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What had just happened?
10
RORY
Bishop drove me crazy. I couldn’t figure him out. The one moment, he was all over me, the sexual tension insane, and the next, he physically ran away from me like he wanted nothing less than he wanted me.
My head spun after he left me trembling on the bed and aching for more. I wanted him. I wanted all of him, but it was like he was determined not to get involved with me.
Was it because of who I was and where I came from? I hated the idea that he might be suspicious about me being here. I wasn’t here to screw him over in any way. I was just here to look after what Colter considered one of our own.
Colter had always been the kind of alpha to take anyone in, as if they’d been family from the start. He’d had a very shitty childhood, with a father who he’d felt had betrayed him in a lot of ways, so he was always determined never to let anyone else feel that way. It was why I was here, looking for Turk.
I’d thought the poor kid had just gotten in with the wrong crowd, gotten himself into shit or something. Now, the more I got to know about him and his family, the less made sense, and I had no idea what I was dealing with anymore.
On Monday, I went to the clinic on my normal daytime routine. I definitely preferred the day shift, but the night-time shift allowed me to look at the world around me through different eyes. If I worked during the night, it also gave me more time to dig up some dirt on Turk and what was going on here, but being awake during daylight hours was good for my health.
“Morning,” Elaine said brightly when I walked into the cafeteria to fuel myself with coffee before getting started on rounds. She sat at a table near the entrance, and she had two cups of coffee in front of her.
“So you don’t have to wait in the line,” she said and pushed the cup toward me.
“You’re a saint.” I sat down, picking up the coffee for a scalding sip. “This is so good.”
“Nothing like a good cup of coffee to start the day,” Elaine said.
“You’re in a good mood.”
“Yeah, things are going right, you know? Since you’ve arrived, things have changed around here. It’s small changes, but it makes such a big difference. They listen to you.”
I’d been on the clinic’s case about sharpening up their game. They had to change the procedures and protocols if they wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. I wasn’t here to fix up the clinic, but still, I was surprised that my opinion had mattered and made a difference, resulting in positive changes. Elaine seemed to be happy about the adjustments, so that was cool.
“There are so few clinics for enchanted beings around that can really make a difference. It’s a shame to waste precious resources.”
“I completely agree,” Elaine said. “I’d love to see the clinic you’ve been working at in New York.”
The clinic back home was a state-of-the art well-oiled machine, but that had a lot to do with the fact that Colter owned it and had put me in charge. In a position of power, I could change a lot. Where here, I was nothing more than an employee. Still, I was glad to have left my mark. Eventually, I would go home.
The thought of going home shot a pang through my chest. I missed home, but leaving here meant leaving Bishop behind. My heart constricted when I thought about it. It wasn’t that we were anything special. I had no idea where we stood, especially after how he’d left me. Still, I didn’t just want to walk away.
Not yet.
“What’s wrong?” Elaine asked, and I glanced at her, snapping back to the present.
“Nothing.”
“I’m getting to know you, and that expression on your face usually means something is up.”
I laughed. “Yeah? You’re getting a read on me, huh?”
Elaine looked pleased with herself. “I like to think I’m a people-person.”
“You are,” I said, nodding. “It’s nothing serious. I just… don’t know which way to turn right now.”
“With what?”
I glanced at Elaine over my coffee cup as I sipped, trying to decide how much I could tell her about what was going on with Bishop.
“Well, Bishop and I have a weird thing going on. Half the time, he’s very alpha, sort of-in-your-face with the authority, and very closed off at the same time. Then the other half, he’s so open and sweet and caring, and I have no idea which side of him to expect.”
