Chapter 12
Twelve
Kade
Riot hasn't run off, but he doesn't seem to want to be here either. I was thinking he would stay locked in the basement for a lot longer, but here he is, leaning against the kitchen island and staring at a bowl of apples.
He's tense, but at least he's out and about, even if it's seven in the morning. I feel like he should be sleeping in. It's his first day here, and after all the shit he's endured this past week and who knows what else before he was taken with Vivian, he should be sleeping.
He shouldn't be my concern, but I've been watching him for a little too long to be casual. I'm worried that he hasn't noticed. An alpha in a new place should be more aware of his surroundings. Maybe his lack of ability to be vigilant is what got him captured in the first place.
I don't like it. I may not know anything about fighting or being a fucking spy, but I can teach him to listen to the shit around him if I need to.
"How long are you going to fucking stand there?"
Oh, so he does know I'm here. Uncrossing my arms, I descend the last few steps and keep my facial expression impassive as I round the other side of the island as him and take a seat on a stool.
"What are you doing?" I ask, nonchalant.
His black eyebrows drop even lower, and the predatory cock of his head makes his messy hair flop over his forehead. "What are you doing? You're the one stalking me."
"You're in my house. Of course I'm going to watch your every move." If he had a stranger in his home where his omega lived, he too would be on edge.
Riot's frown smooths out just a bit. "Fair enough. See anything interesting?"
I want to laugh, but his lack of anything interesting worries me. He's just been standing here for the past twenty minutes staring out at the sunrise over our property.
I've done the same thing many times, but that's usually when I'm deep in thought about Vivian. Is he thinking about her too? Wondering if she got any sleep last night after I brought her back upstairs?
"I haven't seen you eat since we got home yesterday afternoon," I report instead. He doesn't need to know I'm thinking all that shit. As far as I'm concerned, he needs to know I'm pack alpha and I'm in charge of this home.
"Silas pointed out the kitchen in the basement. The assortment of granola bars and water bottles was enough to get me through the night." He crosses his arms and leans his ass against the other counter by the sink.
"That's not enough. I can make you an omelet," I rumble, annoyed that his isolation kept him from eating something substantial.
Riot chuckles, but it's humorless. "You're going from stalking me, probably thinking I'm going to steal your shit and run off to wanting to make me an omelet?"
"I didn't think you'd run off." He's quite prickly, isn't he? Is he just on edge because our alphas are circling each other and testing the dominance in the room?
He's silent for a moment, just watching me. "What makes you believe that? You don't know me and I bet your assumptions are right."
Interesting. Riot's anger and attitude are hiding some self-consciousness. "Because I've seen the way you look at Vivian. Are you so fucking dense that you'll deny your feelings and make shit harder on yourself?"
"The fuck are you talking about?" he snaps, standing to his full height. "You're the dumbass. Who lets an alpha with blood on his hands stay in the same home as his mate?!"
"Whose blood?" I jump in, not wanting to listen to him rant this early in the morning.
"What?"
I lean my elbows on the counter, trying to play it off like I'm not tense as hell. "Whose blood is on your hands, Riot?"
"Kidnappers, killers, rapists, traffickers, a few abusers. You fucking name it and I've either sliced their throats, thrown them off a bridge, or shot them through the fucking skull."
Fucking hell.
"First of all, keep your voice down. Vivie's finally sleeping. And second of all, that's admirable. I couldn't do the shit you do. Good for you. How many people have you saved?"
His mouth opens and closes before he throws his hands in the air. "What the fuck is wrong with you? I tell you I've killed too many people to count and you're not worried about Vivian."
It's always the same argument with him. "I'm worried about plenty of things, but I know for a fact you would never hurt an innocent. Mainly because she told me and by what you just said, you're like a morally gray superhero with an anger problem."
"This is ridiculous. Vivian should be your priority, Kade. Why aren't you thinking about her?"
"I'm always thinking about her," I growl. "I may be okay with a lot of shit to ensure my omega's happiness and wellbeing, but disrespect on subjects you know nothing about isn't going to fly."
His jaw grinds, and his dominance flares for a moment before he releases a breath.
"Then explain it to me. Tell me why she doesn't eat.
Why she hardly talks and looks like she's so far away from the world.
She doesn't seem that much different here than she was in the cells, and that's fucking terrifying, man. "
This is what I was hoping for. If he's going to be a part of our pack, he needs to come to conversations with curiosity, not accusations. We're different and complicated and sometimes messy. But we're so full of love, heart, and heat.
I need to know his reasoning behind his curiosity first. "I'll tell you, but first I need to know why you want to know."
Cursing, he drops his chin and rubs his forehead with the palm of his hand, almost dislodging his eyepatch.
"This is so fucked up. You should want me as far away as possible," he mumbles to himself.
"I care. You all know I care about her, so stop being a dick and help me out so I know where to go from here. "
I give him a brittle smile. "Where do you want me to start?" I'm not just going to dump her whole life story, but I can help the poor man out.
"How do I get her to talk to me? I just want to hear her voice. It drives me crazy when she shrugs."
At that, I do smile and release a laugh. "You and me both. You'll get used to it and figure out how to read her when she can't speak."
He looks ready to pry the information out of me. "But what influences it? I've noticed that she's silent with you guys most of the time too."
Leaning back in my chair, I study him, noting the desperation in his eyes and noting his choice of words. He wants to hear her voice. "Depression and anxiety. Some days are harder for her than others."
"Depression? Did something happen?" Riot growls, showing his canines like he's ready to go into battle. He takes a threatening step toward me and growls.
"Easy, man," I murmur, worried he might break something. "Something doesn't always need to happen for someone to struggle with depression. Vivie has a chemical imbalance in her brain that blocks neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine."
Riot waves a hand through the air, then shocks me with his level of knowledge on depression.
"It's not that simple, though. The chemical imbalance is an outdated theory.
Sure chemical imbalances occur, but for it to have such an effect on a person is a whole mix of things like environment, diet, experiences, trauma. So I ask again, what happened?"
"I'm a burden."
Fuck!
I'm out of my chair so fast and rushing toward her. "Vivie, baby," I whisper, cupping her cheek and staring into her dull eyes. "I didn't hear you come down."
She shrugs and leans into me. I almost forget Riot's behind me, then he rumbles out something aggressive and stomps over to us.
"Here, Firefly," he grits out, thrusting an apple at her. "For you."
I hold my breath, hoping she'll reach out and eat it. Instead she twists her lips and shakes her head.
"No, thank you."
Disentangling herself from me, she kisses my cheek and turns right back around to go upstairs. I don't have to guess what Riot's feeling, because I'm feeling the same way. Every time she turns down food, the knot in my stomach tightens with dread.
She can't go on like this forever.