Hallbjorn's hope for her that she would have joy in her life again had her smiling tenderly. She dare not speak what she felt, that she hoped she'd find that joy with him. His eyes were still gray, and Kara wished she knew what he was feeling that was still causing it. There was a hint of worry in her gaze when she saw that the gauze over his wounds were beginning to soak through. She cared about his well being, and it was because of a lot more then him being her protector.<br/><br/>When he told her that her mother would be proud, Kara gave him a radiant smile. Each time Hallbjorn said something like that, she felt herself falling for him more. She wondered if he had any idea of the power he had over her. He told her that he would break her heart, but she wondered if he still felt that way.<br/><br/>His next question had her blushing furiously. When Hallbjorn's eyes turned more intense, Kara felt like her breath had been taken away. She couldn't answer at first, not until she was able to break their eye contact.<br/><br/>“My friends seem to always talk about men. Even when we were young, they were boy crazy. I suppose it comes from living in a small town with not much to do.” She smiled wryly. “They would talk about whatever newest crush they had, and how they just knew that whatever man caught their eye was 'the one'. They said their bodies would come alive. Their heart would beat faster and they would have butterflies in their stomach. And then they would feel pain just from being parted.”<br/><br/>Kara licked her lips and hoped he could not hear how fast her own heart was breathing. The butterflies in her stomach had not quieted since she met Hallbjorn. Then there was the violence with which her body had come alive. It was more then she expected, and at times more then she thought she could handle. It was all so new to her, and so confusing, but she wasn't afraid of it. In fact, she wanted to revel in it.<br/><br/>Looking back up into his eyes, she said, “I never felt that way about anyone before. The most I would feel was friendship. But back then, my body had never come alive.”<br/><br/>When she realized she'd said those things in the past tense, her eyes glowed with the intensity of her emotion. It felt as if her body would break if she didn't touch him. As she turned away to toss the little bag in the trash, it felt as if her entire being was screaming for her to go back to him.<br/><br/>Kara turned back to the truck, and with each footstep she battled with what she felt. He was wounded. He didn't need her fumbling attentions right now. Not to mention they had left some wounded werewolves not too far away, and she would not feel totally safe until they were out of town. Kara couldn't hide the turmoil she felt when she reached his side again. “Did you want me to drive?”<br/><br/>That was the safest topic she could think of, and she desperately hoped he'd allow the change of subject.