He again resisted the desire to do just that. "Roll over onto your left side."
She raised her eyebrows and did as he asked. "Planning a little side-on adventure, are we?"
"Maybe." A doozey of a bruise was beginning to appear on her rump, but there were no skin lacerations, and she seemed to be moving her legs without flinching. He carefully checked the rest of her, but could find no other signs of injury. "Did you drink anything at Betise's?"
She sighed. "I don't want to talk about her."
"Neither do I, believe me. Did you drink anything?"
"Coffee." She reached up, grabbed his shirt and dragged him close, green eyes dancing with devilment as they searched his. "Kiss me."
"Love to." And he did. Long and slowly. Tasted her, savored her, until he knew every inch of her mouth as intimately as he knew the rest of her. When he finally broke away, his breathing was harsh, and the desire to take what she was so freely offering pounded through his veins.
"How much coffee?" he asked hoarsely.
She gave him a vixen smile and trailed her fingers down his chest. "Not even half a cup."
If Betise had put something in the coffee, at least Neva hadn't taken all of it. She was probably safe from an overdose, though he'd certainly have to keep an eye on her for the next couple of hours. He flipped back the bed covers. "Climb in. I'll make you some hot chocolate."
"I don't want some hot chocolate."
She brushed her fingers up and down the front of his jeans, teasing, but not quite touching his erection, which seemed to press even more painfully against the restriction of the denim. A shudder ran through him. Right then, he didn't want any hot chocolate, either. He patted the pillow. She sighed and climbed rather gracelessly under the covers.
"Care to join me?"
"Yes. But later." He tucked the blankets around her. "Did Betise say anything of interest?"
The amusement fled her face, and her eyes searched his. "She told me you were soul mates. She told me you refused to acknowledge it."
Anger flashed through him, warm and bright. The woman was more delusional than he'd thought. He knelt down beside Neva and touched a hand to her cheek. "Betise is not my soul mate. We shared one dance, nothing more." He paused, staring into Neva's beautiful eyes, trying to make her believe him. Trying to make her see. "I have no fear of acknowledging my soul mate."
Tears touched the green depths, but she blinked them away. "Then why — "
He put a finger against her lips. "I don't know why. And right now, I don't care." He hesitated. "What else did she say?"
"She lied about my dad."
That he'd discovered for himself. "And?"
"She gave me a brief description of the man who attacked her. It's no more than what we already know."
No surprise there. He very much suspected Betise hadn't actually been attacked, but rather had been playing a game in wolf form that got a little too rough for her liking. Why else would she refuse to give them a proper description? She must have seen her attacker — she had scratches on her face. Scratches that had come from either fingernails or claws, not teeth, like the other victims.
"Nothing else?"
She shook her head and yawned yet again.
"I'll get the chocolate. You stay here."
Her sigh followed him down the stairs. By the time he'd made them both some hot chocolate and carried the mugs back up the stairs, she was asleep.
He stopped in the middle of the room, his gaze on her face, and his heart doing weird things in his chest. He finally acknowledged what he'd known the minute her pain had echoed through him and she'd begun siphoning his strength. This was more than just the power of the moon and the need for the dance. Far more.
He placed both mugs on the bedside table closest to her, then tossed teddy bears off the nearby chair and dragged it closer. Propping his feet on the bed, he picked up a mug and sipped at the drink slowly as he let his gaze rest on her serene and beautiful features.
He hadn't lied to her. He had no fear of acknowledging his soul mate.
What he feared more than anything else in the world was that she would refuse to acknowledge him.