Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
I clutched the covers to my chest and tried to mask the panic pushing through my bloodstream. Fane was the only person that truly made me feel at ease.
Not Saint.
Was Fane here? Was that why I’d felt safe and content?
Saint gave a wry smile at my stunned expression. “Sorry to disappoint you. Fane still hasn’t arrived.”
Damn it.
“It’s fine. I just didn’t expect you to be sitting there.” I choked back the guilt and unease and scooted farther up on the pillows. “When did I get in the bed?”
“You nodded off after we returned from visiting Hailey.” He gave a noncommittal shrug. “When you passed out, I tucked you under the covers.”
“Oh.” I reached for the water on the bedside table, wincing as fireworks erupted through my body.
Saint grabbed the glass and passed it to me. “You’ve been through a lot, and it’s catching up to you. You’ll probably be sore for a few days.”
“Yep.” I slowly sipped the room-temperature water while attempting to ignore the throbs radiating everywhere. Fane could probably feel them.
Where the hell was he?
“I can get you a fresh glass of water.”
Before Saint stood, I waved off his offer and handed him the cup. “How long was I asleep?”
“A little over an hour.” He placed the water back on the bedside table.
“And you’ve been here the whole time?”
He shook his head. “Avery and I met with some of the patrols. No other Collective members were found near Blackwater Falls. They didn’t find any tire tracks from cars other than that van.”
A mixture of relief and disappointment filled my veins. I was glad The Collective wasn’t hanging around Saint’s pack to abduct anyone, but it would have been nice to capture one of the members to question.
And by question, I meant torture.
You do miss it, don’t you, Tate?
Memories of my time torturing inmates in Heldrok rushed forward. I should be filled with disgust over it. And I was. To an extent.
But I also enjoyed some of it, especially when I allowed the other me to take over.
“Tate, are you okay?” Saint gently shook my leg as if he’d been trying to get my attention for a few moments. “Did you leave your body again?”
The vision I’d had while asleep bubbled to the surface, and my heart gave a hard thump. “Have any female panther shifters been taken or found dead?” A tiny sliver of hope blossomed in my chest. Maybe I could save someone from this mysterious demon threat.
“Did you have a vision?” Saint took his phone out of his pocket and clicked through the screens, lines developing across his forehead. “A corpse was found outside of a pack house in Charlotte.” He showed me the picture of a woman, and all the hope leaked out of me like air from a deflating balloon.
“I think that’s her.” Those red nails were the same, and the clothes matched my memories.
Why did I have to get these damn visions if I couldn’t use them to help anyone? Was this punishment for hurting so many with their fears?
Saint’s lips turned down, and sympathy streaked his silver irises. “I’m sorry. I wish I could take these visions for you. If there’s something I can do to?—”
My stomach suddenly gave an angry growl, and a flush swam into my cheeks. “I don’t think I’ve eaten anything in over a day.”
Saint stood and reached his hand out for mine. “I’m not the best cook, but I can throw something together for you.”
After checking on Hailey, who was sleeping soundly, Saint led me through the large house toward the kitchen with burnished wood floors, slate countertops, charcoal cabinets, and copper fixtures.
The dark and smoky décor was a stark contrast to the Anderses’ bright white space, but it fit the rustic and yet chic cabin.
We’d passed a few shifters on the way, each respectfully greeting Saint while casting curious glances at me. Did they know I was their alpha’s unavailable fated mate?
I climbed onto a stool at the center island, awkwardly toying with a lock of my hair. I blamed my jittery movements on my separation from Fane.
Would our bond ever settle enough to allow us out of each other’s sights without going haywire?
“How about frozen pizza?” Saint stood in front of the huge stainless-steel freezer, holding a box of pepperoni pizza.
“Oh, no you don’t, young man.” A stunning woman with a tall, athletic frame hurried into the kitchen and snatched the box from Saint’s grasp. “You know better than to feed a guest that frozen crap.”
He frowned. “It’s not crap. I happen to love frozen pizza.”
The woman scoffed and started pulling things out of the fridge. “You’re just like your father. You’d both end up eating TV dinners if I let you.”
Saint grinned as he turned to me. “This is my mom, Enid.”
I straightened in my seat and shoved my hands in my lap. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Grimstone.”
Her nose wrinkled. “None of that. Call me Enid.”
A nervous smile stretched my lips. She had to know I was her son’s fated and refused to accept him. How could she be nice to me?
“You don’t have to go to any trouble. I’m fine with eating frozen pizza. Or anything really.” I grew up in foster care, and I didn’t always have great options for food, if any. I’d eat anything.
Enid waved her hand in the air. “It’s no trouble at all. I’ll make you an omelet. It’ll be much more nutritious than that cardboard excuse for pizza.” She grabbed a fresh jalapeno from the fridge. “You’re a fan of spicy cuisine, right?”
“Right.” How did she know that?
My gaze flickered toward Saint as he gave a lazy shrug, a guilty smile curling his mouth.
“Saint, I passed Avery in the hall upstairs. He’s looking for you,” Enid said as she chopped vegetables. “I’ll keep Tate company while you deal with pack business.”
He pushed away from the bar, giving me a questioning look. “I’ll meet you back here before you finish eating, okay?”
“Yeah, sure.” I kept my shaky hands in my lap, anxious to be left alone with his mother. She was nice to me in front of him, but would she change her tune when he left?
I wouldn’t blame her. Her son had been hoping for his fated mate for years, and he unfortunately got me.
As Saint backed out of the kitchen, he narrowed his eyes on his mother. “I won’t be gone long.”
Was it wrong that I wanted him to stay?
“My son is such a worrywart.” Enid shook her head, those blond curls bouncing. “He’s a great alpha, but sometimes I wonder if my husband let him take over too soon. He’s always stressed about something.”
Without asking, I grabbed the block of cheese and the grater to shred some for the omelet. “How old was Saint when he became alpha?”
“Eighteen.” A flash of sadness flitted across her expression as she dumped vegetables into a bowl and grabbed the jalapeno. “My run-in with The Collective made my husband lose interest in running the pack. He became so focused on me. Fated mates just can’t help that. Of course, Saint saw this and stepped up.”
I couldn’t imagine taking care of an entire community of shifters at eighteen. I failed at protecting just one kid.
“Saint’s a great guy.” From what I could tell, anyway.
“He’s very selfless, to a fault sometimes,” Enid said.
Saint seemed like the type to always put others first, the opposite of my father. Was Barric ever the kind of alpha he pretended, or was it always a lie?
“That’s why he won’t say what’s really in his heart about this whole situation, and he would never ask you what I’m about to.”
Dread pooled in my gut as I guessed where this was heading.
Enid cracked two eggs into a bowl and whisked them together. “I know you and Saint are fated mates. Everyone in the pack does.”
Heat spread over my skin, and I wanted to slide off the stool and hide under it.
“When I heard that The Collective had abducted you, and you ended up here, of all places, I knew it was a sign.”
My fingers clutched the block of cheese so tightly I was surprised it didn’t crumble. “Sign for what?”
Enid poured the eggs into the pan. “That you and Saint belong together. The bond pushed you toward him in your time of need.”
I gritted my jaw and passed her the grated cheese before I threw it across the room. “That was just a coincidence.”
She scoffed. “Do you really believe in coincidences? Things happen for a reason, Tate, and fate will keep pushing you and Saint together.”
“I already have a mate, and not long ago, the universe worked overtime to push us together.” I didn’t want to admit how odd it was that I ended up in Blackwater Falls.
Enid sprinkled the cheese and vegetables into the pan. “Saint is a good, kindhearted soul who puts everyone first. I always thought his fated would be the one thing the world gave him to make up for all the sacrifices he’d made so young.”
My throat tightened at the agony in her words, and I blinked hard to keep the tears from brimming over. “I’m sorry I can’t be that for him.”
Her back was toward me as she used a rubber spatula to lift the edges of the omelet. “You wouldn’t consider breaking your bond with Fane?”
Just the thought of it had my stomach clenching and the tattoos on my neck and arm crackling with sharp zaps of electricity.
“I can’t do that. Not for anyone.” I rubbed the tattoo on my neck to soothe the harsh tingles. “Fane and I don’t have an ordinary mate bond. I don’t think anything could break it.”
“I did hear about your strange connection.” She peered over her shoulder, noticing how I rubbed my tattoos. “Saint also revealed that after first meeting you in Mohan Wilds, he was oddly drawn to you. I guess we know why.”
Saint had definitely shown interest until Fane nearly attacked him over his friendly behavior.
“I also know Fane wasn’t always happy about your bond.” Enid flipped the omelet. “So even if Fane agreed to break his claim on you for your fated mate, you wouldn’t do it?”
“Mom!” Saint stepped into the kitchen, his nostrils flaring and an iridescent gleam dancing in his irises. “I told you not to do this.”
She turned and slid the omelet onto a plate, blinking back unshed tears. “And I’m your mother, so I’ll do anything to make sure you’re happy.”
“You bothering Tate about this doesn’t make me happy.”
She sprinkled herbs across the omelet like they did in restaurants. “Happy in the long run.”
Saint pinched the bridge of his nose, and I sensed him fighting to shove his anger down. “Mom, I appreciate you trying to look out for me, but please don’t bring this up again. This is between Tate and me.”
“Fine.” She slid the plate toward me. “Make sure you eat it all, honey. You look like you’re fading away. Is Fane not making sure you eat enough?”
“Mom!”
Enid tossed her hands in the air. “I’m leaving.” Despite the disappointment shining in her blue eyes, she flashed me a warm smile. “It was lovely meeting you, Tate. Hopefully, we’ll chat soon if my son isn’t afraid to leave you alone with me.”
“Thanks for the omelet.” If she got me alone again, the chances of her resuming this conversation were high.
Saint strode to the fridge and grabbed a pitcher. “I don’t have lemonade, but how about fruit juice?”
“Anything will do. I do drink other beverages besides lemonade.” I used my fork to cut a bite off the edge of the omelet. “I’m not picky.”
“But lemonade is your favorite.” Saint filled two glasses and passed me one as he sat on the stool next to me. “Sorry about my mom. I need to have another talk with her.”
“She’s only looking out for you.” I took a bite of food, holding back my moan as the flavors burst over my tongue. I’d barely had an appetite recently, but I was famished after not eating since early yesterday morning. “So, everyone knows about me?”
Blood rushed into Saint’s cheeks, and he shrugged. “Word spreads fast in a pack. I wanted to keep things quiet, but shifters tend to overhear things.”
“Saint, there you are!” A curvy female with sable locks waving around her heart-shaped face bounded into the kitchen in a miniskirt, furry boots, and a sweater so tight her boobs threatened to bust out. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Saint angled in the other direction. “Sadie, is everything okay? Has your grandfather’s condition changed?”
She waved her hand in the air and gave a beaming smile. “That’s so sweet of you to ask. No, Papa’s great. He ate that entire casserole from Enid. He’s resting now.” Sadie lifted the hoodie in her hand. “I came to return this.”
He took the gray sweatshirt, which clearly belonged to him. “You didn’t have to bring it back so soon.”
“Thanks for letting me borrow it the other night in the forest. It’s been ridiculously cold lately.” She stroked her fingers down his tattooed arm, biting her bottom lip while looking at him like she wanted to eat him alive.
My muscles tensed as a hot, angry fire suddenly burned in me. The omelet in my mouth tasted like sawdust, and the urge to jab my fork in her eye flooded my veins.