Five

Kaylee's P.O.V.

"She was quite a character," I said as Kate stormed out of the room. I knew she would hear me. I wanted her to. With her wolf, she would probably be able to hear everything I said until she left the building. She knew very well what she was doing when she came in here talking to me like I was beneath her. Her disgust and disregard toward me were plain as day.

"Yes, dear. That, she is." Parker's mother said with a chuckle as she patted my knee.

The sound of a door slamming made me purse my lips together to hold in a laugh, as I knew Kate had heard her comment on her way out of the infirmary.

"I take it there is a story there?" I asked as I looked up at Parker.

His cheeks turned pink, and I stared at him in fascination. How could a man so large and intimidating be blushing? Was he blushing because of his past with Kate or because he was embarrassed that I was the one asking about it?

"I really wish there wasn't." His large hand moved up to rub the back of his neck as he grimaced. "Would you be willing to get to know me before I tell you that story?"

I tilted my head where it lay back on the pillow, watching the way his eyes looked pained as if he were begging me to say yes. My stomach tightened as I realized it would be bad. But, it didn't matter. He saved my life, so I owed it to him to at least hear him out.

My mother had taught me enough about our world that I understood the unnatural pull to the man next to me was more than attraction. I was his mate, and I would be damned if I didn't get to know the man the moon goddess thought was right for me.

Every species had soulmates. Vampires, werewolves, fae, witches, and even humans. Everyone had someone that was meant for them. My mother had told me stories of mates and how beautiful it was to have someone out there whose soul complimented the other person's. She had been searching for hers her entire life, waiting for the fairytale love story that she heard so much about.

She even fell in love once, thinking that the man sweeping her off her feet was her mate, but then he walked away. He found his true mate and never contacted her again. That was how I came to be.

I don't know really anything about him. My mother refused to talk about my father, but even with the depression he sent her into, she said she wasn't mad at him for being with his true mate.

However, I saw first-hand the pain she felt whenever I brought him up in front of her. No one deserved that kind of pain.

I glanced up at the deep brown eyes burning into my soul, unable to stop the nod of agreement as my head moved up and down. Parker's face lit up, the sinfully sexy smile sending butterflies into my stomach.

"Thank you," He whispered as he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. "I promise to earn you and will be good to you."

"Let's start by getting to know each other." I choked out, feeling the warmth radiating up my chest, neck, and onto my cheeks. My eyes pulled away from him as I tried to regain my composure only to blush further when my eyes met his mother's. She watched on with a warm smile.

"I can live with that." He whispered.

When I glanced up again, she sent me a wink before walking around the bed and toward the door. "I'll give you two some privacy."

I almost laughed at the idea. There was no way we would have privacy in this building. Not when everyone besides me had super hearing. "Thank you…"

She smiled further as I trailed off, waiting for her name. "My kids call me Ma or Mom." With a wink, she was out the door. The sound of her amused laughter filled the room behind her.

"Ma!" Parker groaned, clearly embarrassed. His hand tightened on mine a small amount as he glared at the empty doorway. I stared at his fingers, admiring the way they wrapped around my hand so perfectly. It was concerning to me that I was not able to see anything with my gift when I touched him. Prior to being kidnapped and drugged, any contact with someone would instantly trigger a vision or even something as small as a feeling.

With him, there was nothing. For a moment, I wished I could call his mother back into the room so I could ask her to touch my skin instead of just my blanket-covered knee. That way, I would know if I still had my gift. It appeared that would just have to wait.

"What's the verdict, doc?" I asked Parker jokingly. My eyes narrowed when a mischievous smirk graced his lips. "Can I get out of here, or what? Believe it or not, but I hate hospitals."

His eyes seemed to darken from their deep brown to a pitch-black, and his jaw tightened at my statement. He tried not to let it show as he flashed his teeth in a charming grin. "Baby, we will have plenty of time to role play later, if that's what you're into."

My jaw dropped, and I let out a surprised laugh as I sat up in the bed, letting the blanket fall around my hips. I wanted to get out of the bed and stretch my limbs, but that would require letting go of his hand, and I wasn't quite ready to do that. "Oh, I'm going to have my hands full with you, aren't I?"

He wiggled his eyes brows, his tongue peeking out just enough to innocently lick his lips as if it were instinct. I watched entranced at the small movement before the cocky look on his face brought me back to the present.

"Yeah, yeah. I heard it as I said it. I'm sure you're huge! Let's just get out of this awful place, you goof."