Broken

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

As the normal grogginess of sleep wore off, I realized just how thirsty I was. I reached for a drink, hissing a little as my stitches pulled against the still-healing skin, but the glass of orange juice remained steadfastly just beyond my fingertips.

Alec appeared immediately, paint speckled and undeniably alive from where he'd been working in his studio. "I really wish you'd just call for me when you need something. All of this moving around isn't going to help your back heal any more quickly."

"You're not letting your injuries slow you down."

It was a losing argument, but I hated being cooped up in bed all the time, and it was the only argument I had. Alec paused for a second to look down at the long, thick bandage wrapped around his middle. The gash of white cutting across his darkly-tanned skin was uncomfortably similar to what I imagined his wound must have looked like just after Brandon had inflicted it.

He sighed, but there wasn't any real frustration to the sound. "Our cases are hardly comparable. You know just how much more quickly I heal than you do."

An upraised finger cut me off before I could latch onto my last remaining point. "The fact that your injury was less severe is really quite immaterial. Even the fact that shape shifter inflicted wounds don't heal as quickly as normal for me is really a small matter when compared to just how much blood you lost before we got the bleeding staunched."

And there was the real rub. Alec was well on his way to being fully healed, while I still had fits of dizziness every time I tried to stand. I even had to have Jasmin or Dom help me to the bathroom.

There was no good way to know how long I'd lay there with a branch stuck through my back, but it'd been long enough for even a relatively small wound to result in near fatal blood loss. I'd been nearly unconscious from the pain, so I didn't remember any of what had happened next, but Alec had reluctantly filled in most of the details.

Apparently the stress of the fight had finally awakened his potential, and his power was a real humdinger. The metaphysical hurricane that'd knocked me to the ground had actually been Alec pulling power from all of the shape shifters and humans in the area.

The experience had been nearly as overwhelming for Alec as it had been for the rest of us. He'd recovered just in time to find Brandon grimly pulling himself along on all fours. Luckily Alec had recovered more quickly, and once Brandon was deprived of the strength and speed his power had bestowed upon him, Alec had been more than a match for him, even wounded and exhausted.

Brandon's end had been quick, and if Alec hadn't realized my blood was slowly leaking out onto the ground, the rest of Brandon's pack would've likewise been quickly sorted out. Instead, Alec had stumbled over, shifted back to human form, and got the bleeding slowed to a point where I wasn't in imminent danger of death.

Unfortunately that'd been all the delay Brandon's pack had needed to make a run for it. Isaac, James and Jasmin were trying to track down the worst of the lot, the ones who'd taken an active part in Brandon's atrocities, but it was slow going.

Part of the job had been resolved when Cassie and two other wolves had tried to circle around and attack the estate. Luckily Isaac and the others had stumbled onto them. The fight had been brief and bloody. None of our guys had escaped unharmed, but they were all going to make a full recovery, and the same couldn't be said for Cassie or the others.

I shivered a little at the thought, and Alec looked up with concern on his face. "Do you need another blanket?"

"No, I'm fine, just a little worried about Jasmin and the boys."

Now he did frown. He wasn't excited that he had to stay here instead of leading the tracking group. I personally was glad he couldn't go along, and not just because it was dangerous work. I wasn't positive he'd really come to terms with having killed Brandon.

"They'll be fine. You need to worry about getting better, and nothing else."

My pout met with just as much success as it usually did. After a second or two I gave up and nodded.

"Ok, I promise to be good and concentrate on getting better, if you'll come keep me company."

The flash of emotion, barely visible in Alec's eyes was a source of hope and despair all at once. Eagerness, desire. Both curbed by the same iron will that'd continued fighting long past where most people would've given up and died.

I patted the bed next to me, wincing slightly as even that simple motion pulled on things that weren't meant to be pulled on. He stared at me for several seconds, and then sat down on the bed. I waited, and then when I was sure that was as close as he planned on getting, I slid closer, resting my head on his arm. As long as I was careful not to go too far, not to touch too much of him, I could get away with that much.

His half-imagined sigh sent little trills of satisfaction through me. He wasn't going to initiate contact. If I didn't know with an absolute certainty that he wanted to be with me, I would've despaired already. Still, Dominic had been right so many days ago. Alec was worth it, and as long as he still loved me, I was going to do my best to help him see that we belonged together.

Human or shape shifter, homely or gorgeous, none of that mattered. All that mattered is he made my heart beat faster, and I could no longer imagine my life without him. I guess you call that love.

--Continued in Torn--

 Thank you for reading Broken! If you'd like to read what happened from Alec's point of view, you can get a free copy of Torn by signing up for my mailing list (http://deanwrites.com/sign-up/)

If you're interested in finding out more about Torn (including seeing links to the retailers where you could buy a copy) you can see that here: http://deanwrites.com/reflections-series/torn/

If you're interested in finding out how life would have been different if Alec's dad had never been killed, you should check out Bound (available here on Wattpad or from most major retailers). Bound is the first installment in my Dark Reflections series. Dark Reflections explores an alternate timeline where Adri's dad and sister were never killed in a car wreck, and helps provide depth to the Reflections Universe that simply wouldn't be possible without multiple timelines.

I've also written another story inside the Reflections Universe under the pen name Eldon Murphy. The Greater Darkness features a different set of characters who will eventually meet up with Alec, Adri and the rest of the Sanctuary crew. It will appear on Wattpad at some point as well.

Lastly, I've written an unrelated Epic Fantasy Series that starts with a book called Frozen Prospects which I'll be posting to Wattpad in the coming weeks too.