she faced him once more and held out a scrap of
paper she’d torn from the top sheet of her pad near the bottom.
“Thanks.” Gage
put it into his front jeans pocket.
Once they went
back to the business of going through the pelts, Gage felt as if that small
slip of paper burned a hole inside his pocket. Even though he’d told Lynne he’d
have flowers sent to her sister, he had no intention of doing that. He’d go to
the florist, pick out some flowers and personally deliver them to Jaimie. He
had to see her.
With check in
hand for the pelts, which he’d have to cash in Helena, Gage left Lynne and the
furs behind. He drove toward Great Fall’s downtown area to look for a florist
shop. It didn’t take him long to spot one. Not sure what flowers Jaimie liked,
he picked out a mixture of pale pink and red roses.
Then he was off
to the hospital. Gage entered the building, carrying the flowers in one hand as
he took out the paper with Jaimie’s room number. Since he’d never been to this
hospital, or any other one, for that matter, he had to ask at the nurse’s
station where the room was after he arrived on the correct floor. The place was
like a giant maze with its different wings.
The door stood
open. Gage quietly walked inside, his gaze on the lone figure on the only bed.
He drew in a deep breath, the need to have Jaimie’s scent in his nose something
he couldn’t ignore. At first, the almost overwhelming smell of disinfectants
masked it. He separated it from the one that was hers and latched on to it.
His mate’s scent
became etched in his mind. It was there, stronger than what had been on Lynn’s
clothing. And along with it, he picked up the harsh smell of sickness. Wolf
shifters’ keen noses were known to detect an illness like cancer in a human
long before a doctor diagnosed it. If he’d met Jaimie earlier there could have
been a good chance he would have caught what was now killing her long before it
reached this stage.
Gage silently
headed over to the table beside the bed and placed the vase with the roses onto
it. He set his gaze on Jaimie. She had her eyes closed and appeared to be in a
deep sleep. Besides the cancer, he smelled the drugs she’d been given mixed
with her scent.
He stepped closer
and continued to run his gaze over his mate. The first thing he noticed was her
unhealthy color and the thinness of her face. Her dark blonde hair was limp and
just barely touched the tops of her shoulders. Despite all that, he couldn’t
think of her in any other way than beautiful.
“Jaimie,” he
said softly.
She didn’t stir.
It had to be the meds they’d given her that kept her oblivious to his presence.
Gage figured it was for the best. It would have been hard to see her in pain,
even if it meant she’d be awake.
The longer he
stared at Jaimie the more his body reacted to her nearness. His cock hardened
with a surge of arousal, straining against the front of his jeans. His scent
grew stronger. If his mate had been awake and healthy, she would have found it hard
to resist. It’d work like an aphrodisiac, nature’s way of ensuring they
followed its course and became mated. Even though what he was going through was
highly inappropriate given the situation, Gage had no control over it. The
surges had set in right after his mate brand had appeared and had evened out
the following day. Now that he’d found Jaimie, they’d started again. No matter
how hard he tried to control them he couldn’t stop them.
It wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t damn fair. Why would fate decide Jaimie was his mate only to take her
away? They’d both end up losing. She’d die and he’d lose his humanity. He’d no
longer be able to take on human form and have the ability to think or
understand speech. He’d be like any other gray wolf that lived out in the forest.
He’d be completely wild. He could save himself that fate by claiming Jaimie, by
biting her.
Gage stiffened
as another thought rose to the surface of his
paper she’d torn from the top sheet of her pad near the bottom.
“Thanks.” Gage
put it into his front jeans pocket.
Once they went
back to the business of going through the pelts, Gage felt as if that small
slip of paper burned a hole inside his pocket. Even though he’d told Lynne he’d
have flowers sent to her sister, he had no intention of doing that. He’d go to
the florist, pick out some flowers and personally deliver them to Jaimie. He
had to see her.
With check in
hand for the pelts, which he’d have to cash in Helena, Gage left Lynne and the
furs behind. He drove toward Great Fall’s downtown area to look for a florist
shop. It didn’t take him long to spot one. Not sure what flowers Jaimie liked,
he picked out a mixture of pale pink and red roses.
Then he was off
to the hospital. Gage entered the building, carrying the flowers in one hand as
he took out the paper with Jaimie’s room number. Since he’d never been to this
hospital, or any other one, for that matter, he had to ask at the nurse’s
station where the room was after he arrived on the correct floor. The place was
like a giant maze with its different wings.
The door stood
open. Gage quietly walked inside, his gaze on the lone figure on the only bed.
He drew in a deep breath, the need to have Jaimie’s scent in his nose something
he couldn’t ignore. At first, the almost overwhelming smell of disinfectants
masked it. He separated it from the one that was hers and latched on to it.
His mate’s scent
became etched in his mind. It was there, stronger than what had been on Lynn’s
clothing. And along with it, he picked up the harsh smell of sickness. Wolf
shifters’ keen noses were known to detect an illness like cancer in a human
long before a doctor diagnosed it. If he’d met Jaimie earlier there could have
been a good chance he would have caught what was now killing her long before it
reached this stage.
Gage silently
headed over to the table beside the bed and placed the vase with the roses onto
it. He set his gaze on Jaimie. She had her eyes closed and appeared to be in a
deep sleep. Besides the cancer, he smelled the drugs she’d been given mixed
with her scent.
He stepped closer
and continued to run his gaze over his mate. The first thing he noticed was her
unhealthy color and the thinness of her face. Her dark blonde hair was limp and
just barely touched the tops of her shoulders. Despite all that, he couldn’t
think of her in any other way than beautiful.
“Jaimie,” he
said softly.
She didn’t stir.
It had to be the meds they’d given her that kept her oblivious to his presence.
Gage figured it was for the best. It would have been hard to see her in pain,
even if it meant she’d be awake.
The longer he
stared at Jaimie the more his body reacted to her nearness. His cock hardened
with a surge of arousal, straining against the front of his jeans. His scent
grew stronger. If his mate had been awake and healthy, she would have found it hard
to resist. It’d work like an aphrodisiac, nature’s way of ensuring they
followed its course and became mated. Even though what he was going through was
highly inappropriate given the situation, Gage had no control over it. The
surges had set in right after his mate brand had appeared and had evened out
the following day. Now that he’d found Jaimie, they’d started again. No matter
how hard he tried to control them he couldn’t stop them.
It wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t damn fair. Why would fate decide Jaimie was his mate only to take her
away? They’d both end up losing. She’d die and he’d lose his humanity. He’d no
longer be able to take on human form and have the ability to think or
understand speech. He’d be like any other gray wolf that lived out in the forest.
He’d be completely wild. He could save himself that fate by claiming Jaimie, by
biting her.
Gage stiffened
as another thought rose to the surface of his
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