22. Odie
Cy was right. I knew she was, but I still sat here as if she hadn’t given me an ultimatum.
I had to tell Mine tonight. When she woke up, I would drop the bomb on her and hope everything went as smoothly as possible. Maybe she wouldn’t freak out about another thing being added to her plate. That was a delusional line of thought, but I could dream.
I laid my head on the table and gripped my short hair between my fingers. Everything was falling apart, and it was only going to get worse before it got better.
With a deep breath, I stood up and headed for my room where Mine was currently residing. I needed a shower, and the need to check on her was a growing itch across my body.
The door opened quietly, and Mine remained undisturbed as she lay in bed on her back. Her long brown hair was still up in the messy bun Cy tossed it into. Her full lips slightly parted, and soft snores came out. The rules behind her curse were rather interesting, but I assumed they were specific for a reason.
If I was going to curse someone with the inability to speak, I would also take their ability to scream, but the other little things that she could do like laughing and whistling, I’m not sure I would think about. If annoyance was another goal, snoring would definitely be on the list to remain. Whistling as well.
I snuck past the bed and slipped into the bathroom before closing the door with a small click.
I turned on the shower and was thankful I decided to have both a tub and a shower in here and not a combination. I didn’t want to have to stand and bathe in the same place we took care of Mine, at least this soon.
After turning on the shower to piping hot, I cleaned up the space a bit, tossing the towels into the hamper and cleaning up the leftover water on the floor along with hosing down the bathtub. It would need a good scrub and the floors mopped, but it would do for now. At least it didn’t look like a mini crime scene anymore.
The steam built, and the mirror fogged over before I stripped off my shirt and threw it into the hamper as well. Before I could get any further, glass shattering in my room drew my attention.
I flung open the door and saw Mine leaning over the edge of the bed, holding herself up on the nightstand with a broken water glass beneath her. Our eyes met, and she grimaced. Her arm shook beneath her, still recovering from the blood loss. I’d have offered more of mine to help the process, but I didn’t think she’d be too keen on the idea.
Carefully climbing up the bed, I grabbed her waist and pulled her to safety, setting her back against the pillows. I sat back and knelt in front of her.
“Are you okay?” She shrugged without taking her eyes off of me. “Do you want more water?” She licked her lips, and I tracked the movement. It took a lot more strength than I would like to admit to not kiss her, to not taste her now that she had tasted me.
Finally, she nodded, and I scooted off the end of the bed.
“Don’t move. Don’t try to clean it up. Nothing.” I backed away and exited the door, hoping she didn’t try anything else while I was gone.
I got her more water, and this time, it was in a water bottle that could take a beating if needed. I made my way back down the hall, stopping at the supplies closet to grab a broom and dust pan, only to be met by Ellie who walked out of her room at the wrong time.
She looked me up and down and quirked a brow but didn’t say anything as she walked by me, probably on the hunt for a snack. I was glad she didn’t say anything as I wanted to get back to Mine as soon as possible, but I wondered what she thought I was doing.
With a sigh, I closed the closet door and entered my room again before handing over the water bottle and cleaning up the broken glass on the floor. Thankfully, I still had on my tennies, so I didn’t have to worry about cutting my feet, but Mine watched me intently, and it made cleaning this up even more difficult.
Soon, I was done and dumped the glass into the trashcan in the bathroom, leaving the broom and pan in there.
Popping my head out, I asked, “Do you need anything else before I shower?”
She stopped drinking and grabbed her notebook and pen. I stepped back out so I could read what she was writing.
After you’re done, can I take one?
“A shower?” She nodded. “Unless you want to sit on the floor under the running water, it’s a bath for you.”
She rolled her eyes and wrote some more. As long as I get some hot water and soap on me, I’m good. Snacks?
“At least your appetite hasn’t been affected.” I laughed, and she smiled. “I’ll get that going as soon as I’m done. I won’t be long.”
Shutting the door, I stripped down and hopped into the still hot shower. We splurged for the best, refusing to battle over hot showers, clean clothes, and so on.
I scrubbed myself down, washed my hair and face, making sure I got every nook and bit of sweat before turning off the water and getting out. I wrapped a large towel around myself, then turned on the bath, making sure the water was an acceptable temperature.
My closet was not connected to the bathroom, so I had to go through the room to get dressed. I walked out as if it was entirely normal and ignored Mine who I thought was messing around on my computer.
I quickly got dressed in shorts and a loose tank. I knew I was going to have to help Mine get in and out of the bath somehow, and I didn’t mind getting these clothes completely soaked.
“Ready?” Her green eyes met mine, and she nodded. “The bath is filling up and will take a few minutes, so what snacks can I easily scrounge up for you? Oh, and we should probably discuss what to do with your arm.” She looked down at her missing arm, then back at me like I was crazy. “Yes, that one because it’s currently in a bag… in our living room, waiting for you to decide what we should do with it.” This felt like a discussion Cy should be having with her, but I didn’t want the house smelling like a rotting partial corpse if I could prevent it.
Her jaw dropped open before she scrambled for her notebook again.
What do you mean I need to decide?
“Do you want me to dump it in a dumpster, burn it, or plant some bush over it for nutrients?
Similar options for regular burials I guess.”
She nibbled on her lower lip, then nodded before writing some more.
A tree. One that will be big and drop shit on people as a warning.
I sighed. “I should have thought of that. For some reason, I assumed you’d go with roses or something. A pretty bush that will draw blood if you get too handsy.” I shrugged. “I’ll let Cy know so we can at least get it buried while we find a sapling.” I turned to leave, but Mine waved her arm to get my attention.
That motion seemed to make her dizzy. She placed her hand on her head and took a deep breath. I moved over to her and handed her the water bottle.
“Drink. I didn’t want to offer more in case you were against it, but may I give you more of my blood? It will help.” Mine nearly choked on the water as I asked, sputtering and dribbling it all over the place. Thankfully, my laptop was just out of range.
After she collected herself, it was clear she wanted to say no, that her first instinct was to reject the help I was offering, but something switched over, and she agreed.
“Really? That was much easier than I thought it would be. You really aren’t feeling okay.” I went to touch her forehead to make sure she wasn’t hiding a fever, but she batted me away with an eye roll.
I can’t explain it, but I feel like I should say yes. I don’t trust my instincts, but I trust you.
My entire body froze. Apparently, I needed to hear those words from her metaphorical lips, but I didn’t know what to do with them.
I must have been frozen for longer than I thought because Mine started waving her hand in front of my face to get me to snap out of it.
“Oh, sorry, um, thank you. I haven’t really done anything to gain it though.” Before she could argue, I stood up. “I’m going to check your bath. I’ll help you get settled, then I’ll make you some snacks.”
I was a cowardly Alpha who was running from her mate. She didn’t know that though.
The water was rising nicely, and the temp had remained, so I stood here for a few seconds to collect myself. I had to tell her. Maybe in the middle of a calming bath would be the best option. If she had food and some more of my blood in her, perhaps that would help as well.
This was all much harder than I expected it to be. Even if she was aware of her designation and grew within the Primarchy, true mates aren’t common enough for me to have solid answers.
Groaning, I told myself to get it together and grow a fucking pair. The steam was building thanks to the mostly closed door, and the heat helped push away some of the anxiety.
With one last deep breath, I stepped back out of the bathroom. Mine had removed the covers from over her legs, and she was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor.
“Are you okay?” What a stupid question, but it popped out before I could stop it.
Mine looked at me and quirked a brow, but it all melted into a smile, then she shook her head and gave an exaggerated shrug as if she was saying, No, but it is what it is. I thought understanding her now would be more of a challenge, but even with her silent treatment over the last two weeks, I had gotten to know her body language well enough.
I smiled back, but mine was due to realizing how much I understood her even without her having a voice.
“Let’s get you clean.” I helped her up off the bed and across the room to the bathroom, letting her walk with aid for now.
Mine was still in a large T-shirt and nothing else, but getting her in with her being safe and comfortable was going to be a hassle.
Helping her sit on the edge of the tub, I turned off the water, then she spun so her feet and calves slid into the water. A small groan led to a sigh, and it drove me crazy, but I was so glad those small sounds were outside of the curse. My muscles bunched with the effort to not touch her and spill every detail right here. Her pheromones were building, and even if she had some training from Ellie, I doubted she’d be able to control them very much. Until then, we were going to be at her relative mercy. If she so much as whined on accident, I was done for.
Before I could make any suggestions on how to do this, Mine pulled the shirt over her head, tossed it toward the hamper, and slid in with a small splash. The water covered as much as possible without getting her bandages wet, then she spun around to look at me and shoo me away with her knees bent and covering her naked body.
“If you’re going to act like that, I’m not making you any snacks,” I said with a smile to prevent a meltdown. She faux gasped, and I added, “I’ll be right back. Use whatever you want, and take your time.”
Once again, I ran from the room. Instead of taking my time making snacks, I sped through the process, making a couple sandwiches, slicing some cheese to go with crackers and jam, peeled an orange, and cut up an apple. In all, I was gone for maybe ten minutes, and that felt like too long.
Mine didn’t know it yet, but I was doomed and smitten beyond belief. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like when she was aware of what she was doing to me.