Now if only someone would tell Adam to play nice.
Whether he saved her from the vamp or not, Tabby wasn’t holding her breath.
20
As soon as the door slid open, then closed with a soft snick-ing sound behind Shea, Adam was on his feet.
Dodge drifted away, probably to go retrieve Colt from his shed out back. Adam was lucky—he only got banned from the bedroom while Shea continued to work on Tabby. Once Colt’s overprotective growls got on the last of his mate’s nerves, Shea finally banished him to his workshop.
He gave Shea credit. She put up with both of the
m for another half an hour after Debbie left the house again, only putting her foot down when Tabby moaned, Adam hissed, and Colt snarled in quick succession.
Since then, Adam paced the lengths of the hall outside of Tabby’s room, only retreating to the downstairs living room when Shea stuck her head out of the door and shooed him further away.
It had been hours since then. The sun came up without fanfare; luckily, Colt went around with Adam, covering up the windows to shield the sun before he disappeared back to his shed. There was no basement at Colt’s place, so Adam stayed on the couch, antsy feet tapping on the floor while his knees bounced. The sun didn’t reach him, and though he was exhausted, he couldn't find it in him to sleep until he knew Tabby was okay.
As soon as Shea’s light footsteps hit the stairs, he met her halfway.
She looked as drained as Adam felt, but she smiled when she saw him. “She’s awake now.” A pause, and then, “She’s asking about you.”
His heart lurched before banging away inside his chest. “Me?”
A nod. “Go on. She’s going to be okay, but I know you won’t believe me until you see her.”
If it was anyone beside Shea Moonshadow, Adam would’ve leaned down and shown his gratitude with a thankful kiss on the cheek. Since he didn’t want Colt catching his scent on her later and going for his throat, he settled on a relieved chuckle. “Thanks, Shea. You’re the best.”
He waited for Shea to pass him on the steps before he ate up the rest of them, taking two at a time. Anxious to see Tabby, he burst through the door without even knocking.
And there she was.
His slayer was wide awake. Still in bed, her back was propped up on a mountain of pillows, making her still seem smaller than he liked. He figured the comforter wrapped around her petite form had something to do with it, too.
“Hey, champ,” she greeted, an amused grin tugging on her lips. “Miss me?”
More than she would ever know.
Grabbing the chair that Shea had used, he dragged it by her bedside. He wanted to reach out and touch her, prove to himself that she was alive and well, but he didn’t trust himself not to tug her out of the bed and settle her on his lap where she belonged.
“How you feeling?”
She snuggled against the pillows at her back. “Been better. Been worse.” Though Adam struggled to keep his hands to himself, she had no problem. She slipped hers from out from under the comforter, casually patting his thigh. “Gonna be fine, though, so you don’t have to look like you’re picking out my casket or anything.”
The laugh bubbled out of him. He didn’t realize how much he was afraid he’d never hear any of her sass again until she easily threw some his way. “Was I that obvious?”
“Well, yeah. But it’s okay. Shea told me what happened. A witch and a vamp? And I thought I showed off when I got the vamp and the shifter in one night. That was hours apart, not minutes.”
“You’re a right little asskicker, Tab.”
“You know it.”
Her dark eyes gleamed, though she didn’t make any other moves. Even though she wanted him to believe that she was alright, she was probably still a little shaken up. In all the time that he had known her, he had never seen her stay so still for so long. She was always moving, even if it was just her jaw.
She was okay. He exhaled roughly. Shea was right. Tabby was okay.
Like the healer, though, she looked tired. He doubted that whatever sleep Priscilla’s spell had forced her into had been restful. Tabby’s sleeping cycle was similar to a Nightwalker’s: up all night while sleeping during the day. She should be catching up on her z’s, not humoring him.
Adam stood up.