Black Moon (Alpha Pack #3)(21)

Suppressing a frustrated sigh, she led him past Noah at the reception desk. At seeing Kalen with her, the nurse gave her a look of concern, but she nodded to let him know all was well-and then hoped that was the case.

Ushering him into an exam room, she closed the door. "Up on the table, please."

Turning his backside to it, he hoisted himself up and parked his butt on the crinkly paper. Hands on his jeans-clad thighs, he arched a dark brow and grinned. "Have your way with me, Doc."

It was on the tip of her tongue to say, "Been there, got the reminder" but she refrained. Just barely. Instead she grabbed a blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around his biceps. Giving the bulb a series of pumps, she got the reading.

"Blood pressure is a bit high," she said. "Are you having any headaches, dizziness, anything of concern?"

"No, nothing."

Replacing the cuff on its wall hook, she removed a wooden stick from the jar on the counter. "Say ah."

"Ahhh."

Using her penlight, she peered into his throat. "No redness." She tossed the stick into the trash.

Next she checked how well he tracked her finger with his eyes, then used a small rubber mallet to test his reflexes. "All normal on both counts, but I'd like to have Noah come draw some blood for a few tests-"

"No!" he barked, the word popping like a gunshot in the room. The sharp edge of panic flashed across his face before he made a visible effort to get it under control. "That's completely unnecessary. I'm healthy as a horse."

Startled by his outburst, she said evenly, "Then it shouldn't matter if we take a bit of blood to make sure."

"Not gonna happen. Did I ever mention I don't like needles?" Sliding off the table, he headed for the door. "You examined me, I'm great, and we're done. Ready for lunch?"

She was tempted to back out, for many reasons. But she was curious about what was going on with him. If she was honest, she was more than a little concerned, too. Could he be starting to feel sick from not mating with her? If so, he wasn't showing symptoms. As much as it worried her and went against her code as a doctor, it was probably best to let the other tests wait for now. Though she'd get that blood from him eventually. One way or another.

"All right. Let me get my purse."

"No argument from you about not poking on me anymore?"

"Would it do any good?"

"Probably not."

"Well, there you are."

She didn't miss the relief that briefly crossed his face as they left the exam room, and she wondered what he had to hide. Whatever it was, it must be the reason for his blown pupils. Was he doing drugs? Anything was possible, though she hated to think the worst. One thing she knew for sure-dilated pupils were a physical response indicating a possibly serious problem. No way around that.

After fetching her purse, she slung the strap over her shoulder and met him in the hallway. Together they walked back through the lobby.

"Noah, would you tell Melina I'll be gone for a couple of hours? Kalen's taking me out to lunch."

The blond made a face. "Must be nice."

"That's why I'm the boss of you."

Noah laughed. "Good point. At least it's quiet today-" He slapped a hand over his mouth. Every nurse and doctor knew better than to jinx a good shift with the Q word. "Sorry!"

"As long as karma bitch-slaps you and not me, it's fine." Giving him a little wave, she left, Kalen at her side. "Where to?"

"Not the Grizzly," he said thoughtfully.

"God, no! Our last time there didn't turn out so well."

"How about Italian? There's a great hole-in-the-wall place in Cody that has awesome spaghetti. I found it when I first hit town and had a few bucks in my pocket."

"Sounds good. I haven't had Italian in ages." Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she'd tossed breakfast after a nasty bout of morning sickness. She just prayed her body cooperated now that the nausea seemed to have settled for the day.

"Do you mind driving?"

"What, Nick still won't let you borrow another SUV?" she teased.

"After I let the last one I took get ripped up by a Sluagh? Fat chance. He won't even let me finish asking before he shouts no."

"Well, that's not fair. The damage wasn't really your fault." He made a disgruntled noise and she thought a second. "You can buy your own wheels now that you have a paying job with the team."

"I will eventually. Soon as I save more for a down payment. Maybe I'll get something cool like a Mustang Boss 302, fully loaded."

He sounded so excited, she couldn't help but smile. "Don't shoot big or anything."

"Of course not."

By the time they got into her car, Mac driving, some of the strange tension between them had lessened quite a bit. Glancing over at him, she noticed that vibe of malice, or whatever it was, that she had detected in the rec room seemed to have vanished. He looked like Kalen again, green eyes clear, face more relaxed.

But as he met her gaze and returned her smile, she saw his pupils were still much too large. Opting not to mention it again until later, she put her car in drive and started down the long road leading away from the compound.

There would be time enough to figure out what was going on with him.