“I plan to,” Diane whispered back.
Chapter Four
“Damn!” Kenzie grumbled as the Professor slid the needle from her arm. “Hope you’re happy,” she told Diane with a glare. “I’m heading out of here before he decides you need another shot, and I end up taking it first.”
The Professor grunted, not meeting anyone’s gaze as he grabbed another needle and put more of the liquid in it. Diane knew he was angry with her again. Kenzie turned and left the lab, and Diane felt guilty. Kenzie had come down to ask a quick question and had ended up taking a shot meant for Diane when she’d blanched at taking it. The Professor hadn’t wanted to give it to Kenzie, but the other woman had been insistent so Diane would feel better about taking her own shot.
Funny thing was, Diane had given plenty of shots to wounded animals in her time, but every time she was forced to take one, she turned into a child complete with sulking fits. She didn’t like needles.
“I still don’t understand why I need a tetanus booster?” Diane grumbled as the Professor prepped her arm for the shot he was so adamant she needed.
“Better safe than sorry is the phrase I believe most people use,” he said as he slid the needle in. “You have no idea what might occur once you’re out there. This is just a precaution. Kenzie will be fine,” he muttered, almost as if talking to himself. Then he glared at Diane again. “Shifters and their mates have remarkable healing capabilities. We’ve both seen that. You on the other hand are not mated yet and are still susceptible.”
“I’m sorry,” Diane told him.
He glanced at her as he took care of the used needle. “For wanting to leave me all alone to fend for myself down here?”
She squirmed and felt her face flush with heat. How did he manage to make her feel like a little girl being scolded for disappointing her parent?
“I’m hoping once you and Zane are mated all that will cease, and you’ll decide to stay here.”
“If I’m his mate, then yes, I’ll stay wherever he wants,” Diane admitted.
The Professor turned back to her then. “You’re his mate. He won’t be able to keep his hands off you when you get close to him.”
Diane flushed brighter red. Good grief! She prayed the Professor wasn’t about to give her a sex talk.
“Remember he’s primal right now. He could be a little…rougher than he intends,” the Professor told her, clearing his throat in the middle of the sentence and attesting to how uncomfortable he was, as well.
“Yes, I know,” she muttered, hopping off the stool and standing. “Is that all? I still need to throw a bag together.”
He nodded then called after her before she stepped into the hall. “Diane.”
She turned back to him. “Yes?”
“I may not always say it, but I think the world of you. You’ve become like another daughter to me.”
“Thank you, Professor,” Diane said. She often thought of him as a father figure.
“There’s very little I wouldn’t do to help those I love. My methods and means may not always be easy to accept, but everything I do is geared toward taking care of those who mean the most to me, family.”
She nodded. “I know that. I won’t share your secrets.” Was he still worried about her venting session upstairs when she’d almost thrown him under the bus? It had been an empty threat on her part. She’d never do that to him.
“I know that,” he told her with a nod. “I want you to be happy. I thought from the beginning you could be happy here if you allowed yourself. I’ve watched you bloom, creating friendships and becoming a viable force. They look to you. I look to you, and maybe you find that terrifying, but you shouldn’t. We don’t expect perfection from you the way it’s been demanded of you in the past. We merely want the reassurance that you are in this with us. Remember that when you’re out there, attempting to save Zane. He’s not just a man, and you can’t just save the man. There is a darker side to him, a beast that lives inside and, at the moment, has more control. That beast needs saving, as well. You need to accept and love them both, to be claimed by them both.”
“I understand that. I promise. I do.”
“Be safe,” he whispered and cleared his throat. “Come to my office when you get back. I’m sure we’ll have plenty to discuss.”
She nodded and on impulse rushed over to give him a hard hug. “Thank you, for everything.”
He patted her shoulder and sighed before easing back and shaking his head at her. “Go. You’ve waited long enough as it is.” He glanced at his watch. “How soon do you expect to leave?”