As I laid down on the mattress, Bella stood hovering over me and touching me softly making goosebumps rise on my skin. The reverent look in her eye as she assessed my damage and lovingly touched me made my heart swell.
"They hurt you." She kept her voice soft, as if afraid to disturb the air. "What happened?"
I pulled her down on top of me carefully and she dodged my side as she moved over me to lay against my undamaged side. Her cheek pressed against my peck and I wrapped my arm around her, drawing her even closer. I needed her warmth, her scent. I kissed the top of her head.
"I'll tell you tomorrow." I wanted to stay awake and tell her but I could feel the sandman forcing my eyes to close. I knew that this was better, though. I needed the rest to heal faster. With my mate by my side, curled up around me with her heavenly scent filling my nostrils, I drifted off quickly with a rumbling purr in my chest and her fingers tracing my skin.
I couldn't go back to sleep. My eyes were glued to the angry reddish purple bruise on Sam's right side. I didn't even want to think about the thick mottled lines on the back of his neck. When I walked around Sam in the living room and saw those marks, I almost sobbed right there, barely keeping the sound inside of me. He didn't need my pain when he was dealing with so much of his own. I yearned to clean and salve the angry lines that ran from the bottom of his skull all the way to between his shoulder blades. Four jagged raised marks. I knew it was from a vampire. Whatever happened out there tonight damaged my Sam and I wondered if anyone else was hurt. My fingers continued to trace light patterns on his chest and upper stomach and I watched as goosebumps raised up on his skin. My eyelids got heavier the longer I lay curled up next to him and I finally succumbed to sleep with one last inhale of Sam's calming scent.
I awoke to Sam's warm fingers tracing over my hip softly, sending tingles up my spine. "Good morning." I said, my voice thick with sleep.
"Good morning, beautiful." He said, pressing a kiss to my forehead when I looked at him and smiled.
"How are you feeling?" I asked as I pushed away from him minutely, despite his noise of disapproval.