Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Adeline
One Week Later
Getting back to the house, I flop on the couch. Eli has given us many rants today about the importance of me being marked. He has been driving me insane, and I am pretty sure Cyrus is also becoming annoyed over it. I am at the point where I would just tell Cyrus to do it, just to shut Eli up.
My mother still hasn’t messaged me back since I messaged her a week ago; her phone is also saying it is disconnected, making me worry.
Taylor messaged a few times, saying mom was extremely busy with work and had even started working part-time at the hospital.
Although I have barely been here a week, I miss home.
Miss Maya, miss my busy life. Here I feel bored, and besides Eli’s ranting about being marked, they never really say much.
“What is wrong?” Cyrus says, sitting on the couch next to me.
“Nothing. I miss home.”
“Ah, it will get easier.”
“Can I go—”
“You are not leaving till you are marked and mated,” Eli cuts me off.
I roll my eyes. I get up from the lounge, walk into the laundry, and dig out the load I put on this morning. Eli follows behind me.
“You want to go visit home, Addie? Let Cyrus mark you,” he says, and I ignore him, reaching to the bottom of the barrel.
“Why do you keep fighting it? It is inevitable it will happen, so why not just let him mark you? Then I will let you visit your family.”
“Just go away, Eli. I am sick and tired of hearing this same lecture. I swear you give it just to hear yourself speak,” I tell him.
He growls, pushing me against the washer. “All week, I have listened to your attitude. You need to knock it off.”
“Gladly. Shut up about me being marked, and I will.”
“You will give in eventually, Addie. You will go into heat soon,” he says.
Another thing he keeps going on about—some heat that will supposedly have me throwing myself at them.
I shove past him walking outside and to the clothesline.
The door slams shut from the breeze behind me.
The sun is going down as I walk to the clothesline.
I quickly hang out the washing while I can still see.
Walking back, I get this strange feeling I am being watched.
I haven’t heard from Sam since the day in the café but have this constant feeling I am being watched all the time, leaving me on edge.
Which out here is crazy; there is only one road leading to the property, and you would see car lights from a mile away.
Shaking off the feeling, I walk back inside.
Eli is making homemade pizza when I walk in.
I walk into the room, retrieving my phone that I have accidentally left there this morning.
Grabbing it, I turn my phone screen on and feel instant relief when I see a message from my mother apologizing for not calling and saying she has been on the night shift.
I message her back, telling her to ring me when she can.
Going on Facebook, I log in and see a message request. Clicking on it, a smile creeps onto my face. Sam has finally got Facebook. I open the message.
Sam: Try to stay home tomorrow.
How does he know where we live?
Me: Will try. They don’t like leaving me by myself.
I see the little icon saying he is typing, and I wait.
Sam: Tell them you feel sick.
Me: Will try. How do you know where we live?
Sam: Followed you from work.
Me: Not creepy at all. Stalker alert!
Sam: If only you knew.
I log out of Facebook, placing my phone on the bedside table just as Eli walks in.
“You feel like you’re in a better mood,” he says, feeling my emotions through the bond, which to my surprise, has grown stronger.
I can feel most of Eli and start to pick up things from Cyrus through Eli.
“Mom finally messaged,” I tell him.
“We told you she was fine,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist. He kisses my neck before nibbling on my ear, making me shiver.
“I am not fucking you,” I tell him.
“Why? You have fucked Cyrus, and he hasn’t even marked you,” Eli says, his hand moving up to my breast as he squeezes through my shirt. “You will give in, Addie. Your act of defiance won’t last much longer. I know you want us just as much as we want you.”
His hand sneaks into my pants as he cups my pussy with his hand, his fingers rubbing me.
My panties dampen as he continues to rub me through the thin lace. I pull away, and he groans. I feel his frustration, seeing it straining painfully in his pants. I walk out, going back to the lounge.
Eli is annoyed. I haven’t touched them since the day in the office and have been sleeping on the lounge.
I am pissed off that they literally brought me here like some ornament to perch on a shelf and nothing more.
They never let me help at work, just expect me to sit there bored.
And when we aren’t at work, I am stuck in this house like a prisoner—with them always watching and hovering around like a bad smell.
After dinner, I shower quickly before either of them tries to sneak into my shower before hopping in my pajamas. Grabbing the spare blanket and a pillow, I lie on the lounge. Eli walks over, leaning over the back of the lounge.
“No, I am done with this, Addie. Get in the room,” he says, reaching down and grabbing my blanket.
I tug it back, and he growls.
“You are our mate. That means you sleep in the bed with us,” Eli snaps at me.
I roll my eyes, and he reaches over and grips my chin.
“Enough, no more. Now, get up and get in bed.”
“No!” I tell him, shoving his hand away.
Eli goes to grab me when Cyrus speaks up from the armchair.
“Now, now, children, stop fighting,” he says, looking over his newspaper.
“Tell her to get in bed. I am sick of not getting any sleep because she is out here,” Eli tells him.
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I sleep perfectly fine without you,” I tell Eli, looking up at him.
“Get in the fucking room, Adeline!” he snaps, reaching for my wrist.
“Eli, enough! She doesn’t want to. Leave her be,” Cyrus tells him.
“Can you please remember you are also my mate? And stop taking her fucking side with everything, Cyrus!” Eli yells at him, his hands trembling.
“I am your mate, Eli, but your temper is getting the better of you. Now, step away from her. You look on the verge of shifting,” Cyrus warns him just as his claws sink into the couch, making me gasp.
“Go, Eli. You hurt her, I won’t forgive you. Go for a run or something,” Cyrus says, dismissing him with a wave of his hand.
Eli walks out, slamming the door and making me flinch.
“Why do you two always have to argue?” Cyrus says with a sigh, placing his newspaper on the coffee table. He walks over, grabbing the blanket Eli discarded on the floor before tossing it over me.
Cyrus bends down and kisses me, his lips soft as they move against mine. I kiss him back, and he groans before pulling back.
“You really need to be nicer. I don’t think I have heard a nice word from your mouth directed at Eli.”
“He irritates me. He is bossy and arrogant,” I tell him.
“And you are stubborn, but seriously go easy on him. He just wants to be with you. Why is that a bad thing?” he asks, kissing my head and walking off.
I hear him walk upstairs, and I switch the TV on, flicking through the channels. Cyrus watches TV with me for a bit before going to bed. I fall asleep while the TV is playing in the background, the noise soothing.
Waking halfway through the night, I toss the blanket off, feeling rather hot.
I try to get comfortable as I roll on the couch.
The heat from the fireplace is overbearing, making me flustered, my skin clammy, and my clothes drenched.
I can feel my skin heating and know my face is flushed.
I must be coming down with a fever. I feel like I am burning up and feel extremely thirsty.
Getting up, I stagger to the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with cold water.
The icy water soothes my sore throat, and I greedily drink it down before pouring another glass.
I feel extremely dehydrated as I gulp the water down.
Walking back into the living room, I flop on the soft lounge, but the heat from the fireplace is too much, making me toss and turn as sweat beads on my body.
My hair is drenched in sweat, forcing me off the lounge, so I don’t ruin its plush fabric.
I force my legs up the stairs heading for the bathroom.
The light blinds me as I flick on the light, the exhaust fan automatically coming on, the whining noise of it making a headache build behind my eyes as I turn the shower on.
Leaning on the sink basin, I look in the mirror.
My cheeks are flaming red. I definitely have a fever, breathing heavily as I turn the taps on full blast, needing to cool down.
Stripping my clothes off, I step under the icy cold water streaming from the shower head.
I stand directly under it. Goosebumps are rising on my arms, and I am not sure if it is the fever or the water temperature.
But no matter how cold the water is, I find no reprieve in it.
My temperature feels like it is climbing higher and higher as I shove my face under the harsh stream.
The water belts my face, making it sting, but it isn’t enough. I feel like I have been put in an oven.
The bathroom door creaks as it opens, making me look at the door. Eli walks in, covered in sweat and dirt, and I realize he must have only just gotten home. He looks in the shower before ripping the door open.
“Shit! Are you okay, Addie?” he asks, placing his hand on my head and sniffing the air.
“You’re burning up,” he says, but all I can think of is his hand touching my face as I lean into his touch, the feeling of his warm skin soothing despite how boiling hot I feel. Sparks rush over me as he steps into the shower, making the fever ease.
Cyrus walks in a moment later; Eli talking must have awoken him.
“What happened?” he asks sleepily before his eyes snap to mine with worry.