Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
~Rhen~
As I go to fetch her some water, I’m not sure what bothers me more: the fact she stomped on my balls or that she tried to sneak off while we were sleeping; like this was a one-night stand, and she was trying to avoid the awkward morning after.
Walking into the kitchen, I grab some bottles of water, knowing I should have probably restocked the bar fridge down there earlier, before making my way to the linen cupboard and grabbing some fresh towels.
Tania also brought some de-scenting soap.
It won't abate her heat, but it might help me think a little more clearly if she doesn't smell like my own lust-filled, personal sin.
I grab the bag with all the supplies Tania bought from the counter when I feel the mind-link, and Thane's voice flits through my head.
'You're awake?' he asks.
I roll my eyes. Of course, he felt me wake up. He always does. Nothing escapes that man when it comes to us.
'Where is Zara?' he asks.
'In the Den,' I answer warily. He isn't going to make me kick her out, is he?
The thought bothers me more than it should.
She won't be safe out there. Her heat may have abated for now, but it will return.
We gave her suppressants, but they won't stop a heat that has already started.
They will just give her some reprieve until her cycle ends, which could take days.
We intend to keep pumping her full of suppressants through the end of her cycle.
The only alternative is to fuck and knot her, and neither Raidon nor I are comfortable with that, even with Thane’s permission.
It feels wrong. Mates are a pack, which she isn't part of, and Thane has no intention of making her part of ours.
Therefore, we will fight the urge to mate her.
'Good, keep her there. Let me know when her heat finishes and I’ll come home,' he tells me, and my brows furrow.
'You're not returning?'
'No, I am looking into something. See what you can find out about her while she’s lucid,' Thane tells me, cutting the link before I can question him further.
Thane is acting strange. I try to search the bond before realizing he’s blocking it, making me wonder what it is he is up to.
Or is he just trying to block how badly it affects him, knowing we are here with her?
He should know us better than to believe we would be unfaithful.
Sure, we all play around from time to time, but never behind each other's backs.
We are always together when we do so. Sharing has never been an issue with any of us.
So, it kind of stings that he thinks we would go behind his back, even with his permission.
Grabbing some towels, I rummage through the storage boxes at the bottom, pulling out some pajamas that we originally bought for Harlow.
Not like she can use them. I don't even know why Thane kept them.
It isn't like she’s coming back. I shake my head before turning back to the basement door.
As I walk down the stairs, the door swings shut behind me, and I notice Zara sitting on the ledge of the Den pit.
Zara is shivering, rubbing arms that are covered in goosebumps.
She’s also drenched in sweat as another violent wave of heat courses through her.
Yet she isn't crazed; the suppressants are keeping her lucid, though I can tell she is uncomfortable.
My shirt is drenched with sweat as she fights her instinct to go to my mates.
Zara looks over her shoulder at me, and I notice her face is flushed, her cheeks a deep rouge.
"Are you okay?"
Her brows furrow at my question, and she nods. Her eyes go to the bottled water in my arms. Walking over to her, I pass her one, and she takes it before struggling with the cap. Her hands shake that badly.
Setting everything down beside her, I twist the cap before helping her hold it to her lips. She chokes and sputters on it as she gulps it down thirstily.
"Slow, or you’ll make yourself sick," I warn her.
She gasps, sucking in a breath when I pull it back, realizing she is going to choke herself. She’s gulping it that fast, having drained half the bottle already.
"Go lay between them. Their skin contact will help."
"I'm fine," she lies, and I shake my head before taking the rest of the water bottles to the mini-fridge and setting them inside. When I’m done, I move toward the paneled wall, feeling her eyes follow me. I push on one panel, which is actually a door, to reveal the bathroom.
"Zara," I call over my shoulder before looking at her. "Come," I tell her, and she hesitantly gets up.
She wanders over to me, curious, yet also wary. I notice how she stiffens when she stops beside me and sways on her feet as she gets a whiff of my scent.
"Do you want a shower? Or there’s a spa bath in here, too," I tell her, nudging her in so she can look around. She steps in and quickly glances around. I hold the towels and soap out to her.
"There are more toiletries under the sink," I tell her, and she glances at it.
"Thank you," she murmurs. She looks on the verge of passing out. I touch her face. She flinches before leaning into my touch when she realizes it offers some relief. Her skin is burning hot, yet she’s shivering, as if she has a fever.
"Try to be quick. You really should be in the Den."
Her eyes dart over my shoulder, and I catch my first glimpse of her animalistic side since she woke. Her hazel eyes burn brighter, almost turning a deep green. They briefly turn fluorescent before she shakes her head, regaining her senses. She nods before shutting the door.