Page 18 of Alphas Never Hide

Chapter Six

HAYDEN

Ryley’soffer hung in the air between us.

XanderandIboth looked at the faun.Beforeeither of us could shoot him down, he stepped closer.

“WhatdoIdo?”Ryleyasked. “Keephim awake or let him sleep?Ifhe sleeps, doIneed to wake him up every hour?Shinea light in his eyes to check his pupils?Theyare supposed to get bigger under the light, right?Orsmaller?Ican’t remember.DoIneed to make sure he’s covered in ice to keep the swelling down?”

Myhead ached thinking about all the things he was mentioning.Wasn’tit enough that he’d kicked me in the face?Didhe have to sound so eager to torture me?

“Thatwon’t be necessary,”Xandersaid. “Heneeds to rest, that’s all.Butif anything changes in his condition, bring him back here.”

“Wecan all go back to the inn instead, if you prefer,”Isaacoffered.

Jeremynodded. “Absolutely.Ican textJakeandGageand let them know.Iknow most wolves get weird about having strangers in their dens.Adriandoesn’t, but he’s never really had a den.”

IfIhad to choose between having one person in my space versus going to the inn and having a whole horde of people staring at me and fussing over me, the choice was obvious.LikeJeremysaid,Iwasn’t keen on having a stranger in my space, but it was the lesser of two evils.

“Ryleycan come home with me,”Iblurted out.Assoon as the words were out, reality struck.WhatwasIthinking?Wherewould he sleep?We’dbe tripping over one another in my trailer.

BeforeIcould take back my offer,Ryleygrinned and turned to the doctor. “Let’sgo over whatIneed to watch for again.”

Irubbed the back of my neck.Ishould get us rooms at theTarbeckMotel.Levi, who owned the place, andSimon, who worked security there, were a hell of a lot less nosy than the bunch at theWillowLakeInn.RyleyandIcould get adjoining rooms.Oncehe was sleeping,Icould sneak out and meet up withVanand the others.

Isaactook me aside, whileRyleyandXandertalked about me likeIwasn’t there. “Areyou sure about this?BecauseI’vealready toldGageaboutRyley, sinceIfigured he’d need a place to stay and nowhere else has a vacancy.TheTarbeckis full for some kind of bear reunion.”

“Bearreunion?Whydid no one tell me?”Jeremyasked, whipping out his ever-present notebook again. “Bearsas in shifters or bears as in big hairy gay men?Youknow what, it doesn’t matter.I’mthere either way.”

“Jeremy, maybe you should talk toAdrianfirst,”Ashwarned.

“It’sfor research,”Jeremysaid, like that was a valid excuse for wanting to ogle bears of either kind. “Whoknows whatImight find out?Itmight be exactly whatIneed for my next book.Oh, what do you think about a bear shifter falling for a regular old human bear?Canyou imagine the sex?Allthose thick beefy limbs everywhere?Thinkabout all the fur.”

Xandercleared his throat, interruptingJeremy’sstrange musings. “Ryleyhas my number.And,Hayden, don’t make this difficult.Youneed the rest.”Ididn’t know why he was so worked up about this.Sowhat if my magic wasn’t responding as quickly as it should?Itwould, it always did.

BeforeIknew it,Ashwas dropping us off at my shop.Whenhe questioned whyI’dtold him to go there instead of my house,Itold himIhad to grab my truck.Luckily, his hellhound mate wasn’t there to hear my lie.Butas he drove away, leaving me standing outside the garage withRyley,IknewI’dmade a horrible mistake.Myconcussion must have been as bad asXanderhad made it sound, becauseIhadn’t been thinking clearly whenIagreed to this.

“Let’sget your truck and get out of here,”Ryleysaid, as he pushed his glasses up with one finger.Heseemed to do that a lot.Theglasses didn’t look like they fit him very well, but maybe he liked them that way. “I’mwiped.”

“Yeah,”Isaid. “Aboutthat…”

“What?”

“Thisis whereIlive.”

“Here?Wherehere?”Ryleyeyed the storefront of my mechanic’s shop.Itwas in better shape than the trailer out back, but even the shop was showing a bit of wear and tear.Thepaint was chipping, the sign was fading, and the window was cracked.

“Ican take you to the inn,”Ioffered.Icould drop him off, then head straight out to findVanand the others.Theperfect solution.

“Nope.We’redoing this.I’mtoo tired to go anywhere else.”Hewaved his hand through the air in an imperious gesture. “Takeme to my room,Jeeves.”

Thiswas going to be a disaster.

Itrudged around to the locked gate in the fence and punched in the code.Ryleywas right on my heels asIwalked through.Thegate clanged shut behind us and the click told me the automatic lock had engaged.Therewas no backing out now.

Thewalk from one end of the yard to the other had never felt so long.

“Watchyour step,”Iwarned.