Claws

Chapter Thirty-One

It was dimly lit in the infirmary lobby and oddly quiet. Somehow, I found the infirmary slightly unsettling at night. I never had that issue before, so why was my skin crawling? It wasn't because I was superstitious or anything like that. It was probably just because the smell of alcohol wipes and blood while being surrounded in darkness made me think of that night I almost got raped. I also had a feeling that someone was watching me other than the receptionist who had asked me why I was there. I'd just told her I was checking in on someone when I walked in, and since I was the chief's daughter, she luckily let me through without any questions.

I sighed, wondering if I should have asked for the room Zale was in. I was going to have to roam around and peek in every room.

"Should I go back and ask her? No. She'll probably let Zale know I came to visit, and I don't want that. I might as well just look around," I thought with a sigh.

The soft hum of fluorescent lights above cast a clinical glow on the sterile white walls that surrounded me. I walked along the corridor, passing closed doors with small windows that offered only a glimpse into the rooms beyond. Muted voices and occasional sounds of medical equipment filled the air as I glanced into the rooms I passed, catching fleeting glimpses of patients resting in tidy beds, surrounded by monitors and IV stands. The linoleum floor beneath me created distinct sounds of my footsteps, with occasional squeaks of my shoes following.

I stopped as I passed by the only infirmary room I'd seen so far with an open door. The label on the room number read occupied. Why was it empty? I glanced around to see if anyone was around, then carefully walked into the room. The moment I got close to the messy bed, I froze. That smell. I knew that smell. Zale's pheromones. They weren't overwhelmingly strong but potent enough to make my cheeks flush a little bit. My eyes wandered the room, looking for any sign that he was still there. I squinted my eyes when I spotted a duffle bag and a pile of clothes lying on the chair in the left-hand corner of the room. So he was here. But why wasn't he in his room?

"I need to get out of here. He'll probably be back any second," was the first thing that came to my mind when I took my eyes off the duffle bag. Suddenly, a slight rush of panic ran through me. What was I doing here? Was I dumb or just a masochist? If I ran into Zale now, he'd...He'd...

"Well, this is unexpected," I low, familiar voice mused from the doorway of the infirmary room, making me freeze where I stood. I took a sharp breath in, not sure if it would come back out again. The scent of Zale's pheromones grew stronger.

What have I done?

When I got the corage to move, I turned around, ready to make my defense, but jumped at the sight of Zale's face inches away from mine. He wore black sweats, no socks or shoes, and a black, unbuttoned sleep shirt. One of his arms was out of his sleeves, connected to a transportable metal stand holding an IV drip and what seemed to be a blood bag for a blood infusion. He was casually sucking on a juice box, one of his dark eyebrows raised. My breaths grew heavier as I was suddenly cornered to the bed, tripping over the side frame and landing on the mattress. Was he mad? Of course, he was mad.

"Look, don't get the wrong idea. I just came to see if you were alive, that's it." My voice came out in trembling syllables. My face began to heat up when I realized my ears and tail were out. Wait. Did they just come back, or were they there this whole time? I looked down from Zale, wondering why on earth I came to see him.

I jumped as I felt one of Zale's fingers tap against the tip of my ear. "Cute. I see that habit of yours still hasn't changed. Your fangs are out as well. You look like a cute little puppy," his voice was filled with amusement, but I could tell he was weak and tired.