Chapter 8: First Contact

The chaos around the room masked any attention on me. In a snap, I was behind the bar, taking Esme’s hand in mine. Her human brain would fill in the gaps in her memory of how I got to her so quickly. She was still focused on the lust-filled, darkening eyes of the male members of the pack. Fresh blood, especially from a beautiful woman, excited their wolves, making their bodies vibrate.   

The danger she was in trumped any desire flowing from my wolf. Protection was instinctual. I would fight the whole bar if I had to.

Our first contact … I ran the faucet and placed her hand in the sink, ignoring how her skin was electrifying mine. A lot of blood mixed with the water trailed down the drain. “You hit an artery.” I ran my nose over the gash, sensing a small piece of glass still in the wound. “This will hurt for a moment.” Without pause or permission, I dug out the glass, keeping her hand under the water. “Done.”

Esme didn’t say a word as she watched me tend to her cut. Her eyes were wide in fear, but she allowed me to take care of her.

“First aid kit?” I snapped at Harris as if it were his fault Esme was hurt. 

“Upstairs under the bathroom sink.” He flung a bar rag at me, but I let it drop.

“That’s dirty. I’ll take her upstairs.” My wolf preened as I lifted and cradled Esme to my chest. Our hearts beat erratically as they tried to sync with one another. Her body recognized me as her mate. 

She cupped her hand, letting the blood pool from the wound rather than drip on the floor. Harris opened the apartment door but returned to work, settling his customers down.

In the upstairs apartment, I set her on the bathroom counter, and she dumped the blood down the sink. Her heart was racing, causing the blood to pump out of the wound faster. “Deep, slow breaths,” I said calmly, having her mimic me.

She complied but was still mesmerized by the event. I took off my jacket and hung it on a nearby chair. Being in such close proximity to her, heat was pouring off my skin. My wolf kept making me sniff the air close to her skin. Sweet freesia and bay leaves filled the small bathroom, tattooing their scent in my nose.

Gauze, Neosporin, and medical tape line the counter. The opening needed to be secured by a butterfly stitch before properly closing, but there was no stitch kit among the medical supplies. “Esmerelda, do you trust me?” Beautiful icy blue eyes connected with mine, and the world stopped. Lilac and blood-red waves connected with my greenish-gray aura, co-mingling in a dance. Trust was given, and her threads frolicked with mine.

I brought her hand to my lips and gave it a gentle kiss. Her eyes glowed and clouded over. A sight I had never seen happen in a human. My tongue licked the wound, depositing the anti-coagulants and antibodies evolution gave shifters. Esme’s eyes closed in pleasure, relishing my touch. I was thankful she didn’t find my behavior odd.

Plenty of gauze wrapped around a thick coating of Neosporin on the off chance her immune system was compromised. I still didn’t understand the nature of her illness. “I need you to lie on the couch and have some juice while I change out the ice chest. You lost a lot of blood.”

“Okay,” She whispered, as I picked her up again, settling her on one end of the large couch.

“You’ll stay here.” My wolf stomped in defiance at the thought of leaving her vulnerable and hurt.

“Yes,“ she answered me as if in a daze. I went into the kitchen and poured a glass of orange juice. Her gaze traveled with me, heating my skin and electrifying my spine.

“Take a couple of sips.” I pleaded. She downed the whole glass and handed it to me before lying back and closing her eyes. She was exhausted.

My wolf wanted more. To hold her and cradle her svelte body until she healed. He wanted to drench in her scent and rub my body over hers. The need to stay sentry over her was difficult to overcome. I held my breath, stepping away. My wolf’s opposition made me unsteady.

Harris ignored me as I yanked out the ice chest, bringing it out the back door and dumping its contents in the yard. Pounds of ice diluted the spilled blood, making it pink. Once everything melted, the glass could be easily picked up. After flushing out the container with a hose, I set it in the afternoon sun to dry.

The MCs had emptied the bar. Their motorcycles were still lined up. Cyrus probably made them take a run. None of my brothers would have hurt her, but their wolves probably wanted to make an appearance.

A bucket of bleach water was already set on the bar, along with a package of wipes. “You like her.” Harris stood over me as I began to disinfect the area. Not knowing exactly what to say in return, I concentrated on cleaning up as quickly as possible so I could check on Esme. I was anxious about being away from her, but happy to provide a service. “The last thing that girl needs is any monkey business.” Harris had my attention now. “You get me, son?”

“Esmerelda’s special. She deserves to be protected.” I needed him to understand I was different.

“Can’t argue with that. Looks like you have a lot of competition anyway.” He snickered and walked away. It took five full buckets of ice to refill the chest.

“If you’re set, I’ll go check on her.” Harris tentatively nodded his approval.

“Hey, check for a fever. They come on fast and intense.” 

Esme was sound asleep when I returned to the apartment. Gentle snores wafted out of her small Roman nose. She cradled her bandaged hand to her chest as it softly rose and lowered. I could watch her sleep the rest of the night. She looked like Snow White with her raven hair, porcelain skin, and firm jaw. Long eyelashes fanned out, almost touching her high cheekbones. God, she was beautiful.

I didn’t detect a fever when my lips pressed against her forehead. My curiosity about this sickness Cyrus claimed she had would have to wait. 

Harris didn’t check on her, which vexed me as much as relieved me. I was able to stay next to her uninterrupted until the bar closed.