he cannot be named.
“This…this boy was Tyler?” she asked.
“Yes. He tried to save his mother, and ended up an orphan. He’s never forgiven himself for failing to save her, or for killing his father, even though the guy deserved a far worse fate.”
Naomi stepped towards the bed, and took Tyler’s hand in her own. It was cold, so much life drawn out of him. But he was breathing, his intakes of air shallow between parted lips.
“I’m going to leave you two alone,” said Lucas. “Do me a favour and let me know if he wakes up, would you?”
Naomi nodded silently.
Lucas pulled the chair to where she stood and she sat down as he left the room. Her hand held onto Tyler’s for two hours as she watched him.
It was no wonder he was angry—no wonder he needed constant escape. And it was no wonder he’d thrown himself, literally, to the wolves to protect Lucas. He would spend his whole life trying to save everyone but himself. To prove that he was worth something after all.
It was after midnight, finally, that Naomi felt his fingers twitch around her own. She placed her other hand over his, stroking its back as she spoke his name softly.
His eyes opened and he turned his head her way.
“Don’t move,” she said. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to move.”
“How can I look at you if I don’t?” he asked, smiling weakly.
Naomi stood and leaned over him. “There,” she said. “Now you don’t have to turn your neck.”
“You look like an angel,” he muttered. “My ferret angel.”
“I’m nothing of the sort, as you know.”
“You are. You’re good. So good.”
“So are you. And you’re an idiot, nearly getting yourself dismembered like that.”
“Pretty good, huh?” he chuckled. “I guess five wolves is my limit.”
“Yeah, well, if they hadn’t already beaten you to a pulp, I’d do it now. I’m mad at you.”
“Aw. I’m sorry.” He moved his hand to her face, sweeping her hair behind an ear. “I’d make it up to you with some hot sex, but I think they broke me.”
“Wait ’til you’re better, then you can do whatever you want to me.”
“Really?” His expression changed, as though he’d remembered something. “No—Naomi—you’re not even supposed to be here. You hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. Quite the opposite,” she said. Her eyes moved away from his face. She felt his hand squeeze hers briefly before he tried to pull away.
“No way,” she said. “I’m not letting you get away this time.” She locked eyes on his.
“You’ll want me to, when you know the truth about me,” he said. “I need to tell you, though. I can’t stand the thought that you’ll hate me. But if I let you walk out of here again, I’ll hate myself, which is even worse. Look—when I was a kid, something happened. Something bad.”
“Lucas told me,” she interrupted before he could continued. “He showed me an article that said what happened to your parents. I know, Tyler. And you have no idea how good you are. You beat yourself up, you try to get other people to beat you up in the boxing ring. But you deserve happiness. What happened was awful, and I’m so sorry. But you did what you needed to, and you need to accept that after all this time.”
“He beat her,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper as his eyes shifted away from her face. “More than once, to within an inch of her life.”
“Did he shift before he attacked her?”
“No. Never. He pummelled her in his human form. Do you know what that feels like, Naomi? An animal being an animal is one thing—a lion fights. Even ferrets are built for fighting, for killing. But humans? We’re not. For a human to attack someone like that takes a real dose of madness. And he was mad—he would go insane, come home drunk and just take all his rage at the world out on her.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s no wonder…”
“I was young, and weak. I saw it happening, or heard it, which was
“This…this boy was Tyler?” she asked.
“Yes. He tried to save his mother, and ended up an orphan. He’s never forgiven himself for failing to save her, or for killing his father, even though the guy deserved a far worse fate.”
Naomi stepped towards the bed, and took Tyler’s hand in her own. It was cold, so much life drawn out of him. But he was breathing, his intakes of air shallow between parted lips.
“I’m going to leave you two alone,” said Lucas. “Do me a favour and let me know if he wakes up, would you?”
Naomi nodded silently.
Lucas pulled the chair to where she stood and she sat down as he left the room. Her hand held onto Tyler’s for two hours as she watched him.
It was no wonder he was angry—no wonder he needed constant escape. And it was no wonder he’d thrown himself, literally, to the wolves to protect Lucas. He would spend his whole life trying to save everyone but himself. To prove that he was worth something after all.
It was after midnight, finally, that Naomi felt his fingers twitch around her own. She placed her other hand over his, stroking its back as she spoke his name softly.
His eyes opened and he turned his head her way.
“Don’t move,” she said. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to move.”
“How can I look at you if I don’t?” he asked, smiling weakly.
Naomi stood and leaned over him. “There,” she said. “Now you don’t have to turn your neck.”
“You look like an angel,” he muttered. “My ferret angel.”
“I’m nothing of the sort, as you know.”
“You are. You’re good. So good.”
“So are you. And you’re an idiot, nearly getting yourself dismembered like that.”
“Pretty good, huh?” he chuckled. “I guess five wolves is my limit.”
“Yeah, well, if they hadn’t already beaten you to a pulp, I’d do it now. I’m mad at you.”
“Aw. I’m sorry.” He moved his hand to her face, sweeping her hair behind an ear. “I’d make it up to you with some hot sex, but I think they broke me.”
“Wait ’til you’re better, then you can do whatever you want to me.”
“Really?” His expression changed, as though he’d remembered something. “No—Naomi—you’re not even supposed to be here. You hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. Quite the opposite,” she said. Her eyes moved away from his face. She felt his hand squeeze hers briefly before he tried to pull away.
“No way,” she said. “I’m not letting you get away this time.” She locked eyes on his.
“You’ll want me to, when you know the truth about me,” he said. “I need to tell you, though. I can’t stand the thought that you’ll hate me. But if I let you walk out of here again, I’ll hate myself, which is even worse. Look—when I was a kid, something happened. Something bad.”
“Lucas told me,” she interrupted before he could continued. “He showed me an article that said what happened to your parents. I know, Tyler. And you have no idea how good you are. You beat yourself up, you try to get other people to beat you up in the boxing ring. But you deserve happiness. What happened was awful, and I’m so sorry. But you did what you needed to, and you need to accept that after all this time.”
“He beat her,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper as his eyes shifted away from her face. “More than once, to within an inch of her life.”
“Did he shift before he attacked her?”
“No. Never. He pummelled her in his human form. Do you know what that feels like, Naomi? An animal being an animal is one thing—a lion fights. Even ferrets are built for fighting, for killing. But humans? We’re not. For a human to attack someone like that takes a real dose of madness. And he was mad—he would go insane, come home drunk and just take all his rage at the world out on her.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s no wonder…”
“I was young, and weak. I saw it happening, or heard it, which was
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