10. Blake

Chapter 10

Blake

I didn’t think the day would ever end.

By noon, I’d made my 700th suture, and then I stopped counting. By evening, my fingertips were raw from wrapping bandages and plucking glass from wounds with tiny tweezers. Eventually, things slowed down and we were sending more people out than we were bringing it.

Once we’d finally triaged every patient to either larger trauma centers, admitted them, or sent them home, I was allowed to go home too.

On my way to the car, I texted Riley to let him know not to wait up. He responded back that I should be careful, and then I was on the road.

Another storm was rolling in, with snow coming down in white sheets that made it difficult to see. I knew my way home by heart and didn’t actually need any road markers to find my way, but that wasn’t true for everybody.

Halfway home, the traffic completely stopped. This time, there didn’t appear to be any injuries to attend to, but a truck had jackknifed across the road and needed to be cleared before we could pass. I was toward the end of a long line of cars in both directions, waiting for a tow truck that could be hours away.

Normally, I didn’t let traffic or road delays bother me, but tonight, I just wanted to get home. After twenty minutes of not moving, I scooted to the side of the road and got out. My bear and I couldn’t stay in place any longer, so I headed toward the tree line.

We were far enough out that I knew no one would try following me, so as soon as I was under the canopy of trees, I stripped out of my clothes, stuffed them in my bag, and shifted into my bear. We took off at a dead run, covering the last ten miles of my journey in twenty minutes.

When I got home, I waited until I was all the way by the front door before shifting back into my skin and slipping into my clothes.

I expected to find Riley asleep on the couch or in one of our beds, but where I found him was standing in front of the window with big eyes and his jaw hanging open as he just stared at me.

Well, shit. “I guess it’s time to have that conversation I mentioned this morning.”

He just shook his head, probably trying to figure out if he was awake or asleep.

“Riley, sweetheart. Are you okay?”

“I don’t know.” His body was tense as he took a step toward me. “Am I?”

“Yes, omega. You are.” I lowered my voice to be as soothing as possible, even though my heart was racing too. “I’m here. We’re together. Everything is fine.”

He relaxed against my chest, his arms immediately closing around me. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Me too.” I rubbed up and down his back. “So, um… I’m a bear shifter.”

Riley stilled for a moment and then burst out laughing. “Yeah, I got that.”

I blew out a breath. It wasn’t the response I expected, but I was glad for it. “Do you know about shifters?”

“Well, I know that people claim to have seen them. I’ve never personally seen one before, but…” He pulled back and looked up at me. “That was fucking awesome.”

I pressed my forehead to his and closed my palm around his neck. “Yeah? So you’re not freaked out?”

“Oh, I’m freaked out.” He pulled back and cocked his head. “Wait, that’s how you could smell me?”

Now I chuckled. “Yeah, my bear has an excellent sense of smell.”

“Can I see him again?” He stepped back to give me some space. “Your bear, I mean. Is that safe?”

“Yeah, of course, you’re safe. You’re our mate. My bear and I are in complete agreement about that. You’ll always be safe with us.”

Riley bit his lip and then smiled. “I know. I can feel that inside me. I know it’s true.”

I kissed him gently, so happy to finally have him back in my arms. “How about we play in the snow tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to take a shower and feel you in my arms.”

“Yes, alpha.” Riley curled his arms behind my neck and kissed me harder. “Get cleaned up and then take me to bed.”