Chapter Three

A groan left her lips. What happened last night? She had a bizarre dream of being shot. Her hand moved to her chest and belly but didn’t feel blood or a bullet hole. Maybe it was just her mind telling her to be wary around… Around… Why couldn’t she remember?

Her eyes shot open, and she sprang to a sitting position making her head throb, and the room wavered in front of her eyes.

“Help me, please.” Where was she? Who was she?

“Calm down, you're safe.”

Large hands were on her arms holding her to the world she no longer wanted to be a part of.

“Who are you?” He was handsome. His green eyes called to her, told her a story that might take a lifetime to interpret. His dark hair fell over his face lending a masculine grace. His body was big, but that appealed to her. She already felt small next to him. His hands were warm on her exposed skin. She liked everything about him, even the gray sheen he had.

“My name is Xander.”

“Xander, do you know who I am?”

“Don’t you remember?” She shook her head. “Do you remember getting shot?”

“I thought that was a dream. How did I survive?”

“Cait and Tristan, our doctors, took care of you.”

“I’ll have to thank them. How did I get here?”

“We found you.”

“Found me?” Her eyes were wide with distress as she looked around the room.

“Can you stand up?”

“I don’t know.”

“Xander, what’s happening?” Cait walked into the room.

“She can’t remember her name. I was going to take her to the mirror hoping her reflection would jog her memory.”

“Your name is Saffron. Your license was in the pocket of the jeans you had on. It was the only piece of identification on you.”

“My name is Saffron.” She turned to Xander and gave him a smile.

“Do you remember anything?” She shook her head.

“Xander let her lay down. Saffron, I’m Cait. Tristan and I operated on you last night. You lost a lot of blood. Fortunately, we had your blood type readily available.”

“You saved my life.”

“We did. Maybe one day you’ll do the same.”

She gave a nod. It looked like she wasn’t the only one with a few screws loose. She couldn’t even save her life much less someone else’s.

“Your memory will come back. I don’t know at what rate. Somewhere between the trauma you went through, and several of the newer healing methods we used on you is why you lost some time.”

She pulled out her stethoscope to listen to Saffron’s heart before checking her vitals and finally looking at the wounds in her abdomen.

“Calm your breathing and close your eyes. Tell me the last thing you can remember.”

“I’m waking up, but I can’t see the room. It’s in shadows. I know I have to go see him today. I’m scared I don’t know why, but I don’t think I like him.”

“That’s a lot to remember. Your memory is there I think it will come back in bits and flashes.”

“Thank you. I don’t even know where I live.”

“I’d like you to stay close for a while. By the time your memory comes back, you’ll know where you live.”

“Thank you. How long do I have to stay in the hospital?” She didn’t hear normal hospital noise and assumed it must be a private one. “I don’t know if I have insurance.”

“Don’t worry we will work it all out later after you get your memory back.”

“Thanks.” She owed this doctor a lot. Her name was Saffron. She liked it.

“You can leave.”

“I can?” She heard about the quick turnaround in hospitals, but this seemed amazing.

“You’re not going far, and Tristan and I make house calls.”

Saffron went to throw her legs over the bed and remembered every reason she hated hospital gowns.

“Some of the females donated clothes for you to wear. You’ll notice that the lingerie still has tags on it, so you're good there.”

“How long have I been here?”

“Eight days,” Xander answered that question. His voice sounded tortured which made her want to comfort him.

“I noticed while taking care of you that you are a natural redhead.”

Saffron’s brown skin became ruddy with color. Most people assumed she dyed her hair, and she didn't correct them. It was none of their business that she was born with red hair and green eyes. Her dad always said she was the spitting image of her mom but only when he had too much to drink.

The smirk on Cait’s face like she knew something that Saffron didn’t annoyed her.

“If you give me a few minutes to change.” Xander and Cait walked out the room leaving her alone.

She stood, and a wave of dizziness took over. Having no place to go, she waited patiently for it to pass. Later, she would have to remember to get her license back. It had the only known information about her. She walked to the mirror to meet eyes she only vaguely remembered.

“Every door needs a key.” The words drifted through her mind making her shiver.

She ignored them and went to the bags and pulled out something to wear. Thank God that the women who offered her clothes were thicker. She found a bra and a pair of panties that matched, then she put on jeans and a cami with a sweater over it. The weather had been acting like it’s boyfriend jilted it. One day, it was crying and cold. The next it was laughing and sunny. No one knew how to dress anymore. She was waiting for it to wash its hair and discover it had dandruff. That brought a smile to her face. The calendar said it was still summer, but she was waiting for snowflakes.

Looking at her face, she wished she had some gloss, but she was as ready as she would ever be. With measured steps, she approached the door and opened it.

“I managed to get dressed without falling!” She wanted to show off and stretch her arms wide, but that was probably doing more than she was capable of right now.

“You have to take it slow. Just because you look well doesn’t mean you are. You went through a lot when we accelerated your healing.”

“I know; it feels like every part of me is weak. I can move but only when I concentrate on it.”

“That sounds right so be careful. Do not reach over your head, or try to stand on a chair or a stool. When your body says sit or rest, do it. The more you listen to your body the faster you will heal.”

“Thank you, doctor, I will listen.”

“I wonder if I can get others to call me doctor? You should probably call me Cait that way you can fit in with the rest of them.”

Xander moved around them and went into the room to pick up Saffron’s bags.

“The walk will feel like forever to you. Remember you can take a break at any time. Xander won’t rush you.”

“Cait’s right I won’t rush you.”

He bent down and picked her up in his arms cradling her.

“This way, you won’t use up the energy you have.” He carried her out as she opened and closed her mouth looking for the right words to say.

“You’re carrying me.”

“I am.”

“I’m heavy.”

“If you say so.”

Why was he doing this? She was a stranger to him. Why did he care if she used up the little energy she had? Where was this place? She didn’t know it, but she kept having glimpses of a road that led to somewhere unknown.

People were standing out on porches staring as Xander carried her. The desire to bury her head was strong. Instead, she looked at them meeting their gazes. When you almost die, your priorities realign and hiding wasn’t one of hers, not anymore.

“He looks like you.” A male was standing on the porch with a woman who had the same red hair and green eyes as her.

“He’s my twin.”

“That must be nice. I always wished I had a twin that I could talk to and tell all my secrets.”

“He keeps me grounded.”

They walked on until he stopped at a garage. “Enzo and Deja have an apartment on top of the garage. They gave me permission for you to stay there.”

“That’s kind of them.”

He walked up the stairs and opened the door. A scent hit her nose making her consciousness of the fact that she was hungry.

“I don’t know what that is, but it smells divine.”

“That means my brother was here and cooked us a meal. He’s the real cook. I can get by, but I’d rather eat his food.”

“Are you two close?”

“We are. He just met his mate.”

“That’s the best and the worst.” He looked down at her. “You gained a sister, but now she has a right to your brother’s time that once used to be yours.”

“Exactly.” He put her down. “Her name is Sage. It wasn’t so long ago that she stayed here.”

“Saffron and Sage. I like how that sounds.” She moved away from him and looked around the living room. “I like this it’s spacious but cozy.” There was a television mounted to the wall and a couch with a chair on either side of it. She found the kitchen by following her nose.

“Can we eat?”

“Yes.” She went to the sink and washed her hands as she watched him move around. Cooking might not be his thing, but he was comfortable here.

There was lasagna with rolls and a nice side salad.

“Caden made the rolls from scratch.” He sat the food on the table before he joined her.

“Are you jealous of him at times?” The look in his eyes told her that normally he wouldn’t have this conversation. She sat patiently wondering what he would say.

“At times, I am. I wonder what I have to offer when he has so much to give.”

“Did you sit with me the whole time I was unconsciousness?”

“I did.”

She couldn’t understand why he did, but she felt his presence. When she woke up to the scent of raw male mixed with sandalwood, she had been in heaven, and she knew it was him. The memory of her trying to leave her body, leave the Earth came back to her. She had been bathed in that smell as a deep voice told her to hang on, and he would do the same.

“Any male willing to sit with someone he doesn’t know, no matter the reason has a lot to give. I think when you finally meet your wife or mate as you called it, she will be more than happy to be with you.”

He gave her a searching look. “Thank you.”

“I meant what I said. You took care of me while I was out, and that is something I can never repay. It’s a kindness I can barely understand. I don’t remember what happened to me, but no one just shoots a person without a reason.”

She took a bite and forced herself not to rejoice at how good the food tasted.

“You don’t have to contain yourself. I get to eat this every day I know just how good it is.”

She gave him a wide grin. “Both, you and your brother's mate are lucky.”

She ate the roll, but she couldn’t help touching the blank spot in her mind.

“Someone is trying to kill me.”

“Richard.”

“Who?”

“You told me his name was Richard when we found you.”

She placed her hand on her head and started rocking. The name hurt her brain. It brought up images of a black shadow wrapped around her ankle. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like her mind was on fire. A scream left her mouth; she was dying again as her throat closed. She was never meant to live and the shadow; Koyzal, would put her out of her misery.