Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
NOVA
The world is hazy as I wake up and look around. It’s been days of pain, slick, orgasms, and confusion.
Now, I simply want to know where I’m at and why.
I’m laying on clean sheets in a small room with a low ceiling and the perfect dim lighting.
Wait…blinking as I gaze up at the ceiling, I realize that there’s a canopy of gauzy material that mimics a lower ceiling. That’s very smart, and it makes me not want to move.
I feel obnoxiously safe with the scents of my alphas surrounding me. Except, I shouldn’t because I know nothing about them except that they can make me come harder than I ever have.
Inhaling deeply, I breathe in their scents, somehow knowing who each one is.
Raspberry chocolate surrounds me in the hoody that I’m wearing and on the air, and I know that this is Tyde.
Lars is next with his hazelnut scent, reminding me somehow of coffee and my stomach rumbles.
Lastly, Caleb’s scent of crisp apples and nutmeg somehow blends perfectly with their scents, despite how acerbic his tone often is.
Making a face at the thought that I’m officially scent matched, I push myself up until I’m sitting up. I should feel tired, but I’m not, and my hair falls in a soft, clean waterfall around me.
Crawling out of a nest that leaves me with more questions than answers, I stand on bare feet and pad out into the rest of the house. I want to know how my sister is, and what this all means.
I wish I could be the type of omega to play things cool, but I’m not. There’s too much about my life that’s up in the air. I also want to know where my cat is. Did they leave her in the van?
Padding into the main area of the house, I take in how gorgeous it is. Rather than feeling cold, it looks like a comfortable wealth. John and Louise, yes I’m calling them by their pseudo names, made their home into both a fortress and prison.
Lucky me.
“Nova?” a deep voice asks. “Keep walking, and you’ll find the living room. I’m making food.”
Realizing Tyde is talking is a mind fuck. I don’t remember his voice being so deep, which is weird. Sighing, I walk into a living room that’s empty and curl into a corner of the couch.
“Did Caleb and Lars bring my cat in, or am I going to find a popsicle in my van?” I ask.
While my words are blase, I am actually worried as I gaze out at the snow.
“She’s in a room on the bottom floor. They’re assholes and murderers, but I think the line gets drawn at killing animals,” he teases, walking out with two plates filled with fragrant rice and chicken dish with salsa over it.
All things I can eat. We haven’t had a chance to really discuss my dietary issues, but I can get around it if I’m careful.
My mouth waters because it smells incredible. It seems that my sinuses are clear since I’ve been inside and nothing has been messing with it.
“That’s quite the line,” I mumble as he smirks, sitting next to me.
His hair is mussed over his forehead in an adorable way, his hazel eyes soft as he watches me. Tyde is wearing sweatpants and nothing else, looking very comfortable in his own skin. I honestly almost swallow my own tongue at the sight of his washboard stomach and the definition of his muscles.
Why is he so different now? It’s almost as if he had a personality lobotomy. I really want to get to know this version of Tyde.
I can feel his emotions through the bond, and I flush as the memory of how that happened slides through my mind.
“Please don’t think about biting my cock, Nova,” Tyde groans. “I’m trying really hard to be a gentleman.”
“I’m a little surprised by you,” I murmur, taking my plate from him and loading my fork with food.
My stomach gurgles, and I wince as I take a bite. The flavors are amazing as my eyes close to half mast and I moan softly as I chew.
“Why is that?” he asks, his voice almost a growl. Fuck, this alpha is sexy without trying.
Where’s the asshole who couldn’t help but offend me?
“This is really good,” I compliment him, and while he blushes, he continues to stare at me. Ugh, I hate being an adult. “You haven’t once asked me about Katee or insulted me.”
“Would it help if I told you that I’m pitifully awkward?
” he asks with a grimace. He takes a small bite of his food as he thinks, shrugging.
“Somehow, it’s easier to talk to you now that we’re bonded.
Since you can tell what I’m feeling anyway, I don’t have to pretend or freak out about saying the wrong thing because you know my heart already. ”
Oh my stars. I think the universe is finally smiling at me, because I can tell he means every damn world. Paying attention to the bond, I see how sincere he is and I give him the widest smile.
I know it’s not going to be easy, but hopefully this way, I won’t have to fight over every little thing.
“You’re so damn beautiful it hurts,” he whispers. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore,” I say immediately. “It’s a good kind though, and I don’t feel tired.”
“Good, good. How much do you remember? I’ve been keeping myself busy. I’m sorry I wasn’t with you when you woke up,” he says. “I wanted to be, but I’m the only one home right now and I knew you’d be hungry.”
“They’re already gone,” I say dully, looking down to find my appetite is gone. I can’t bring myself to answer his question, feeling really sad. A tear rolls down my face unbidden, and I’m almost surprised to feel it.
This feels like…rejection.
“Nova,” he rasps. His voice almost sounds stressed, and the sexy low voice is gone. I feel bad, because I fucked with his zen. “They had to go open their businesses. I promise, they harassed me about making sure you eat and are taken care of.”
“I’ve been taking care of myself for a really long time just fine,” I whisper. “Can you find out if it’s safe for me to go home?”
“Safe? Leave? I was hoping that you’d stay,” he says softly.
My hormones are out of wack, and I swallow hard to keep from giving into the sadness.
“I left town because I was a distraction,” I explain. “It’s a long story, but I really don’t want to feel the pain of broken bones I don’t have.”
“Take a breath and tell me that story,” he says, putting his hand on my knee. “Eat for me too, please. Just a little.”
Looking up at him, I see how earnest he is. What helps is that I can feel it through the bond too. He’s whispering for me to trust him through it, and I just can’t resist him.
I don’t even want to.
So I tell him everything. He’s a doctor, after all. I explain about the migraines that aren’t mine, the pull toward Hollis, and the insanity of the last few days where she was kidnapped because my fake father thought my sister was me.
He’s quiet outside of a question here or there, and his eyes widen when he realizes why I need to know if my sister is feeling pain or not.
“I think that they brought your phone with them,” he says. “It’s at least in your van if not. Let’s get your cat so you can make sure she’s okay and I’ll check the van since it’s too cold for you to go out.”
Still being sweet even after hearing that I’m not only a mess, I’m a head case too.
“Don’t call yourself that,” he grumbles, ignoring the way my body flinches in surprise. “Weird things happen every day. This is happening to you, it’s not the sum of your parts. Did you get enough to eat?”
Tyde’s change of subjects gives me whiplash, and I wonder if the way he interacts with the world could be colored by hyperactivity. It makes sense that he may have ADHD.
Looking down at my plate, I realize that I ate more than I thought while talking to him and my stomach is settled and happy.
“Yes, thank you,” I say, watching as he picks up the plates and sets them to the side.
“Come on then,” he says, grabbing my hand as he stands.
“Don’t you have to work?” I ask, following him.
“I have a lot of leave I never take,” he explains. “As soon as Caleb and Lars called me, I called the hospital and took a week off. I don’t even know how those two got my number.”
“The mafia,” I mutter without thinking. Giving him a sidelong glance, I find him chuckling under his breath.
“I should have known that,” Tyde says. “What’s your cat’s name?”
Walking beside him, I look up and admit to myself that the scruff on his face is really sexy, and that I like that he’s taller than I am.
“Pixie,” I reply. “I never know if she’s going to want to cuddle or scratch my face off. I like to call it living dangerously.”
“We need to discuss your ideas of a good time,” he grunts, making me laugh.
Gorgeous , he hums through the bond. I don’t think he realizes how open he is through it, but I really like it. Stopping at a door, he opens it slowly and turns the dimmer switch up.
I’m noticing these switches are everywhere, and wonder why. This is typically something that omegas have for their sensitive eyes. Does he get overstimulated?
“Pixie,” I call out, taking a slow step into the room.
A loud yowl explodes in the room and she attacks my feet viciously.
“No!” Tyde yells, leaning down and swatting her nose. “Be nice to her. It wasn’t her fault you were put in here. I fucking hate your entire species. Don’t fucking test me, little girl.”
Damn. My perfume fills the room as I squeeze my thighs together and scoop my sour patch cat up into my arms.
“Are you going to be nice now that you got yelled at for hurting me?” I croon to her.
She practically pouts before head butting me and allowing me to cuddle her.
“You’re the biggest pain in the ass,” I sigh, looking down at my bleeding feet.
“What the hell, Nova,” Tyde breathes, lifting me into his arms effortlessly. My head drops onto his shoulder as I pet Pixie, smiling a private smile as he walks quickly to the bathroom to clean my feet. “Does this happen often?”
“You yelling at my cat? I don’t know,” I giggle. “You tell me.”
“Baby, if she hurts you, she’ll definitely be answering to me,” he growls.
Pixie pokes her head up and her pupils widen like a demon kitty as Tyde places me on the counter and pulls out the first aid kit.