Page 5 of The Wolf King's Demand

Tyler sat in a chair in the corner of the room, tapping his foot impatiently. The moment she entered, he stood and gestured toward the healer perched nervously on the bed.

“Before we talk, I would like her to examine you for injuries and treat you. Are you comfortable with that?”

Addison nodded. “I was going to ask for her even if you weren’t going to.”

He frowned, and she realized he thought she meant that as a rebuke. She hadn’t. She was just tired. But before she could say anything, the healer waved her over.

“Lie down on the bed, on your back,” the healer said. “It looks like this shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Addison put the puzzle that was Tyler aside to do as instructed, the healer hovering over her. She felt the magic sink in and explore her body. Some days, Addison wished she had at least been a healer because that was one power everyone admired. It would have been a lot easier than just being a half-blood with no idea of her abilities.

Maybe her parents were right. Maybe sometimes she did use computers to retreat from the real world. Online, she could meet other people as equals rather than having to deal with the fact that some people were born more powerful.

People like Tyler. People who could turn into a wolf at a moment’s notice and run to her rescue. Sometimes, Addison resented the fact that she could not rescue herself.

She groaned at a sharp pain as the magic pressed her ribs back together, but it only lasted a second.

Finally, the healer stood and nodded. “That should do for now. You’re very lucky. There were no internal injuries.”

Addison remembered the knife that had nearly plunged into her several times. Lucky indeed.

The healer gave a quick bow and left the bedroom. Addison snuggled under the blankets, and Tyler sat next to her.

“I owe you,” Addison said, giving him a smile. “Your howl scared him away. If you hadn’t been as quick and as angry as you were, I don’t know if I would have made it.”

Tyler returned the smile. “You’re my bride-to-be. You deserve no less.”

“Yeah, but …” She hesitated. “I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“I try to avoid letting people know how I feel.”

That made sense. At first, she had assumed that what she saw with Prince Tyler was the whole story. A boring man who did his duty and not much else. Now, she was seeing another side. Someone who cared enough about duty to stay hidden from most eyes but who was a passionate and interesting man in his own right.

Maybe there was even some fear there. Anxiety? The kind of emotions people experience. Maybe there was a human somewhere underneath all that toughness?

“Well, I like knowing a little more about you,” said Addison hesitantly. “I like this side of you.”

“I’m glad to get to see a different side of you, also,” Tyler replied with a little shrug.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not working on a computer or telling me to leave you alone.”

Addison laughed. She hadn’t really been that distant from him, had she? Then again, maybe she had. Once she was involved in a project, it was easy for her to lose track of pretty much anything else. Even a new soon-to-be husband.

“Do you like this side better than the other one?” she asked.

He grinned. “I haven’t gotten to see much of it yet, but I think I like it a lot.”

There was a silence as the two of them sat on the bed, gazing into each other’s eyes. The silence was oddly comfortable, the fear that Addison had felt struggling with the cloaked man a distant memory. She was warm, comfortable, healed, and, most of all, not alone.

“I’m going to need you to tell me what happened,” Tyler finally said. “In as much detail as you can. Even the littlest thing or impression might be helpful in tracking this man down. But we don’t have to do that yet. Whenever you feel you’re ready.”

Addison nodded. “I can talk about it now.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.” She searched back through her memory, fitting the pieces together into a logical story. “But I’m afraid I can’t offer you much. He was only there for a little bit, and I never got a look at his face.”

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