Seven Days by Shari Richardson

blood drawn and sent to our specialists for some very specific tests.”
    The terror I had been tenuously holding at bay leapt forward to cut off my breathing. I loved Xavier and the fact that he was a werepanther made no difference to me, but I didn't want that kind of life for myself. I wanted to be as close to normal as I was ever going to be considering my family.
    “You think I’m infected, don’t you,” I said. Tears and panic warred with the terror until I felt I might drown under their weight. Xavier had always told me that weres were only contagious when they were in their animal forms. It was his excuse for the care and distance he used with me when he was in his panther form. What he'd never brought up was what happened if a wereanimal were only partially changed, as Lane had been. Was a partially changed were able to transmit the virus? The more I thought about it, I realized I'd never heard of a wereanimal who could change only part of themselves, or change back to their human form as easily as Lane had done. Either Xavier had been keeping secrets or Lane was an exception. Either way, there was no precedent I was aware of for my situation.
    I loved Xavier and the fact that he wasn’t entirely human didn't bother me, but I didn’t want to have my life changed like this. I wanted to feel like I had some control over my future. I wanted to scream that it wasn’t fair. That I didn’t deserve to have this happen to me. But when I thought these things, I remembered that Xavier had been seven when a werepanther had infected him and changed his life forever. It seemed selfish and mean spirited of me to be so upset about a possibility Xavier had faced as a definite future when he had been much younger.
    Dr. Coffman patted my hand. “Now, don’t get yourself worked up, Kerry. There’s never been a case like yours before. I’ve never even known of a wereanimal who could do a partial change, let alone come across anyone who had been attacked by a partially changed wereanimal. Until we’ve done the blood tests, we won’t know what to expect and speculation will only make you more apprehensive.”
    “Where is she? Dammit, unhook this crap,” Xavier shouted. Metallic clangs and glass shattering echoed through the emergency ward. Several voices were raised in alarm while others attempted to soothe Xavier. He, however, was having none of it. His voice cranked up another notch and I could hear the beginning of a growl in his tone.
    “Kerry? Kerr...babe...where are you?”
    “In here, Xavier,” I said. The curtain ripped back and Xavier stood, shirtless, bruised, and panting in the opening. A rainbow of bruises, one of which looked suspiciously like the side of a football helmet, covered his chest. I grimaced, swallowing hard over the lump in my throat. I could have helped him had I not been engaged in bleeding to death in the parking lot. If I had just stayed with Mairin and Mathias.
    “Does it hurt?” I asked.
    Xavier looked down at his chest and shook his head. “You almost get gutted and you want to know if some stupid bruises hurt?” He ground his teeth. “No, it doesn’t hurt. You know how fast I heal. As for you and the leech, there’s going to be some pain. I told you to stay with the leech and he let you go,” he snarled. “I’m going to rip his arms off and beat him with them.”
    “Don’t blame Mathias, please,” I said, hiding a grin behind my hand. If I could have bottled the testosterone in the room right then, I could have marketed it as machismo max, a new cologne. Would there ever be a time when Xavier didn’t want to beat Mathias with something? “I was just going for a soda. I convinced him to let me go on my own.”
    “Sir, you have to come back to your own cubicle. We weren’t done with our assessment.” A nurse put her hand on Xavier’s shoulder, but he shook it off quickly. Dr. Coffman shook his head at the nurse.
    “It’s ok, Marie. Xavier can stay with us.” The nurse