Chapter 15 Rosemary
Rosemary
Iwatched as red water sluiced down Daniel’s body and swirled down the drain at his feet.
His shower was massive, and only half of it was blocked off, so I had an excellent and unobstructed view of my mate as he cleaned off the night before.
My heart fluttered as the muscles beneath his skin flexed and moved.
I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of looking at him.
“Does anyone else know about the berserker thing?” I asked as he shampooed his long hair and beard.
“Just my parents and my brothers,” he replied, his eyes closed. “Why?”
“It seems like a good weapon to have in our back pocket,” I mused. “But not if everyone knows about it.”
“Oh, so now I’m a weapon?” he asked, his eyes popping open to look at me.
“I mean, you’re not not a weapon,” I teased. “But that makes us a good pair, because no one thinks I’m a weapon either.”
He huffed a small laugh as he rinsed his hair.
“Dalton’s family knows now too,” he said. “They saw me in action last night. I doubt they know any details, though.”
“That’s fine.” I waved him off, even though he wasn’t looking at me. “Family should know anyway.”
My nails were broken and jagged. Blood had caked dark brown and flaky around the edges of my nail beds. God, I really wished I could shower. Rising to my feet, I shuffled over to the sink and carefully tugged my arm out of the sling so I could wash my hands.
The shower cut off just as I’d turned on the faucet.
“You really don’t give a shit, do you?” Daniel asked, stepping in behind me as our eyes met in the mirror.
“That you have a superpower?” I replied, smiling at him. “No. If you couldn’t control it, that would be different.”
“I couldn’t control it last night,” he reminded me, tipping his face down to kiss my bare shoulder.
“Danny,” I breathed, leaning back against him. “Look at me.”
He raised his gaze to mine.
“Don’t fucking spiral, all right?”
He stiffened.
Reaching up, I cupped his cheek in my palm and held his face next to mine, our gazes locked.
“If you hadn’t gotten there when you did, we were toast,” I told him, the memory of all those humans rising from the forest like ants making me shudder.
“We were surrounded, and there were too many of them. If we hadn’t had the boys and Aunt Halle, it might’ve been different, but we couldn’t go on the offensive because we were too busy playing defense for them. ”
He turned his head slowly and kissed the center of my palm.
“Don’t expect me to judge you for the ability that got us all home alive last night.”
“I had some help,” he reminded me ruefully.
“Secondary characters,” I joked, wrinkling my nose. “You’re the main character, babe.”
Daniel laughed. “Come on, mate,” he ordered, leaning back. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
We were quiet as Daniel helped me lose the sheet and sling, then soaped up a washcloth and began to clean me off.
The bathroom fan was the only noise in the room as he started with the unwounded half of my face, then my ears and neck.
Using a clean washcloth, he rinsed the soap away.
Then he grabbed two new cloths and started the process on my chest, arms, armpits, and back.
As he worked his way down my body, I let my eyes drift shut.
My body was sore, especially my face. All the talking we’d done had pulled at the stitches in my cheek, and I was actually a little surprised that he was able to understand me because the words that came out of my mouth were consistently slurred and garbled.
Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes as he dropped the next set of dirty cloths on the tile floor and reached for new ones.
He was being so incredibly gentle as he washed away the memories and the terror and the evidence of what we’d gone through.
Every touch felt like a benediction, his lips brushing over the bruises and scratches he found as he cleaned me off.
“Danny,” I whispered as he helped me sit so he could wash my feet.
“What is it, love?” he murmured, looking up from where he kneeled at my feet in nothing but a towel.
“I fucked up last night,” I confessed.
“How did you fuck up?”
The fact that he didn’t try to argue that I hadn’t, just asked what I’d done—no recrimination in his tone—made tears drip down my cheeks.
“I was supposed to guard Seamus,” I choked out. “He was counting on me to keep him safe. Everyone was counting on me.”
Daniel smiled gently and reached out to wipe the tears from my cheek. “I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise.”
I nodded, trying to hold back a sob.
“But I am going to tell you this—are you listening?”
“Yeah.”
“When we undressed you last night, there wasn’t a single person in the room who understood how you could’ve stayed on your feet with the wounds you had.
” His hands wrapped around my ankles and squeezed in emphasis.
“You should’ve been unconscious. At the very least, you should’ve been down—but you weren’t. ”
I sniffled pitifully, not even bothering to wipe my nose.
“You stayed on your feet, Rosie. You kept going, and no one knows how you did it. I know I can’t change how you feel about it right now, but, baby, you didn’t fuck up.
You fought until the very end to keep that boy safe.
Try to remember that when you’re feeling guilty for shit that was out of your control. ”
“Okay,” I replied halfheartedly as he went back to cleaning my feet.
“I felt the same way when Zeke died,” he continued a few moments later.
“Knowing that I wasn’t there to protect him?
” He shook his head. “That was my job as his big brother. I should’ve known he was in trouble.
Hell, I should’ve known that he’d found his mate.
I hadn’t been keeping in touch like I should’ve. That was on me.”
I ran my fingers over his wet hair.
“I won’t make that mistake again,” he said, dropping the last of the dirty washcloths on the pile. “You got any mistakes that you won’t repeat?”
I replayed the night before, going over every move I’d made from the moment Aunt Halle had called the house phone. From picking my weapons to the feel of Seamus’s blood squelching between my fingers.
“No,” I replied, swallowing back my tears. “No, I don’t.”
I’d done everything in my power. I’d prepared well with the time I had available. I’d called in help. I’d used my training to the best of my ability. I’d ignored the fear and the exhaustion. I’d kept going even when everything hurt.
Daniel smiled and rose. “Come on, let’s get you something to wear.”
Getting a T-shirt on without moving my arm was a bit of a pain, and Daniel’s sweats were way too big in the waist, but we made it work.
I’d just sat down to watch him dress, and I was marveling at the way his ass flexed as he moved, when a disembodied voice came through an intercom on the wall, making me jump in surprise.
“Hey, Danny,” Beau called. “Arthur just landed, if you want to be there.”
Daniel strode to the wall and pushed a button. “Be there in a few minutes,” he answered.
Ignoring the twinge in my hip, I pushed myself to my feet as he pulled on a pair of jeans.
He looked at me in surprise.
I could see the thoughts racing through his expression. He didn’t want me to go to that meeting. He wanted to tell me to stay in bed and rest. Contemplated how he could cajole me into doing it. Wondered if it was worth the fight if I didn’t comply.
I nearly smiled when acceptance made his shoulders slump just a little.
“I deserve to be there,” I said, holding his gaze. “You know I do.”
“Fine, but I’m carrying you down there,” he said as he turned away to grab a shirt. “You shouldn’t even be out of bed.”
“Deal,” I replied, hiding my smile.
“You need socks,” he mumbled to himself.
I was completely bundled up, from a zip-front hoodie to hiking socks on my feet, when Danny carried me downstairs to the kitchen.
I wanted to hold my back straight so I looked a little more like a queen and a little less like a waif that he’d just saved, but I didn’t have it in me.
Instead, I let my head rest on his shoulder, the scent of his skin soothing me.
I was so fucking tired, and if it had been anything else happening, I would’ve happily waved goodbye as he left without me.
Daniel’s brothers and parents were in the kitchen along with Dalton, my dad, and a Vampire I’d never met before.
He was of slight build and wore a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. His hair was neatly combed, and his shoulders and back were straight in a way that screamed military. Even in dark trousers and a deep blue sweater, he still gave the impression that he was wearing a uniform.
“Daniel,” he greeted, barely glancing at me.
“Arthur,” Daniel replied curtly. He carefully lowered me to my feet.
“And your mate,” Arthur said kindly, almost congratulatory.
“Don’t even look at her,” Daniel barked. “She doesn’t exist for you.”
“Arne,” Erik chastised.
“Can you blame him?” Uncle Dalton drawled, leaning against the wall. I let out a breath of relief when everyone’s attention left us. I grabbed Daniel’s hand and gave it a squeeze of reassurance. “Mates are dropping like flies the moment you hear about them.”
“I assure you I have nothing to do with the Vampires and mates that are being targeted,” Arthur replied stiffly. “I am doing the best that I can with the resources available to me.”
The entire room burst into angry chatter.
“Enough,” Erik bellowed, silencing the room. “This will get us nowhere. Chance, Beau, bring Adamson to the back patio. I’ll not have that motherfucker in my house.”