Chapter 42
Aiden
Wyatt was in a mood when we got back to the dormitory.
He’d been pissed since Skye spoke to him before sneaking off, and he stormed into one of the spare bedrooms as soon as we got back, slamming the door so hard it rattled the wall.
“What’s his problem?” Rafe asked, trying to straighten out his hair.
I snorted.
Rafe looked ridiculous. It was so obvious he and Skye had disappeared to go fuck somewhere. She looked well enough when they came back, but the Queen wouldn’t stop frowning.
Rafe stretched. “Have a good night, Aiden. We’ll head to the Gulf the day after tomorrow…” He squinted at the clock. “Or, tomorrow. Whatever. I have a few things to handle before I worry about Levi.”
I nodded, stepping into the Chain bedroom. Skye was already in the shower.
“You have room for one more in there?” I called, pulling off my dress shirt.
Skye giggled. “There’s room for like, twelve, Aiden.”
I chuckled, unbuckling my belt and peeling out of the tuxedo pants I’d been wearing.
“You coming in?” Skye asked.
My phone buzzed as I opened my mouth to speak, and I frowned down at the caller ID.
“Who is it?” Skye asked.
“Coach,” I said, shaking my head.
“It’s one o’clock in the morning,” Skye laughed.
I tossed my phone onto the counter, then dropped my boxers.
But my phone buzzed again.
“You can answer it, Aiden,” Skye laughed again.
“No,” I whined. “I wanted to get fucked right now.”
Skye laughed so hard she snorted, and then she tried to stifle her laugh as I answered the phone, fully naked in the middle of the bathroom.
“What?” I snapped.
“Brandt, listen to me. The kid keeps having nightmares and he’s inconsolable. He asked for you.”
I blinked. “What? Really?”
Noah was asking for me?
“I’m really sorry, Brandt. Is there any way you can come over here and get him back to bed? This is night three and I don’t know what else to do.” Coach sounded exhausted.
“Okay,” I said. “Okay, I’m coming over. I just got back from a thing though, so it might be a bit.”
“Thank you so much,” Coach said sincerely.
Skye rubbed at the fogged glass, revealing her face. “What’s going on?”
“I guess I gotta go see Coach,” I muttered.
Which meant I was not getting my dick sucked tonight.
Ugh.
Coach looked relieved when he opened the door to his apartment.
“Thanks, Brandt. I owe you one.”
“Perfect. I’d like to be let go,” I said. “I don’t wanna be the TA.”
“Not that,” Coach ground out.
The sound of breaking glass followed by a loud scrape came from inside, and Coach whipped around before hurrying through a doorway.
I followed slowly, realizing it was a kitchen.
There was a dining chair pulled up to the counter and broken glass on the floor.
Noah was trying to wipe up spilled milk, sniffling and blubbering.
He wore a set of pajamas with little airplanes all over them, and it really hit me how young he was.
“Come on, kiddo,” Coach pleaded. “What are you doing now?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I don’t feel good. When I can’t sleep, Mom would–” His voice wobbled, and then he burst into tears.
Coach sent me a desperate look, and I cringed.
“Noah,” I said, stepping into the kitchen.
He jumped, turning to face me but not moving as Coach swept up the broken glass.
“Aiden?”
“What’s wrong, bud?”
“I keep having bad dreams,” he cried, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t sleep. Remember I told you I think my parents died? They did. They keep coming to talk to me!”
Holy shit.
I sent Coach an angry glare, because this sounded way more serious than a fucking nightmare. Why hadn’t he called Wyatt?
Actually…
“Hold on, buddy. I’m calling Wyatt,” I said, looking down at my phone.
“Good idea,” Coach said, grabbing Noah and carrying him out of the danger zone. “I’m…sorry, man, I’m flustered. I don’t know what to do.”
Noah took off running as soon as his feet hit the carpet. A bedroom door slammed somewhere in the apartment just as Wyatt answered on my third call.
“What?!” He snapped.
“Uh, hello, dick, don’t worry, I’m not dying.”
He hung up.
I called him back.
“What. Do. You. Want?”
“I need you at Coach’s apartment. The kid Noah is having nightmares about his dead parents. I don’t know what the hell to do.”
Wyatt was quiet for so long I almost thought the asshole had hung up on me again.
“I’ll be right there.”
“Hey, Noah.” I pushed the bedroom door open slightly.
The room did not look like it belonged to a little boy. The furniture was all large and imposing, even the bed was too big. There were no toys anywhere. Not even a nightlight.
Noah was in the large bed in the corner, sniffling under his blanket.
Wyatt gave me a look, but gestured for me to go inside.
“I brought my friend Wyatt, is that okay?” I said.
“Who’s that?” Noah sniffled.
“Hi Noah. I’m…”
We stared at each other.
“Wyatt’s a Healer,” I said. “He’s actually my Link-mate.”
An eyeball appeared in a tiny hole in the blanket.
“Link-mate?”
“Yep,” I said, letting Wyatt step inside before shutting the door. “He wants to see if he can help.”
Noah didn’t move for a minute, then the sheets shifted, and he climbed out from under the blanket. I settled on the edge of the bed next to him, then jumped as he shuffled so he could cuddle up to my side.
Wyatt and I stared at each other while Noah sniffled, then Wyatt waved his arm, exasperatedly encouraging me to cuddle back.
I hugged Noah close.
“Tell Wyatt what’s going on,” I said.
“My parents got kidnapped and they died,” Noah said, sniffling. “My mom keeps coming to my dreams to tell me she loves me and misses me.”
“Well that’s not a bad dream,” Wyatt said softly. “That sounds like your mom loves you.”
“But she’s dead,” Noah cried. “I don’t want her to come talk to me if she’s dead! She’s not supposed to be like all the other dead people that talk to me!”
Wyatt chewed his lip while I rubbed my hand up and down Noah’s back.
Wyatt blew out a breath, then nodded before standing. “Okay. I’ll have to heal your head, then.”
Me and Noah stared at him.
“Heal my head? How are you gonna do that?”
“Yeah, Wyatt? How are you gonna do that?” I repeated, furrowing my brow.
“Don’t worry, I’ve done this before,” Wyatt said, pulling up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. “I had to do this for our Key, once.”
“You did?” I ground out. What the hell was he talking about? Noah was way too smart to fall for whatever the fuck this was.
“The one from the Gulf? The orphan?” Noah sat up straighter.
Wyatt and I cringed at the word, but then Wyatt nodded. “Yep. She had nightmares about the massacre, but I fixed it.”
“Wow,” Noah breathed. “Will it hurt?”
“Yeah, will it hurt?” I repeated through clenched teeth, wondering what the fuck we were supposed to do when this inevitably didn’t work.
“Not at all,” Wyatt said, then put his fingers on Noah’s temples. “Okay Noah. Hold on. I’m going to heal your brain from the nightmares.”
Noah stared up at Wyatt with wide eyes. He jumped suddenly. “Whoa, it feels warm!”
“Oh yeah, that’s the healing,” I explained. “Stay still.”
Noah stayed still as a statue, not blinking. Not breathing?
“Remember to breathe, kid.” I said, squeezing his arm.
Noah let out a heavy breath as Wyatt’s hands slipped away.
“There. All done. No more nightmares.”
“Really?” Noah asked, his eyes still wide.
“Yep,” Wyatt said. “You’re all good, now.”
“Whoa,” Noah said, staring into the carpet.
“Time for bed, now?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Noah said, turning away from me and climbing under the covers to grab a stuffed dog that’d been in the corner. “Um…can you make me some warm milk? Mom always did that for me. I was trying but…”
“I’ll get it,” Wyatt said quickly as he moved to the door. “Why don’t you read him a book?”
“There aren’t any books here,” Noah grumbled. I chuckled, and as I moved to stand, Noah grabbed my arm. “Um…can you stay until I fall asleep?”
I glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed, reading nearly three o’clock in the morning and shrugged. “Sure, kid.”
Coach owed me big time, anyway.
Noah passed out before Wyatt even came back with the milk, and I yawned as I stepped into the living room.
“God, thank you,” Coach sighed. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
“He’ll be fine,” Wyatt said. “Placebo effect should work on him. He’s still young enough for it. Where the hell did you get him from?”
“Foster kid,” Coach said. “His parents went missing and he didn’t have any family.”
“How did you end up with him?” Wyatt prodded.
“What are you interrogating me for?” Coach said indignantly. “Thanks for your help, now get lost.”
I snorted, heading for the door. Wyatt shook his head, moving to follow me.
“Oh, and Craig?”
We both paused on the threshold.
“If you’re trying to hide the fact that you’re in a Chain with a student, you’re doing a shit job,” Coach snarked. “I’ve gotten three complaints about Aria going into your office and coming out disheveled.”
Wyatt gaped at Coach as the door slammed shut.
It took everything inside me not to laugh.
“Thanks for your help, Wyatt.” I said as we rode the elevator back up to the dormitory. “That was such bro behavior from you.”
Wyatt grunted.
I grinned.
We were totally becoming bros.