Hitching herself up in the bed, she earned a scolding from Nadia, but gained a better view of the activity outside. Kane was talking to...Bryan! Uh-oh! And he looked upset. She bit her lip. This couldn’t be good. Elise had been sure that since she and Kane now had their mental connection, the rivalry between the two would cease. Apparently, she was wrong. For a moment she considered eavesdropping on the conversation, but felt that would be rude. Even though they now had a special bond between them, she believed each of them still deserved some privacy.
After a few more verbal exchanges, Bryan left and Kane stood watching him go, shaking his head. She observed Kane rubbing his neck, staring at the sky and exhaling gustily before turning to re-enter the infirmary. Mentally, Elise braced herself for what she might hear. Without even trying, she could sense Kane’s mental disquiet. Deciding to grab the proverbial bull by the horns, she broached the subject as soon as he was near.
“I saw you were talking to Bryan. What’s wrong?”
Kane glanced towards the window, obviously realizing she’d had a perfect view of their exchange. “You mean you don’t already know?” He quirked an eyebrow at her.
“No, I don’t already know. Just because we’re blood-bonded doesn’t mean I’ll be constantly tiptoeing through your head.” She picked at the blanket covering her, and glanced up at him through her lashes.
Sitting down beside the bed, Kane stilled her agitated fingers and gently rubbed his thumb back and forth over her hand. “I know you won’t. I was only teasing. And don’t worry; I’ll try to give you some space, too.”
She squeezed his hand, but then lifted her brows in inquiry. “So... You and Bryan?”
“Oh. Bryan. Well, he had some disturbing news. After the...er...fight was over, I carried you here and Bryan helped Ryne. We left the bodies there, planning to return for them later.” Elise nodded. She’d regained consciousness for that part. Kane looked away for a moment before speaking. “They’ve retrieved Rose’s body, but...” He paused and then met her eye. “Marla’s body is gone.”
“What?” Elise sat bolt upright, then grimaced as her body protested. She paid it no mind however, too shocked at this news. “But she’s dead! I know I missed her with the knife, but I landed on her arm—the one with the gun. It bent back against her stomach so that it was pointed directly at her when it went off. I felt her body jerk and suddenly go limp beneath mine...” She gulped as the horror of the moment returned; feeling the kickback of the gun against her stomach, the hot stickiness of blood seeping into her clothing.
“You’re right. She did shoot herself, but no one ever checked that she was dead. I was too worried about you, as was Bryan. We just assumed...” Kane frowned. “I suppose she must have dragged herself off, but I don’t know how far she could have crawled. Bryan says Ryne’s having a fit and is determined to head out right now to see if there’s still a trail to follow.”
“Surely he’s in no condition for that?”
“Of course not, but my brother’s more than a bit hard-headed and impulsive at times. I’ve told Bryan to go out in the morning with a few of my patrols and see what they can find. In the meantime, he’s supposed to be trying to talk some sense into his Alpha.” Kane snorted. “If Ryne heads out now, he’ll probably rip out his stitches and then Nadia will really be on his case. She hates having her handiwork messed up.”
Elise snuck a peak at the stern woman sitting at the far end of the room and figured that the threat of Nadia being upset should be enough to deter anyone.
*****
A week later, Elise was home and sitting in the front room, her leg almost healed. Many times during the past few days, she’d thanked her genetics for the recuperative properties that Lycans possessed. She couldn’t imagine how normal humans endured an extended period of time lugging a cast around.
For once Kane wasn’t with her, having rarely left her side since their ordeal. However, a meeting with the pack’s lawyers had required his presence, and he’d been forced to go into town. Elise didn’t mind. It was nice to have some time to herself. Snow was falling softly outside and she stared at the scene, letting her mind drift. Tall snow encrusted pines lined one side of the property, casting interesting shadows across the blanket of white fluff. Individual crystals twinkled like diamonds, while lazy snowflakes slowly floated down, only to disappear and lose their identity in the pristine drifts that covered the landscape.
It was a beautiful territory to live in and she smiled, reminiscing how just a little while ago she’d thought her life was over when she came here. Now, she couldn’t begin to imagine living anywhere else.