“I will get better.” I tried to push myself up then sank back to the pillows, weak as a newborn kitten. “You don’t have to.”
She patted my hand as she sat next to me on the bed. “I do. It is what I can do for my great-granddaughter. It is the gift no one else can give you. But after this, I’m probably done with my healing days. You’ll have to stay out of trouble from now on, you hear me?”
I nodded, and my men grunted. I suspected they wouldn’t let me out of their sight ever again.
“Close your eyes.”
I did as she asked. Almost immediately, I felt her inside me, a sensation like fingers digging into my skin and walking their way up my arms and legs and throughout every part of my body, working, taking pain and hurt into herself. Her energy bloomed in certain areas while simply flowing through others. I opened my eyes to see a faint blue hue in hers, not the bright cerulean my mates described seeing in mine or the glowing azure I’d seen in the cave, but a waning blue seeming to get lighter by the second.
That was her powers diluting as she gave the last she had to me.
In what felt like only seconds, her warmth, her hold on me had vanished. She breathed out a long exhale and closed her eyes.
“Are you okay?”
A faint smile passed over her lips. “I am. I took it all from you.”
I sat up, recognizing the pain and aches had all dissipated. “But you aren’t weak. You aren’t spent.”
She nodded. “You are still new to this. The more you practice, the more you will be able to withstand the taking.”
“Why don’t you eat?” I pointed to my tray, still full of food. I was hungry again and knew, because of her help, my stomach would accept the food. Despite her words, she looked a little pale.
“Because I like my own food. I prepared for this. I have a feast waiting for me at home.”
“Can someone escort her?” I worried my great-grandmother would not make it home.
“I can.” Escher stood, still not looking at me. I had the feeling he’d volunteered to get away from me, but why?
They walked out, and I sat up and reached for the tray. My stomach was definitely working.
I finished off the pancakes, sausage, and fruit in mere seconds with no more nausea.
Chapter Six
We passed a quiet day together at Moss’s house. The guys left occasionally but didn’t stay away long, and never more than two at any time, so I was always carefully guarded. And waited on hand and foot. It wasn’t as if I was good company, since I lay on my bed like some kind of old movie heroine, prostrate with a wasting condition. Not that the healing hadn’t taken. It had, as evidenced by the huge amount of food this movie noir heroine put away. Each time Escher left and returned, he closeted himself in the kitchen and produced more meals, for me and for the rest of my mates.
As well as the visitors who stopped by to visit and see if I was okay. Meanwhile, I worried about Mirella. So much I finally called Christie for help. The phone rang at least six times before she answered, sounding a little breathless. “Wendi? I thought you’d be asleep.”
“Explains why you aren’t here waking me up to make sure I’m okay every minute and a half like my mates are. They are watching me like I might explode or something.”
She giggled then cut it off. “They can’t hear you, can they?”
I snorted. “No. I told them I wanted to sleep a little, and asked for privacy. They’re so anxious to please, they didn’t seem to remember I sleep much better with one or more of them beside me.”
“Wendi! Don’t be mean. They were scared to death about you.” She said something else, but it was muffled.
“I think I missed part of what you said.” I propped the pillows at my back and sat up a little more.
“Oh, sorry. My neighbor came in.”
Oh. The neighbor. I had questions. Were they a thing now? But my mates could come in any minute, and if her “neighbor” was there, if Tris, the alpha’s twin brother had come to call…well, there would be better times to ask questions. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company. I’ll call later.” And find someone else to check on Mirella.
“No, it’s okay. He was just leaving. What’s up?”
“You sure? It’s no big deal.” I couldn’t resist teasing. “I don’t want to get in between you two if you’re still…busy.”
“You’re so bad! Luckily, he’s already gone. The man has hearing better than any other shifter I’ve ever met. Listen, if you’re awake, can I come over? Do you want me to bring anything?”
“With these mates? All I have to do is mention something—anything—and it’s here on a tray.”
“You’re so lucky. I mean…you’re having your share of shit shows but not with love! You have perfect mates.” The longing in her voice didn’t imply anything was settled with her and Tris. Or that they were anything more than neighbors, despite the fact I knew she really had a crush on him. “So, let me shower and get dressed and head on over.” Shower and dress? Was she undressed? But I decided not to push the issue. I’d interrogate her when she got here.
“Just bring yourself. But could you stop by Mirella’s first and check on her? She healed me—did you know that?”
“I heard. Wendi, I was terrified for you. But when I called, Cash said you escaped on your own after being dosed with the awful drug that kept you from walking or shifting in the past. I can’t imagine anything more cruel.” I heard the hiss of the shower starting. “Anyway, we’ll talk when I get there. I’ll check on Mirella and be right over.” A long silence, and I thought she’d hung up, but then she said, “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Who would I tell all my troubles to?” Her laugh wasn’t very merry. “You know what I mean.”
I did. She meant she had something weighing on her and needed someone to listen. “I’m here for you, bestie. Drive safe on your way over. And don’t eat first. Escher is on a cooking binge. I’d have thought he’d be as tired as me after fighting all those wolves last night, but I don’t think he’s sat down once all day since this morning.”
“See you soon.” And then she was gone, and not long after Moss and Cash were carrying in a tray of sandwiches and a big bowl of fresh fruit salad topped with at least ten scoops of rainbow sherbet. I’d like to say I was too full or too ladylike to indulge fully, but that would be a lie. I paused with a roast beef and gouda sandwich in one hand. “Escher still cooking, huh?”
Moss nodded.
So did Cash. “We’re thinking of hiring him out as a short-order cook if he doesn’t stop soon. We are running out of food.”
“Call the alpha’s house and get them to bring more. We’ll replace it later, but Escher seems to need to cook today. I guess it’s his way to react to the shock of it all.” Something occurred to me. “Has he eaten anything himself?”
“Not as far as we can tell.” Cash shrugged. “I’ve asked and so have the others, but he says he’s not hungry.”
I let the sandwich drop. “Oh no! Does he need healing, too?” After all, I hadn’t been able to eat myself until Mirella helped me.
“Probably not.” Moss pushed the bowl of fruit toward me. “Eat your dessert. He checks every plate and demands to know if you had enough to eat.”
“Tell him I’ve already eaten enough for the whole pack.” I dipped my spoon into the sherbet and managed to get a chunk of ripe, fragrant strawberry as well. “He won’t come in here, huh?”
“No.” Moss snagged a ruby grape. “He just wants to keep feeding you.” He tossed the grape in his mouth and chewed. “I guess until you get too heavy to be carried off by kidnappers.”
“Not funny!” Chase snapped, but I burst into startled laughter. “Wendi, don’t encourage him!”
And there we all were as Christie came sashaying in, carrying a bouquet of wildflowers and froze looking at us. “Hi there. What’s wrong?” She dropped the flowers, the stems scattering over the floor, and hurried to my side. “Are you bad again? Do I need to ask M
irella if she—”
“No!” I cut her off. “Don’t do that. Mirella gave me the very last of what she had to give. We can’t bother her…she…” I looked at my roomful of mates. “Would you guys mind if Christie and I were alone for a little girl talk?” I plastered on my most winning smile, but of course, they all knew we weren’t going to be discussing fashion. Still, they were gracious enough to leave for the living room and closed the door behind them.
Christie settled cross-legged at the foot of my bed and grabbed a spoon. We’d demolished the last of the fruit and melted sherbet, accompanied by Christie telling me Mirella was tired but okay, when a knock came on the door.
“I guess they wanted to check on us.” I rolled my eyes. “Come in.”
But it wasn’t one of my mates. It was the alpha, and he was halfway in the door when his gaze lit on Christie, and his cheerful greeting strangled in his throat.
What the heck was going on here?
He recovered quickly, stayed long rough to inquire after my health and schedule an appointment in a couple of days for me to come to his office so he and the elders could ask me questions, but I got the feeling he wanted out of here in a rush.
Christie never acknowledged his presence, and after he left, I arched an eyebrow and gave her my best interrogatory stare. “Want to explain what’s going on between you two? You were so rude to our alpha.”
“Was I? I didn’t mean to be. Now, tell me what’s going on with your house. I want to hear all about it.”
And she didn’t want to tell me what was going on with Tris, and why she was so angry with the alpha. Could the two issues be related? Maybe she was mad because he and his brother were not connecting? Had anyone told the alpha Tris was back in town? With Escher barely even able to look in my direction, I didn’t know what was going on there, either.
All this thinking stole the last bit of my energy, and all I wanted was a nap.
Chapter Seven
Escher had finally laid off cooking after I begged him to stop bringing me food. But my asking him, even in a joking way, seemed to deflate him more than usual.
And he hadn’t been the same since. Even the other guys noticed.
He was spending a lot of time running as his wolf, his escape from reality.
Plus, he hadn’t asked me to run with him, and being wolves together was kind of our thing. I missed our time in the woods.
“I know you can tell something is wrong with him.” I flicked Brandon playfully on the shoulder as he lay next to me in bed.
“Yeah, but it’s not my place. You should talk to him,” He said, effectively ending the conversation.
He was right. I had to find him.
“How’s the house coming along?” I not so smoothly changed the subject.
“It’s almost done. Should be a few more weeks. We had a lapse there with trying to find you and then your recovery time. Not that we mind at all. We are just so glad to have you back. It…” He choked on his words, and the emotion nailed me to the floor. Brandon was the jokester, always hiding behind sarcasm and nonchalance though he wasn’t fooling anyone, especially me.
“Brandon, it wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but those assholes from Rattlecreek who clearly don’t know how to take no for an answer.”
He blew out a breath. He and the others were still moving past the part where they blamed themselves.
I needed to handle Escher’s deal as well before he dug his emotional hole any deeper.
“I know.” Brandon offered me a poor excuse for a smile. “But the heartbreak and the pain…it’s going to take a little while for us to recover. And to not be absolute crazed maniacs about your safety.”
“I’m grateful. The truth is, it was my fault. I got caught up in the healing and forgot I can’t trust everyone. We all learned lessons for sure.” I sealed my words with a kiss and, before long, Brandon and I were making love, the first time since I’d been taken and, from his movements and the way he never took his gaze off of mine, I knew the action was as cathartic for him as it was for me.
We showered together, and I looked out the window after getting dressed. Brandon came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“You’ve got to make him know you don’t blame him. That he isn’t to blame. Nothing else will cure him.”
We both saw Escher phase out of his wolf form at the tree line and, on two legs, gather his clothes and put them on. The look on his face absolutely broke my heart. My mate was in pain, and Brandon was right. I was the only one who could soothe him at this point.
Except, first, I had to go to school and work a short afternoon shift. Moss came in a few minutes later to drive me.
School and work went by like an out-of-body experience. My mind was trained on Escher. Minutes ticked by like needles in my temples, reminding me it wasn’t time to go yet.
But I knew as soon as my feet hit the grounds of pack lands, I had to go to him.
There was no other choice.
“You want me to walk you?” Moss asked.
“You can walk most of the way.” There was no use in pretending. He and I both knew where I was going and why.
“Deal.”
True to his word, Moss walked me halfway to the new house where Escher was putting in overtime. They wanted it ready as soon as possible.
But what was the use of a new house if my mate was unhappy?
I stopped outside the window and waved to Moss, signaling I was okay. Escher was inside, taking his woes out on our new marble countertops, cleaning them, rubbing the cloth over and over in the same spot. His brow was drawn down, and his jaw was clenched.
I knocked on the door and waited for him to answer. He opened it, looking at me like I was a crazy person.
“Wendi, why are you knocking?” His voice was curt and forced.
“To get your attention. You were about to rub our marble into oblivion.” I leaned on the doorframe and shrugged one shoulder.
“You don’t have to do anything to get my attention, female. Part of my brain and my heart is always on you.”
I looked up at him, tears forming in my eyes. “I’ve missed you.”
He shuffled his feet. “I’m right here. I’ve been here.”
I reached out and touched my fingertips to his. “You are, but you aren’t. Your body is here, but it seems like your mind is a million miles away. Tell me what’s going on, mate.”
Chapter Eight
Escher, my mate who was best able to hide his emotions from me, from everyone…from himself. Even when lost in a welter of regret and guilt, he turned it toward doing something for me, for all of us. I’d always struggled with how to reach him without encroaching on his privacy, but as time passed, he’d let his walls down a little at a time.
“Can we sit down somewhere and talk?” I looked around at the beautiful home they were building for me, but of course, there were no chairs. Miles of gorgeous granite, gleaming floors, and since I’d last been in, they’d installed the stainless steel appliances. I’d never been much of a cook, but I wanted to give the eight burner Viking gas stove a try. “Uh…anywhere?”
I was starting to think we’d need to go somewhere else, maybe Moss’s house, when he reached for my hand, linked our fingers together, and led me toward the staircase off the center of the great room. “I know of a place.”
Curious, I followed him up to the second floor landing and down the hallway. A lot remained to be done on this level; we walked on unfinished boards, and I hoped my sneakers weren’t doing any damage. The wood trim, which would be painted, wasn’t yet, and there were a lot of details remaining, but it smelled so good. “Mmm, I love the smell of fresh paint and all this wood. I’m so glad our home isn’t all modern. It’s almost like the best cabin ever built.”
“It seemed to fit in with all the trees, and with the kit we bought, we were able to use a lot of wood from our own lands.” He stopped outside the room that would be his and paused, one hand on
the knob. “Want to come in?”
“Sure! Have you been working on it?” I hadn’t been in any of their rooms since they were just studs—the walls, not the guys who would be studs until their dying day, which hopefully would be after I was gone. I couldn’t imagine being without any one of them and staying on this plane. Escher pulled the door open and stepped back. “Oh my…wow!”
He waved me in, and I stepped past him, jaw dropped.
“What do you think?” Escher followed me around the generous space. “We made all the bedrooms the same size.”
“Huge?” I laughed and turned to give him a kiss. “I love it. All these windows to let in morning light. And, since you’re on the corner of the house, well into the afternoon, too, I think?”
He nodded. “I hope you haven’t gotten tired of picking out furniture and things or anything because I was going to ask for your help. I mean…” His tone was so flat, I cupped his chin and brought him to face me.
“Escher, what is the matter? And why is there a sleeping bag in the corner?” It was the only thing in the room, well, and a pillow and a small duffel bag next to it. “Is something wrong at Cash’s parents’ home?”
He looked startled and hurried to deny it. “Oh not at all. I wanted some time to myself to think about things.”
I wasn’t getting very far, and he’d gone from asking me to help him pick out furniture to giving me a bad feeling. “About anything in particular? Decor maybe? I have some ideas…”
He turned and strode toward the east-facing window, quiet for a long moment before saying, “No. Us.”
Oh hell no. “Escher? What about us? Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt your feelings or something?” I knew he was troubled about my kidnapping, but did he blame me for it? “Are you angry with me?” Maybe he was right…everyone had been in danger. But what could I have done?
“Angry?” he choked out, back still to me. “You should be angry with me. I almost lost you. You had to rescue yourself. Unforgiveable.”
Dominion: A Shifter of Consequence Tale (Shifters of Consequence Book 4) Page 3