It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t remember. If she even heard him now, which was unlikely.
She crumpled against him. From rigid and clinging to limp and pliant. It was so quick he panicked a little. Was she dead? Dammit.
He rolled her onto her back and pressed his ear to her chest, trying to shut out the sweet scent of her skin and the hint of flowers from her silky hair. Her heart beat. Rapidly, uneven… Unconscious. He rested his head, slumping in relief and wishing Hollis were here. Not that he was especially fond of the uptight son of a bitch, but Hollis was a doctor. He wouldn’t lay here, holding her and worrying, letting her bleed—it was all pointless.
Her f
ingers slid into his hair, startling him. “You’re so warm.”
Not unconscious. Her voice washed over him—and the wolf. He closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment’s weakness. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had touched him with a gentle hand.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “For getting me out of that place. I don’t know who they were or what they were going to do to me, but I know it was bad.”
That sounded almost coherent. He looked up at her. “You’re awake?”
“Doubtful. If I was awake there wouldn’t be a naked guy on top of me.” Her fingers kept stroking his hair. “And I wouldn’t be lying in the woods.” She paused. “Or in so much pain.”
He grinned; he couldn’t help it. “So, you’re dreaming?”
She nodded, her fingers slid along his neck. “Well…” She seemed to think about this. “Why am I wearing clothes when you’re not?”
“It’s cold,” he said. It’d be better if he could shift. He could keep them both warmer that way.
“You’re being naked makes even less sense, then,” she argued. “Besides, I’m not cold.”
He pressed his palm to her forehead. She was still burning up. “Is that the only reason?” he asked, racking his brain for options. If he’d learned one thing in the last few months, it was finding motivation to fight. She needed big motivation. “Chase? What happened to him?”
She shivered. “I’d rather this was a good dream.”
“Chase is bad?” he pushed.
She made an angry little sound at the back of her throat. “No. Sometimes. I love my brother, but I’m so mad at him.”
Mal grunted. He knew how that was. Not that he loved Finn or the rest of his pack. Being part of a pack was more binding, more permanent, more complicated. And irritating as shit. But he did know all about being mad. Pissed as hell was more like it. “He did something?”
“I jumped in between him and that mountain of a man and got stabbed. He left me.” Her voice grew soft and thready. “He left me… Alone.”
Those words did something dangerous to his wolf. Before, the stupid animal had felt some sort of misguided defensive instinct. Now—Mal knew he was in trouble. The wolf wanted blood, specifically Chase’s. The surge of fury that raged through his blood was welcome, but the cause was not. He didn’t give a shit about Chase. He was a dick for leaving his sister, but Mal had enough to deal with without developing some sort of guardian complex for this girl. The wolf had other ideas, though. He wanted to make Chase suffer. He wanted to rip into him. Mal sighed.
“What sort of brother does that?” Her tears were sudden and hard, shaking her body. “I… I put up with a lot from him.” She was sobbing.
“Goddammit,” he hissed. “Stay still.”
“It’s your fault. You mentioned Chase…” She slid her arms around his neck and buried her face against his neck. “I wanted a good dream.”
He held her close, one hand at the base of her spine, the other pressed firmly between her shoulder blades. Somewhere deep inside he ached for her. They had this betrayal in common, too. It was an ugly reality to accept. He needed her to calm down, to relax. She responded, slowly easing. Her sobs lessened enough for him to say, “Tell me about this good dream.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “It wouldn’t be here.”
“Where would it be?”
“In a bed, with soft sheets and lots of blankets.” She broke off. “And maybe mirrors.” She sighed.
He eased his hold so he could look at her, reeling. Was she serious? Her eyes were pressed shut, her features relaxed, and a slight smile on her face. “A sex dream?” Maybe she was still slightly delusional.
Her smile grew. “Yes, a sex dream. Virgin, remember?”
She’d said a lot of things, very few of which he’d listened to. He froze. The wolf froze. “You’ve never had sex?”