Chapter 55 #2
“He’s a wonder drug, that's for sure. And yeah, I do remember. That’s where my memory stopped. For the time being, Quinn, that’s how I need it to be. If I want details as to what happened or I want to talk to you about what I went through, I’ll ask for your time.”
“I know that.” We all heal differently, and how we choose to recover is something that can’t be disputed by others.
We sit in quiet again. Like always, being with Deena is effortless, but it’s also necessary for my well-being. I get a lot out of being around her, and I know the feeling is reciprocated.
I put my empty cup down and reach for hers before I twist around, sensing Santiago at the door. He waits for an invitation, and Deena stares at me with one of her trademark knowing looks, waiting for an explanation.
“Come join us.” I hold my hand up to him, and my scent leaks. It’s impossible not to respond now that we’re bonded.
Deena mutters something under her breath, but my focus is owned by my Alpha, so I miss what she says. The swirl of whatever was making sleep difficult grips tighter. Admittedly, he also dips down to give me a sweet, chaste good-morning kiss, so it could be that too.
His eyes are sparkling bright, and he smells incredible. I get another quick kiss before he goes to stand up and turns to Deena. “I’m sorry for being rude, but…”
Santiago freezes on the spot, his hand outstretched as he looks at Deena. It’s almost comical seeing him hovering, but at the same time, worry churns because that’s not like Santiago. He’s rarely at a loss for words.
“Santiago? Are you okay?” I ask, already climbing to my feet. I run my hand over his shoulders, helping wherever I can.
“Isabella?” Santiago is staring at Deena, his face slack in shock.
I shake my head. “No, this is Deena, Santiago. Marco’s mother.”
Santiago moves slowly, like he’s worried he is going to spook her. He turns to me, completely shell-shocked. A dawning realization hits his eyes. I read it plain as day, and something about the situation starts to make sense to him.
“Shit, bebe, the story you told me about Deena and Marco…” He goes back to watching her while he speaks, but his expression is softer, gentler.
He’s trying very hard to disguise his Alpha side in his mannerisms. It’s there, but he’s tucked it away as best he can to appear as approachable as possible.
Deena’s eyes shift from watching him carefully to looking at me, silently questioning what the hell is going on.
When she looks at him, she’s apprehensive, likely because no matter how hard he tries to hide it, Santiago is very much an Alpha.
A strong one, and Deena and I haven’t had a great track record with strong Alphas.
Santiago reaches for her but holds back, the gesture very conciliatory. His approach is cautious and his voice is low. “I’m sorry for bringing up memories you perhaps don’t want to talk about, but I know you, Deena. Do I look familiar to you?” He leads her gently in his questioning.
I turn to face him. “Santiago, what’s going on?”
He squats low in front of her chair, his arm twisted backward for me. When I link our fingers, he tugs me to him. Though I can feel his confusion in our bond, his sheer elation is louder and clearer. “This is my Aunt Isabella, bebe.”
“Deena is your aunt?”
“Yes. Our homes have Isabella in every room. There are photos of her growing up everywhere, and her beautiful paintings hang on our walls in every house our family has. Her brother is Alejandro Cabal, my father.”
Deena’s eyes flare at the mention of art. Our house is full of her watercolors, but her eyes lock on my Alpha as she all but demands more details from him.
“Isabella, we are blood. You have a very large family who never stopped looking for you or praying for your return. Quintessa told me how she found you and Marco, and that’s how far back your family has been searching.”
Deena makes a small noise in the back of her throat; it’s not fear-based, nor is it her laughing. She’s digesting, thinking, wondering if what he says is the truth. And then she turns from his focus and looks at me.
We have searched for answers to who Deena was since the day we met, but it’s hard to know where to start in a situation like that, especially when you’re hiding. We had nothing to go on because she had no clue about her time before the warehouse. It was like someone had wiped her memory clean.
I honestly have no idea how we ended up here, either.
If I think hard about the time of our escape, I’m sure I could figure it out, but it was a horrible experience, constantly wondering if Victor was tracking us.
How we escaped and got here was by sheer dumb luck and the tidings of destiny. There’s no other way to explain it.
“You wear your heritage the same way your brother does. And all your sisters. I could understand how overwhelming this must be, but, Deena, you are a Cabal. Where we come from, the Cabals are royalty.”
I reach for her, running my hand over her shoulders.
“It does explain why you’re so entitled, always thinking you should be able to eat the last of everything.
And the first!” I tease her gently, although there’s truth in what I say.
Deena has an air about her that is sometimes in complete contrast to the warm-hearted, quiet soul she now is.
“How do you know him?” she asks me as her gaze flickers back to Santiago.
“Maybe it’s a Cabal thing because how we met, and how we found each other, is a little out of the realm of normal.
It’s almost as hard to believe as what Santiago is saying about who you are, but he is honest and truthful, a strong Alpha but one with a heart made of gold, Deena. I believe what he says.”
Deena rocks back in her seat, letting her head fall back so the rising sun kisses over her face. She’s quiet as she digests everything that’s been shared, but it doesn’t take long for her to huff out a breath and sit straighter.
“I have these strange dreams of a house on the water’s edge.
There’s vines climbing around tall white columns, the roof is tiled the color of clay, and there’s laughter spilling out the open windows.
I want to go inside, but there’s a black, spiked fence that surrounds it, and it grows taller the closer I get to it. ”
“Shit,” Santiago whispers. “Let me get my phone.”
He’s with us one moment, gone the next. And the whole time he’s getting his phone, Deena and I simply stare at each other.
Santiago returns and squats next to Deena, but he waves me over, and then he holds his phone where we can all see the screen.
Deena starts swearing under her breath as soon as she see the house she just described.
“This is…” Santiago starts.
Deena finishes his sentence, her voice like a whisper, “Casa del Cielo.”
The sweetness of the morning air changes with our shock, but it also now scents of hope. We sit together, looking at photos, getting drawn further into the conclusion that while Deena might not remember being a Cabal, she very much is.
I move out of Santiago’s arms, the both of them looking at me strangely.
“I’ll be back. I’m just going to get Deena some food and make you a coffee.” The restlessness is starting to become hard to ignore again, but at the same time, I’m aware Deena’s dealing with a lot, and I want her to feel the best she can, given the circumstances.
And then I realize why they might have both looked at me oddly. “Unless, of course, you’re not comfortable with Santiago, Deena. Just because I trust him doesn’t mean you should.”
“I’m fine. A bit bewildered, but I feel perfectly safe. You go do your fussing, or you’ll be a nightmare,” she teases, but she knows how I can get sometimes.
I check in on Santiago, and he too is fine. “You don’t need to wait on me, bebe. I’ll leave my phone with Deena, and she can look through the photos herself.”
“No, I’m just inside. I think if Deena is okay, she should find out who Isabella is.”
I walk off, and the both of them watch me leave. I feel their focus on me like I just felt their hands in mine. I need to rest. I’d like to switch off, but I’m still out of whack, and until everything in me rights again, it’s going to be a waste of time trying to sleep.
The house is spotless. Aleksei and Kade were up late last night, righting everything and cleaning up as best they could, and they did a great job.
There are no reminders of what happened before we arrived here.
And it was important because Marco doesn’t need to see anything that could jar his memory.
I think of him, and then invariably my thoughts drift back to Deena, then they shift again to Santiago, Kade, and Aleksei, even the dogs. I’m struck by an urge to cook and feed the people who are vital to my peace and happiness while also cleaning the already-spotless house.
The energy that's been making it hard to sleep turns a little frantic, but I focus it into preparing a few dishes I know Deena and Marco love, and a few I hope my pack enjoys.
I stop right in the middle of adding the next round of French toast to an already overflowing plate when I feel Aleksei wake up.
It’s ridiculous, the notion of being able to sense him stirring in another room, but I do.
He doesn’t wake up slowly, though; he’s up and awake and in front of me before I’ve put the toast on the plate.
His chin rises, his eyes dark and stormy. If I had to describe him in one word, it would be hungry.
And then the same sensation I felt with Aleksei happens with Kade. It’s as if they mirror each other. I stay stuck in the same position, which is how he finds me.
Kade stops at the door of the kitchen for half a second before he smiles at me. I can feel his plan to sweep me into his arms, but Aleksei’s arm shoots out and stops him.
“Nyet!” he barks. It’s pure dominance, and it nearly knocks me off my feet because it pretty much comes from nowhere.
Kade doesn’t submit, but he eases back as they share a look I don’t quite get.
Santiago is suddenly in the kitchen too. I didn’t see him move—I was blinded by Aleksei’s and Kade’s actions—but I could feel Santiago’s steps as if they were my own.
The three of them stay stock-still, the only movement coming when they inhale deeply and slowly through their noses, blowing out through pursed lips. It happens once more before Aleksei clears his throat. A dangerous smile plays over his lips, and I sway under his influence.
“Maya,” he calls to me, his voice like a sonnet. “Can you do me a small favor?”
I nod instantly. “Of course.”
His grin widens, and he walks closer while the others trail behind him.
He checks over his shoulder, and my heart warms again at how attuned he is to Marco already.
When he looks at me again, his eyes are rippled with desire. “Put your fingers inside your beautiful cunt for me?”
My mouth falls open, and I gape like a fish at how crass he is. Now I’m very glad he checked to make sure we are alone.
“Aleksei! I’m making breakfast.”
“Now, Omega!” he barks. At. Me. His command claps through everything else.
I submit under his Alpha influence. My hands glide over my body, and it feels heavenly, like silk and warm water.
I hold his burning gaze as I wiggle my hand past the jeans I’m wearing and straight into my panties.
My hand doesn't stop moving until I’m fingering myself. In the middle of Deena’s kitchen.
“Your slick is spilling, isn’t it, wife? Your touch feels good, but you know it’s not what you want, huh?” His cocky words are fueling my touch, and I whimper as I agree, because touching myself is divine, but it’s also not enough.
Santiago makes a groaning sound, and when I look at him, his eyes are nearly black. “Bebe, today is full of surprises. This one is a beautiful one for your pack.”
My brain is so caught up in the gathering pleasure I find on my fingertips, it takes his words a long time to register.
“Oh, hell no, I am not going into heat!”
Kade growls. “Yes, you fucking are, Quinny. You smell ripe for us.”