Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
ZANDER
I stood. “I’ll go and start investigating now.”
To my absolute astonishment, Reid lunged toward me and grabbed my arm before I could put any distance between us. His eyes widened and he let go of me almost immediately, as if he hadn’t meant to touch me in the first place.
“Don’t go yet,” he said, his cheeks paling. “Please just stay for a little while. I feel… safer with… you here.”
He choked out the word “safer” in a way that made me think he’d never associated it with an alpha before. My heart simultaneously ached and swelled. I hated that he’d had so few people to trust in his life so far, but I loved that for some reason he’d decided I was safe.
Even if he had told me I couldn’t visit him again.
“Are you sure?” I’d take any excuse I could to spend time with Reid but I didn’t want to overstep.
“Yes.” He nibbled on his lip, looking not at all certain. “Where’s Jessie?”
“She’s back at the Omega House.” I lowered myself onto the chair again. “She finished the shopping after we took you away. One of the deputies escorted her home to make sure she got there safely.”
“That’s good.”
Now that we were alone together, he didn’t seem to know what to do or say. His complexion was startlingly waxy and if the doctor hadn’t already cleared him, I’d be worried.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. After years in law enforcement, I knew that a snack could go a long way toward helping someone feel better after a panic attack, which was essentially what this was, just with an extra dose of magic.
He pursed his full lips. “A little, but I’m fine.”
“Let’s get you something.” I made a quick phone call to Danny and asked him to run a snack over from the bakery, then I pocketed my phone and gave my attention to Reid. “Do you have any idea whose magic it might have been?”
He looked down at his hands, his shoulders rounded.
“It felt kinda familiar. Maybe it was someone tied to the Red Moon Pack. Trent had a few warlocks come through. The traffickers liked to use magic to keep everyone in line. I heard that sometimes they even put spells on their people to kill them or silence them if they were caught. Someone like that would be powerful enough for a seeking spell like this.”
He picked at his nails and the way he was determinedly not looking at me made me wonder if he was keeping something from me. Had he been involved with that kind of black magic?
Or was he suggesting that it might be an associate of Trent’s to draw attention away from who else might be looking for him? His family, perhaps?
That would explain the panic because he’d already shown that he became upset at the mention of his family. Maybe he was right and they were on their way to him at this very minute. And would that be so bad? Surely they’d be able to help him heal.
But they’d take him away from me.
Ours, my bear growled.
Yeah, I know, buddy.
I didn’t get the opportunity to question Reid more though because Danny arrived with the food. He knocked on the door and eased inside, smiling cautiously.
“Hey, Reid,” he said, greeting my mate first before dipping his head toward me. “I heard you like chicken. There’s an egg and pickle sandwich in here. Perfect for those pregnancy cravings.” He passed him a brown paper bag. “And I have a joyless low carb nut and seed slice for you, Z.”
I took the other bag. “Thanks. What do we owe you?”
Danny flashed a grin. “On the house.” He hesitated, his brow furrowing as he glanced back at Reid. “Are you all right? I heard you lost control.”
“My magic is gone.” Reid’s voice broke on the last word. He sounded bereft. “You’re safe. I can’t hurt anyone.”
Danny’s face softened. “I wasn’t worried about that, silly. I want to know if you’re okay. That must be hard, having your magic gone, even if it’s only temporary.”
Reid nodded, and my heart gave a pang. I wished he didn’t have to go through this.
Danny leaned against the doorframe and cocked his hip. “What say I bring the leftovers from the bakery to Omega House after work so you aren’t by yourself? I’ll ask Milo to come too.”
Reid’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. “You don’t have to do that.”
“But I’d like to.” Danny straightened. “Unless that’s your polite way of saying you don’t want to see us, which is also okay.”
“I…” Reid swallowed. “I’d like that.”
Danny flashed one last grin before ducking out. “Then I’ll see you later. Take care, you two.”
Reid stared after Danny as if he was an alien.
“I’ll get you a glass of water,” I said and set my bag down before following Danny out. I filled two mugs from the break room with water and returned with them, placing one on the stand beside Reid’s bed and the other on a table on the side of the room.
Reid gulped the water down in just a few mouthfuls. I glanced at the other mug and, without a moment of hesitation, replaced the empty mug with my full one. He clearly needed it more than me.
His cheeks flushed and his gaze dropped. “Thank you.”
Keeping an eye on me, he bit into the sandwich, chewed, and chased it down with more water. The sight of him enjoying something I’d provided, no matter how small, warmed my heart. I suddenly understood why Everett coddled Milo so much. The feeling was addictive.
Reid’s eyebrows knitted together, and I realized I was staring at him. I opened my own bag, withdrew the bar, and ate half of it in one bite. For all of Danny’s face-pulling about my tasteless choices, it was actually pretty good. Nutty and crunchy with just a hint of sweetness from the honey.
Gods, I loved honey.
We ate in silence until Reid had finished his filo. He wiped his fingers on a napkin and turned to me.
“Why are you bothering with me?” he asked.
The question struck me like a two-by-four, completely unexpected.
“What do you mean? You’re my mate.”
Of course I’d “bother” with him, as he put it. I’d literally do anything for my mate.
He shrugged. “I’m broken. Surely that’s beyond obvious by now. I had a literal screaming meltdown in the supermarket.”
I padded closer and sat near him but kept enough distance between us that he’d feel safe. “You’re not broken. You’ve been through a lot.”
He rolled his eyes. “I don’t understand why you’re being so nice to me. I have so many trust issues that I tested you.”
I cocked my head, uncertain what he meant.
He sighed and absent-mindedly rubbed the gnarled scar where Trent had bitten him. “When I told you not to visit me at the Omega House, I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to find out whether you’d listen to me. And… and you did.”
Confusion laced his tone and it broke my heart. He shouldn’t be so surprised to have his wishes respected. For the love of the Gods, that should be his bare minimum expectation.
“It’s understandable that you’d have difficulty trusting people. You aren’t broken,” I repeated, injecting as much certainty into my voice as I could.
He raised his eyes and one side of his mouth hitched up. “You know, ‘not broken’ might be the most hopeful way I’ve heard myself described since… Well, since Trent.”
I angled myself toward him. My fingers twitched, itching to reach for him, but I curled them into my palm, knowing he wouldn’t welcome the touch. “So, you don’t actually want me to stay away?”
“No.” He slumped against the wall. “I like talking to you. I just… don’t know whether I’ll ever be the mate you want. I’m sorry.”
“You already are, and there’s no pressure to make any decisions quickly.” I’d wait as long as it took if I eventually earned the privilege of calling him mine.
“How can I possibly be what you want?” he asked quietly.
“Because you’re perfect for me.” Slowly, I reached over and touched his arm. His breath stuttered and he relaxed into the touch. “You’re brave and resilient. Clever and determined. Everything I could ever ask for.”
He blinked rapidly and cleared his throat. “I don’t feel brave.”
“Well, you are. You’ve been through more than some people could withstand, and you’re still holding your own.”
He pursed his lips and stayed quiet. Eventually, he said, “I’m okay now. Can we go back to the Omega House?”
He’d avoided responding, but hopefully he’d at least taken my words on board.
“I’ll just go and check with Dr. Black.”
Once we were released, I drove Reid home. For once he didn’t argue, and I appreciated that. Perhaps he was all too aware of the fact that he could be in danger because of whatever it was he’d sensed earlier.
When we arrived, I waved him inside and didn’t push my luck by asking for an invitation to come in.
Instead, I headed to my parents’ place, parked outside, and went looking for Dad.
I found him in his office, so I knocked softly and leaned against the door frame while he finished whatever it was he was doing on the computer.
He glanced over. “Is all okay with Reid?”
I waved my hand back and forth. “He’s scared but physically unharmed. We might have trouble though. Do you know of any witches or warlocks who might be able to sense whether foreign magic has been used in the area?”