Guarding His Heart Read Free Page A

certain Lynn was all right. “Just find me some clothes, and I’ll be good.”
    Neither male argued. The doctor simply told him to hit the call button if she woke or in case he needed anything. A few minutes after they left, a plump little nurse breezed in with a pair of scrubs for Jag to put on.
    Once he was properly covered, he opted to leave the door closed and settled into the chair beside her bed. The only thing left to do was wait and pray she’d be able to forgive him with time.
    * * * *
    Lynn slowly woke to the sound of hushed voices. Cracking her eyes to see who was near, she gasped and clamped them shut again as pain lanced through her head.
    “Lynn?” A cool hand brushed hers. “Are you awake?”
    Recognizing Samantha’s whispered voice, Lynn struggled to find her words, her mind uncommonly sluggish. “Lights,” she rasped.
    Almost immediately, she noticed the increased darkness through her lids. Why are my eyes so sensitive? she wondered.
    Doing a quick assessment, she came the only logical conclusion for the way she felt. “Ugh, I was hit by a truck, wasn’t I?”
    A soft giggle came from Sam then she reminded Lynn of the truth. “Close. It was a shifter then a wall. How are you feeling?”
    “Sore.” Broken memories surfaced, and Lynn struggled to sit up. “Where’s Jag? He was hurt!” The sudden movement sent the room into motion as everything seemed to tilt.
    “Whoa! I’m right here. We didn’t mean to wake you up. I was just explaining everything to the Prima.”
    “The name’s Sam, Jag. Use it.”
    Ignoring her friend’s reprimand, Lynn addressed Jag as he eased her back on the bed. “So you’re all healed?”
    “Mostly.”
    He wouldn’t meet her eyes, and Lynn knew he was fibbing, but after everything they’d just been through—and the fact her head was splitting—she decided to let him slide.
    “You must be hurting. Do you want anything for pain?” The concern in his gaze when he finally looked at her was touching, and warmth spread through Lynn’s body.
    “I’m not sure I want anything just yet. I hate the effect they have.” Actually, she didn’t want her mind to feel as fuzzy as it did now. Not being able to concentrate or recall all that had happened made her extremely uneasy. “I could go for a drink of water though.”
    Jag smiled, seeming happy at her request. He excused himself to get it for her.
    “He blames himself,” Sam whispered once the door closed.
    “For what? None of this was his fault.”
    “That’s not how he sees it.”
    More images flashed through Lynn’s mind, coming faster and faster until the scene played out in her head. Getting the meds, the other shifter tackling her, stabbing him with the syringe then flying through the air.
    “How the hell does he figure that? There’s no way he could’ve seen the attack coming. The guy was out cold!”
    “He’s not the only one criticizing himself. Liam is feeling really guilty too. He blames himself because he neglected to remove the other shifter from the room.”
    As if that would have been possible. “Jag was barely in control at the time, and the only ones he considered threats were Dr. Lewis and Liam. If either of them had taken the time to move the rogue, they may have ended up with a very large jaguar on their ass.”
    “I know, but you know how guys can be. It’s like some kind of blow to the ego. The whole ‘I failed to protect the girl’ bullshit.” Samantha grinned. “Guess they didn’t figure in how today’s women are a little tougher than in the past. By the way, nice job! I can’t believe you managed to take one of these guys by surprise.”
    “What do you mean?” The only one taken by surprise had been her. Both Jag and the other guy had been seriously injured; who knew they could still move like that?
    “Are you kidding me? Even Dylan was in awe of your quick moves. How did you even get the needle?” Samantha asked, sitting on the side of the bed.
    “Dr. Lewis had