“I can still do an exam to check the physical health of the babies,” the doctor agreed. “I can do that now, Lacey, and then I can check over the woman you brought home with you. I have an appointment with Pietro in an hour so I can fit her in before I attend him.”
Rafe and Lacey looked at each other, silently communicating as Mallen waited. The Alphas finally turned to him. “We’ll hold off on that, Mallen. ” Rafe answered. “The less the pack knows the better right now. Someone would notice us heading over to the medical centre and they’d start to speculate. Give me an update on both Reasa and Pietro when you’re finished with them.”
The Alphas waited for the doctor to leave and then Rafe gathered Lacey close and kissed her deeply. “Everything is going to be fine, Lacey. As soon as Annie’s back, you’ll see the babies are just fine.”
Lacey held her mate close, silently saying a prayer that his words were true. It would break her heart to lose her babies. Everything had to be okay. It just had to.
*****
“Thereasa, you need to let me in.” Liam’s quiet words drifted through the hallway as he leaned his forehead against the closed wood panelled door. He’d taken his mate up to his bedroom and left her on the bed as he’d hurried back downstairs to prepare a quick sandwich for her. Now that she was human she would need to eat and he anticipated it wasn’t something that would cross her mind. He wanted to have some food ready when she started to focus more on the world around her.
When he’d returned, the door was closed and locked, and though he could easily have forced his way in, he opted to talk to her through the barrier, to try to convince her to let him in. He wanted his mate to feel safe. The only way to do that was to allow her the space and boundaries she needed until she came to him voluntarily. But he ached to be with her, his wolf demanding they check that their mate was healthy despite her ordeal.
“Please, Thereasa. Your body’s been through a traumatic ordeal. You will need to eat to replenish the loss of energy. I mean you no harm, I swear. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
There was a long moment of silence and then the key turned in the lock. Liam waited for a slow count of five before he carefully turned the doorknob and eased it open. As it swung wide, he saw his mate in the far corner, her arms hugging her body tightly, her green eyes full of distrust as she watched him.
Even in her bedraggled state, she was the most exotic creature he had ever seen. Her ebony hair tumbled chaotically around her oval face, the lush soft caramel of her skin an invitation to run his fingers softly against it. He was certain she wouldn’t thank him for trying that, so he kept his distance and crossed to the bedside table to set down the tray he’d prepared for her. He kept his movements slow so as not to frighten her any further than she already was.
“It’s just a sandwich and some milk. I presume it has been many years since you’ve had to eat. I figured it’s best not to give you too much food until your body becomes accustomed to it again. I wasn’t sure what you liked so made a couple of different kinds. Please, come sit and eat, Thereasa. I will stand over by the open door.”
She watched him suspiciously, as he did as he said, moving away to give her as much room as his wolf could stand to give her. It was so hard to give her what she clearly needed when everything in him wanted to gather her into his arms and tell her everything would be all right, but he had to do this for her. She was like a nervous colt and so very fragile now. He had to make sure she was taken care of both physically and emotionally.
*****
Thereasa watched the abomination closely, recognising that he was managing her and feeling her anger rise at his proprietorial stance. She wasn’t so lost in the events that had happened, that she didn’t recognise the huge redheaded male thought he was claiming her. The very thought made her stomach churn and she had to fight down the need to empty her stomach.
The strange sensation plus the odd rumbling sound from her body threatened to bring fresh tears to her eyes but she swallowed and held them back as best she could. She wouldn’t cry in front of him again. She wouldn’t cry in front of anyone ever again. She would somehow come to terms with what had happened and when she did, she would find some way to escape.
She tried to find her other half, and reached deep within her mind. All that she found was a blank space where her vampiric nature once lived. It was as if someone had reached inside and cut out half of her soul. The loss threatened to crush her and she fought to find some inner balance. She was alive. That was more than she’d expected to be once she’d made her decision so long ago in Europe. She should be thankful for that… all the rest she would find some way to come to terms with.
Her empathic abilities were still intact which was another surprise. She’d thought the redheaded witch would have stripped her of her mental abilities but it appeared she hadn’t. No, she’d just taken everything else from her, everything that made her who she was. Reasa felt more tears threaten and she forced them down, drawing on the iron will that had kept her alive for so long. Her mental strength was all she had left. She had to remain strong.
She was human now. The thought resounded in her mind and fear rose sharply. Dear God, she was human, which meant she was at the mercy of everything and everyone around her. One wrong step on her part and she would be dead. If the pack considered her a threat, she would be executed. If the vampires got their hands on her, the same. If Louis sent someone after her… there would be nothing that could save her, not even her would-be protector.
They thought they were so inviolate here but she had proven them wrong. Louis would prove them all wrong too, if he judged her defection worthy of spending time to take care of. He wouldn’t rest until she was dead and would send assassin after assassin until they returned with her head.
The irony of the situation was that she wanted to live now. When she was still a vampire hunting the abominations, she was prepared to die in her quest. She had failed that mission, been stripped of her immortality and now she wanted to live. She had to rely on the very person she’d tried to kill to keep her safe. It was so fucking tragic it was laughable.
“Thereasa, please eat.”