Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
K ile watched them leave, his eyes staying on Sadie. He didn’t like the idea of her leaving, and his wolf stirred restlessly in agreement. He felt Cole step up next to him, but his eyes remained on her.
“What do you think?” Cole asked, also watching Sadie follow Gemma and Eric toward the trailer.
“About what?” Kile didn’t look at his brother, still watching her walk away.
“You’re giving her the Kile eyes, so I was just wondering what you were thinking.” Cole had a way to get under Kile’s skin.
This time Kile’s eyes shifted toward his brother and narrowed. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“She’s hot, and I’ve seen that look in your eyes many times, my brother. She’s as good as yours.” Cole smacked him on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get their stuff out of the truck.”
“You’re an asshole, you know that.” Kile frowned at his brother’s back.
“Yes. Yes, I am.” Cole chuckled, opened the truck's door pulling out Sadie and Lily’s belongings, and then shoved a bag in Kile’s stomach. “It’s about time you found a good woman and settled down.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve kicked your ass,” Kile grunted, taking the bag. “And I don’t think Leeza would appreciate you thinking other women are hot.”
“Leeza is a confident woman and knows I only have eyes for her.” Cole chuckled, shaking his head. “Good try though.”
Kile growled but then noticed the belongings before glancing at Sadie’s car. “How in the hell did they live in that car with all this stuff?”
“Don’t know.” Cole frowned, shaking his head, then grabbed a few bags before straightening. “You think that dickhead will be back.”
“He’ll be back,” Kile replied, heading toward one of the empty tents.
“Yeah, well, he has another ass-kicking waiting for him,” Cole said, setting bags inside the tent. “I’ll get the rest. Go on up and find out what Sadie has planned. We both know it’s not safe for her to leave alone.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t tell her what to do.” Kile frowned, putting down the bags he was carrying.
“Just use that Kile charm, and she will do anything you want her to do.” Cole grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. He dodged Kile’s punch with a laugh. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a hot date with my beautiful woman.”
“What Leeza sees in you is a fucking mystery.” Kile snorted, shaking his head.
Cole tossed his hands out. “A charming, handsome son of a bitch with a big di?—”
“Cole shut the fuck up,” Kile warned, not letting him finish that sentence.
“We both know it’s true, brother,” Cole smirked, then flipped Kile off before walking away. “I’m the blessed brother in all areas.”
“In your fucking dreams, asshole,” Kile muttered, then headed toward the trailer. Cole was right about one thing, which Kile hated to admit, Sadie was not safe staying alone.
Walking up the small hill toward the trailer, Kile spotted Eric, Gemma, and Sadie sitting at the picnic table. Eric was in the process of building a house for Gemma, who was content with the trailer, but Eric was dead set on giving her a real home.
“Grab you a plate.” Gemma pointed toward the grill. “There’s plenty.”
“I’m good.” Kile sat down next to Sadie who glanced up at him with a friendly smile, then quickly looked down at her plate. “I ate at the restaurant.”
“Where’s Cole?” Gemma frowned with a huff. “Someone has to eat those steaks.”
“He has a hot date,” Kile replied with a roll of his eyes.
“I thought he had a mate,” Sadie said with a frown. Kile noticed she had hardly eaten a thing. She was poking at it with her fork and moving the food around.
“He does,” Gemma answered, tilting her head slightly and staring at Sadie with an odd look. “They can still go on dates.”
“Of course they can.” Sadie laughed awkwardly as her cheeks reddened.
“You didn’t date, did you?” Gemma called her out again. Kile felt a little annoyed by Gemma’s prying. That shocked him. He loved Gemma like a sister, but her blunt question didn’t sit well with him.
“Some, not much.” Sadie sighed, laying her fork down. “Our father was very strict, especially when it came to guys. They were actively looking for a mate for Lily but didn’t know what to do with me.”
“Because you’re a human,” Gemma added, then waited for an answer, as did Kile, who was surprisingly happy she hadn’t dated much. What the hell was that all about? He frowned at the direction his thoughts went.
“That has been my curse,” Sadie said, then laughed when they all frowned at her. “Listen, my stepparents were good to me. A promise made to my real father turned their world upside down. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized what a sacrifice they made for a human child without a family. That is why it’s important for me to find a place for Lily to thrive. She deserves the life that I took away from her parents and her. I refuse to continue to do that to Lily.”
“You were only a child, Sadie. You cannot blame yourself for their decisions.” Gemma frowned, and again, Kile waited for an answer. She intrigued him more than he cared to admit.
“It’s hard not to, especially seeing their struggles as Shifters without a pack over the years. Lily has suffered the most, and I will do everything in my power to ensure she finds a place where she belongs and is happy.” Sadie frowned, rubbing her arms. It was dusk, and the temperatures had dropped quickly. Fall was just around the corner, and the nights were becoming cooler. “Growing up, our parents did their best to teach us both human and shifter ways. That’s when I realized what they gave up for me. The more I learned, the more I realized just how different their life would have been without me, how much Lily’s life would have been different.”
Kile heard the pain in her voice as she talked. It wasn’t self-pity but a genuine belief that she had ruined her stepparent’s life as well as Lily’s. Damn, that was a huge burden for someone to carry. Shifters, in general, stayed with their own kind. Most packs forbid Shifter and human relationships. There were exceptions. Kile glanced at his brother, who had pulled Gemma into his arms so she had something to lean against. Eric and Gemma were the exceptions.
“Lily said that she didn’t realize if she was accepted into that asshole’s pack that she more or less belonged to him,” Kile said, frowning at the hole in her story. He watched her closely, waiting for her to answer.
“That’s true.” She replied without hesitation. “Even though I warned her about going to his pack, it wasn’t because of anything my parents had told us, but because I didn’t like him the first time I met him. I don’t know why they never told Lily about that, but I’m sure there are many things they waited to tell Lily, not realizing that their time would be tragically cut short.”
Seeing the pain in her eyes, Kile wished he had kept his mouth shut, but he was trying to understand their situation.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Gemma reached over and patted her arm. “I’m sure you’re right. They were probably waiting for the right time to speak of certain things. I’m still learning about Shifters myself, and I’ve been working with them for a long time.”
“That’s because we’re a complex species,” Kile said with a smirk toward Gemma. He loved teasing his sister-in-law.
“Tell me about it.” Gemma agreed with a roll of her eyes.
“Your sister will be well taken care of and protected.” Eric broke the silence, taking his attention off Sadie. “We offer you that same protection.”
“Thank you,” Sadie said after clearing the emotion from her voice. “Lily is my only concern. As soon as she is settled, and I know this is what she wants, I will be leaving.”
“And does Lily know your plans?” Gemma frowned. They all three waited for her answer.
Sadie didn’t answer immediately, her eyes shifting from Gemma to the darkness where Lily and Alex had disappeared. “I will be close and able to visit,” she replied, answering the question without really answering it. “Lily is a strong woman who needs to find herself and her own way in her world. She can’t do that with me on the run.”
“What about you?” Kile finally spoke, not liking that she would be out alone with no protection. Yeah, he didn’t fucking like it at all.
Her eyes found his. They were beautiful, the firelight from the pit reflecting in her eyes. “It’s not me he wants.”
Kile wasn’t precisely talking just about the asshole in the parking lot, but men in general. His wolf struggled inside him at the thought of any man around this woman. “You, a human, meddled in Shifter business. In our world, as you like to keep calling it, that’s a cardinal sin. Remember, I was there, and I heard his threats, which I don’t take lightly.”
He saw the fear flash in her eyes before she looked away with a shrug. His keen hearing picked up on the shuddering breath she took before speaking. “Colton is a bully,” Sadie replied, her voice sounding strong. He saw her shaking hands before she put them under the table on her lap. “Once he knows Lily is protected, he will move on.”
Kile and Eric shared a look before his gaze landed back on her. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“I don’t have a choice.” Her eyes met his once again, and at that moment, he knew this woman would sacrifice herself to keep a sister who was not of her blood, safe.