"They won't find us here. We're completely hidden from view. We're safe."
His words did little to calm the shaking woman behind him. "Can't they smell me? They're going to follow that trail right here!"
"Sweetheart, it'll be fine." But she was right; there was a possibility that the vampires could smell her, and that could lead them on the right path.
Suddenly she got an idea. "Can't you use your pheromones? Nate says that they can cover up smell."
He tensed. Of course; she didn't know. Could he risk the consequences? He'd seen what happened the last time he tried this exact thing.
Another question, did he have a choice? Better a headache than dead. She mumbled, "Please, Mason." As pathetic as it was, that did him in. He could hear their pursuers coming closer by the second, so with a grunt, he started projecting. On a level as high as that, he could only hold it for a minute, though. At least if he didn't want to overexert himself.
When he looked back at Shayla, everything else disappeared. She was lying on the ground, breathing heavily with her eyes closed. Not just a headache. What have you done? This is your fault. "Sweetheart?" She didn't answer, of course not. It was a foolish hope.
Could they afford to stay here? Her heartbeat and breathing was pretty normal, so she shouldn't have been in any imminent danger, but he still... oh, shit. He worried. That was a new one, for someone outside the team. But he supposed she was one of them now.
After another minute, he concluded that their chasers had moved away and carefully picked up Shayla from the ground. Would jostling her hurt her? Probably not, if he was careful. He tried to keep her as still as possible while they made their way back to the warehouse; it was quite a long way, but the supernaturals chasing them had gone in another direction entirely, so there was no need to hurry.
Felix met him as soon as he opened the doors, but his grin disappeared when he saw the unconscious form in Mason's arms. "Weren't you two supposed to patrol? Why is Shayla unconscious? Ugh---if this is some weird sex thing, I don't want to know, because--"
He sighed. "Not a sex thing, Felix. I... made a poor decision, I think, and that knocked her out. We were chased by supernaturals."
Felix frowned but didn't press further, just fell into step beside him as they strode through the halls. At the door to her room, he concluded that Mason was best suited for watching over her at the moment and left.
He stepped into her room, marveling slightly over the bright blue specks of light from her various propped-up monitors and screens. For some reason, they didn't bother him as much as they would've, had he not been focused on the warm body in his arms. Weird. Dismissing the thought, he set her down on the bed and put her sheets over her.
Then he waited.
---
After what felt like an eternity, but probably was closer to an hour, she started blinking erratically and sat up, wincing as she put her hands to her temples. "Ugh... don't tell me a thrall got the best of me again." Then she noticed Mason sitting in a chair and tensed. "What happened? Was a piano dunked into my head or something? Because it sure feels like it."
He pondered his options, really didn't want to tell her what his pheromones did to her. She gasped, interrupting his thoughts. "Oh no---they did find us, didn't they? Are you okay? Did they hurt you too? Shit, shit--"
He took her hands, disrupting her speech. "They didn't find us, sweetheart. Your plan worked." His tone didn't sound as victorious as the words.
She frowned. "Then why..." It must've dawned on her, because she backed into the wall, fear on her face. "It was you. Why did you knock me out?" Tears filled her eyes. "Am I really that annoying? Mason, please, answer me."
"No! Shayla, you aren't annoying. It's... ugh." She simply quirked an eyebrow, looking very skeptic. He would have to explain the whole truth. "My pheromones... they seem to give you headaches. This time, it must've been too much and knocked you out. I'm sorry." It was out; how would she react?
She didn't exactly seem thrilled, but her frown relaxed. "It wasn't on purpose?"
"Sweetheart, I would never hurt you on purpose. Trust me on that, if nothing else."
"But you knew." It was an accusation, spoken softly but burning through his brain like a shout.
"...Yes. I did."
"Why?"
"There was no other way." At least, that was what he had to tell himself. She didn't believe him; he saw it clear in her eyes, but she didn't vocalize it.
Instead, she simply said, "I understand." And somehow that hurt a million times worse.
---
After a few weeks it became obvious; it was the small things, like going on missions and patrol with other members of the team, but after several times it was painfully clear that she was avoiding him.
