Unbound

Chapter 14

I spent the rest of the day buried deep in a thick historical fiction book that told the story of a small group that had gotten trapped behind enemy lines during the Great War between packs in the eastern states and those in the west, centuries ago. It was just the kind of enthralling read I needed to take my mind off of the comparatively minor dramas in my own life.

Somewhere close to midnight I closed the book, and my muscles screamed when I stood up out of the sunken leather armchair. Stretching out for one last night in the giant bed sounded far better than finding out whether the remaining brothers ever made it home, so I tucked the book back into its space on the shelf and made my way towards the foyer.

Just as I began to climb the stairs, the front door flew open behind me and Gabriel stormed in from outside, snowflakes dusting his dark hair and shoulders with white. His brow was furrowed and the crease between them appeared even deeper than usual. He looked unsteady on his feet, almost too focused on walking in a straight line.

"Are you okay?" I asked, descending back down to the first step. He paled visibly when he saw me standing in front of him.

"I'm fine." The effort it took to speak drew his attention away from his forward motion and he stumbled slightly before catching himself on the banister. I moved to his side quickly and put my arms out.

"Alright, clearly you're not." He shot me a dark look. "Let me get you to your room. If you go down out here, I'm not going to be able to get you back up on my own."

We climbed the stairs slowly and he leaned on the banister for support the whole way up. Ready for him to fall, I kept an arm out behind his back, even though realistically there was no chance in hell my small frame stood a chance if he lost his balance. When we reached the top, he managed to make it down the hallway with one hand braced against the wall. I stayed close. He fumbled his keys at his door, so I took them gently and unlocked it for him. Although he flinched away at first, I kept a hand on his back as he crossed the room and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Have you been drinking?"

"I don't drink," he snapped. He eyed his boots wearily, contemplating the effort it would take to reach down and untie them.

"Here, let me." I knelt in front of him and got to work on the tightly knotted laces while he watched. Once I had pulled them off, Gabriel swung his legs up onto the bed and sat back against the pillows. I stood and put my fingers on the inside of his wrist, feeling for his heartbeat. His skin was hot. He tried to push my hand away but I waved him off. His pulse was strong, but far faster than it should have been.

"Your heart's racing." Mine was, too. "Stay put, I'm going to get my bag."

"No."

"You brought me here as your healer, so let me do my job," I insisted. I left him there and jogged down the hall to my room where my medical bag was sitting on the table. I hadn't expected to need it—I'd hoped I wouldn't—but I was glad I'd taken the time to resupply before coming.

"Does your stomach hurt?" Back at his bedside, I hooked my stethoscope into my ears and placed it against his chest. He glowered as I moved it around.

"No." When his deep voice vibrated up the instrument and reverberated in my ears, I almost shivered.

"What about your chest, are you having any tightness or pain when you breathe?" His lungs sounded clear; I already knew the answer.

"No."

I stood and walked back to where I'd set my bag at the foot of the bed, folding the stethoscope into its pocket. "How long have you had a headache?"

He paused. "How did you know?"