Page 39 of Come for Me
Caleb’s voice rids me of my indecisiveness as he breaks our kiss. “Ow, Alaina!” He steps back, pressing his good hand to his lips, and inspects his bloodied fingers.
“What happened?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? One minute, you were whimpering, the next, you growled and bit me.”
The metallic taste on my teeth confirms it.
Caleb turns up his nose as I’m unbothered by the taste, which makes sense, since I was told my mother’s indifference to blood is what made her such a great nurse.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Caleb’s guard softens, and he sighs. Stepping closer to me, he puts his arms around my waist, leaning back to get a better view of my face. “What’s the matter?”
The smell of alcohol and his blood hit my nose.
What’s the matter is that you’re not him.
“Nothing,” I say.
He laughs. “You’re a terrible liar. It’s okay if this isn’t what you want anymore.”
Is he right? Do I not want this?
Tears well in my eyes, and I break down at how complicated everything is. Just as fiercely as I longed for the life I’ve had, I also long for Dax. The comfort my people had once brought me is incomparable to that of Dax’s arms. That part of me knows Dax would become my family, and the pull of that bond grows stronger with every passing moment.
At my decision, the air becomes bittersweet around us.
I look up at Caleb, and he catches a tear and smiles down at me. When he leans in to kiss my forehead, I pull back.
“Oh goddess, Caleb, your lip! It’s still bleeding.”
Caleb dabs his lip, checking for smeared blood. Werewolves heal fast, even more so when you have alpha blood. Surprisingly, he hasn’t healed yet, though I don’t think I bit him that hard.
Just when I’m about to crack a joke about his old age preventing him from healing, a twig snaps, followed by growls.
Two large wolves pounce on Caleb, and he swiftly kicks free from their hold and leaps to his feet.
The party halts, and a crowd forms around the three of them. Confusion and shock shatter the festivities as wolves divert their attention from their mates and try to get a closer look.
These are Dax’s men.
My hands shake.
Caleb scrambles, fighting off the two wolves. Annoyance and anger splash across their faces as Caleb swings, elbowing ribs as he escapes their hold time and again. The three wolves are caught in a dance of elbows and fists, their thwacking muffled by vibrating music and Dax’s men commanding Caleb to cease resisting.
Caleb, despite the repeated jabs toward his chest, stomach, and sides and being heavily intoxicated, holds his own.
I stand, frozen, hoping Caleb will be okay, seeing how his swinging slows as his strength recedes. The fight for his life becomes more frantic, and Dax’s skilled men notice how his wolf skips its rhythm.
Punches and jabs pummel Caleb as he falters, blundering back a step, as the warriors advance on him in coordinated attacks.
A fist slams into Caleb’s jaw, causing him to stagger. The bone cracks as the other wolf strikes lower and grapples Caleb. As the warrior’s body collides with him, Caleb yelps from his clenched jaw, ribs cracking as his head hits the ground.
Gasps whisper among the crowd as I look on in horror. Caleb’s breathing becomes labored as they pin him to the ground.
With a growl from Dax’s men, the crowd returns to the party, diverting their gaze.
I move to help Caleb, but a familiar scent hits my nose. The hairs on the back of my neck stand. When I turn, I jump at how close Dax was able to get without me realizing.
