I buried my hand in Kat’s thick mane. She leaned into me, sensing my discomfort in having to think about that night. “I did.”
“Where did you end up?” She frowned at something in a dark corner of an empty stall but didn’t move any closer. Her EMF remained silent.
“In the middle.” I let go of Kat and moved to the middle of the hallway. “Here.”
“Did you hear anything?” Rae started back toward me, and it was then that I noticed she had a slight limp. “Either in your dream or outside of it?”
I frowned at the foot she was favoring. “No, nothing I can remember.”
“Do you ever remember your dreams?” she asked.
“Not all the time.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Did that sinkhole twist your ankle?”
Rae paused, lowering the EMF to waist height. “Sorry?”
“You’re limping.”
She looked down at her leather boots (which were more of a fashion statement than a practical upgrade from the sneakers). I had said nothing when she tugged them on because, despite the block heel, they were in the right direction.
“I’m fine.” Rae shrugged and passed me to checknear the entryway. I noted how straighter her back had become. She took each step slowly, trying to hide her injury.
I sighed. “We should look at it.”
“I said, I’m fine,” she murmured, frowning down at the EMF. Rae popped open the back, tugging out the batteries, blowing into them before pressing them back in. “Trust me, I’ve sustained injuries worse than this.”
“If it’s swelling and you’re in those kinds of shoes, it’ll only get worse,” I said. “You’ll be on your feet for a little while longer. The house has both a basement and an attic.”
Rae took a deep breath. When she let it out, her shoulders dropped. “This thing stings like a mofo.”
I pressed my lips together, trying not to smile. The injury wasn’t amusing; it was the way she scrunched up her nose. Those tiny wrinkles on her skin cracked her smooth surface. Her jaw ticked as she took a seat on a rusted stool and snatched off the boot. Her sock went next. She froze when I kneeled in front of her.
“May I?” I was first-aid certified and the person who’d brought her out here. Examining the injury was the least I could do.
“Sure.” Rae nodded.
I gently wrapped one hand behind her ankle. She held so still I thought she might have stopped breathing. It wasn’t until I applied a bit of testing pressure that she took a sharp inhale.
“Circle it for me?” I asked.
Rae raised a brow. “Foryou? Of course.”
I sighed, an attempt to mask my amusement. Rae did what she was told. The movement was achingly slow. I could already feel the first signs of swelling.
“Nice to know you can takedirections,” I murmured.
Rae laughed. “I normally don’t, but I like being on my best behavior around you.”
I directed my gaze up to her. She’d already been watching me. From this angle, her inhales were distracting. Each one of her breaths was deep, expanding her chest so the top she wore stretched across her breasts. My eyes traveled down her body, catching on the curve of her waist.
“You can’t take direction, though.” Her lowered voice emphasized her natural, deep tone. “But I don’t mind that. Curiosity’s always cute.”
I nearly choked. She parted her lips, letting out a light laugh.
“There’s a first-aid kit back here.” I jabbed my thumb over my shoulder. “We should…um, tape it up for now. You’ll have to ice and elevate it later.”
Rae nodded, and I went to retrieve the kit. When I got back, she had taken her coat off and tied it around her waist. I kneeled again, doing my best to focus on the ankle and not the better view of her breasts.
“How would that thing test for ‘activity’?” I asked, trying to feed my mind with something besides intrusive thoughts.
