“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.
Chapter Four
There was a tap at the door that made her body stiff before she curled into a ball. Maybe if she laid still, he would think she was sleeping. The tap came again, and she opened an eye giving the room a once over looking for a place to hide.
“Sage? Are you up?”
She shivered as the sound of Jim’s voice came through the door. What game was he playing? She calmed her breathing knowing it wouldn’t work but there was nowhere to hide. If she could just outlast him, she could run away. It didn’t matter where she went, she’d go to Alaska if it meant getting away from him.
“I asked you a question bitch.”
Please go away.
This is going to hurt. Fear whimpered, but she didn’t blame her. It always hurt when Jim hit her.
The door handle rattled, and she knew he was coming in. She turned her head just enough so she could see him. He was tall six feet even with blue eyes that should make you think of heaven, but it made her think of hell.
Please go away. It was the mantra whispering through her head. All she wanted was a chance to get away to live a nice quiet life where no one bothered her or even noticed her.
You want to be one of the apparitions. The alien in her head told her. Our kind was never meant to be like them. All you need is your other.
What she needed to do was get the hell out of here before he beat her to death but there would be no escaping for her.
“Sage get up.” He took one fist and slammed it into the palm of his other hand. It was how he let her know he was going to beat the crap out of her.
Not again she twisted in the bed the sheets holding onto her hot body. She wouldn’t be able to survive him beating her.
She watched horror on her face as he approached her. If she were going to die she might as well go out fighting. When he bent over her, she yelled as loud as she could and started hitting him, kicking him. Words that would embarrass her in the light of day came out her mouth.
He backed up, but she couldn’t stop, rage fueled her tirade. She stood up and followed him still screaming and hitting him until she became tired. Her arms fell at her side as the heat of her body poured over her making it so that she was too weak to fight back. She dropped to the floor waiting to feel his heavy hands on her.
She looked up to see his face warped with anger. What had she seen in him that attracted her? How could she miss that fact that he was a cold-blooded killer?
“Do it.” The longer she waited for him to hit her, to make her pay for the audacity of fighting for her life, the more she knew that tonight she would die.
“Sage.” The disgust and the pure venom that poured out of his mouth had her crawling towards the bedroom door.
Maybe he’ll let us leave, hope spoke.
Fear whimpered in the corner not wanting to be a hitting bag anymore.
She crawled faster only to find him blocking the doorway.
“Just do it,” she screamed using the rest of her energy.
“I will.” She cringed because the voice was almost tender for a moment.
He reached down, she closed her eyes as she saw his fist coming for her face. When her body was lifted, she tightened it. Was he going to throw her out the window? Were they high enough for her to die from the impact?
She felt herself being moved and tried to fight, but her strength was gone. She was falling. Her eyes opened to find herself sitting on a lap being held in a chair. A hand was stroking her back like she was an infant and the person holding her was rocking slightly.
It was the guttural sound of the voice holding her and the words that finally got through to her.
“I will kill him unless you chose to do it yourself.”
Her head started to rock back and forth. “No, please no,” she whispered.
“I hurt you.” Her heart was breaking. She didn’t know Caden, but he didn’t deserve her rage for trying to help her.
She broke down in his arms allowing the bitterness she was feeling to flow out.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.”
“I hit you.”
“And kicked me. It’s okay. You needed to fight back, and I am happy you chose me.”
“Why?” She looked at him with fever bright eyes.
He put her on the couch and went to get her meds. When he came back, he had them and a glass of water. He picked her up before he gave her the pills and then made sure she took her inhaler. Wrapping his arms around her, he began to rock slowly and speak in a language she never heard before. The words flowed making her feel cherished. Eventually, her eyes closed and she slept. He kept rocking her until her fever finally broke.
He stood and took her to bed lowering her carefully so she wouldn’t wake. Once he was sure, she was comfortable his fingers trailed over her cheek.
“Because you’re my mate.” He answered the question she asked earlier before leaving the room.
*~*~*~*
Sage woke up to a smell that made her stomach rumble, and she knew she was in trouble. She slipped out the bed and looked at her white nightgown lying on the floor and carefully moved to her suitcase where she had the matching red robe for the gown she was wearing.
Her moments of breaking down last night as well
as the feel of being held by Caden helped to put her thoughts in order. She had been ready to give up. Let fate have its way even if it meant the end of her existence. Honestly, she was pretty sure part of it was because she felt like a house landed on her. The meds seemed to be helping to some degree, she was feeling better today.
The rest of the reason was because running was tiring, and she was weary and wanted to rest. The only rest she thought she would get was in death but time spent being held told her differently, it reminded her that there was still more in this world to look forward to. There were green eyes that could enchant and black hair that could fascinate. She shrugged off the drug induced dream from last night. There was no way she would ever be able to fight Jim like she did in the dream. Memories of Caden holding her, rocking her teased her mind. She shrugged that off as drug induced too.
She pulled herself together before she walked into the living room not knowing what she would find. Caden was lying on the couch that wasn’t long enough for him. His arm was above his head pulling on the muscles in his chest. She could see those muscles clearly since he was shirtless. He should be made to wear a shirt. How was she supposed to keep her panties dry if he went around like this?
Her mouth opened, and she licked her lips. This was the first time in over a year that she had a sexual thought towards a male. What was happening to her?
Your body is waking up. About time, her libido was laughing happily.
He’s ours; you just don’t get it yet. Her alien side chimed in.
She shook her head trying to dislodge the thoughts and the other voices that were pouring in one after the other.
Yes, she was going to get her life back in order and stand up for truth, justice, and the American way. That didn’t mean she got to keep Caden, or that she even wanted him.
Are we lying to ourselves now?
Once again, she ignored the alien voice in favor of getting a little closer to him. She wanted to touch him, so she put her hands behind her back. No touching someone else’s mate. Mate, someone who would spend forever with you. She rejected the thought. Yes, she had seen many people who were married well into their old age, but that wasn’t in store for her. When this was over, she was becoming celibate, although she’d have to be far away from him. He made her want to straddle him and yell ride em cowboy.
She took a step backward. A hand reached out and grabbed her pulling her down. A slight ‘ump’ came out as she hit his hard chest before she punched him.
“You scared me.” Her heart was beating wildly as her nipples tried to rub against his chest. It was taking all the self-control she had not to rub her throbbing pussy against his thick thigh.
“You don’t look scared to me.”
“Well, looks can be deceiving. I thought you were asleep.”
“Nope, I just didn’t want to scare you by being awake.”
She looked down, his eyes were bright and full of mischief. Laughter that she couldn’t hold back came from her. The joy in the smile he gave her did it, and her body relaxed on him as she let the joy of life run away with her for a little while.
“You’re not supposed to do this.” She thumped him on the chest once again. His chest was warm and thick making her want to spread her hand and allow her palm and fingers to bask in the warmth.
“Do what?”
“Make me smile and laugh. I need to remember that I have nothing to be happy about.”
He sat up placing his hands on her to make sure she ended up sitting on his lap.
“Will not enjoying life change anything you’re going through?”
“No. Are you saying I should just ignore what happened to me? Should I act like it never occurred?”
“I have a brother, a twin; his name is Xander. He says I’m the reasonable one. I make the plan to discover how to deal with what’s happing. If that plan doesn’t work, then he says that’s where he comes in. He makes a different plan to destroy the enemy coming after us. All I’m saying is we work to get your life back, and if that doesn’t work, then we go to Plan B.”
“I bet your mother found the two of you to be little hellions when you were kids.”
“We don’t have a mother.”
“I don’t have a father.” She jumped up and bit her lip not wanting to talk about families. “What smells so good?”
“The soup, I was about to check on it when you came out here in your seductive gown and robe.”
She blushed. Red cheeks and red hair she must look a mess. “Lead the way to the kitchen. I need to check out this soup.”
He stood and went to the kitchen with her following him.
“Have a seat it’s time for your meds.” She sat while he pulled out the pills.
“I don’t need that.” She eyed the albuterol before pushing it away.
“Then why are you struggling to breathe?”
A frown tilted her lips before she listened to herself. “How can you hear me breathing? I can barely hear myself.”
“I have exceptional hearing. It has kept me alive more than once.”
She took her meds and then picked up the inhaler.
“You don’t know me. Why do you care?”
“Do I have to know you first to care?”
Did he? She had reached out to so many people asking for help and receiving nothing. Not that she blamed them, they were afraid. In her world, you needed a reason to help someone you didn’t know, and she hadn’t given him that reason.
“This may sound jaded, but I’ve come to understand that people need a reason to help.”
“I’m different, but I can give you reasons.”
“What are they?”
“You’re not ready to hear them yet. When was the last time you ate?” He went to the stove to turn off the soup, then picked up a bowl and started to fill it.
“It’s been a while.”
“That I know. How long?”
She looked down playing with her fingers. “Does it matter?”
“Yes.” He went to get her a spoon.
“Two weeks.”
Her words hit him deep making him stop. He stood still with his hand in the drawer holding the spoon.
“Why?” He brought it back to her and pulled up a chair as she sniffed at the soup.
“I thought it made sense.”
“Explain to me how not eating made sense.” He dipped the spoon in the soup and held it before her mouth until she finally opened wide and took the bite.
“That’s good. You made it?”
“There was a time that I made almost all the food. Sometimes Xander cooked, but mostly it was me.” He dipped the spoon in the soup and fed her another bite. “You were explaining to me about not eating.”
“Things got messed up in my head for a while. I wasn’t sure who I was anymore. I kept hearing an evil voice that told me I would be better off dead. I knew it wasn’t coming from me, but it felt like it. I thought at first if I stopped eating, then I would be like everyone else. They ate salads and carrot sticks so they can be swimsuit ready.
“If I looked like the world, then they would stop pursuing me. I could be left alone to live my life. Then I thought I’ll just starve myself to death. After a while, I knew it wasn’t the answer, but I kept it up as a way to punish myself. I’m full.”
She turned away and stood up. Caden was in front of her, but she never saw him move.
“You’re not done. I can smell your hunger. You’re going to sit down and eat.”
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“You’re right, but you’re going to sit and eat because you know it’s the right thing to do. Save your anger for the one who upset you. I don’t deserve his wrath.”
She sat on the chair with a loud thump. He was right. It was so easy to get angry with someone when you knew they wouldn’t hurt you.
She picked up her spoon and started eating. The soup was better than good. It reminded her of when her mom used to spend all day in the kitchen and come out wit
h meals that her grandma used to make.
He was standing beside her; she could see him out the corner of her eyes. His arms were crossed over his chest making the muscles stand out. His legs were spread making her eyes want to roam over his lean hips and thick thighs.
“You’re still here? I thought you would have run for the door by now.”
“Why, because you raised your voice and showed some spunk?”
“Spunk?”
“The life force within you that would rather fight than lie down and die.”
She took bite after bite until she was full.
“I’m full.” He took her bowl and placed it in the sink.
She stood looking around the kitchen. It had a homey type of feeling to it. For a moment, she wished she could stay here forever.
“Do you want to watch television with me?”
He turned around to look at her. “I’d like that.”
She went into the living room and turned it on. He came and sat on the couch with her. He wasn’t holding her like last night, but he sat close enough so that she could feel his body temperature. He wrapped her up in a blanket making her feel protected.
“You must run warm.”
“I do. Does it bother you?”
“No, I like it.”
They turned to look at the screen.
“What is this?”
“Reruns.” He gave her a blank look. “You know when they play movies or series from a long time ago, reruns. This is Wonder Woman. Did you ever watch it when you were a kid?”
“No.”
“You were probably too busy watching something military. I’m sorry to have to tell you; you missed out.”
“This Wonder Woman can avoid bullets with her bracelets?”
“Yep, she is tough. No matter what happens, she can take care of herself.”
“Is that why you like her?”
“I like that’s she strong. No one messes with her. There was a time I thought I was strong too, then I went on the run.”
Caden (The Wolves Den Book 4) Page 3
