Growl

  Lacey looked away as tears rolled down her face. “How long do I have before I...?” she choked on the last word. She couldn’t believe that she was going to die after everything she had been through. She had managed to survive being kidnapped by werewolves and being stabbed by a psycho, only to die from a tumor. All hope that she had of living a long life with Jesse was crushed. Her heart ached at the thought of losing him.

  Dr. Loken squeezed her hand again. “You don’t have very long, I’m afraid. Maybe a week, maybe less. The tumor is growing at an incredible rate. When we contacted your parents, they gave us your health information and we called the doctor that did a CT scan on you three years ago after you fell down the bleachers at school. They faxed over the results of that scan and you showed no signs of the tumor at that time. The fact that the tumor has grown to the size it is now in only three years, shows how aggressive it is.”

  Lacey completely shut down after hearing that. The doctor kept talking but she wasn’t listening anymore. Her mind was going over everything she had done over the last three years to try and find something that might have caused the tumor. She knew it was ridiculous but she needed to find a reason, an explanation for why she was going to die. She felt a tiny surge in her powers and her head shot up.

  Her face drained of color when she realized what was causing her death. It was her powers, it had to be. The strain she put on her brain every time she used them had to have caused the tumor. It was the only thing that made sense. She had used her powers more over the last three years than she had during her whole life. The knowledge that she had basically given herself a death sentence hit her like a ton of bricks. “Please leave me alone” she whispered as she brushed the back of her hand across her cheek to remove her tears.

  Dr. Loken frowned. “You don’t have to go through this alone. I can send in a counselor to talk to you and I think your friends are still here as well.”

  Lacey closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. I don’t want to see anyone.”

  The doctor tried to talk to her again. “Lacey, please. Now isn’t the time to push people away. You don’t have much time left.”

  She opened her eyes and shot him a look filled with so much pain and anger that it made him take a step back. “I’m going to die and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it!” she yelled. “And having my friends watch me slip away isn’t going to change that. It’ll only make it harder for them to move on.”

  Dr. Loken nodded in understanding and left the room. Lacey turned on her side and cried like she had never cried before. She cried until she felt empty inside. A little while later, her door eased open and a light shined in the room. “I said that I didn’t want to see anyone” she said in a cracked voice.

  Cole walked over to the foot of the bed. “I’m not just anybody” he said cockily. But when Lacey lifted her head and looked at him, all of his bravado quickly left him.

  Her face was red and swollen from crying, her eyes were bloodshot and her skin was the palest he had ever seen. It hurt him to see her like that. He immediately went to her and rested his hand on the side of her face. He rubbed away her tears with his thumb, surprised by the fact that they didn’t repulse him. Seeing people cry had always disgusted him, it showed how weak they were. But with Lacey, it was different, her tears caused an ache in his chest. He didn’t want to see her cry. “Lacey, what’s wrong?”

  She looked up at him as another round of sobs built in her chest. She never thought she would see him again after the time she had spent being his prisoner, but here he was. And as screwed up as it was, she was glad that he was there. During the time that she was with him, he had never really hurt her and she had seen a side of him that she was sure no one else ever did. She saw the pain and sadness on his face when he spoke about his parents. And he took care of her when he didn’t have to. She really believed there was good somewhere inside of him and that was the part of him that she liked.

  Cole was getting impatient waiting for Lacey to answer him. “Damn it, answer me. Are you sick or something?”

  Lacey nodded. “Yes” She sighed as the reality of that took her breath away.

  An uneasy feeling started to settle over Cole. “Well what’s wrong? Is it an infection from the stab wound in your stomach?”

  Lacey sniffled and shook her head. “I have a tumor.”

  “A tumor? So...you need an operation? Is that why you’re so upset? Don’t worry about it. People have operations all the time. I’m sure you’ll be fine” Cole said confidently.

  Lacey closed her eyes and shook her head again. Cole stared at her. Fear suddenly consumed him, almost forcing him to his knees. “Why are you shaking your head no? Aren’t the doctors going to remove the tumor?” he asked.

  She opened her eyes and pierced him with a heartbreaking glare. He saw the truth written all over her face and it devastated him. “What are you saying, Lacey?” he asked through the lump building in his throat.

  She fidgeted with the edge of the sheet that covered her as she spoke the words that made her want to scream out loud at the injustice of her life. “I’m dying. The doctor said that I only have a few days left” she choked out between sobs.

  Cole flopped down in the chair in the corner of the room and stared at her in shock. He couldn’t speak, hell he could barely breathe. He had spent his whole life thinking that he was incapable of loving anyone. And then he met Lacey and she changed everything. At first, it was her strength that he admired. Then it was her beauty, but what really sealed it for him, was her compassion, tenderness and vulnerability. When she kissed him, he felt all of those things and it made him feel more for her than he had ever felt for anyone. It made him love her. And he didn’t want to lose her.

  He jumped up from the chair and leaned over the bed. He looked down at Lacey with hope in his eyes. “I can save you” he said in a rush.

  She gave him a confused look. “What?”

  Cole sat down on the bed and brushed her hair back from her face. “I can save you” he whispered. “I can change you. Once you’re changed, your body will heal itself. It might take some time but you will get better. The werewolf genetics will change you. You’ll be stronger, more resilient. You’ll be able to fight off the tumor.”

  Lacey wiped at her eyes and moved closer to him as a tiny bit of hope flared up inside her. “Are you sure? Are you sure that I’ll live if I’m changed?”

  Cole thought about it for a minute and decided to be honest with her. “No, I’m not positive. Not all human bodies accept the change well, sometimes the human dies. But that won’t happen to you. You are a very strong woman, Lacey. I know you will make it through the change. I changed Sasha over twenty years ago after she fell off of a cliff in the mountains where I grew up. She was nearly dead when I found her. Almost every bone in her body was broke but after I bit her, her body healed itself. You have to let me change you.”

  Lacey thought about it for a minute. “Well, it’s not like I have a choice, now do I? If I don’t change, I’m definitely going to die and if I do change, there’s only a possibility that I’ll die.” She closed her eyes and nodded. “Okay...I know what I have to do.”

  Cole smiled and pulled her into his arms. “It’ll be quick and it won’t hurt much. If you want, I can take you out of here right now. I’ll take you somewhere safe and change you tonight.”

  Lacey stiffened in his arms and pulled back from him. “Cole, I don’t want you to change me. I want Jesse to do it” she said softly.

  Cole glared at her like she had hit him. “Damn it, Lacey! When are you going to realize that I’m the one you should be with? Jesse is nothing. He’s weak and a coward. He won’t be a good mate for you. You need someone who can protect you and keep you safe.”

  “I’m sorry Cole, but my feelings for him haven’t changed. I love him and I want to spend my life with him. Once he changes me, we’ll leave and you two won’t have to fight each other anymore.”

  Cole chuckled and ran his h
and through his hair in frustration. “Yeah, well good luck with that. Jesse promised our mother that he would never change a human into the monster our father turned her into and so far he’s kept his word.”

  “You don’t think he will change me? Even after he finds out that I’m dying?” Lacey asked in a small voice.

  “Oh, I’m sure that he will change you because he doesn’t want to lose you. But the guilt of doing so will eat at him for the rest of his life. Every time he looks at you, he will be reminded of the promise that he broke to our mother” Cole said with disgust. “He’s always been a sentimental fool. He doesn’t give out promises lightly, but when he does give them, he never breaks them.”

  Lacey thought about what Cole said. She didn’t want Jesse to break the vow he made to his mother. And she didn’t want him to hate her later on for putting him in the situation where he had no choice. She looked up at Cole. “And if I let you change me, then what?”

  He pierced her with a hungry stare. “I won’t change you so that you can go running back to my brother. If I change you, you have to agree to be my mate. And I’ve already told you that mates are for life. You’d have to forget about Jesse.”

  Lacey narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll take my chances with Jesse” she said flatly.

  Cole chuckled. “You do that. And when that doesn’t work, you can call me. But don’t forget what I said, if I change you, you will be mine” he said and dropped a piece of paper with his cell phone number on the bed and walked out of the room. He thought about just kidnapping her again. It would be so easy to scoop her up in his arms and jump out the window. They would be long gone before anyone even knew she was missing. But he didn’t want to force her to leave with him again. He wanted her to choose him of her own free will.

  *****

  Lacey squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that Jesse would agree to change her without her having to tell him that she was dying. That was the only way she could think of to find out if he would change her without feeling pressured into it. She didn’t want him to break a promise that was important to him. And she didn’t want him to change her because she was dying. She wanted him to do it because he loved her and wanted to be with her.

  She grabbed the piece of paper that Cole had left and slowly got out of bed. She was so weak, she could barely stand on her own feet. She glanced around the room for her clothes but didn’t see them. With her mind made up about not spending one more second in the hospital, she stumbled over to the door of the room and walked out wearing nothing but the hospital gown. A nurse ran up to her, waving her hands. “Miss Hannigan, you shouldn’t be up. You need your rest.”

  Lacey walked past her. The wound in her stomach ached more with every step that she took. “I’m leaving” she said weakly.

  The nurse stood in front of her. “You can’t leave. The doctor hasn’t signed your release papers.”

  Lacey glared at her. “I don’t give a damn about release papers. I’m walking out of here and you’re not going to stop me!” she yelled.

  Just then, Jesse poked his head out of the waiting room down the hall. When he saw Lacey, he ran over and wrapped his arms around her. “What are you doing? You should be in bed resting” he whispered in her ear.

  The feel of his breath on her skin sent goose bumps down Lacey’s arms. She smiled and cradled Jesse’s face in her hands. She couldn’t believe that she was finally face to face with him. “I love you” she said seconds before her knees grew weak and she started to fall. Jesse tightened his grip around her waist to hold her up. She let out an exhausted breath and rested her head on his shoulder. “Please take me home. I want to see everyone.”

  Jesse kissed her forehead. “Shouldn’t you stay here for a little while longer? You don’t look well.”

  “No, I want to go” Lacey said and gave him a pleading look. “I’m fine, really. I just need to rest and I want to do that at the warehouse with my friends.”

  Jesse hesitated briefly then reluctantly agreed. “Okay baby, I’ll take you home” he said and gently kissed her. “And I love you too, more than anything in the world.”

  Lacey smiled and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sleepy, but she was so tired that she couldn’t hold them open any longer. She didn’t think she had as much time as the doctor had told her. She could feel herself getting weaker.

  Jesse shuttered at how cold Lacey felt in his arms. He eased her into the front seat of the jeep and wrapped a couple of blankets from the back seat around her. He looked at her for a minute and couldn’t help but feel that something was terribly wrong. He quickly ran around to the other side and got in. “What did the doctor say, Lacey? I asked him how you were but he wouldn’t tell me anything because I’m not your family.”

  Lacey forced one eye open and looked at him. She could see the concern for her all over his face. Her heart filled with so much love for him. “I was stabbed but other than that, I’m fine. I’m just exhausted and need to rest. I’ll be as good as new in no time” she lied and forced herself to smile.

  A little while later, they pulled up in front of the warehouse. Before Jesse even had the chance to get out of the jeep, all of his pack came rushing outside to meet them. Tonya opened Lacey’s door and wrapped her arms around her as she cried. “I’ve missed you so much. I’m glad you’re back.”

  “Hey, Lacey” Scotty said from behind Tonya.

  Lacey smiled at him then at Trevor when he nodded to her. Tyron and Devon said, “welcome home” in unison.

  Jesse came around to help Lacey out of the jeep. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him for support. She tried to take a step but was too weak to walk. Jesse picked her up and carried her toward the warehouse.

  “Where is Kindal?” Lacey asked. But before Jesse could answer, she saw Kindal waiting by the door with her arms crossed over her chest and her head hung low. Jesse started past her and Lacey asked him to put her down. She reached out and touched Kindal’s arm. When she raised her head, Lacey saw that she was crying.

  “Don’t cry, Kindal” Lacey whispered and wrapped her arms around her.

  Kindal grabbed onto Lacey and held her tightly, burying her face in her hair as she continued to cry. “I am so sorry, Lacey. I should never have left you alone. I will never forgive myself for what you’ve been through.”

  Lacey felt her own tears rolling down her cheek. She had missed Kindal so much. “It’s okay. I’m okay. It wasn’t your fault.”

  Kindal pulled back and studied Lacey’s face as she wiped tears from her cheek. “What’s wrong? Something is wrong, you don’t look right.”

  “Kindal!” Jesse yelled in warning. She looked at him then back at Lacey and hugged her again.

  It was taking all the strength Lacey had to stay on her feet. But when she started to sway, Jesse was there to catch her. He looked around at his friends. “She needs to rest. You can talk with her tomorrow” he said and stormed up the stairs with Lacey in his arms.

  She leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, “Thank you.”

  Jesse looked down at her. “For what?”

  She smiled weakly. “For everything.”

  Jesse kicked his newly installed bedroom door open with his foot and laid her down on the bed. He removed the hospital gown she was wearing and went to the closet to get her one of his tee shirts. When he got back to the bed, Lacey was already asleep. He sat down beside her and let out a deep breath.

  All the fear he had of never seeing her again came rushing into him all at once. He reached out and touched her face as a tear rolled down his cheek. Then silently vowed to himself that he would never let her out of his sight again. He laid down and eased his arm under her head and held her until he fell asleep.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The next day, Jesse was pacing the room with his eyes glued to the bed where Lacey was still asleep. It was almost six in the afternoon and she had been sleeping for eighteen hours straight. He had tried to wake her up several times but she just f
ell back asleep. He was getting worried and didn’t know what to do. A knock sounded at the door and Kindal walked in carrying a tray of food.

  “Is she awake yet?” Kindal asked.

  Jesse looked at her with fear in his eyes. “No. I think we should take her back to the hospital. You were right last night, something is wrong with her.”

  Kindal put the tray down on the chair and sat down on the bed beside Lacey. She touched her forehead with her hand. “She’s so cold.”

  Jesse nodded. “I know.”

  Kindal picked up Lacey’s hand and started talking to her. “Honey, it’s time for you to wake up.” She looked over at Jesse and continued, “You’re scaring Jesse. He needs to hear your voice.”

  Lacey started to move on the bed. She stretched before opening her eyes to see Jesse and Kindal staring at her. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked them in a thick sleepy voice.

  Jesse sat down beside her. “Baby, you’ve been asleep for eighteen hours. I was getting worried.”

  Lacey looked at him with disbelief. “Wow, I guess I really was tired, huh?”

  “I brought you some food. You must be starving” Kindal said and moved the tray over to the bed.

  Lacey looked at the food. She hadn’t eaten anything in days but she wasn’t hungry. Just the thought of eating made her stomach feel sick. She smiled at Kindal. “Thank you, but I think I’ll wait until everyone else eats and join them downstairs.”

  “That sounds great. Dinner will be ready in about two hours” Kindal said and left the room.

  Lacey smiled at Jesse. “It’s good to see her so happy.”

  He nodded. “She missed you almost as much as I did” he said and rested his hand on top of Lacey’s.

  She looked at their hands and wished that she could wait a little longer to ask him about changing her but the fact that she had been sleeping for eighteen hours and was still just as tired as she was before she went to sleep, told her that she was running out of time. It was now or never.

  “Jesse, why didn’t you tell me about the rule that said I had to be changed or killed?”