Taming Rafe Animals MC book 7

Chapter Six.

His body was so heavy on top of hers, preventing her from breathing and keeping her at his mercy. She was hot, too hot their bodies were hot where they pressed together, skin on skin.

Tess tried to open her eyes but her eyelids were so heavy.

"Harold...please..."She whimpered shifting beneath the heavy body.

"Please...I can't breathe."

She opened her eyes, taking a minute to adjust. She wasn't at work and she wasn't with Harold. Slowly she remembered his death, Raphael and almost freezing.

"Raphael..."She ventured softly.

He didn't reply or move and for a second she felt panic rise, what if he was dead? was his body dead on top of her as she slept. Her chest constricted and a strangled noise bubbled up from her throat.

She was laying on her back on the hard floor, the blankets tangled around her naked body. Raphael was lying on top of her motionless and burning hot.

She shoved him off letting him roll on to the floor next to her, some of the blankets going with him. She pressed a hand to his muscled chest which was slick with sweat, sighing in relief when she felt his heart beat steadily beneath her palm.

She glanced at the window, daylight was breaking and it was snowing again, their fire had died down to mostly embers.

She put her hand on his forehead, he was burning up. He definitely had a fever but she wasn't sure if it was from nearly freezing or the wound on his shoulder.

She pulled on her clothes which were now dry and warm then scurried into the bathroom, ransacking the medicine cabinet she found some over the counter pain pills and some gauze and band-aids.

She took the items with her then went to the kitchen searching the cabinets she finally found a bottle of whiskey tucked in the back of a cabinet.

She found a washcloth in the bathroom and ran it under hot water then filled a small basin and took it with her.

She returned to where he still lay on the floor, he had kicked the blankets down and his body was soaked. He seemed in distress as he tossed around.

She knelt carefully next to him, glancing at the large bite mark the wolf had left in his shoulder. It should have been cleaned and bandaged immediately but she had fallen asleep.

The blood seemed to have clotted in the night and was dried on the skin but she knew it still had to be cleaned.

She bit her lip, cleaning the wound would be painful and he already seemed to be uncomfortable.

She leaned forward gently pressing the warm, wet cloth to the wound and his eyes snapped open. They were unfocused and darted wildly around the room.

"Shhh, it's okay I'm trying to help." She said.

"Chloe?"

"No...it's me...Tess..."

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't know, I didn't know." He said gripping her wrist in a vice-like grip.

She tried to pull away but his large hand completely circled her wrist and the pressure he applied was painful, bruising even.

"I...I'm not Chloe."

"If I knew....why didn't you tell me?" He begged.

"I....I don't know..."

"Don't leave me, please. Don't leave me again."

"I won't just...lay back, okay? Relax." She tried.

"I'm so cold," He said but she knew he wasn't.

"Okay."

He gave a small nod then his head fell back and he succumbed again to sleep, definitely a bad fever. She wished she knew how to get him a doctor but she was his only hope now.

He didn' wake up as she wiped the wound with the warm rag, or when she carefully poured some whiskey on it. She wound it with gauze and then despite his being hot covered him in all the blankets.

She wasn't sure how long she had slept but the fire had died and she knew they would need it to survive.

She pulled on the boots and his heavy jacket then stepped outside scanning around the cabin for the wood he chopped. She found a large stack near the side of the house and covered with a blue tarp.

Lifting as much as she could carry she made as many trips she could before growing tired, she threw a few logs on the embers hoping a fire would catch then set about making soup for them.

When the soup was finished she spooned some into a bowl and returned to Raphael, he was breathing heavily his hair stuck to his forehead and the blankets wet with his sweat.

"Raphael, hey." She shook him gently.

Once again his eyes fluttered open, still unfocused as he turned his face towards her.

"Chloe..."He whimpered.

"No, Tess..." She reminded him.

"Tess....I'm so thirsty," He said, his chest rising and falling heavily, his eyes trying to close.

"I know, can you sit up?" She asked.

"Yeah," He tried to push upward but he swayed and was clearly too weak to do so alone.

She tugged him towards the couch leaning him against it and supporting his head that seemed too heavy for his neck.

When he was leaning back on his own she grabbed the bowl again and spooned some broth onto the spoon lifting it to his lips.

"Try to eat something," She said gently.

He opened his mouth and took some of the soup but it was obviously a struggle for him to stay awake. She sat diligently feeding him like a small child until nearly all the soup was gone and he began shaking his head when offered more.

"I need....to lay down," He said.

She helped him maneuver back onto the blankets and pillows near the fire, he collapsed heavily, out of breath and exhausted. She covered him again, knowing that sweating out a fever was his best option.

She was about to stand when he grabbed her wrist again, squeezing so hard his fingers turned white and it hurt.

"Stay...please....stay with me."

"I'm not Chloe," She said gently.

"I know......I know that...Tess."

He still seemed confused but she relented, carefully laying down beside him but not under the blankets. Clearly, that's what he wanted because as soon as she settled next to him he tossed the blankets over her, pulling her against his side.

His arms going around her like to steel bands and his head nuzzling into her neck and taking a deep breath.

She felt panic rising in her chest, this was too like being held down, too familiar to be comfortable.

"It's...been so long.....since I held someone," He mumbled into her hair.

"uhhu," She managed.

A second later he was snoring but she was relieved as long as he was snoring she was sure he was breathing.