me. I mirrored her move, blocking her escape. After everything she’d been through, I couldn’t believe it was the bed that was causing her unusual reaction.
“Michelle, tell me. What is it? Should we leave? Find another room?”
She blew out a breath and wrapped her arms around me. I could feel her arms trembling as she rested her head on my chest. Confused, I returned her hug.
“No. The room is fine. I just connected it with a vision I had.”
I knew it. “What was the vision about?”
She hesitated a moment and ducked her head.
“You and me,” she said finally. She pulled away, and eyed me nervously. “I don’t want to bite you. I don’t care if it looked like you liked it or not. It’s going to hurt you, and I just don’t think I can do it. Not yet.”
It took a moment for her words to sink in. She’d had a premonition about Claiming me. And it would happen in that room. I stared at the bed. Tonight. My heart raced. Tonight.
Michelle fled, and I turned to watch her. She seemed to sense my regard and stopped just outside the bathroom to look back at me. The blood on her shirt spoke volumes. She’d just survived a kidnapping. Claiming should have been the furthest thing from my mind.
She looked away and closed herself in the bathroom. Well, almost closed herself in. The slight gap in the door didn’t fool me. It wasn’t an invitation. She was still shaken up and probably wanted to hear me as much as I wanted to be able to hear her. Little movements and sounds let me know she was still all right.
Slowly, I sat back down on the couch. Claiming, being a leader, making a safe home...somehow it all started to blend together in my mind.
The shower turned on, and I half listened as she undressed.
I’d finished her apartment to entice her to stay. Now, it seemed she would be. But was it safe there anymore? No. Not the way it was. Dad was right, we needed families to come live with us. There was safety in numbers. However, we weren’t sure how many we were up against. Dad’s relaxed attitude toward the trouble that had visited the Compound stemmed from the number of people living there. If some of those families left, would the Compound still be as safe? Should we separate our numbers when so much was still unknown? I needed to talk to Dad before I made any decisions about the future. I wanted Michelle and her brothers safe. If that meant leaving Montana and living at the Compound, then that was what we would do.
The shower stopped, and I listened to Michelle get into the tub and start the jets. The faint scent of old blood drifted through the apartment. Not unexpected given what she had needed to wash away. However, the scent of worry still drifting in the air did concern me.
I dwelled on what the night might bring until I heard movement in the hallway. I was already off the couch when I heard the knock. The jets turned off in the bathroom. On my way past, I closed the door to give Michelle privacy and a sense of safety.
In the hall, a man waited with a cart full of food. The scent of grilled meat tickled my nose.
“Come in,” I said, moving aside.
The man pushed the cart into the room and set three covered plates and several other side plates on the counter of the kitchenette. When he had everything set, he wished me a good evening and walked back out, shutting the door.
In the bathroom, I heard Michelle moving. Closing the distance, I listened. She was just on the other side. I could hear her breathing.
“Food’s here,” I said.
She squeaked in surprise and pulled open the door. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Not funny,” she said, tightening the robe around her waist. Her wince stole the humor from the moment.
I eyed her, wondering again if she’d let me look her over. Given what she’d revealed before her shower, I decided to keep quiet for a little longer.
“It’s not as bad as I thought,” she said, turning her head so I could see the gash. Was she trying to distract me from what else might be wrong? It was hard to see, anyway. Her hair was wet and slicked back from her face. Water dripped from the ends onto the hotel robe she wore. I tried not to