pressing her palms hard on either side of her temples.
“Hey! Sky! You in there?” Josef demanded.
“No!” she shouted back. “I’m not.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. You left your brain somewhere in the cold zone.”
Leaning against the shower stall, she finished rinsing her hair, taking her time. Josef wasn’t going to be quite as nice about what happened as Paul. She’d be lucky if he didn’t shake her until her teeth rattled. She could already feel his anger, and she certainly heard it in his voice.
“Stop stalling,” he snapped. “You don’t want me coming in there after you.”
“Sheesh, Josef, you just got here. Give me a minute. I’m moving a little slow.”
“That isn’t surprising.”
She sighed. She was not going to shout back and forth through the bathroom door. She understood his anger. It came out of fear for her. She would certainly feel the same if the roles were reversed. But . . . she was Dimitri’s lifemate. Seeing him that way, feeling his pain, she doubted if too many other lifemates—man or woman—would have been completely rational in the same situation. Still, Josef deserved to be heard.
She dressed carefully, brushed her teeth and walked out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel. Josef had his back to her, but spun around as she emerged. He looked thin and tired, his face still very pale, although she was certain he’d already fed. He held himself very tightly.
“You almost died last night.” He made it a statement. An accusation.
Skyler tossed the towel aside, walked right up to him and circled his neck with both arms, leaning close to hold him. “I know. I’m so sorry,” she said sincerely. “I almost took you with me.”
For a moment he held himself very stiff, then his arms came up and he hugged her so hard she feared she might break in half. “I don’t care about me, you goofball,” Josef said, “but I can’t lose you. Dimitri can’t lose you. Gabriel and Francesca can’t lose you. You can’t take chances like that. If you’re going to travel over a thousand miles and attempt a healing, you know you’re on a time limit. You know that. I don’t know how I got you back.”
Skyler pulled back to look up at him. “He booted me out of him.”
He blinked. The tension eased out of him a slow inch at a time. “He did?”
“Yes. And don’t sound so happy.”
“Thank God that man can boss you, because no one else seems to be able to.”
“I don’t need bossing,” she pointed out. “Josef, I really am sorry. I’ll be far more careful next time. We know what we’re facing now.”
Josef took a deep breath and nodded. “I caught glimpses in your mind, Skyler. You’re one tough chick.”
Skyler flinched. “I wouldn’t call me a tough chick in front of my parents or someone say . . . like the prince. They wouldn’t appreciate the modern jargon.”
For the first time Josef smiled. It was more of a self-satisfied smirk, but she’d take it. At least he was finding his sense of humor again.
“They need to lighten up and become a little more modern, especially Gregori. He’s still living in the caveman days.”
“We don’t have to be around him much,” Skyler pointed out. “Think of poor Paul, living with the De La Cruz family—especially the eldest brother. I’ve never met him but I’ve heard the rumors.”
Josef gave a little shudder. “I’m totally avoiding Paul’s family. It’s the only safe, intelligent thing to do. When this is over, I’m making myself scarce for a century or two.”
A knock on the door heralded Paul’s arrival. Josef waved his hand and the door opened. Outside, Skyler could see night falling fast. The weather was overcast, clouds drifting across the sky, but there was no rain.
Paul set her soup on the small table. “Come eat, Sky. I wolfed down a sandwich while I was waiting for your order.”
That was code for telling her he ate a meat sandwich and didn’t want her to smell it and feel nauseated. “Thanks, Paul. I appreciate it.” She looked at the bowl of soup and shook her head, her stomach already rebelling.
“It’s not the enemy,” Josef told her. “It’s sustenance—the very thing you need to build your strength again so you can heal Dimitri.”
She didn’t dare take a deep breath, but she nodded. Josef made sense. She had to get strong fast and that required eating. She touched her tongue to her lower lip, tracing it, finding her skin quite dry. In spite of the hot shower, she was still shivering, unable to maintain her body temperature.