Chapter Three

 

 

“Jessie would you be willing to pick up these ingredients for me?” Caden handed her a list.

“Making soup?”

“It’ll help her.”

“I think a bowl of it would help me too.” She flashed him a smile getting one in return.

“You will definitely get a bowl.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Here’s the script. I already called the pharmacist and told him what I wanted. He’ll have it together all he needs is this.”

“I’ll be back as soon as possible. Mia is with Godmom Deja. Cole is waiting for me in the car.” She stopped at the door and looked back in the room. “Did you ever think our lives would be intertwined the way they are?”

“No, but I’m thankful.” Declyn reached out and pulled Fire closer to him.

Jessie left closing the door softly behind her.

“I don’t want to leave her alone tonight.” Cait went back into the room to check on her.

Caden walked to the couch and made himself comfortable. Declyn took Fire’s hand before they moved toward the door.

“We will check on her tomorrow.” Fire smiled and walked out the door following her mate.

Tristan stood and stretched before he said goodnight and left.

“That leaves the three of us.” She looked at Caden and then Xander. “I’m going to explain what needs to happen, call me if you forget something.” She left after giving them both the instructions.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

Xander gave a slight nod to his head. “I feel her like you do, but she’s not calling out to me. I don’t have to take care of her in any other way except that she feels like a sister to me.”

“Makes sense. Most of us wouldn’t know what a sister or a brother feels like. We’re a strange pair.”

“I always wondered why they didn’t put us to death, but I wasn’t going to ask. I’m going to go home. If you need anything, you call.”

Caden walked his brother to the door before he gave him a tight hug. He watched as he walked down the stairs before he walked back inside.

He sat on the couch thinking about family. Xander was his twin older by forty seconds. There was a bond between them that went beyond the fact that they were mentally linked. At times, he thought the connection was soul deep, but they didn’t have a soul. They were genetically engineered. He leaned back and closed his eyes thinking about Sage.

 

She sat up in bed. There was no way she could wear the gown she had on. It was hot and thick and plastered to her. She stripped it off using it to dry her sweat slick body. She grasped it with both hands and tried to tear it, but nothing happened. Instead, she threw it to the floor then stood to kick it away.

Carefully she maneuvered to where she left her other one. She bent holding onto the edge of the mirror and picked the gown up sliding it over her head. There was no one here but her to see what shouldn’t be seen.

Turning she lost her balance and gave a small scream before she stumbled her way back to bed.

“Sage?” There was a knock on her door before it opened.

“Caden? What are you doing here? You have to leave.” The look on her face was horrified as she tried to cover herself using her hands.

“What are you doing?”

“You can’t look at me close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Please close them.”

“They’re closed, now tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m supposed to be wearing the other nightgown, but I hate it.”

“I agree with you there; it is not all that attractive.” He waited several heartbeats for her to go on. “You’re explaining remember?”

“I’m an abomination.”

“A what?”

“I’m someone who is so horribly ugly that others look at me with disgust.”

“I see. Who told you that?”

She bit her lip and tried to climb onto the bed. “Just give me a minute, and I’ll hide under the cover.”

He grabbed her before she could move and held her up in the air.

“What are you doing?”

She was kicking her feet like a child trying to get down.

“Sage, you don’t know me, and maybe I don’t have the right to say this. All I see in front of me is a desirable female.” He put her down, and she moved back.

“Look at me.”

“I’m looking; you're beautiful even with that tired look on your face, and the fact that you don’t seem to like yourself right now.” He looked into her green eyes that were tired but still seemed to shine. Her red hair flowed over her back begging him to touch. Her body that could finally be seen in the sinful red gown she was wearing was beautiful.

“I like myself.”

“Then why did you say that about yourself?”

“You ever have someone tell you repeatedly that you’re nothing? I’ve listened to that for roughly a year. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know. I just didn’t want to hear you…” She hesitated before going on. “I just didn’t want to hear you say that.”

It amazed her that she could still feel. Every day she worked on building a wall around any emotion that could attack her. She only had room for fear because it helped to stroke the desire to survive. It felt like a blow to her gut when she realized that this stranger’s opinion of her was important.

“Then you have nothing to worry about. I don’t know you yet, but I know you refused to give up. That’s why you’re here. To me that says a lot.”

“Thanks, I would say you’re a nice guy, but I’ve been down that road before.”

He nodded, “You need rest.”

“I’m not tired.” Her voice was defiant, and her shoulders tensed while her fingers curled up in a ball.

He kept the smile to himself. Her defiance let him know she was still alive. She wasn’t ready to give up no matter what her words said.

“Do you want to come into the living room with me?”

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be home?”

“I should, but someone needs to keep an eye on you. I volunteered.”

“Oh.” Of course, he was only being nice. What had she expected?

We expected more. The alien voice in her head told her.

I was hoping for romance. The part of her that still dreamed told her.

I didn’t want to have to be scared. Fear chimed in.

She was hoping for more even though she didn’t think there was more out there for her.

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Cait says you have a bacterial infection. Jessie went to the store to pick up some medicine for you.”

“Wait let me get this straight. A doctor came to see me, and someone went to the pharmacy to pick medicine up for me?”

“That’s about it. The Alphas were here and Tristan our doctor was here. Cait seems to always be the primary on the females though. Xander my brother was here. We wanted to make sure you were going to be fine.”

She swayed on her feet her hand went to her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“Dizzy.”

He picked her up. “Bed or living room?”

“I’m cold.”

“There’s a throw on the couch.” He carried her into the other room and laid her down before tucking the throw around her.

“How did you get stuck with babysitting me?”

“I sat on the couch and waited for everyone else to leave.”

She laughed wrapping her arms around her middle. “Don’t make me laugh that hurts.”

He smiled at her. “I like your laugh it’s beautiful.”

“I bet you do this a lot.”

"What?"

"Charm women."

“I don’t.”

She turned over on the couch until she got comfortable. “I think your green eyes and that dark hair along with your smile makes women everywhere drop their panties.”

He laughed. It was loud and filled with wonder, and she couldn’t help responding to it.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“No, I was thinking that before Deja came, I wouldn’t have understood what you just said to me.”

“Deja?” A fist gripped her heart making the beat slow down. He’s not mine she told herself. So what, he came to see me every night before I went to bed, that doesn’t mean I have a claim on him. It didn’t matter she wanted to hate Deja. Her eyes closed not wanting to remember that she didn’t have time to find a male of her own.

“She’s Enzo’s mate. This is their apartment that you’re staying in.”

“Fire told me about her. I forgot. There is so much going on that sometimes I forget things.”

“Alpha said that you have been running trying to stay alive and on top of that you’re sick. I think it would be easy to forget something under those circumstances.”

She lifted her head to look at him. “You’re not upset?”

“No, why would I be?”

“Where is your woman?” She changed the subject without blinking.

“I don’t have a mate.”

“Mate? You used that word with Deja and Enzo.”

“The one you will spend the rest of your life with.”

“Wife.”

“No mate. I understand that wives and husbands are not always together forever.”

“You can’t always know your love won’t last. Sometimes you meet someone who seems so kind and caring. He treats you like a queen and then one day he changes. No rhyme or reason. Your life becomes a hell you can’t run away from.”

“Did that happen to you?”

“We’re talking about you remember. So, if you don’t have a mate where is your girlfriend?”

“I don’t have one.”

She gave a short bitter laugh. “I know better than that. Look at you, there is probably a line of women from your front door down the street.”

“Thank you.”

She looked at him through narrow eyes. What was his issue? She couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with him. He was treating her nice, but that didn’t make him nice. He made her heart race, but it could just be the infection. She was hot and bothered by him, but that could be the infection too. There was no way for her to know what she was feeling right now.

Intrigued, that was how she was feeling. She wanted to get to know him despite her better judgment that was telling her to run hard and fast.

“Caden, have you ever landed someplace that you thought might be safe for you? At the same time, you were scared it was all a dream, and you’d open your eyes and find yourself back in hell?”

“I’ve had that feeling before.”

She started shaking as she pulled the cover closer to her body. “I’m so cold.” Her teeth chattered making her eardrums throb.

He pulled her into his arms using his body heat to warm her.

Jessie found them snuggled together when she walked into the apartment. She put the ingredients she purchased up before bringing a cup of water to the living room and handing it to Caden.

“I’m back. I put everything up, but Sage needs a dose of medicine.”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime I can help I will.”

He reached down and touched the side of her face. “Sage wake up.”

She jerked awake screaming. “I didn’t do it; I swear.”

Her eyes were filled with fear as she swept the room. When she realized where she was embarrassment reddened her cheeks.

“Sage, this is Jessie. She went and picked up your medicine. I have water and pills right here.”

“Thanks.” She took the water and downed the medicine he gave her. For a moment, she wondered what she just took then she shrugged. She trusted Caden more than she trusted anyone else in the last two years. That said a lot about her life, but there was no sense lying to herself.

“Hi Jessie, I’m Sage.”

“Nice to meet you, Sage. If you ever want to talk, I understand what it means to flinch because you don’t know whether you’ll be hit or not. Have a good night.”

Jessie let herself out. Caden picked Sage up and took her into the bedroom. He tucked her in and left closing the door gently behind him.

She wiped her face and refused to cry simply because she missed the warmth of his arms.