WYATT

Avery's eyes widened, and she jerked her attention away.

When we reached room 239, I knocked on the closed door. "Private River? May we come in?"

The door opened with a flourish, revealing Cora—a stout witch with graying hair. "Major Jamison, your recruit is doing much better." She stepped to the side, allowing us to enter.

The room was small with a single bed and a lone window. Eliza lay on the bed, propped up on pillows, looking the picture of perfect health.

Avery blinked. "Eliza? What the heck, are you okay now?"

"I most certainly am!" She grinned, revealing her pointy teeth. "I feel so much better. Cora's potion helped immensely."

The older witch's jowls jiggled when she shook her head sternly at Eliza. "This young lady was suffering from a severe case of fae lands withdrawal. She should have come to me immediately when she began feeling unwell this week."

So it was fae lands withdrawal, exactly what I'd suspected.

"You mean this week is your first time leaving the fae lands?" Avery asked Eliza incredulously. "Ever?"

Eliza shrugged sheepishly. "I grew up in Elsfairdasvee. Most from my village never come to earth. We're too remote, and the portal is too far."

Avery frowned. "I'm trying to remember where Elsfairdasvee is. It's in the far north, right?"

"That's correct." Eliza beamed. "My village is small and still follows the old ways. Most never leave."

My brow furrowed as Avery and Eliza continued talking. Even though Eliza had grown up in a small village, it was still unusual for fairies to suffer from withdrawal symptoms upon entering the earthly realm. The only time that typically occurred was when a fairy child visited earth for the first time.

But most fae children had made the realm crossing enough times by the time they reached adulthood that their bodies had adjusted to the lesser magical environment of earth. And most adults never experienced withdrawals even if it was their first crossing. Most. But not all.

I inhaled, taking in the strong magical scent that coated Eliza. She was definitely from the old ways. She had an ancient magical tang to her—it possibly also made her more prone to withdrawals.

But whatever the case for her physiological condition, her sickness was an oversight I shouldn't have missed. I should have been monitoring her better this week, even if withdrawals in an adult were rare. I paused, thinking again of what Avery had said. About how I blamed myself when things went wrong. Another twinge of satisfaction rolled through me that she'd remembered that detail about my personality.

I raked a hand through my hair. Not important, Jamison!

"Excuse me, girls, but I have a few more things to chart." Cora brushed to the side of Eliza's bed and held a magical assessment device over the fairy's head.

Avery backed up, giving the witch room.

While Cora was scanning Eliza, I stood at the end of the bed and crossed my arms. "Private River, I owe you an apology. I should have been monitoring you better this week, and for that I am sorry, but I also need you to tell me when you're unwell. Pretending you're not sick when you are, not only puts you at risk but your squad too." My chest tightened when an image of Avery in the river shot to the front of my mind. "Private Meyers almost died in that river today. You're never to jeopardize your squad mate like that again. Understood?"

Eliza lowered her chin. "Yes, sir. I am very sorry." She raised wide eyes filled with guilt to Avery. "And I am very sorry to you as well, Avery. I very nearly cost you your life. That is a most egregious error in judgment. Please forgive me."

Avery shook her head, looking embarrassed under Eliza's plea-filled apology. "It's fine, really. Don't worry about it, but I appreciate that, thank you."

Eliza dipped her head again, and I grunted, satisfied that the recruit had learned her lesson.

Cora finished with her device and pocketed it. "She'll be spending the night here, Major. Just to make sure that the dose I gave her is strong enough to cure her."

I nodded curtly. "Could you also provide a potion for Private Meyers? She's an ambassador recruit and just finished her first week of training. She's feeling sore."

"Ah, of course." Sympathy dripped from Cora's words, as if Avery's low-magic profession explained her fatigue.

Cora shuffled to the cabinets and extracted a small vial. "Thank you," Avery said, pocketing it.

We said our goodbyes and left the healing center.

Back outside, the mid-afternoon sun shone brightly above. Avery's stomach gave a loud grumble, and she slapped a hand over her abdomen, her cheeks flushing.

I quirked an eyebrow up. "Hungry?"

"Yes. I mean, we did miss lunch, because you know, a certain someone had his recruits run a mile this morning and then hike six this afternoon." The second the words left her lips, she clamped her mouth shut.

It took all of my control not to laugh at her smart comment. It was so easy to fall back into how we'd been in high school. Even though we hadn't been close friends, we'd had many mutual friends which meant we sometimes hung out. I'd loved every second of those nights.

Still, I smoothed my expression. That was then. This was now. I couldn't joke around like a sixteen-year-old kid anymore. "The cafeteria should still be serving lunch. I imagine the other recruits are there too."

Her smile faltered, and her cheeks flushed. "Of course, sir. I'll go find them."

She scurried away, and against my better judgment, I watched.

Her T-shirt and cargos still clung to her curves even though she wasn't wet anymore. And when she walked, her hips swayed, as if she were a belly dancer entrancing a man with her round ass and narrow waist.

Damn. She was so beautiful.

My cock throbbed, stiffening in my pants. I growled in irritation and shoved my hands into my pockets to hide the bulge.

When she reached the door, she glanced back to where I was standing. With a start, I realized she knew I'd been watching her the entire time she'd walked away.

∞ ∞ ∞

After my embarrassing display of acting like a besotted teenager, I retreated to my apartment to fix myself lunch in the privacy of my kitchen. I could have followed Avery into the cafeteria, even shared a meal with her, but that wasn't wise.

Not only was her scent still clinging to me, but my thoughts kept clouding with images of her walking away. Seeing her ass move so provocatively . . .

I was permanently tenting.

But more than that, I kept getting flashbacks of her falling in the river.

I stood at my counter, making a sandwich, but the distraction didn't stop the tension that had been building steadily within me.

Now that the excitement of the river was over and I knew Eliza was okay, I allowed myself time to process it all, and one realization kept barreling into me.

I'd almost lost Avery.

Only a few hours ago, she'd nearly drowned. If I'd emerged even twenty seconds later from the forest . . .

Fear ran through me again, and the knife I'd been holding clattered to the plate.

I placed my hands on the counter, leaning into them. Seeing Eliza soaking wet, splayed out on the tree, screaming for Avery, had made panic consume me.

I'd never felt anything like that.

Straightening, I picked up the knife again and finished smearing mayonnaise on the bread. I then loaded it with beef and cheese.

But my wolf still snarled inside me, not caring that our stomach growled.

Agitation oozed from him that Avery had been put in danger. Our protective instincts raged so strongly with her, more so than I'd ever felt for a new recruit . . . or anyone.

A memory of blurring into action, grabbing Eliza off the tree, then diving into the river filled my mind. Class four rapids raged in that part of the river. I hadn't known how long Avery had been under. Terror had ripped through me when I'd swum beneath the surface, searching for her, because even with my wolf's superior strength and speed, navigating the river hadn't been easy.

But then her hand had broken through the surface, allowing me to locate her. I'd turned into a torpedo, shooting straight for her. Even with that clue, though, it was truly a miracle I'd located her and pulled her to the surface in time.

Because if I hadn't . . .

My breath stopped, and I leaned against the counter again, my heart beating hard.

No, I can't think that way. She's okay. She's safe. No harm came to her.

Yet blood still pounded through my veins. I hated that she'd been put in harm's way. Hated it.

My wolf snarled. An image of our teeth elongating and biting into the fragile flesh at the base of Avery's neck filled my mind.

I jolted upright, my spine cracking into place at how quickly I'd moved. I pushed away from the counter, my sandwich entirely forgotten.

Claim her? You want to claim her?

He whined.

We can't do that. She's not ours.

He snarled then whined again, his agitation rising. I stabbed a hand through my hair. We can't!

But Avery's near death had propelled my wolf's feelings for her to an entirely new level. He wanted her safe at all costs, and claiming her was the only way to ensure that.

I paced the length of my kitchen, raking my hand through my hair again and again.

I would be lying to myself if I tried to pretend that I didn't feel the same as him. More than anything I wanted to wrap Avery in my arms, shield her from the world, and protect her from any danger. I knew that she wasn't incapable and that she was stronger than she gave herself credit for, but she was still weaker than most supernaturals.

Which made my protective instincts roar with a vengeance. But . . . she wasn't mine.

She was a new recruit who I had to train even if that occasionally put her in harm's way. That was how training went.

My wolf snarled, enraged that I was fighting what he wanted.

I stalked out of the kitchen, leaving my sandwich uneaten on the counter.

I needed to run.

This was absolute madness. Avery Meyers was my recruit. She wasn't mine to claim and protect.

I yanked open my door and bolted down the hallway, but try as I might to run from what I was feeling, I couldn't.

With every fiber of my being, I wanted to take her for my own.

And that wasn't possible.