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“I’d do anything for you and my niece and nephew, Jazz. It won’t be much longer now, and then you’ll be the exhausted one chasing babies around.”
“Can’t wait.” She smiled as she drifted off to sleep.
Placing a fake, non-exhausted look on my face, I turned to give Drew an update. “She’s fine. Nothing’s wrong. Let her sleep for an hour, and then wake her to have her take some blood. Make sure she does it twice a day. Let me know when you’re done, and I’ll help your blood levels rise again.”
He nodded, but his eyes held concern they normally didn’t when looking at me.
I’m fine.The words were almost a growl as I stood and left the room with Tessa on my tail.
I held my hand out to her, and she placed the cookie bag on it. The first cookie went into my mouth whole, as did every cookie after. They were gone by the time we hit the back deck.
You may think so, Jeff, but Jazz is right,Drew replied.I’m going to have a conversation with Cal if you don’t. They need to figure out a way to get you less responsibility.
Closing my eyes, I let myself fall down in a snowdrift and stared up at the sky above me.
“You know, you’re in your pajamas. You’re not getting into our bed with wet pajamas.” Tessa’s words spiked feeling with my Love element. It had been dormant since Jazz’s blood pressure had set off my Healing element. I groaned.
“Let me lie here in peace for just a minute.”
“No can do. Now, let’s get back to bed. We’re both going to be exhausted tomorrow, and I’m blaming you.” She reached down and, with more strength than I’d expected, hauled me to my feet.
Adam left as soon as we entered. If he noticed the wet clothing or snow on me, he didn’t mention it.
The fire he’d left roaring in the hearth looked inviting to lie next to on a couch, but I knew Tessa would insist we share the bed.
My eyes were closed while I changed my clothes. I didn’t even care that I did it in front of Tessa. My boxers were dry, so they stayed where they were. My foggy, exhausted brain was past caring.
When I turned around and opened my eyelids a crack, I found she was asleep in the bed. Looked like I didn’t have to worry. All was good.
“Turn that blasted thing off!”Her voice was gravelly and deeper than normal against the high-pitched alarm I used. The alarm was annoying, but it usually had me out of bed faster than this.
“We have hours of meetings today, and you start us out with that?”
I moaned and rolled to my side, away from her, instead of lying on my back.
“Turn. That. Blasted. Thing. Off!” Each word was enunciated with a smack of her pillow to my head.
“What are you doing?” My words were slurred but still intelligible.
“Shut that bloody alarm off before I beat you to death with this pillow. I can guarantee it will be a long, drawn-out death.”
My arm came up so I could search for the phone on the nightstand beside me. Another groan left me when I knocked the phone down between the wall and the nightstand.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” She hit me once more with her pillow while I tried to rise and clear my eyes. She claimed it was for good measure.
Tessa sighed when I finally hit the off button on the alarm, and I collapsed back on the bed.
“I hate you.” Her husky morning voice turned me on like nothing in the world ever had, prompting me to get out of bed in a second. What the heck was wrong with me? I’d almost turned over and kissed the girl! Not to mention, keeping my Love element in control was becoming harder. How was I supposed to keep control of it for a day, let alone days or weeks?
Locking myself into the bathroom, I showered quickly and put on my formal Light military uniform. The slacks were black and heavy wool. The undershirt was also black with a black vest atop it with blue roped stripes called bars across the shoulders to let everyone know I was a Captain. A purple belt around my waist let them know I was a healer. The color of the belt and bars always coordinated—at least on everyone else. I was the only person who owned a different colored belt from his bars. No healer had ever made rank before, so healers always had a purple belt and purple bars while Captains had blue belts and blue bars.
Wearing the formal uniform also required a shave, but I passed on that. It would take too much time and energy for this early in the morning after lack of sleep.
I left the bathroom and passed a hazy-eyed Tessa as she took over the room.
Pounding on my bedroom door made me take the few steps at a sprint. Nate was on the other side when I whipped it open.
“What’s wrong?” I stuck my head out into the rest of the house and looked around for the danger, my heart in my throat that I’d missed something, or someone, with my Healing power.
