Mary and the Bear

Chapter Six

Hugh left the party in a controlled panic, trying not to think of all the things that could happen to his mate before he got to her. Alcohol poisoning was just one of the few things to cross his mind. He drove slowly, scanning both sides of the road just in case she'd lost control of her vehicle and run off the road. With all these trees, it would be too easy to drive right by the site of an accident and not see it until it was too late.

His nerves hadn't been stretched this tight since his last mission. He'd given Uncle Sam twenty years of his life, going on missions and putting his life on the line for his county. In a way, he could understand Mary Elizabeth. He knew what it was like to have other people controlling your actions, always having to answer to someone other than yourself. While he understood how she felt, it didn't change a thing. She was his mate. She'd just have to adjust.

If he'd had doubts before, he didn't now. His beast was straining at the leash, urging him to hurry. Its mate was in danger and it wanted out. He controlled it, knowing patience was the key. He couldn't afford to screw this up by rushing. It might cause him to miss something he needed to see.

To calm himself, he thought back to his conversation with Alex. The thought of her leaving caused a growl to rumble out of his chest as his beast rattled against its cage. He and his beast were in perfect agreement. His mate was going nowhere, not if he had anything to do with it.

His thoughts returned to the mysterious Charles. Why had she mentioned him? Did she have something going with her brother-in-law? She didn't seem like the type to do something like that. Maybe she was referring to someone else. It didn't matter. She belonged to him, no matter what anyone else thought. He wasn't sure why, but something about this woman brought out the caveman in him. He wanted to grab Mary Elizabeth by her hair and drag her into his cave, using his club on anyone who got in his way.

Once he was sure she was okay, he was going to set her straight on a few things. It didn't matter what she wanted. She was his. She could just get over any issues she had with him. At the first opportunity, he was claiming her. Given the way she felt, he'd probably have to trick her. Giving it some thought, he set up his battle plan. Once, he'd excelled at strategic planning. Claiming Mary Elizabeth was the most important mission of his life. He'd need all of his skills to accomplish it.

First, he needed to build upon the attraction she felt for him. She could deny it all she liked, but there was something powerful between them. Something explosive. All he had to do was to convince her to explore their attraction and let nature take its course. Let her think it was her choice. Get her to let her guard down and the mating heat would do the rest.

It seemed to take forever but he made it all the way into town without spotting her vehicle. He saw the diner, and drove around back. Her truck was parked haphazardly in the lot. He viewed it with trepidation, relieved that she'd made it home but concerned because she usually parked with more care than what he was seeing.

He took the stairs two at a time until he reached the top. Hugh banged on the door, and then waited in vain for a response. The walls of the apartment were too thick for him to hear anything inside, even with his sensitive hearing. When he'd waited what he thought was a reasonable amount of time for her to answer the door, he pulled out his keys and let himself in.

Once inside, he could hear the shower running. He wasn't leaving until he saw for himself that she was fine. He closed the door, and as an afterthought, locked it as well. There was a cup sitting on the coffee table, one he recognized from Alex's house. He could smell the alcohol from where he stood. Damn, she must have grabbed another drink on her way out of the door. The shower cut off. As he turned toward the bathroom, he spotted her skirt lying on the floor. A few paces beyond that lay the top she'd worn.

He took off his jacket and tossed it onto the couch as his temperature suddenly spiked. He paced back and forth, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. Screw that! It was taking her too long. He was going in there to check on her. As his hand reached for the knob, the door opened and out stepped Mary Elizabeth, wet, naked and glistening.

The blood instantly drained from his head to his groin. Everything but the need to mate forgotten, he reached for her. Mary Elizabeth spotted him and turned sheet white, and then an interesting shade of green. She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes mirroring her distress right before she spun around and hurled herself at the toilet. Sounds of retching could be heard as her body released the contents of her stomach.

Oh hell, he'd been afraid of this. Pushing up his sleeves, he followed her into the bathroom. She knelt on the floor hugging the toilet as her body heaved and spasmed. He gathered her hair, pulling it up and back, and made soothing noises. He stayed like that until her stomach was empty and she was dry heaving.

Hugh wet a washcloth with cold water and placed it on her hot, sweaty forehead. Using her hair like a handle, he tugged her head back until it rested on his thigh. When she stopped heaving, he helped her stand and supported her while she rinsed and gargled. Then he carefully lifted her into his arms, carried her into the bedroom, and laid her on top of the bed.

He searched until he found her pain reliever. A glass of water in one hand, and pills in the other, he returned to the room and sat on the bed beside her. He slid his hand under her neck and lifted her into a half-sitting position.

"Drink this. You don't want to dehydrate. Take small sips and it won't upset your stomach. If you keep the water down, swallow some pain reliever."

He brought the cup to her mouth and held it there, helping her hold onto it just in case in her weakness she dropped it. She cautiously took a few small sips, and when those stayed down, she took a few more. When she'd had enough, she pushed the cup away and turned her head. Hugh brought the cup back to her mouth and pressed it against her lips.

"If you can, try to drink all of it. Your body's had a shock and the more water you drink now, the better you'll feel later."

She swallowed a bit more of the water, and then turned her head away, her lips pressed tightly together. “No more. It's trying to come back up."

Hugh took the cup and set it on the nightstand, and then lowered her body back to the bed.

"What's wrong with me? Was it something I ate? And what are you doing here?"

"No, nothing was wrong with the food. It's not what you ate that's the problem. It's what you drank. Shifter Surprise. Didn't the bartender warn you not to drink it? Your body's reacting to the alcohol.” If she didn't look so miserable, she'd be over his knee right now, getting the spanking of her life.

"The bartender mentioned something about the drink being strong, but I wasn't in a mood to listen. How did you find out?"

"Kiesha told us, thank God. You have no idea how worried we were, especially when we discovered you had already left. Anything could have happened.” And that was before he knew she'd gotten a second one. He'd have been a basket case had he known. “The next time a bartender tells you a drink is too strong, listen to him."

She didn't get a chance to answer. She lurched off of the bed and sprinted back into the bathroom for round number two. Hugh followed closely behind and assisted as he had before, until she was back in bed again. They went through this twice more until her system was totally purged. After laying her on the bed the last time, he called Alex and let him know that she was okay. Alex wanted to send someone over, but Hugh convinced him not to. He'd played nursemaid to plenty of drunken soldiers in his time, so he knew exactly what to do.

Back into the room, he expected to find her sleeping. Instead, she was in the fetal position, shivering. Cursing, he rushed to her side and placed his hand on her forehead. She leaned into his touch.

"Cold. So cold,” she managed to get out through clenched teeth.

Without delay, Hugh scooped her up, flipped back the covers, laid her down and tucked her in. He waited to see if that would help. It didn't. She was curled up so tight she was nothing but a small lump under the covers.

Damn, her body was reacting to the alcohol. He had to get her warm. If he couldn't, he was going to have to take her to the emergency room for alcohol poisoning. He flung off his clothes and climbed under the covers with her. He reached over and uncurled her body, pulling her to him, and wrapped his arms around her. She fought him like a weak kitten until the heat from his body began to soak in. Then she wrapped her body around his like a clinging vine. He groaned and felt his body respond as her bare breast disturbed the small smattering of hair on his chest, her puckered nipples poking into him. His erection rose, nudging against her opening.

He gritted his teeth and forced his body to stand down, resisting the urge to thrust up and sheath his body in her heat. Now was not the time, but soon. Very, very soon. He made himself think of mundane things until he had control over his baser instincts. When he gained it, he forced his body to relax and rest while it could. It was shaping up to be a long night.