Page 83 of Wild Fires

Ryan carefully held me in his arms but refused to fully relinquish me while Doc checked my vitals.

“All clear. Amazing.”

“She really is,” Ryan said, filling my body with warmth.

“I'll leave the two of you alone for a bit so I can check on my laboring mothers. If you have any concerns, just come find me. But I suspect she knew exactly what she was doing.”

Ryan didn't respond until Doc was gone and we were all alone. It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded, afraid to shift and have him yell at me or tell me he was done with us again.

It had been an emotionally draining day, and I was exhausted both physically and mentally. I was vulnerable and struggling to be so in front of him, so I just stayed in my raven.

“Look, I know I've been handling this mating thing all wrong. But right now, I'm about to lose it. I have to know you're okay, Gracie. Can you please shift and talk to me? Or are you unable to shift? Is it that bad?”

He was spiraling as he freaked out.

I couldn't stand to see him that way, so I shifted, covering myself awkwardly.

He frowned, and the look in his eyes nearly broke me.

“You don't have to hide from me. I'm not going to hurt you.”

But he was wrong. He'd already hurt me deeper than anyone else ever could.

“I'm fine. I knew you didn't want to see that, and I wish you hadn't, but I was struggling, and my lungs were burning. My uh, gift, restores my health when I resurrect.”

“So you’re okay now?”

I managed a sad smile and nodded because that felt like a loaded question, and I couldn't begin to explain to him just how not okay I'd been.

But he was here now and that had to mean something, right?

“Well, um, good. That's good.”

Ryan was stumbling for words. Was he nervous? With me? I didn't know it was even possible for this man to get nervous. Then again, he'd done a lot of things I didn't know he was capable of over the last hour.

He'd cradled and protected me when I was hurt even after telling me he couldn't be with me.

He’d ridden a motorcycle without a helmet, even. I had no idea he could take such risks.

I wanted to tease him about it and go back to the way things were before we'd discovered we were true mates. Ever since that moment things had been off between us, strained. I hated it.

We'd done okay though, so I thought maybe if we kept it to business then things wouldn't be quite so awkward.

“Uh, I should probably get back over and check in with the Chief.”

“You have the day off.”

“Clarence didn't tell me that.”

“I'm telling you that.”

“What?”

“Clarence may be your boss, but I'm his boss. And I say you are done for the day.”