Brynley joined him at the counter. “Can you tell us his name?”
The nurse looked at her, then shook her head slightly as if she were dispelling cobwebs from her mind. “Are you from the newspaper? We figured you guys would show up eventually with a bunch of questions, but I’m afraid I can’t discuss the case with you.”
Phineas leaned close to Brynley and whispered, “You messed up my control. Let me handle this.”
She shot him an irritated look, but he ignored her and refocused on the nurse, who soon regained her glassy-eyed blank expression.
“We’re from the Centers for Disease Control.” He whipped out his wallet and flashed a credit card at her.
“I see.” The nurse nodded. “How can I help you?”
“I’m Inspector Mc—” Phineas halted, obviously having second thoughts about using his real name.
“Man-boob,” Brynley finished for him.
He stiffened.
“What can I do for you, Inspector McMan-boob?” the nurse asked.
He gritted his teeth. “It’s muscle.”
“Inspector Muscle?” the nurse asked.
“Yes. Exactly.” He gave Brynley a triumphant look. “And this is my assistant, Nurse—”
“Doctor,” Brynley corrected him.
“Doctor . . .” He glanced down at her chest. “A-cup.”
“B-cup!”
He arched a brow. “You’ll have to prove it.”
She lifted her chin. “Maybe I will.”
With a smirk, he turned back to the nurse. “We need to see the file on the patient who came in with bite marks.”
She stood. “That would be Jason Pritchard. One moment, please.” She wandered into the adjoining office that housed the file cabinets.
Brynley leaned close to him and whispered, “I know why a Vamp’s eyes turn red. Vanda told us.” She stifled a grin when he visibly gulped. Let him worry about that for a while.
He glanced at her with a stern look. “We’ll discuss it later.” Again his gaze dropped. “Doctor B-cup.”
“Inspector McMan-bo—”
“It’s muscle,” he interrupted her.
“You’ll have to prove it.”
“Maybe I will.” He turned back to the nurse as she came forward with the file. “Thank you.” He opened it on the counter.
Brynley sidled up closer so she could see what was in the file. The top page listed all the vital information about Jason Pritchard.
Phineas handed that page to the nurse. “Will you make a copy of this for us, please?”
“Of course, Inspector Muscle.” She took the paper and strode into the adjoining office.
Phineas pointed at the bottom of another page. “He was released this morning.”
“Yes.” Brynley glanced over her shoulder when she heard the emergency room door opening, then quickly turned her back as a man entered and his scent wafted toward her.
Werewolf.
Beside her, Phineas stiffened. He opened his jacket, the side without the shoulder holster, then abruptly pulled her against his chest and covered her halfway with his jacket.
Brynley let out a surprised and muffled moan, her face pressed against his chest. A very hard chest. He’d been right about the muscle.
She listened to the werewolf’s steps as he approached the receptionist’s desk and came to a stop behind her. She winced. He would smell werewolf, too. Hopefully, he would think the scent was coming from Phineas.
“Where’s the damned nurse?” the werewolf growled. “I think I cracked a rib.”
“That’s gotta hurt,” Phineas said with a sympathetic tone.
Obviously, this werewolf wasn’t an Alpha, Brynley thought. Or he would have simply shifted to wolf form and back to heal himself.
“Yeah, I fell off a damned ladder,” the werewolf grumbled. “What are you here for?”
“Oh, it’s not me. It’s my girlfriend here. Betsy. She’s in a lot of pain.”
Brynley let out a miserable-sounding moan.
“There, there, darlin’.” Phineas patted her on the back. “We’ll get your medication. Don’t go psycho on me again, okay?”
Psycho? She pinched him underneath his jacket and heard him wince.
“She’s got leprosy, you know,” Phineas continued. “Goes a little crazy when a body part falls off.”
“
Brynley smiled as she heard him scurrying to the other side of the room.
“Here’s your paper, Inspector Muscle,” the nurse said.
“Thank you,” Phineas answered. “Let’s go, Betsy.” He steered her toward the door with her face still hidden beneath his jacket.
She exhaled with relief as they stepped onto the sidewalk.
Phineas paused. “Okay, I released the nurse from my control, and she won’t remember us. Let’s go.”
Brynley ran around to the back of the building with him. “
“It worked. It kept the wolf dude away from you.” He stuffed the paper from the clinic into a jacket pocket as he scanned their surroundings. “Coast is clear. Let’s teleport back.”
With a smile, she slipped her hands around his neck. “Thank you for protecting me, Inspector Muscle.”
“Anytime, Betsy B-cup.” His dark chocolate eyes twinkled as he flashed his perfect smile at her, and a flood of desire almost knocked her off her feet.
She tightened her grip around his neck. She’d felt twinges before around Phineas, pleasant little bursts of lust that passed quickly, but this—this was a strong surge that swept over her entire body and clung to her, refusing to let go. This was a desire that went past the physical. It was seeping into her soul.
“Are you all right?” he whispered.
“We both are.” His eyes glinted with a hint of red, then everything went black.
Chapter Eight
Much to Brynley’s disappointment, Phineas simply let go of her when they arrived at the cabin. He didn’t even look at her, just retrieved the paper about Jason Pritchard from his jacket pocket and studied it.
She folded her arms over her chest. “Aren’t we going to discuss this?”
“Okay. This Jason dude lives in Sheridan. I think we should call his number and—”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
He gave her an irritated look. “It’s what I’m talking about. I’m gonna drink some blood, then I’ll teleport to Jason’s house. You can come with me if you want.”
She glared at him as he strode toward the refrigerator. “I saw your eyes turn red twice now. Are you going to deny that you’re attracted to me?”
“No.” He stuffed a bottle of blood into the microwave.
Not the most romantic of confessions, but it still made her heartbeat speed up. “So you like me?”
He glanced at her. “Don’t get excited. Nothing’s going to happen.”
“I’m just being realistic.”
