CHAPTER FIVE
Geraldine
“April,” I whispered to the woman sleeping soundly in the hospital bed. I closed her file. “What a pretty name for a wolf.”
The past twelve hours had been a bit of a whirlwind with this car accident. My volunteer hours had stretched well past my limit, and my eyes were drooping dangerously low as I checked the woman’s vitals. She was doing quite well, even with the wolfsbane in her system.
After making sure she was comfortable, I turned to head into the hallway, colliding with a warm body at the door. I stumbled back, gasping when a strong arm clutched my waist.
“Dine.”
Ugh, why couldn’t I have run into a stranger instead? I recovered from my mistake and brushed invisible dirt from my scrubs.
“Dr Fleming.”
“Call me Claude.”
“No.”
I swept past him to make my rounds. As much as I was in desperate need of a shower and a couple of hours of sleep, I had to make sure the patients here were set. It was my duty.
“Dine, you need rest,” Dr Fleming called after me. He caught up with my pace, gripping my elbow firmly but gently. “You should go to exam room 5 and take a nap. Please.”
“Stop calling me that. I just need to go home after these next few patients.”
He gave me a hard look. “You’re barely standing.”
Unfortunately, as much as it pained me to admit it, he was right. My knees wobbled and my whole body felt like gelatin. I allowed him to take me to exam room 5 where I sank onto the hospital bed.
I dropped my head into my hands as I heard the door shut quietly.
“Now that we’re alone…”
My head popped up. Never in my life had I let my guard drop like this. It wasn’t like me.
I shot up from the bed and tried to speed past Dr Fleming, but my reflexes were sluggish from lack of sleep. He gripped my upper arm and dragged me back. I fought against his strength, drawing on my hybrid to lead me through this mess.
A familiar ringtone cut through the cloud of my struggle. I escaped his grip and darted into the hallway, heading to the women’s locker room on the other side of the department floor. I whipped out my phone.
Nathaniel, I thought. Saved by the bell.
I answered quickly, “I have a situation. Are you okay?”
Despite my expectations for him to be piss-poor drunk, his voice came through cool and calm, saying, “I need to see you. Can we meet?”
“Yes, we can meet,” I agreed before I realized what I was doing. The locker room came into view and I sprinted inside, the safety of the tiles putting me at ease. “Meet me at the park right around the corner from my apartment. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Why the park?”
“Just do it, Nathaniel.”
I slid my phone into the pocket of my scrubs and went to my locker to collect my things.
What just happened back there? Did he really try what I think he tried? I shook my head. I can’t think about it right now—I have to run.
So, I ran.
* * *
Thick trees greeted me as I wandered up the winding path into the park. The trunks grew denser as I walked, providing me a curtain of privacy from the world.
Fresh air infected me, giving me the solace, I needed from whatever had just happened back at the hospital. I didn’t want to think about it, but the images kept replaying in my head. Was I so exhausted that I had dreamed while I was awake?
I couldn’t tell. I didn’t want to think about it.
The path opened up into a small clearing. Noise from the road was dull back here, muted by the density of the trees surrounding me. Nathaniel stepped out from between two rather large trunks, his eyes sober and full of intention.
I squinted at him. “You’re not drunk.”
“Only had a few shots. Grabbed food on the way here.”
“I can’t believe it.”
He laughed. “I can’t believe it either.”
“This is the most . . . clear I’ve ever seen you.” I paused as I studied his features. “And yet…”
“And yet, I’m still a mess.”
I opened my arms. I needed this hug as much as he did. An I knew he needed it. I could tell.
With Nathaniel, there was no hiding my feelings. Though he wasn’t fully aware of the depth of my emotions, I knew he saw it in the way I looked at him. I knew he felt it in my touch.
Now, the way my skin exploded when he fell into my arms, I knew things had changed between us. Something struck me then, a realization of epic proportions that I wasn’t prepared to fully realize.
My hybrid roared, the sound expanding in my chest and glowing brightly. Emerald green surrounded us as he nuzzled into my neck, lips seeking the soft structure of my shoulder beneath my scrubs. When he surfaced, he was breathless, eyes glowing with desire.
“Geraldine…”
I licked my lips. “Yes?”
“I heard that.”
“Hopefully, no one else did.”
He shook his head, wearing a devilish smirk. “No human ears can hear the call of a mate.”
“What?”
He drew close, his forehead pressing firmly against mine as his eyes searched my gaze, a question burning on his lips. I could just imagine what he wanted to ask. Please, ask me…
“Can I have you?”
“Take me—all of me.”