Chapter 29
S hannon
My body twitched, jolting me from the land of nod and back into the real world with a racing heart and sweat-slicked skin. I lay with the soft pillow under my hot cheek, blinking as I tried to make sense of the anxiety swirling in my chest. Automatically, my hand rose, and I rubbed at the ache under my sternum.
What the fuck…
Shaking and weak, I forced my arm out from the duvet’s warmth and blindly patted the bedside cabinet for my phone.
“Fuck it.”
Of course. I didn’t have a phone. I hadn’t had one for months…
I sighed and closed my scratchy eyes. Stone had taken it. Giving myself a minute, I lay with my eyes closed and let my brain scramble back through my memory to why I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.
Mother fucking Wolf! Stone! His dick of a father. His sister—the bitch. And that weird Darkling Fae, Holt. Damn. He’d stabbed me with his magic. I blinked and shot upright. There’d been pain. So much pain. Enough that my heart raced, and I quickly patted around my body, dreading what I might find. My sigh was long and relieved when I found only a couple of soft dressings attached to my abdomen, and there was very little pain.
“Stone?” I croaked, barely even able to form his name. My eyes burned as an aching sense of loss hit me, along with a kind of exhausted anger that I didn’t understand. I pushed the covers off and dropped my legs over the edge.
“Whoa…” said a voice as I pushed into a sitting position. And promptly fell off the bed onto my knees. I grunted at the pain in my kneecaps, my palms slamming down onto the floor to stop my fall, grateful when, somehow, I managed to stop myself from face-planting. That didn’t stop the room from spinning, though. Shit, this was the hangover from hell without the good night out before. Saliva rushed my mouth, a storm whirling in my gut, so it was a hot minute before I could breathe deeply enough to make it settle and open my eyes. Through it all, a gentle hand rubbed circles in the middle of my back.
“Take it easy.”
I couldn’t acknowledge my friend when I was focused on keeping my stomach contents where they belonged and not spilling them on the beautiful carpet. I took a deep breath in and blew it out between pursed lips. Gods only knew why it helped, but it did. When I could lift my head without the room tilting, I peered up.
“Hey, girl.” My greeting was pathetic and raspy, especially when my lips stuck together, and my throat was so dry.
In true form, Blue grinned instead of giving me sympathy. “Hey. I’d ask how you’re doing, but I guess that’d be a stupid question.”
“Nah, I’m fucking amazing,” I croaked, my lips splitting as I smiled up at her.
She winced at the blood seeping from the splits but chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get you off your knees. You can save that position for Stoney-boy.”
Once I was on the side of the bed again, my feet flat on the floor this time, I peered around the room. It was beautiful—and familiar. I was back in Winter. And I couldn’t feel my mate. “Not that I don’t love seeing you, but where is he?” I rubbed the empty ache in my chest. My wolf whined as I touched her spirit.
I know, sweetie. We’ll find him.
“Did something happen to him?” Fear like no other clawed at my insides as I imagined that Darkling Fae ripping my mate apart while I was unconscious on the ground.
Blue waved her hand dismissively. “No, not really.”
Her face didn’t convince me, neither did the fact she wouldn’t look at me. “Blue.”
“What? He’s fine, honestly. He just had to leave for a bit.”
Hurt slammed through me. He’d left me while I was unconscious and injured? Had he changed his mind about us? About me? Yet, I could feel something in my chest. That little thread of his magic that seemed to connect us, like it had done ever since I’d woken up in Faery with him staring at me with his damn stormy, silver gaze.
“Where is he?” I gritted out, my fists clenching around the soft-as-snow bed covers.
She sat down, making the bed dip. “Connor and Vent took him back to Scotland until you’re recovered.”
I shook my head. It didn’t make any sense. “Why?”
Blue leaned back on her hands and cast a critical eye over me. “You know, you look like shit. You should shower and have some food before we discuss this.”
“Tell me where the fuck he is, or I’m going to kick your arse across this damned room.”
Blue raised a brow. “No offence, girl, but you ain’t kicking anyone’s arse, even this lowly human’s, not until you’re stronger. And that means a shower, clothes, and food. That weird Darkling Fae shot you full of holes with some voodoo magic. You still have wounds that would normally be healed by now. You need time to fully heal and regain your strength before you go find Stoney-boy and jump his bones.”
My glare could have frozen the giant ice sentinels that guarded this palace, but Blue didn’t give a shit.
“How’s she taking it?” Ember sauntered into the room, grinning at me before cocking her head at Blue.
“Oh, you know. As well as can be expected. She threatened to kick my arse, but I’d expect no less.”
Ember laughed. “Yep.” She came and sat on my other side, tilting me from Blue’s slight weight towards her. “Don’t worry, Shan, he’s fine. He just needed a bit of time to calm his head.”
I blinked, my brows drawing down. “What happened, Em?”
“Oh, he just got a bit overprotective, that’s all.”
“You need to tell me. He wouldn’t leave me like this. Not when I’m hurt.” My fingers twisted as a familiar anxiety set in.
Her hand came to rest gently over mine, her eyes softening. “Hey, it’s okay. He’s okay. Connor’s with him. And I will tell you, but you need a shower to get all that dried blood off your skin and out of your hair. It stinks. You also need to eat and heal, or you’ll be in no fit state to see him.”
My anxiety didn’t ease up even though I knew she was right. My body couldn’t heal without sustenance. “Fine. But you tell me what happened as soon as I'm out of this bathroom.”
Ember just smiled.
My legs shook like a damned newborn calf’s as I stood and walked slowly to the luxurious bathroom. My friends hovered behind me, but I managed to make it without face-planting. They even followed me through the door, but after being in bed for the Mother only knew how long, a girl needed some privacy. I turned and raised my brows. “You gonna watch me pee, too?”
Ember grinned while Blue snorted.
“Nope,” Ember said, her mouth popping on the P. “Holler if you need us.”
“Fine. But I won’t.” That might not be true, but I still wouldn’t ask. If Stone had been here, I’d have let him help me—always, but no one else. Isn’t that why you ended up so broken? a little voice asked. I blinked slowly and swallowed my pride—and fear of letting anyone else in. “Em? When I’m done in here, will you help dress my wounds?”
Her eyes widened a little, but she just smiled. “Of course.”
I was grateful. I didn’t want to make a big deal of me actually asking for help for once in my life. Neither of us acknowledged that it was bad that they still needed dressing when a shifter could heal fairly quickly.
My strength deserted me when I was out of the shower, so I didn't bother drying myself. I just wrapped the towel around my wet body and shuffled back to the bed.
“What happened, Em? Why isn’t Stone here? He’d never leave, not after what happened with his….with Vilderon. I need to know. Is he hurt?”
“No, he’s not. But him refusing to leave you is kinda the problem. He lost his shit when you were hurt. Went overboard with the protective mate behaviour and threatened just about everyone, including Connor and Vent. Connor said it was a mating frenzy, that Stone’s wolf was taking over after the threat and injury you suffered when he couldn’t do anything to stop it. You being injured while you're not properly mated and protected by his bond drove him mad. He wanted to keep everyone from you while you were vulnerable, especially unmated males like Vent and Lionel.”
I closed my eyes. “What did they do to him?” My eyes burned. He was strong and proud and already blamed himself for his father’s actions. Now Connor and Ventry had dragged him away. He’d hate himself for letting them do that, even though when they worked together, no one would stand a chance against them.
“Honestly, Shan, he’s okay. They had to knock him out to get him away from you, but I spoke to Connor this morning and Stone’s awake. He’s apparently being a moody fucker, but other than that, he’s okay.”
I doubted he was really okay if the emptiness in my chest was anything like he was feeling. “Fine. Then, let’s get some food in me so I can heal. Because once I am, you’re taking me straight to him. He’s been through enough. We both have.” I looked at my friends, grateful they were here, but also wishing it was Stone. “I messed up by running from him for so long. He helped me fight my demons, and still, I held him at arm’s length. It’s time that stopped, especially when it can all be taken from you in an instant.” I rubbed the red and inflamed skin of my healing wounds. “It sometimes takes staring death in the face to make you realise what you love and value most, what you’ll miss most.”
“And what is that?” Ember asked gently, but there was a knowing gleam in her eyes.
“Him,” I said simply, a smile overtaking my face. It felt good to admit out loud to my friends what he meant to me.
“Finally.” Blue rolled her eyes, but she was grinning, too. “I thought you’d never get there. Though I’m still sick of being involved with all this lovey dovey mush. It’s too messy by far.”
Ember threw a pillow at her. “For Mother’s sake, stop going on. No, it’s not. You’re just salty because you haven’t found your person yet.”
A brief flash of pain infected Blue’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly I wasn’t sure I’d even seen it. “Yeah, well, Shan has, so let’s get her healed so she can get all bitey and shit with him.”