*****
Sometime later, fingers gently brushing her forehead drew her from her rest. Kane was leaning over her, softly calling her name. Elise blinked at him sleepily and felt a smile forming on her lips. “Hi!”
“Hi yourself.” His voice was deep and raspy as if he, too, had just woken up, and indeed that was how he looked. His dark hair was falling in his eyes and he still hadn’t shaved. She reached up to caress his stubbled jaw and he pressed a kiss to her palm. “How are you feeling?”
Elise considered the question. Overall, she supposed she was all right; a bit stiff and sore. She tried to shift herself up into a sitting position and was surprised to feel a sense of heaviness coming from her leg. She looked down in confusion and saw a cast around her lower limb.
Kane followed the direction of her gaze with his eyes and he answered her unspoken question. “You had surgery. Your leg was a real mess and it took some work to get it set properly. Nadia was swearing a blue streak when she saw it. Something about idiots that try to walk on a broken leg and the fact that she isn’t a miracle worker.” He chuckled at the memory and Elise winced, imagining the expression on the nurse practitioner’s face. “Your leg will be fine, but unfortunately, even with our rapid healing abilities, you’ll be stuck in a cast for some time.”
Grimacing, Elise eased herself back against the pillows. Well, at least she was alive. “How’s Ryne?”
“He’s fine. They removed the bullet and stitched him up. He’s resting at the Alpha house right now. In a few days, he’ll be as good as new.”
She reached for Kane’s hand and laced her fingers with his. “And you?”
“I’m good, now that I know you’re okay.” He stared at her for a moment as if memorizing her features then leaned down to give her a slow, warm kiss. Elise opened to him and revelled in the sense of closeness she now had with him. Everything he was thinking and feeling came rushing at her and all of it was good and comforting, enveloping her in the warmth of his love. He pulled away and she traced his lips with her finger.
“I was so scared.” She admitted in a whisper.
“I know. I was, too. But it’s all over now. Marla’s gone and so is Rose, though I still can’t believe she was involved in this.”
“I can’t either. I wonder why she did it?”
Kane shrugged. “We’ll never know. I’ve talked to her parents. They aren’t sure either, but wonder if being involved with Marla and her scheme gave Rose a feeling of importance because someone was paying attention to her. It was also a chance to show off how clever she was; that’s something we never gave her enough credit for, I guess. Rose was so quiet, no one ever really noticed her. She was just...there. Maybe we’re all a bit at fault for ignoring her.”
Elise nodded slowly. “And what about Daniel? I thought he and Rose were starting to become a pair.”
“He feels bad and thinks he should have known something was going on, but really, it was just a new relationship. The whole thing started before he was even in the picture.”
“It will still take him a while to get over this.”
“Possibly. We’ve talked and he’s thinking of making a new start.”
“A new start? Where?”
“With Ryne.”
“Ryne is still leaving? Even though his name has been cleared?”
Kane nodded. “I’ve asked him to stay and told him he could be co-Beta with John—there’s certainly enough work for another Beta—but he’s not interested and I can see his point.”
Biting her lip, Elise hesitated to ask the next question. She knew she could find out the answer by probing Kane’s mind, but felt he needed to say the actual words. “Umm... How do you feel about what happened to Marla?”
Kane’s jaw tightened. “It’s all my fault. I should have believed what you told me—what everyone tried to tell me over the years—but I guess I didn’t want to hear it. In some ways, Marla was like my little sister when we were growing up. Later... I thought there was something else, but it was just familiarity and a misplaced sense of responsibility. I know I should be sad that she’s gone, but I’m not. The Marla I thought I knew never really existed.”
Elise wanted to ask a few more questions, but Nadia arrived and shooed Kane outside while she delivered medication, checked Elise’s leg, and fixed the dressing on her neck. Nadia was efficient, but in Elise’s opinion, had no bedside manner. She endured the woman’s fussing by watching Kane through the window. He was talking to someone, she just couldn’t see who. From the look on his face, he wasn’t pleased.