WYATT

Eliza was lying on the riverbank, burning up with fever by the time we reached her. She was shivering, soaking wet, and mumbling incoherent sentences.

Shit. She was worse than I'd originally thought. I kneeled on the muddy bank and felt her pulse. "Eliza? Can you hear me?"

She only mumbled more.

Avery crouched on Eliza's other side, picking up her friend's limp hand. Tense lines formed around her mouth. "She's really sick, isn't she?"

"Yes." Cursing, I pulled out my tablet. Thankfully, it was waterproof. I placed a call to the command center and barked out orders.

Minutes later, a helicopter hovered above us and an SF squad was helping us climb aboard. Nobody said a thing when they appraised our wet clothes and Eliza's fever-glazed eyes. She was so weak she couldn't stand. Two SF members had to carry her into the bird.

The worry on Avery's face increased. She kept her knees locked together and her attention on her squad mate when the helicopter took off. Minutes later, we were back at headquarters.

The second we touched the ground, the team rushed Eliza out, which left Avery and me in the helicopter as the pilot shut it down.

"Bad day?" the pilot flashed me a grin before unbuckling his seatbelt.

I sighed heavily. "Suppose you could say that, although it didn't start out that way."

The pilot chuckled. "Your new recruit should be in the healing center by now. I'm sure she'll be fine. Anything in particular you want me to put in my report?"

"Just the facts."

The pilot nodded before glancing at Avery, his gaze dipping to her breasts. In her wet T-shirt, Avery's tits were on full display, the round globes clearly outlined while her nipples peaked.

Avery's focus was still out the window, to where Eliza had gone, but when she turned her attention back to us, her cheeks flushed.

She hastily crossed her arms, and my wolf snarled inside me, a low warning growl erupting from my chest before I could stop it.

The pilot whipped his attention to his report. "Anyway, take care, friend," he said before disembarking.

I didn't reply. Rage still simmered beneath my skin that he'd been checking out Avery, that he'd seen what was mine.

The second that thought registered, I jolted. Mine? Avery wasn't mine.

I rammed a hand through my wet hair, my pulse quickening at my instinctual reaction.

Avery cleared her throat, then said hesitantly, "Do you mind if I check on Eliza?"

The part of my brain that functioned on autopilot noted that she didn't say sir at the end of her question, but I didn't correct her. I was still reeling from what had just happened. And it seemed hypocritical to demand that she follow protocol when I clearly hadn't—she was a new recruit, off limits, not mine.

Concentrate, Jamison. You're the commander here.

"That's fine," I replied in a sterner tone than I intended. "I'd like to check on her, too, but first I need to make sure the other recruits know they're off duty until Monday."

"Oh, right." Avery shook her head. "I completely forgot the others are waiting for us at the end of the trail."

"Exactly." They'd probably been waiting for some time.

I pulled out my tablet again and posted my request on the SF commanders' forum, alerting my fellow Majors that I was in need of help. Within ten seconds, a reply came through. Major Patrichy offered to collect them.

I shoved my tablet back into my pocket. "Okay, let's go." I unbuckled my belt and looked at Avery expectantly.

She floundered with her seatbelt. Not surprising since the buckle had two complicated latches. For someone not used to them, they could be tricky. She also kept eyeing my chest.

I looked down and realized my shirt was sticking to me too. A low hum of satisfaction filled me.

She'd just checked me out.

Her fingers slipped on the latches again.

Before I could stop myself, I reached forward. "Let me help you."

My fingers brushed hers. Her fingertips felt like ice. I scowled. She was cold, and I didn't like that even though it shouldn't bother me. New recruits had to grow used to hardship. It was part of training.

Yet . . . I didn't like it.

A second later, the seatbelt slid off, and she gave me a shaky smile. "Thanks."

I grunted, not able to manage more.

Water droplets fell off our clothes when we jumped out of the helicopter. We began walking to the healing center, Avery at my side. Several SF members marching in the field and training nearby gave us double takes. Our wet clothes were definitely attracting attention.

"Was Eliza sick the entire hike today?" I asked, anything to distract myself from Avery's wet T-shirt.

"I think so, but she was trying to hide it."

"Is that why you stayed at her side, because she wasn't feeling well?" "For the most part, yes."

My brow furrowed. "That was rather noble of you."

She shrugged, but her cheeks heated. "She would have done the same for me."

"Maybe, but regardless, you shouldn't have been put in that position. I should have noticed she wasn't well. This is my fault."

Her mouth fell open. "No, it's not." She shook her head, and then a thoughtful expression formed on her face.

"What?"

She shook her head sheepishly. "Nothing, I mean, it's just that you still blame yourself for everything when a situation goes bad, like you did in high school, even when you're not the only party at fault."

I grunted again, not sure what to make of that comment, but damn, she remembered those kind of details about me? "It's the alpha in me," I finally said. "It's my instinct to take responsibility and take the blame if someone under my command is hurt."

She sighed. "Even so, you couldn't have known Eliza was sick. She was purposefully hiding it from you and trying to from me. I was right beside her all day, and it wasn't until the river that I truly saw how bad she was, so it's really not your fault."

I made a discontented sound but didn't comment further, although inside my wolf was preening. He liked that Avery sought to comfort us and make us see reason.

It was exactly what one's mate would do.

My stomach bottomed out, my breath snagging in my chest. WTF. Seriously. That was one word that should not be floating around in my vocabulary.

Thankfully, the healing center came into view with its green medical sign hanging above the door.

"I wonder what's wrong with her," Avery said, oblivious to my ridiculous thoughts. "She said she's been feeling sick all week, and it's been getting worse."

I thought about Eliza being a fairy and what it'd said in her file. I had my suspicions about what ailed her, but I wouldn't know for sure until the witches confirmed it.

I pulled the door open for Avery. She slipped past me, our chests nearly brushing as a few SF members strolled behind us on the sidewalk.

"You two go for a swim?" one of them called good-naturedly.

I forced a chuckle, but it was hard to feign lightheartedness considering all that had happened.

The door closed behind us, but instead of heading toward the stairs, I found myself going to the elevators, unable to help it since I knew it was the best option for Avery. "I'm guessing after your first full week of training that the stairs sound rather painful right now?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, they do. My calves are already cramping."

I frowned, eyeing her wet clothes again. I had a feeling the healing center's cool air conditioning wasn't helping. Dammit but that bothered me too.

The elevator doors dinged open, and we stepped on board. As we glided up, Avery massaged her neck.

My eyebrows drew together. Don't ask it. Don't ask it! "Sore?" I asked.

She let her arm fall, her expression sheepish. "A little."

I once again told myself it wasn't my concern, but then I found myself saying, "I'll ask the witches to make you a potion."

The doors slid open, and the healing center waited ahead of us. For once, it was busy. Healing witches hurried down the hallways while a few moans and painful calls came from several patient rooms.

"Is everything okay?" Avery asked in alarm when a particularly loud wail reached us.

I strode forward, my long strides eating up the floor. "It will be. I got an alert that a squad came back this afternoon. A few were beat-up, but they'll be fine."

I thought about the team that flew off on Avery's first day. They'd had a nasty run-in with a group of formidable half-demons and an ancient vamp during their assignment. We were lucky we hadn't lost anyone.

"Major Jamison!" Sally said from the central healing station. The red- headed witch looked at me expectantly, her eyes brightening. "Your recruit is in room 239. Cora's attending to her." Her attention shifted to our clothes, her brow furrowing.

Water dripped onto the floor around us.

Her lips pursed. "Hmm, that will not do. Let me help with that." She came around the station and lifted her hands, her fingers waving elegantly in the air as she whispered a spell.

Warm air blew around us, our hair and clothes lifting from our bodies. Magic shimmered over my skin, and when our clothes settled, they were dry again.

I gave her a crooked smile. "Thanks, Sally."

Pink tinted her cheeks, and a shrill giggle escaped her before she clamped her mouth shut. "Of course, Major Jamison," she said from beneath her lashes. "Always happy to help."

Avery also murmured her thanks as her gaze traveled between me and Sally. I felt the immediate need to reassure her that Sally meant nothing to me and the interest was entirely one-sided, but then I mentally slapped myself.

Just because Avery caught onto Sally's flirtation didn't mean that Avery cared if the witch was flirting with me.

Gritting my teeth, I set off down the hall.

Avery followed behind me, peeking into the rooms we passed. In one room, three witches hovered over an SF member lying on the bed. He writhed in pain, one leg coated in blood. Two of the witches held him down while the third mumbled an incantation under her breath.

When a fourth witch saw Avery watching, she gave her a heated glare before snapping the privacy curtain closed.