Jeremy led him into Marco’s room and when the door opened, Marco looked up at them with a narrowed gaze. Ian held out a hand to Nicky, and he came closer, standing by Ian’s side. “Marco,” Ian said. “Here’s Nicky, your mate—your bloodmate. Surely you recognize him. ”
Nicky looked down at Marco hopefully, holding his breath, but Marco shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, but I don’t. ”
Nicky sagged against Ian, who broke with the pack tradition never to touch another wolf’s mate and put a comforting arm around him. He gave Marco a warning look and Marco sighed deeply.
“Look, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. I can see that I am, but I don’t mean to, I swear. You’re a very nice-looking young guy, but I-I just don’t remember. I’m sorry. ”
He looked so genuinely upset that Nicky felt pity for him, even though his heart was breaking. He shook his head slightly. “No, it’s all right. I understand. ” He turned to the doctor. “But how is it Marco knows Ian and not me?”
Dr. Cornsilk shook his head. “I have no idea, Nicky, I’m sorry. There is a type of amnesia called systematized amnesia in which the victim loses all the memories related to a certain location or a certain person. It’s a kind of dissociative disorder and is known to be associated with too much stress. It’s rare, but that could be it. ” The doctor shrugged slightly and shook his head. “We’re just not sure. We’re still running tests, so maybe we’ll have some answers soon. ”
Nicky nodded sadly, and turned back to Marco. “I-I need to stay here, though, with you, if that’s all right. Please don’t make me leave you. I promise I won’t be a bother. ”
Marco shifted in bed, looking confused and uncomfortable. “Well, I…” he looked over at Ian helplessly and something unspoken passed between them.
The wolves, especially close friends and associates like Ian and Marco, had an almost psychic connection at times, it seemed to Nicky. At least they seemed to be able to sense each other’s feelings very well. Or maybe they had discussed it before he arrived, but Nicky knew with a sinking feeling the decision had already been made and not in his favor.
Sure enough, Ian spoke up next to him. “I’ve already called Logan, Nicky, and he’s on his way to pick you up. You’ve been sitting here for two days straight, and you’re exhausted. Marco’s out of danger now, so you
need to go home and get some rest. I’ll stay here with him and I promise you I’ll call if anything goes wrong. ”
“No,” Nicky said, frantic at the idea he had to leave his mate alone and, in his mind at least, unprotected. “I can’t just leave him. Please!”
Ian gave Marco another significant look and Marco spoke up. “Look, uh, Nicky, maybe it’s best if you go home for a while. I’m pretty tired, so I’ll probably just sleep. ” He looked at Nicky with kindness, but absolutely no recognition whatsoever. “You look pretty exhausted too. ”
Jeremy came over to Nicky quickly and drew him unresistingly into his arms. “Nicky, come on with me, and we’ll wait for Logan outside. ” He rubbed Nicky’s back, soothing him. “Give Marco a chance to rest,” he said in his ear.
Marco spoke again, and this time with a steely edge to his voice and a grim expression on his face. “I may not remember him, but I do know one thing for sure, doctor. You need to take your fucking hands off my mate. ”
Marco had been questioning Ian when the blond boy and Dr. Tate walked back in the room. Something moved in his chest—what was it? But it was gone before he could put a name to it. The boy—Nicky, they’d said—looked terribly upset, and Marco didn’t like to see him that way. He wasn’t sure why, but it seemed wrong somehow. A strong surge of protectiveness swept over him. Ian had been explaining to Marco that the beautiful boy was his mate—his damn bloodmate and he still couldn’t remember. He didn’t feel the primal pull that he knew he was supposed to feel.
He had no memory of even liking men that way particularly, though wolves didn’t feel any prejudice against the idea like humans did. When your blood picked your mate, it seemed foolish, not to mention futile, to struggle against it, so the wolves of his pack were mated to both male and female pets. So while he thought the boy absolutely gorgeous, and felt an attraction to him—hell, who wouldn’t—he felt no blood pull, no compelling urges.
Still, Ian said he was his bloodmate and had been for well over a year, so he had certain responsibilities to him. He would never abandon a bloodmate, and according to Ian again, he’d always indicated that he was very much in love with the boy. That accounted for Nicky’s strong reaction when he told him he didn’t remember him, and he felt a little guilty at how heartbroken the boy had seemed to be at his words.
Marco needed a little time alone to absorb all of this, and to understand what in the hell had happened to him. Dr. Cornsilk said they were still running tests on him. He’d had some kind of infection in his blood, akin to blood poisoning, or perhaps a virus. How he’d been infected was still a mystery, but in the meantime, they’d keep him here for a while and run more tests. It would also give him some time to figure out what the hell he would do about this boy, Nicky.
Marco had asked Ian to call Logan to take the boy home. He wanted a little time to himself, but didn’t want to hurt the boy by saying so. He’d obviously hurt him enough already by having no memory of him. When Nicky’s face crumpled in pain, Marco wanted to take it back, but then Dr. Tate stepped up and put his arms around the boy. Nicky put his head down on the doctor’s chest, and the son-of-a-bitch had actually rubbed his back in a sensuous, not just comforting way. Could no one else see how this man obviously felt about the boy who belonged to Marco? A strange, possessive feeling swept over him, flooding him with jealous rage.
Marco’s wolf leaped to the surface so fast he thought he might shift right there. He felt a growl at the back of his throat and restrained himself with difficulty. The bastard needed to take his hands off Marco’s boy, and damn quick, or he’d tear his fucking throat out. He said something along those lines, and Ian put a restraining hand on his chest.
Tate was surprised and dropped his arms, taking a step back. Nicky jumped away from him at the same time, a startled look in his eyes. His gaze searched Marco’s face to see if there was any recognition there, and finding none, he slumped his shoulders again. Marco leaned up in bed, though, and grabbed his hand, pulling Nicky over to him possessively, casting a furious glance at the handsome doctor.
“Nicky,” he said, gazing into his eyes, “go home with Logan. I’ll call you later tonight to make sure you get home safely. In the meantime, I want you to go to bed and get some rest. Understand?”
Looking a little surprised at his tone, Nicky nodded. “Sure, Marco, I understand. But I could rest here just as well. Couldn’t I just…”
“No. I said go home, Nicky. Now do as you’re told, and you can come back later. ”
Nicky flinched at his firm tone, but dutifully turned and walked to the door. He glanced back at him once and Marco felt another unexpected pang at the misery in his eyes. But if this truly was his mate, then the boy needed to learn how to take orders. Apparently, he’d been spoiling Nicky, if the way he was acting was any indication. He wasn’t even wearing a collar. That kind of thing just invited unwanted attention. No wonder the damned doctor felt free to put his hands all over him.
Marco couldn’t imagine he was ever so lenient with the boy. Obviously, he needed to tighten the reins, and he would take care of that just as soon as he got home. His father had taught him pets needed a firm hand and a little good old fashioned discipline. That’s the way his father had treated his human mother, and she’d seemed happy enough. They had always given the appearance of being deeply in love. Ian told him he and Nicky had a great relationship, and had been very happy, so perhaps the boy was just distraught. Marco leaned back in bed. He would give him the benefit of the doubt—for now.
Dr. Tate followed Nicky from the room, but Cornsilk came over to check his vitals again. “Are you in any pain, Marco?”
“No, that’s the thing. I’m a little tired, but I feel fine. Maybe I can go home soon—I hate the idea of risking exposure like this in a human hospital. Do you really think it’s wise, doctor?”
“I know it seems strange to you, but we really had no choice. You were quite ill when you arrived, and you had to stay on life support until the transfusions of alpha blood began to take effect. If your vitals remain stable for twenty-four hours, then you can go home to finish your recovery, but you have to promise not to work so hard again. If this is a virus, as I’m beginning to think it is, the weakened, stressed state you got yourself into may have been a contributing factor. When we worked with the various viruses at the Hunter’s lab, the wolf’s metabolism was always strong enough to ward off any virus the scientists tried on them. ”