Rille (Tribes, Book 2)

Chapter 6

He had stayed all night.

Brielle knit her brow in confusion, but didn't dare make a sound. With each visit of the attending hospital staff throughout the night, she had woken just enough to hear Preston puttering about on a computer or making small talk with the nurses. And there he still sat, his eyes closed but probably not asleep. Brielle knew better than to make assumptions.

Honestly, she hadn't expected him to stay and watch over her. She had expected him to leave again and not come back until her discharge. Brielle would admit that she had been wrong about that aspect of his character.

That didn't mean she had to like him or listen to him.

"Good morning, sunshine," a nurse greeted Brielle as she came through the door. "Ready for your discharge procedures?"

Preston's eyes slid open, slow and steady. Dark pools landed on Brielle, as if it was his right to stare at her as much as he wanted. For a moment, Brielle swore she saw the animal within him, but as quickly as it had come, his eyes softened again.

"You're up," Preston noted, aiming the words directly at Brielle.

Odd, the way he said the words as if he really cared, in a gruff morning voice that had Brielle swallowing to calm her racing heart. A beast like him was only slightly better than whatever had attacked Brielle in the bakery. Brielle might feel more indebted to him if he had stopped at saving her life instead of taking it over. She still highly doubted that the mating mark had been necessary. A bite from that strange creature couldn't kill her.

Right?

"Nothing snarky to say this morning?" Preston provoked.

Brielle didn't like the tone. She had been meaning to try and be nice to him, because of the life-saving and all, but now he'd opened a can of worms. "Maybe I'm just ignoring you," seemed like the nicest barb she could throw at him.

"Maybe I'll have to rectify that."

That had definitely been flirting. The way that the words rolled off of his tongue sounded like purring. The vibrations traveled from Brielle's head all the way down to her toes.

She didn't like a second of it.

"Fat chance," Brielle muttered, intending to keep the sass to herself. She forgot about Wolf Boy's excellent sense of hearing.

Preston grinned. "Is it really?"

A ripple of laughter from nearby reminded Brielle that the nurse hadn't left the room. They probably shouldn't be bickering in front of her. Brielle doubted that the nurses had been informed about all the extenuating circumstances of her hospitalization.

Thus, Brielle bit her tongue instead of asking the nurse why she found the situation so funny.

"I heard that the two of you have quite the chemistry," the nurse piped up on her own.

Brielle shot her a glare that she hoped the nurse felt deep into her soul.

Sadly, it didn't work. The nurse went on. "I didn't expect this. Is it because you're angry at your boyfriend over there? You shouldn't be. I heard he saved your life."

"So I'm supposed to be all glittery-eyed and docile just because of that?" Brielle spat.

"She can be petty," Preston interjected. "But it's a cute trait on her."

Brielle's glare turned to Preston. Petty? Cute? Was he doing that because he got a rise out of her whenever he flirted? Or had he meant it? A third option: he might have said it just to pacify the nurse. Sadly, Brielle couldn't tell one way or another.