Chapter Twelve
The world around Lillian swirled and shifted. The light-headed feeling was new to her. She let out a quiet moan.
"I don't have all night,” someone said, the voice unfamiliar. “You do realize I have other… appointments?”
Lillian began to slip back into consciousness. Her mouth felt dry and her mind a haze as she slowly blinked open her eyes. The first things she saw were fluorescent lights up above her and speckled ceiling tiles. They were not what she was used to seeing when she usually woke up.
After a few seconds, she realized she had no idea where she even was.
"What happened?" Lillian said.
The words were really spoken more for herself than anything, but as she took in her surroundings, Lillian knew something big had happened, but she just couldn’t figure out what that might be. Her memories seemed a little fuzzy, like she’d just woken from a long sleep. There were lots of stray thoughts and images running through her mind, but nothing was really making much sense.
She put her hand over her mouth and exhaled. No hint of alcohol. Her stomach seemed fine.
Lillian slowly looked around the room. It was an office. She swallowed, and her stomach tightened. Now she knew exactly where she was. She’d been in this particular office a few times, and had since been trying to avoid it all costs. The question remained why she was even there.
Nothing much made sense until her eyes landed on Erik. He stared down at her. His penetrating stare sent a shiver through her. Only this time, instead of annoyance, his eyes were filled with worry. She could see it reflected by the wrinkle in his brow.
A flash of a memory filled her head now. A wolf. A tattoo.
Lillian didn’t recognize the tattoo. Maybe it was something she’d seen in a movie. She frowned at the idea. It didn’t really make sense.
No. She had seen it. On a man’s back. Erik’s back.
Other memories flashed through, men fighting, men changing into wolves. That couldn’t be real. That kind of thing didn’t happen.
Erik changed into a wolf. It felt like she’d seen it, but that was nonsense. Her heart sped up. Maybe she’d seriously hurt her head if she was thinking these kinds of things.
She turned her head slightly and hissed. She reached between the pillow and her head and found a lump. More evidence for the brain damage theory.
"Seems you got quite the bump on your head," a soft voice said from nearby.
Lillian brought her hand back down and glanced over at Erik. She could see the irritation was back in his eyes, but this time, it wasn’t directed at her. She took her eyes away from Erik and found a stranger she'd never seen before. He had beautiful olive skin, black silky hair, and the darkest brown eyes she'd ever seen.
"Who are you?" she said softly.
Erik and the stranger exchanged a few pointed looks.
"I'm a sort of doctor," the man said. "Please call me Corso."
Her weird jumbled memories, lump on her head, and the presence of a doctor all suggested to Lillian that whatever she’d gone through wasn’t a minor.
Slowly, Lillian tried to sit up but was surprised when Corso placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Take it slow," he said. “You had a nasty fall, and you’re going to be off-balance for a while.”
Behind Corso, Erik mumbled something, but she couldn’t really make out what he’d said. Whatever it was made the other man snort.
“I’d like to see you try,” Corso said.
She eased up a bit until she was finally propped up against the side of the couch, her back now resting there. Several deep breaths followed.
Corso glanced over his shoulder at Erik. She could tell they knew each other well. Or at least well enough. She wasn’t totally sure about this Corso guy, but if Erik brought him, there must have been a reason.
He mentioned being a kind of doctor. She’d obviously hurt her head, and she wondered why they didn’t take her to the hospital. Maybe it was some sort of round about way of avoiding a worker’s compensation claim.
Of course, she didn’t want to mention the strange memories. She might need to go to the hospital, but she didn’t want them to take her to the psychiatric unit.
Erik held out a cold glass of water she hadn’t noticed before. She licked her lips, glad for something to drink as her mouth was exceptionally dry.
Their fingers brushed as she took it from him. A zing of excitement rippled through her, and she nibbled her lip.
"Drink a little water while I check your pupils," Corso said.
Lillian nodded and took a few drinks of the water before handing it back to Erik.
The strange man leaned forward. Spices tickled her nose. Something warm and fragrant that she couldn't quite put her finger on reminded her of home.
It was a comforting feeling. One she’d forgotten she’d even missed. It made her long to be there. Despite everything, home had formed her into the woman she was, and it could be comforting.
Lillian nearly coughed. She must have hit her head harder than she thought if she was ready to go back home. That was almost a stranger thought than men changing into wolves.
Her hometown could be comforting, but it also could be annoying and claustrophobic. That’s why she moved to Minneapolis after all.
"Just look into my eyes," Corso said softly.
Lillian stared at him. His dark brown eyes were nearly black now.
"Just what kind of doctor did you say you were?"
A stronger wave of warmth passed through her as she continued to stare. She could feel her body getting lighter the longer she stared into his deep pools.
Corso pulled back slightly and gave a halfcocked smile. "I didn't.”
“You said you were a sort of doctor.”
“Yes, I did, didn’t I?”
He grinned. The expression didn’t comfort her. She swallowed.
"Just get on with it," Erik grumbled from behind him.
Her gaze flicked over to where he paced. His broad shoulders pulled against the T-shirt he was wearing. She hadn’t remembered him wearing a T-shirt and sweats. Not that she was going to complain. The way they molded to his body was something truly spectacular.
If she closed her eyes, she could perfectly make out just how magnificent he looked under those clothes. Like he had in the basement.
She blinked a few times. It’s not like she’d ever seen him without his clothes, but the image she had in her mind seemed so perfect, so real.
Real enough to send another warm pulse to her center.
"Stay quiet," Corso said. "You’re distracting her."
Deep heat spread across her face. Distracting was about the right word.
Corso gave her a small wink as if he knew exactly what she had been thinking. Although he was sitting close enough that he very well might.
"Tear your eyes from that mongrel and focus on this fine specimen," he said, and grinned. "I just need to check your vitals."
Two cold fingers pressed against her neck, and she gasped at the feeling. Whether he was a doctor or not, it felt like he needed to see one. With that cold of hands, he had to be really anemic.
A low rumble filled the room just as another wave of warmth spread through her body. Her eye lids felt heavy, a fog settling over her mind. She didn’t understand what was going on. It was hard to do anything but look at Corso.
"You heard a noise down in the basement," Corso said slowly. "You went down to check and see what it was. You found a group of idiots fighting down there and fainted at the sight of blood."
It seemed plausible. Certainly more plausible than the strange memories of men turning into wolves.
Lillian gave a small nod, not quite certain what else she should do. It wasn't exactly like she could say she thought Erik and several of the men who worked there were some kind of werewolves.
Corso moved his thumb along the pulse in her throat. The soft, cool touch felt good after the wave of heat that had pounded her body.
He licked his laps and gave a sort of low groan as he continued to stare at her. “Oh, how wonderful.”
"Okay, that's enough,” Erik snapped. He stepped forward and pulled the man’s hand from her neck.
Still in the sort of sleepy haze, Lillian watch as Corso stood, the whole thing seeming distant, like she was watching it through the window. The lithe man was not quite as large as Erik, but just as tall.
"I like this one," Corso said, nodding her way. "She's feisty. She stared right back."
Lillian gave a sort of drunken snort. Feisty. That was what her grandmother had called her.
"You should see me with a couple shots of tequila," she said with a laugh.
Corso stared down at her. For a moment she could've sworn she saw his pupils dilate.
"I'd very much like that," he said, his voice low and husky. “Quite a lot.”
Lillian was surprised when Erik stepped directly in between them. His perfect ass was in line with her face. Her slightly hazed mind could think of nothing else she’d rather be staring at. After a second, she realized she could think of one thing: his naked perfect ass.
"Thanks for your help," Erik said sternly.
Lillian peeked from around the perfect ass to look at the swarthy man.
"Don't forget you owe me," Corso said.
“You owed me,” Erik said.
“This wasn’t exactly a garden-variety favor.” His gaze darted over to where she sat. "And I fully expect to collect on this debt.”
“Whatever. Just get out of here.”
Corso snorted. With that, he turned and strolled out of the office. Leif stepped inside the office after the other man exited.
"Follow him out and see if we've heard from our friends," Erik said.
Leif nodded before following the other man out of the room and closing the door.
"Can you walk?" Erik said.
Lillian had been so focused on the other two men she hadn’t noticed that Erik had turned to speak to her. She nodded.
Slowly she rose from the couch, her body oddly weak. She pitched forward and was surprised when a large arm wrapped around her waist and held her against a firm body.
"I've got you," Erik said softly.
Something about his words settled over her, making the hairs on her arm stand on end and nipples tighten beneath her dress as she pressed against him.
For a moment Lillian could've sworn she’d heard a low growl before he turned the other direction.
With little effort, he helped her down to the elevator and then out to the front. Just outside, his Hummer was waiting for them. He helped her climb into the passenger side before stepping into the driver’s seat.
"Your address," he asked.
Lillian rattled off what she hoped was her address. Nothing was really making much sense at the moment though. Her head was fuzzy, and she was still confused about what had happened and what she’d seen.
Five short blocks away, Erik pulled up out front of her apartment building. She climbed out, and when she turned around to thank him, she found the car empty.
"I'll walk you up," he said, now on her side of the SUV.
His strong arm wrapped around her waist once again. He helped get her to the door where she put in the keycode to access the building. They took the elevator three floors up.
When they reached her door, she fumbled with her keys before Erik gently pulled them from her hand and slid it into the lock.
He helped her step inside, and she was surprised when he closed the door behind him. His presence filled her tiny little apartment.
Lillian’s mind still swirled with questions about the night, but she was too exhausted to press for answers. She had seen them fighting down there. Of that she was certain. Everything else seemed too weird to believe.
It seemed strange that a bunch of grown men would choose to beat one another up, but she supposed it wasn’t all that different from football.
A loud yowl filled the room.
Her sweet cat came racing in, likely very angry she hadn't bothered to feed him yet. He stopped dead in his tracks to glare at the stranger invading his space.
Mr. Fuzzy Pants hissed wildly at Erik, flicking his paw in front of him as if he were really ready to throw down against him.
Lillian reached down to pick up the angry cat as he continued to hiss and spit.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "I don't know what came over him. Usually he is just a sweet ball of fluff."
She brought the angry cat over to his bowl and placed a can of food into his dish. His stomach won over his anger, and he began to eat. But he kept one eye on the stranger as he did so.
"I'm sorry for tonight," Erik said softly.
Lillian wasn't quite certain what she had been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been that.
"I shouldn't have been snooping," she said. "Although I thought I was a little better around blood, but it looks like I was wrong."
A mask of concern set over Erik’s face. She wondered if she had said something wrong. Maybe he thought she was weak passing out like that.
Erik took two steps back toward the door and opened it slightly before turning again. Lillian walked over to him.
"Thanks for helping me get back home," she said softly. “I’m very lucky you were there to help me upstairs. Sorry for the trouble I caused.”
Erik nodded. For a moment it seemed like he might leave, before he turned back to her and leaned forward.
“I just don’t know what it is about you,” he said softly, and tucked a rogue hair behind her ear. “You’re just so… unexpected.”
The touch was soft and warm. It made her toes tingle with need.
She barely had a moment to consider the move before he pulled back once again, a small smile on his lips.
"Ice that bump and get some sleep," he said.
With that, Erik stepped out of her apartment and closed the door behind him.
Lillian looked around still in a daze. Not quite certain just what the hell she was supposed to make of what Erik had just said, let alone the night.
Her lower half told her she should likely go chasing after him. That she wanted to feel his hands all over her body and hear the rest of what he had to say about her.
That wasn’t likely to happen though.
“Unexpected?” she mumbled. It was such a strange thing to say.
She supposed that it could be taken as a compliment. That was how she planned on taking it anyway.
Mr. Fuzzy Pants glared over at her from his bowl. The cat licked his whiskers as he did so, clearly judging her for her lack of rational thought.
"What?" She asked. "You’re just a cat, what do you know about these things anyways?"