Hunter's Heart

Chapter 21

Weightlessness. Floating. Oblivion. Darkness.

For the longest time, Quinn floated in and out of awareness. When she wasn't lost to the oblivion of unconsciousness, she found she was warm and comfortable. There was no pain from before, but she wasn't sure if that was because she wasn't moving. Her limbs wouldn't obey her when she tried.

Sometimes, there was a voice in the darkness. Sometimes the voice would be humming a lullaby she didn't recognize. Sometimes it was talking softly to her, but it always seemed to be far away and she couldn't make out what they were saying.

Then her grip on awareness would slip away and she would be lost to oblivion for a while.

When her eyes finally decided to obey her and she opened them, she found that she was warm and comfortable because she was lying in a bed that had a firm mattress and thick, soft covers. Only, the bed didn't feel like hers.

The room the bed was in wasn't hers, either.

The bed was an antique four poster that was so big that it had to be custom made. The walls were lined with dark, rich wood. The curtains were the dark brown color of leather. Everything about the room had a warm, comforting feeling to it.

"Welcome back."

Quinn turned to her right and for the first time she noticed Christian sitting in an armchair by the window, his cool ice blue eyes watching her intently.

"You were out for almost three days," he told her. "I was starting to think there might be something wrong."

Three days?

Without thinking, she lifted her hand to the place where she had felt his teeth sink into her shoulder and when she slipped her hand under the top she was wearing her fingertips were met with distinct teeth marks. She watched his eyes narrow just a tiny fraction in reaction and his lips formed into a hard line of displeasure.

"It's temporary," he said. "Probably last a week or so, but we're bonded for now."

Quinn watched the Alpha carefully and by the tense set of his jaw she could have sworn he didn't like the idea at all. She found she was actually hurt by the idea. After everything they had been through, were they really back to Christian only interacting with her because he had to?

As if to confirm her thoughts, she felt her mind connect with his and instantly recognized his anger. Quinn recoiled and pictured a wall being put between her mind and his, and slowly, she was aware of only her own emotions once more.

Unconsciously, she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, creating a kind of barrier between them. She supposed that she couldn't really blame the Alpha for being angry that he was stuck with her, even if it was just for a few days. Friends was one thing, but his wolf had forced her on him, despite his hatred for what she used to be.

It still hurt, though.

"I see," she said softly, tearing her gaze away from his. "I hope you know a way to block your thoughts from me, then. Blocking out your emotions is hard enough without having to try and block out your thoughts as well."

Curiously, her words seem to surprise him, though she only knew that because his eyes widened just the tiniest bit in reaction to them.

"Why would you need to block out my thoughts?" he asked stiffly.

Quinn lifted a hand and slid her fingers through her long hair, noting that the blue and green balayage was in serious need of a touch up. And she also seemed to be dressed in another oversized sweatshirt, this one thick with Christian's scent. Judging from the garment's size, did that mean the one she had been using up until that point was his as well?