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Chapter Five
Charlie
As soon asDaniel stepped out of the room, Charlie wished he hadn’t left. He’d had a look in his eye like he’d suddenly remembered something marvelous, and then scampered off.
She swayed on her feet, just a little. She wanted to sit but didn’t quite trust herself to walk the few feet to the chair. Standing was hard enough, but walking required balance and core strength and at the moment, she didn’t have much of either.
So she stood in the middle of the room, a kitchen table behind her and the fireplace in front, shivering, wishing that Daniel would come back.
“Dinner!” Kade shouted from the kitchen.
“Okay!” Charlie said.
She looked down at herself, and tears rose to her eyes. She hadn’t felt this helpless or, well, naked for years.
At last Daniel came back, something blue and flannel in his hands, just as Kade came out of the kitchen, carrying a soup ladle like he might be about to stab someone with it.
She could feel his eyes on her body, just for a moment, and she turned her head away.
It didn’t matter how hot he was. He was a gruff weirdo, stern to the point of being mean.
Also, he’d killed two wolves. Charlie didn’t think for a moment that the wolves had killed two of their own.
It had taken the wildlife coroner — another new job that only existed in the shifter states — about thirty seconds to point out that the claw and bite marks were much too large to be anything but a grizzly bear.
Daniel didn’t say anything as he unfurled the fabric in his hands. It was a long flannel robe, so big that it fell to the floor and probably could have wrapped around her twice, and Charlie was no twig.
She inhaled sharply as the material brushed over her back, but then Daniel was there, his hand on hers, holding her upright.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
He didn’t say anything, but he straightened the neck of the robe, then tied it around her as best he could without the belt digging into her back. The flannel was warmer than Charlie expected, and she finally felt herself begin to relax.
I still wish they’d talk more, she thought. This is a little weird.
“Dinner,” Kade said again, his voice lower this time.
“What is it?” Charlie managed to ask.
“My mom’s rabbit stew,” Kade said. Then he turned his back to her and walked back into the kitchen, the line of his shoulders straight and hard.
Charlie closed her eyes.
Don’t cry, she told herself. No matter how much it fucking hurts and how mean you think he is, don’t you fucking cry.
“Will you help me?” she asked Daniel. “Walking is kind of hard right now.”
“Of course,” he said, and took her hand.
Then something crossed his face, and he looked over at the table.
“Sit down,” he said. “I’ll bring you stew. I think that’s easier?”
Charlie just nodded, totally exhausted from standing on her own for a few minutes. Daniel walked her to the table, still stained with her blood, and she sat down, practically hanging on his arm for support.
She didn’t even say anything about the blood. At that point, she felt utterly beyond caring if her own blood was on the table where she ate.
Hell, she was alive. What else even mattered?
