Chapter 23
It had been a week of sharing the bed. He stayed on his side, close to the edge, and I stayed close to mine.
We used our own blankets, with a pillow between us.
A couple of times through the evening, he would be draped over the pillow, with his hand on my arm.
I ignored it and would fall back to sleep.
He was always up before me. There were a few times I’d slept all the way through the night, waking up in a panic, looking for Lucy.
He’d gotten up with her and fed her through the night a couple of times, and each morning, he took her out of the room and fed her.
He didn’t want to admit it yet, but he liked Lucy.
She was staying awake for longer periods and was walking everywhere instead of crawling.
She still needed assistance to go to the bathroom, but she was getting better on her own.
Quinn had gotten her a little box and litter to start getting her used to it.
We would wipe her with a warm cloth in the litter box to help her put it all together.
Quinn had been a little agitated in the previous days.
Knowing what I knew, I made sure to give him space.
My dreams had been tormenting me with very realistic sexual dreams of us together—waking up with that itch.
I think I had wanted him—sexually—as much as he wanted me.
I avoided getting close to him, trying not to find ourselves in situations that would complicate our relationship further.
Quinn loved making breakfast, well, all meals, but he especially enjoyed breakfast. I headed into the kitchen, where the smell of something fried and sweet hit me as soon as I opened the door.
“Morning, Zay,” he said as soon as I rounded the hall.
“That smells wonderful,” I said.
“Beignets, a Louisiana classic,” he said.
“It smells like a donut but better,” I said.
“Almost as much as you did while you were sleeping,” he said, barely a whisper.
My heart instantly started racing faster, and my cheeks and neck burned.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he said, before looking over his shoulder, flashing me a smile.
“Doing our usual this morning?” I asked.
“Haha, sure. I’m feelin’ a little frisky this morning,” he said.
My eyes widened a bit at him. I went to the little bed that we’d gotten Lucy and scooped her into my arms.
“How’s my sweet little girl this morning?” I said.
She nuzzled me back.
“Aww, did dadd—” I abruptly stopped myself.
“Did you just call me her daddy?” he said.
“What? No… I wasn’t gonna do that,” I said.
“Hmm, sounded like you were gonna say, daddy… I mean, I’m kind of her daddy. I do feed her during the night and help take care of her,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “Did Quinn feed you well this morning?”
She purred into my arms. My heart could have exploded with joy. I don’t know why it made me happy, but then a bit of sadness hit me, too. She was healing me in ways I never thought she would. Filling a space that Izayuh should have.
“The most perfect pillowy donuts are done… and sausage, because protein,” he said, then laughed.
“I feel like I can taste them already,” I said.
I put Lucy back into her bed, and she instantly curled around herself and went back to sleep. I washed my hands, got myself a plate, and sat down at the table across from Quinn. As soon as I bit into one of the beignets, my eyes closed, and my mouth watered. It was heavenly.
His finger touched my nose, startling my eyes back open. He then put his finger back into his mouth, sucking the powdered sugar off his finger. I stared at him, eyes wide. What the hell just happened?
“MmmMmm.”
“Did you wipe sugar off of me and then suck it off your finger?”
“Both you and the sugar were tasty,” he said, flashing me a smile.
“Oh… you are frisky today,” I said.
“Sorry,” he said, dropping his eyes.
“It’s okay,” I said.
“Is it… Though?”
“Um… I don’t know… honestly… I don’t know what we’re doing,” I said.
“Well, we’re about to work off these donuts. Then we can run into town and get anything you need for this evening. Callie will be coming over, and we will run off in the woods,” he said.
“Please don’t kill any more new moms,” I said.
“Zalayuh…” he said.
“Just… a small request,” I said.
“I don’t actually prefer killing anything,” he said.
“Not little innocent does?” I said.
“I do love… chasing them, but actually killing them, no,” he said.
“That the truth?” I asked.
He reached across the table, putting his finger under my chin and lifting it.
“I promise. I’ve only ever killed animals that were trying to attack me. The bobcat mother was defending her baby, but I didn’t know that. She launched at me. I barely smacked her, and she was gone just like that. I’ve taken down some bears that were trying to attack some campers once,” he said.
“But you chase them,” I said.
“I can’t deny that I love a good chase. The high from the adrenaline is… addicting,” he said.
“The good thing is I’ll never be fast enough to give you that,” I said.
“I wouldn’t say that…” he said, smirking.
I got up from the table and went to clean up the kitchen.
I'd finally gotten him to let me clean up after he cooked. If I cooked, he did the dishes. We had gotten into a routine, and it was something I’d always wanted, but something was missing.
I hadn’t really figured out what quite yet.
Our life was simple, but when I started thinking too much about it, I went down the rabbit hole of wondering when the rug would be pulled out from under me again.
“When are we planning to go home? I’ve been cleared now?” I asked.
“Well, you have an appointment with Dr. Arthur tomorrow still,” he said.
“Yeah, but Lina says I’m good,” I said.
“Yeah… and she gave you birth control for what?” he asked.
After we left her house that night, he was clearly bothered by it.
I finally asked what his problem was, and he didn’t understand why I needed birth control.
It made him feel like I had plans to hook up with people.
I wasn’t sure if it was jealousy coming through or what.
I changed the subject, and we hadn’t brought it up until—
“Because you never know when it may happen,” I said.
“Who would it happen with?” he shot out.
“I don’t know… What if something happens between us?” I said.
“Are you planning something to happen between us?”
“No… I hadn’t planned to hook up with you-know-who, but it happened, and then I got pregnant, and then I got kidnapped, and then I lost the baby,” I said.
“You don’t want that… so nothing is happening between us,” he said.
“And you do?” I asked.
“Of course, I do. You’re beautiful and intriguing and just everything I’d want,” he said.
“Oh,” I said.
“Oh? That’s all you have to say to that,” he said.
“I don’t know what to say to that. No one has actually said that to me,” I said.
“Because they're idiots,” he said.
I didn’t say anything else. I really didn’t know what to say.
Daxyn hadn’t really complimented me. We were drinking, and then we were hooking up.
Brenden had told me I was beautiful, sure, but it felt like he was just saying it to say it.
He never seemed to know what to say. I’d try to get his attention, and he didn’t seem interested until I showed someone else attention, and then he would be short with me and push me away.
Then here was this really good-looking guy telling me all the right things. I stared at him—really stared at him.
He was six feet, towering seven inches above me.
His skin was golden and warm, as if he’d been in the sun his whole life.
His amber eyes melted me every time I looked into them.
Up close, you could see the little flecks of gold sprinkled throughout.
His stubble took over his jawline, making it a little softer.
His dimples popped out when he flashed a full smile.
He was the kind of person you had to actively decide to stop looking at. He called me beautiful and intriguing.
“Let’s get this run done,” I said, breaking the awkward silence that had built between us.
“Sooo… I’m chasing you?” he asked.
“No… no enjoyment for you,” I said.
“Oh, but my little doe, it’s so much fun watching you from behind,” he said.
“I bet it is… now let’s go,” I said.
He ran down the road, me chasing him. We played the same game we always had when he led the run, him slowing down just enough to let me get close enough before taking off again.
“Hey… Hey, hold on,” I said, before I started coughing profusely.
He turned around and ran back toward me. Perfect. Just perfect.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he ran up to me.
As soon as I saw his feet in my vision, I reached my arm out to him, placing it on his arm. Then I shot forward and screamed, “you’re it.”
He stood there, confused for a moment, before he started chasing me.
“If you wanted me to chase you, that’s all you had to say… Remember, I enjoy this… a little too much,” he said.
I didn’t respond and kept running. I turned from the road and into the woods, zigging and zagging.
He could have already caught me, but for his own selfish reasons, he stayed right behind me.
I took a sharp right turn, and then my eyes locked onto another set of eyes. I came to a stop. He ran right into me.
“Zalayuh, what are—oh. Get behind me right now!” he said, before he grabbed me and shoved me behind him.
The gray wolf stared at us. It was huge. It stood at least four feet. My breath was ragged from both running and pure fear. I didn’t think my heart could beat any harder, but it was.
“I know you’re a werewolf… but trust me, you should move on,” Quinn said, with his palm stretched out.
The wolf was snarling at us, his head drawn lower than his shoulders. I didn’t know much about wolves, but I knew that was what a dog did before they attacked. He crept forward a little more, the predator watching his prey.
“Listen… I’m not begging you, I’m warning you to fucking go. Why are you even shifted this early?” Quinn said.