“I knew I could get you to smile.”
He looked down at me but didn’t say anything, just continuing to carry me through the forest. He wasn’t even slightly out of breath as I realised that the dream Jackson I’d conjured up was freakishly strong.
“I think...I may need...a tetanus shot.” My words came slower as my vision narrowed, but then I heard the most glorious sound I think I’ve ever heard. Jackson laughed a full belly laugh and I smiled broadly in response. I made the miserable git laugh! When I finally gave in to the darkness, it was with Jackson’s arms around me, the sound of his laughter ringing in my ears, and a contented smile on my face.
****
Okay, it felt like I had been run over by a small truck, and the driver of said truck had also decided to reverse over me. My whole body ached as I became aware that I was lying in my super-soft bed at Jackson’s house, with my left arm completely bandaged, laying pretty uselessly by my side. I breathed a sigh of relief as I tested the arm and found I could move it, but that turned in to a cry when my muscles used pain to punish me for even one tiny movement. Okay, moving the arm was a bad idea. I looked around and got a sense of déjà vu when I saw the various bunches of flowers dotting the room and of course, the obligatory fruit baskets. Seeing the grapes made me think of Logan and I smiled remembering the last time I was laid up in bed, and he was horrified at the fact people left fruit when you were feeling unwell. I looked up as the door quietly opened, wincing when pain shot through my whole body. Jackson was standing in the doorway and just looked at me, before stepping forward and closing the door behind him. He started walking towards me and my heart was pounding at the intensity of a gaze that didn’t leave me for one second. He was looking at me like he was a predator and I was the prey. Gotta say though, I’m not completely hating it. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and I swallowed as I read the meaning in his look. Before I could even process what was happening, he propelled forward and kissed me with a passion and intensity I had never felt before. Oh, I’d been kissed before, but the way Craig kissed was absolutely nothing compared to this. It was like Jackson had just taken over my entire body, and it no longer belonged to me at all. It felt like I couldn’t even control my reaction to him, as I grabbed his head and with a strength I didn’t know I possessed, clinging to him as if he was the only thing in the world right then. Our tongues tangled as I moaned softly, eliciting a groan from him as we communicated using sound to express our pleasure. He pulled away, startling me at the abruptness, and I fell forward slightly when his body was no longer there to support me. He scrubbed a hand across his face, and the feeling of rejection I had felt when he moved away disappeared, as I saw the look of longing cross his face when he stared at me.
“I can’t do this.”
All thoughts of lust left my mind as confusion settled in, as I had no idea what he was going on about.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember everything that happened yesterday?”
I cast my mind back to the day before, and a shudder went down my spine as memories hit me of bright yellow eyes, large wolves and terrifying growls.
“Wolves,” I said, before covering my mouth quickly with my hand, embarrassed to have said that out loud.
“You were attacked by a pack of wolves. Me and the guys turned up in time to stop them killing you. God, if we’d been just five minutes later.” He leant forward until his forehead touched mine, closing his eyes as if trying to block out the memories from the night before. My head swam as I tried to focus on the fact that not only was I attacked by a pack of wolves, but now Jackson was suddenly treating me completely differently. It was like he had seen me in a new way, and I couldn’t help but find him even more attractive.
“Wolves.” I repeated the word in a defeatist tone, knowing that I sounded like a complete moron, but not really sure what else I could say at that point.
“I know it’s a lot to get your head around, but we do have wolves around here. You could say they are local to the area.” He suddenly looked uncomfortable, and I began to feel excited as I realised I may finally be able to understand at least some of the secrets Wolves Creek were keeping.
“But, how did you get them off me? There were like...ten of them.”
“Well, there were four of them, but six of us. We outnumbered them and they realised pretty early on they weren’t going to win, so it was an easy fight for us.”
“Wait...I’m confused. I don’t know if I hit my head...”
“Laura, we were the other wolves.”