Chapter 56 - WAKING UP

The last thing that I remembered was being held to the ground by four men while a fifth one tried to get me to scream for him. I didn't scream though, I would never scream for him. I would have rather died than let that man touch me in any intimate way.

So, why then, was I waking up now. Shouldn't I be dead? Did he stop beating me and rape me? I was still on that edge of unconsciousness so it was hard for me to tell at first. 

I was teetering on that precipice between dream and reality. I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. At least not yet anyway. I was still a little too close to the blackness of unconsciousness for my sense to work.

I couldn't smell anything. I couldn't see anything. I could barely feel anything.

What I knew for certain though, was that I was alive. I was also still in a fair amount of pain but I could tell that I had healed significantly. I could also tell that I was basically naked.

I could feel the sheet from the bed against my body just about everywhere. My neck, my shoulders, my arms, my belly, my legs, everywhere except for where someone else's shirt was covering me and not to mention my ass and my crotch.

Now I was beginning to think that that crazy ass bear really had taken what he wanted from me. It's impossible not to think that when you wake up like this, right?

Then, my sense of smell started coming back to me. I could smell that minty stream. Why was I smelling Kyle?

My sense of touch was coming back to me as well. I could tell that someone was holding me gently against his chest while he slept. That fucking bear would never have done that, but Kyle would.

So, the only thing for me to conclude was that I was being held by Kyle against his chest after he saved me.

That was when I remembered the cry of that cat from before I slipped into the darkness. Was that Kyle I had heard? I knew he was a feline, even though I hadn't seen his animal form I knew he was a big cat. 

I had to admit, it was nice having him come to my rescue.

That's when it hit me. He came to my rescue. He had seen me as a bloody mess. He had stripped me down to nothing. Well almost nothing. Had he cleaned me up? I could smell blood but not enough for me to think I was still covered in it, plus he was holding me. Would he do that if I was covered in blood?

All of these facts and thoughts were swirling in my head with the unanswered questions. I was just too tired, too sick, and too hungry to think through it all right now.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at Kyle's sleeping face, or what was supposed to be his sleeping face. I could tell just by looking at his face that he was not asleep. I guess he forgot I saw what he looked like when he was sleeping the other day.

"Why the hell are you pretending to be asleep?" I yelled at him only to see him smirk with his eyes closed. "You find this shit funny?" I asked him as I went to pull away from him, only I made myself dizzy and slumped back down onto the bed. "Ugh." I groaned as a wave of nausea hit me.

"Are you alright? What's the matter?" I could tell that Kyle was scared and nervous when he saw me lose my strength.

"Do I look alright to you? As if you couldn't tell, I had the shit kicked out of me recently." I glared at him but it was only half hearted since I couldn't muster up too much strength for it.

"I know you were, but you're healing from that. What is wrong right now?" His voice was soft, caring, and sweet. 

"If he talks like that too much it will be that much harder for me to push him away." I had thought I said that in my head, but when Kyle answered those words I realized I said them out loud.

"Why do you keep running away from me? Why do you want to push me away?" There was pain clear in his voice, he sounded so heartbroken and wounded.

I looked up then, into Kyle's eyes. He was hurting, I could see that. Why had I hurt him like this? What was the point? Why had I said that out loud at all? I didn't know what it was that Kyle really wanted from me, but I guess I needed to find out.

"I-I don't know." I could feel the uncertainty in my own voice.

"You can use that as an excuse. Can't you feel it, Jacy? Can't you feel the bond between us?" I think he was getting desperate at this point.

"Honestly, no. I don't feel it." There was genuine shock on his face then, I guess that wasn't something he expected me to say.

"But-." He seemed to be having a hard time so I cut him off and added to my statement.

"In my defense though, I have kept my wolf locked in the shadows for so long that I can't often hear her. There have been times that I heard her. I can feel when she is super excited, especially over the last week." There was a sliver of hope in his eyes now as he looked at me with his hurt eyes.

"You have, huh? And when is she the most excited lately?" He still had a hurt expression but there was also a suggestive look clearly written right there as well. What kind of facial magician was this man?

"She's the most excited when-." I trailed off, looked down.

Kyle leaned down until his face was level with mine as he slid a finger under my chin. I could have fought him. I could have kept him from raising my face so that he could look me in the eyes. Yet, for some reason, I didn't.

"When is she the most excited Jacy?" There was a heated look in his eyes, one born from desire and excitement.

"When you're around." I finally let myself say the words I was fighting for way too long. I had been forcing myself to not think about that at all, ever since I met him. I was the one who was making it harder for him, for us both.

"That's what I wanted to hear." He pressed his lips to mine then and for a moment I couldn't think about anything.. It was just a gentle chaste kiss though, nothing that would make me go crazy with anything but butterflies.