The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

Chapter Two Hundred Five BARTLETT "Hello," I whisper as Rose's dark brown eyes sparkle with something like recognition.) her? She's awake? Did I wake h I should check the EKG monitor, but I don't have it into rip my eyes away. Not while she's looking atlike I'm her savior. My chest is thumping so madly that for a moment I'm concerned, but then I realize it's my heart that's thudding, not hers.

Although the beeping of the EKG has steadied, I know that brief spike in her heart rate is going to bring a nurse running. We only have seconds before we're disturbed, so I need to replace the bandages and make everything look normal.

I go to reach for her neck and replace the bandages, but she whimpers and 1 freeze I go to reach for Her eyes go instantly heavy, like something is dragging her back down into the abyss. She whispers, "I remember you." What? How kissed me," she adds softly.

A smile tugs across my lips and I'm about to explain when her body suddenly shudders, her back arching off the bed as her breathing becomes erratic and the ERG goes wild "What's wrong?" I snap, my eyes shooting toward Quinn as I reach for her.

He shakes his head and shrugs, “I-I don't know! I've never marked anyone!" "You didn't mark your mate? I stage whisper and Quinn shakes his head feebly. Rose's body is quaking when I turn back to her. "Shit!" I growl.

Doing the only thing I can think to do that might help, I reach for her hand, squeezing it to let her know that I'm there as she writhes on the bed. The sparks between us are stronger now, igniting across my palms and buzzing warmth up my arm.

Rose's eyes flare wide for a moment, then she looks atand says in a tearful voice, “Don't leave me." Then her eyes fall closed again and she stills "Holy shit!" Quinn heaves, "Rose?" I prompt her, my eyes trained on her face for any sign that she might hear me. She doesn't stir, but the EKG resumes its steady beeping, so I at least know she's still alive.

"Someone's coming." Quinn warns smoothly, dropping into the chair just behind him.

I leap back to the former side of the bed and take a seat just as a nurse plows into the room. It's Miss Nosey from earlier and she does not look pleased. That is, until she spots Quinn. That stutters her for a moment and her face wrinkles smooth out.

Ive seen that look before. She likes him.

"What happened here?" she asks, stepping around to the far side of the bed and glaring in my direction.

I shrug my shoulders and answer with, "Nothing. Was something supposed to?" She squints atsuspiciously and try as I might, I can't keep myself from smiling. What happened is that my sweet little princess 1/4 Chapter Two Hundred Five remembered me. She knows I'm the one that saved her. At least, that's what I gathered from it.

"She didn't wake up or anything, did she?" Nurse - I take a look at her nametag - Patty asks, studying the monitor before hitting the the print button.

"No. Uh-uh," Quin and I both say at the stime, putting a crease of uncertainty between Patty's brows. She's not even looking at Rose while she takes her vitals and it's starting to bug me, so I add, "That machine went a little haywire for moment, but I figured it was nothing." She blinks atand I smile. Because if it was in fact something to cause concern over, I'm sure you would have been here sooner. Correct? After all, you are her nurse Patty's tilts her head in a mocking smile that says, Fuck you asshole, then rolls her eyes and gazes down at Rose. She gasps, "What huffs a glare at me. "Who did this?" Shit, that's right. I never did get a chance to replace the bandages. I'm speechless at this point, completely dumbfounded. "Er-um, exactly?" bandages have been ripped off!" Patty snarls in my direction.

"She was tossing around a bit, Quinn's smooth voice floated our way, catching Patty's attention. “Maybe they weren't administered properly. Maybe they were loose and it just sort of happened." Patty's eyes soften and she sighs. "I suppose that might be it. I'm not the one who bandaged her. It was the new girl, Chastity: Patty shakes her head. "The new ones are always so incompetent," she complains, grabbing smedical tape out of her front pocket and securing the gauze. Then her eyebrows quirk and she groans, "These arent even the right bandages. She was supposed to use the Nand pads to speed up healing." "Nano?" I question, hoping Patty lets it go. It won't do for her to see the healing process has already been speeded up.

"Nano Silver Pads," Patty informs us. “They have silver in them. Extremely helpful in regenerative healing" Heh, For humans maybe. I can't imagine them being of any help to shifters, Or... to shifter's marks, I'll just go and get sand be right back," Patty says, and I'm left scrambling for a way to get her to drop it. My eyes meet Quinn's and he clears his throat.

-You know, Patty," Quinn starts, granting her his signature I can lift a zillion pounds grin as he surreptitiously flexes his muscles. "I was told there was an all night cafeteria in this place and although I was looking for it when I first arrived, I never did find it." His eyes glimmer as they travel over the nurse's body suggestively.

Patty blushes shamelessly, her eyelashes suddenly batting a thousand. "It's true, we do have one of those," she says saucily. I can take you there if you like." "Oh," Quinn replies breathlessly, still eyeing her up. Td like." Seriously? How the fuck does he do that knowing he has a mate at home? I mean, I know he's faking it, but how can he? That is not something I could ever do. Especially now that I've found Rose.

pads and cback. Then I'll go on my break Patty simpers, eyeing him back with a bite of her lip. "Okay, lejust go and grab those pa and take you down." Quinn chuckles, standing up and leaning toward her ear. He whispers, "Forget the pads, Patty. The girl's fine without them. Take your break now instead. I have to get going in just a few minutes and 1 want to get to know you better before I do." WWWWW 2/4 Chapter Two Hundred Five Jesus Christ. If I didn't know better, I'd really think he wanted to bone her. And I can't imagine his mate would approve of this little sce Alright, Patty croons.

by croons. "Follow me, handsome." She turns back to me." page Doctor R scene.

Rhodes for you. He can decide about the bandages." With a grin and a salute, I bid her farewell and watched them walk out together. Not missing the middle finger Quinn givesbefore hes all the way out the door.

Taking a deep breath, 1 turn back to Rose and scoot my chair in close. Tim sorry about your nurse, princess. She's a bit of an asshole. You deserve better,"

Then I reach forward and trace her cheek with the back of my hand. The EKG monitor starts beeping slightly faster, but not dangerously so. More m normally. In fact, now that I'm looking.it's up twenty beats from where it was before I marked her. I suppose that's a good thing, At the very least, it tellsthat she may no longer be in a coma. More than likely, she's in that deep sleep that I've heard comes with being marked. The interesting thing is, it seems like she can hearwhen I talk to her. So, I decided to test my theory.

Stroking my hand down over her neck, I caress her bare shoulder under the hospital gown, listening for changes in the EKG the entire time. "I need to tell you something, princess. All this poaching has to stop. You're my mate and I want us to be together. But... we can't be if you decide to continue poaching." The speed of the beeping rises a bit and I glance at the monitor. The BPMs are up five more and rising slowly. Not so much a cause for alarm, yet, but something that I said definitely had an impact.

Trying something else, I go on, "You'll have to leave your old life behind to be with me, baby. I'll want you every minute of the day and every day of the week: You won't have tfor anything else. When you wake up, I'll be right here waiting. I won't leave you unless you askto." Then I stroke her cheek again. I'm sorry. That's a lie. I won't leave you alone, even if you do ask. I'm gonna kidnap you after this and take you somewhere I can worship you" I watch as her heart rate slowly lowers to a calm and steady rhythm. I was worried at first, when I decided to mention the kidnapping, but Ironically enough she doesn't seem bothered by it. That makeswonder how stable her hlife is. Maybe she hates it there.

So if the thought of being kidnapped bycalms her down, then what upset her before? Which part of what I said triggered her unconscious anxiety? Was it just the mention of poaching? Or was it the part where I said, we couldn't be together? 2 Quick footsteps sound somewhere beyond the door, along ng with the sound of an older malles voice arguing with Rhodes. Pulling my hand away from her face, I lean back and pretend to be sleeping. When the door opens and I hear a surprised gasp followed by a decidedly unhappy growl, I keep pretending.

"Who the hell is this fellow?" the man asks.

Rhodes chuckles humorlessly and I hear him ease into the room. "That is the man that saved your goddaughter's life. He's been here all night." "Oh," the man says shortly. "Well, I don't want him here. I can watch over her until Roosevelt is done speaking with the police Not fucking happening asshole.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Doc Rhodes says. "Til have to speak w with her father a about it first." "Are you kidding me? And he is just allowed to sit there and ogle her?" Rhodes sighs, "He's sleeping, Mister..." The older man snorts. "My nis Matthew, doctor, and that is all you need to know." Matthew... Fuck. Where the hell is Rainier?