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Kennedy…
David said, “Thank the Mother.” The tension in his body softened when the injured wolf completed his change. He gathered Kennedy into his arms and rolled her exhausted body against his chest. The warmth of him felt good.
Wide eyed, the woman who owned the house crouched down by the wolf. “He is alive. Is he whole?”
Kennedy said, “I don’t know, and I’m not sure I care.”
David sheltered Kennedy with his body, moving her away from harm. “She is pregnant. Kennedy shouldn’t have to do this kind of thing just because her mother is rash and foolish.”
Kennedy could feel the alchemy of his fear transforming into anger. She opened her hand and placed it on his chest over his heart. When he looked down at her, she whispered, “Bath.”
The homeowner answered before David could ask for directions. “Up the stairs and on the right. Use the tub that is off the master bedroom. It’s bigger, and it isn’t full of toys.” She remained focused on the unconscious wolf as she spoke. Gently, she slid her hands over the man on her kitchen floor, marveling at how he had come back together. “How did she do this? Who is she?”
“My woman,” David answered, and Kennedy smiled against his chest. Lanky he took the stairs two at a time, carrying her effortlessly. After locking the bathroom door, he lay her down in the big tub full of jets. The groan that left her came from the soles of her feet and spread through her entire existence. Her fingers burned, her hands ached, and exhaustion soaked through her. Little bear flashed and swam like an electric eel inside her.
She placed her hand on David’s arm as he untied her shoes. “I don’t know if I can hold her back. It feels like I swallowed a light bulb. You can leave me.”
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“No, I can’t.” He reached out and brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “My daughter can darn well mind her mother.”
Kennedy smiled. “She is too much like me for that.”
Without asking, he opened the faucets even though she was still dressed. The water was hot and soaked through her jeans. David pulled her phone from her pocket and placed it on the rug before the water rose past her hips. She invited the heat. Every cell in her body was parched. When he turned on the jets, she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Her adrenaline crash pushed her toward oblivion.
*
When Kennedy awoke, she found herself blissfully floating in the bubbling pot of water that was the woman’s bathtub, filling it with her fluffy self. The buoyancy was unexpected, and she flailed briefly, sending a wave of water across the floor.
“Everything is okay,” David soothed, and he tossed a towel onto the floor tile to soak up her splash.
Kennedy turned her heavy head toward David’s and swiveled her ears. He sat close to the door, several feet away from the edge of the bathtub. “I saved some of your clothes, but I had to rip your jeans for your legs to free themselves. They are trashed.” He lifted a bit of the remnants and patted her folded blood-soaked shirt where it rested next to him. “That lady, the one downstairs, said she had some stuff you could wear.” He gestured to the door he was leaning against. “I wouldn’t let her in.” He smiled and crossed his arms. Kennedy rolled over in the water. It felt so good. Careful of her claws, she rested her wide paw on the edge of the tub.
“She’s not half as mad as Terry is.” His lips quirked, “He’s been yelling at me in bear on the phone and through the door. He won’t destroy this poor lady’s house to get in, though.” David let the back of his head rest against the wall. “This risk was mine to take.”
When the bubbles died down, Kennedy tried to smack the button with the flat of her paw to get the water to foam again.
“Dang it, Kennedy, let me do that for you. We already owe this lady a new tub. Let’s not add more damage to the list.”
She registered the scratches on the porcelain surfaces and the bent tub fixture. As a bear, she didn’t know her own strength. Kennedy drew her paws delicately away from the button as David came closer. She waited, holding very still.
When he depressed the button, the bubbles leapt up, strawberry bath scented, tickly on her nose. “I’ve refilled this tub with hot water three times. How is little bear?”
He was just fine, quiet for a change in his little world. She yawned and her jaw stretched obscenely. Her mouth was dry, and she was thirsty, so she sank her muzzle into the bitter, scented water and drank. David turned on the faucet and she rolled herself toward the clear flow of water, messily drinking great gulps.