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My body rebelled.
I pushed off Cole’s lap, unstable as I wobbled across the room. We were back in Cole’s bedroom, his teleportation having happened in the span of a blink.
The bathroom was clear and lit. I wasted no time or dignity, throwing my head immediately into the toilet.
I wished I could blame it on the transport, but Cole’s poofing hadn’t given me any of the dizziness the portal hopping did. No, this was something deeper. Something that had been brewing and unearthed itself at an inopportune moment.
Cole was behind me. When the bile finally passed, I’d feel shame at having acted like this in front of him, but for the moment, all I could focus on was expelling every rotten bit of food in my stomach. Cole held my unbound hair back, protecting the strands from my vomit. He placed another hand on the small of my back, rubbing in small circles.
Eventually, I had nothing left to throw up. I hadn’t eaten much, but still, my body felt dirty.
“You’re okay.” The word was not a gentle platitude, but a command. Even now, Cole would order me around.
My lips twitched into a smile, despite my remaining unease.
He helped me up and produced a clean cloth, wiping my face away. I turned away from the intimacy to the sink to rinse my mouth, but my body was still weak. I clutched the rim of the counter for support.
Cole was behind me in an instant. His hands gripped my hips, not clawing, but firm enough to steady me while I washed away the taste of bile. I met his eyes in the mirror. I expected judgment or pity. I didn’t know which would be worse.
But there was none. Only a steady existence.
“I was fine a day ago.” I didn’t mean for the words to come out so quietly, but my voice felt raw after what had just happened.
“You weren’t.” A gentle blow. “You were surviving minute by minute. Your mind needed space to process and accept the events of the past few days.”
“I killed someone.”
My voice cracked on the last word. The steadying breath I attempted to draw into my lungs failed to deliver any relief. Cole said nothing to rush me. “I was willing to kill to protect her. I went there knowing that. I thought I could handle it. And he wasn’t a good person. I know that. He was a terrible Alpha. Maybe not to everyone, but to me. And Daphne. He just… He had her in a cell. He said he would… he would…”
I couldn’t even make myself say the words. My eyes screwed shut, trying to stop the tears.
He turned me around to face him, pressing my back against the edge of the counter while one hand caressed my cheek. I forced my eyes to open again at his silent command.
“Yes, he was despicable. But the Alpha was also a fixture in your life. Someone you’d known since you were a pup. Little wolf, there is no shame in finding unpleasantness in meting out death. I wish I could say it was the only time you will have to face such brutality, but lying to you is the one thing I cannot bear.”
He tilted my head up. I didn’t fight the action.
“You were fighting for your life. For your friend. And you won. Whatever the consequences, I’m proud of you, Avery.”
This time, it was me who kissed Cole.
It wasn’t an explosive, passionate kiss. But it was desperate. I’d been drowning, and Cole was the clean air that filled my lungs.
He lifted me onto the countertop edge and my legs wrapped around him, drawing him close. The shirt rode up, and my exposed heat pressed against his crotch, the fabric of his pants an inconvenient barrier.
Moon, I wanted this male. We’d shared a room, sometimes a bed, for days without contact. He had been close, sometimes inches away, but never broke that invisible wall.
But now he did. His fingers dug into my sides in a deliciously possessive way while he tasted me. It was a slow demand that made me yield. I sank into the heady sensation. Instead of devouring me, he seemed to savor my taste, a flick of his tongue making me gasp. It was a comfort I wanted to sink in, a security I’d never had before in my life. I’d been worried he would be furious if he ever saw me again. Now, I tasted how silly I’d been. Because Cole cared. He infuriated me with his sardonic teasing, drove me mad with his refusal to answer questions, but above all, he cared for me in a way no one ever had in my entire life.
It was Cole who pulled away. His thumb rose to my lower lids, brushing the dried tear track.
“Feeling better?”
I nodded. The heightened emotions that had consumed me minutes before had eased. Now, all I had was a bone-weary exhaustion that belied the fact I’d spent the past four days resting in bed.
As if sensing my thoughts, he adjusted his grip to better support me. “Your body will not recover in an instant. You used a lot of power, both in shifting, fighting, and casting your magic. You’ll need to build your stamina.”
“How do you know about the magic?” I asked.
