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“Yes, I…” He licked his lips, frustration and worry clouding his eyes. “That’s why I didn’t hear them sneak up on me. The sun hadn’t set yet.”
My features contorted with concern. “Wait, that’s happened before.”
“What?”
“With my girls and their mates.” I stood abruptly. “You’re telling me that they snuck up on you right before the sunset?”
He nodded, thoughts swarming through his mind. I could practically see the strings trying to work together. “I see they’ve made this a habit with the pack at the base of the mountain, too.”
“It’s not a coincidence. They’ve got something up their sleeves.”
“We need to figure it out.” He tossed the sheet aside, slinging his legs over the side of the bed. “We have to get—”
Wooziness dropped him like a dead weight into the bed. I clutched his right side to keep him from toppling over the edge of the bed to the ground. I’m not sure where I summoned the strength seeing as my arms were sore from carrying him, but I didn’t try to second-guess the nature of it either. I pulled the sheet back into place, gently patting his shoulder.
“You need to rest,” I said forcefully. “If you move from this bed, Matéo, I won’t forgive you.”
A playful grin crooked his lips, exhaustion lingering in his gaze as he gasped for air. Standing nearly took it out of him. He wasn’t weak, but he wasn’t up to par just yet.
“Fine,” he exhaled. “But only because ma petite fleur said so.”
Heat exploded in my cheeks. I played with my hair and tried not to think too hard about it.
But I couldn’t not think about it either.
He had been calling me that since the night we hooked up. “What does it mean?”
He raised his eyebrows. “It means the vampires could trap us just about anywhere.”
I shook my head. “No, the thing you just called me. The ma…” I frowned, embarrassed for trying to speak French at all. “The French phrase.”’
His smile widened. “It means my little flower.”
“I’m a flower?”
“Aren’t you named after a flower, Rose?”
More heat bloomed in my face. Sinking into the bed eased the rush of warmth—but not by much. “I am.”
“Then, it makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“It sounds like I mean something to you.”
Something glimmered in his eyes, a reaction I hadn’t anticipated.
Curiosity, affection, and a hint of something stronger, a certain something that might surpass the age of this vampire-wolf war.
But maybe I was just drunk on leftover adrenaline.
“Maybe,” he admitted. “You could possibly mean a lot more than just something to me, Rose.” He took my hand and whispered to my fingertips, “Why else would I run here for shelter…?”
Chapter 9 - Matéo
I never thought I would miss a place more than my cabin. But the moment I hobbled into the Orchid Suite, all I could sense was the presence of Rose in everything—the fluffy pillows, the fresh sheets, the polished tables and dusted chairs, the basket of goodies sitting next to the television, the extra towels and faux fur blankets piled on the bed.
Everything in here smelled like Rose. The very air was doused with her taste, with the delicious sweetness of cotton candy. If I turned about fast enough, I could spot bubbles dancing in my peripheral vision. She was too present, too committed to the very nature of this room.
I adjusted the crutch under my arm. It was the doctor’s orders to use the crutch—and Rose’s insistent glare that had convinced me to follow those orders.
