Chapter 33 #2
Eden appeared and set a glass of water on the nightstand.
“I thought you might get thirsty.” She sat on the bed and touched Cleo’s cheek.
“Sweetie, there’s nothing anyone can say that’ll fix your pain, but I’m sorry about your mama.
I know how excited you were, so it’s not right the way she used you.
My mother left me, and I know that pain.
But I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through.
” Eden swept Cleo’s hair away from her tear-filled eyes.
“I promise to be the best auntie you’ve ever had. ”
Cleo folded into her embrace.
Eden tenderly stroked her back. “Do you want my tiger to keep you company?”
“No, but can you?”
“Anything you want, baby. Anything you want.”
Krys hung out on the sofa while recounting their trip from the moment they delivered Cleo to the general facts about her search and rescue.
He left out the grim details about what he’d done to the Vampires.
Cleo said the men hadn’t hurt her, but her mother’s betrayal and her time in captivity were trauma enough.
Salem sat on the arm of the sofa. “If her mother was always abusive, it explains Cleo’s behaviors surrounding food. I first thought she was doing it to stay longer under our care, but now I see it goes deeper than that.”
“But she doesn’t remember her past,” Melody pointed out.
“Even if we don’t remember trauma, it changes us. Your body has a physical memory.” He stroked his beard. “It sounds like her mother used food as a punishment. At the very least, she created negative experiences around eating. We need to build positive ones.”
Krys wearily rubbed his eyes. “How do we do that?”
“By fostering good memories around mealtime,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Ones that include her in the conversations. We often let her sit off to the side because she’s quiet, but what if that’s not her true personality?
What if her body is having a physical memory of mealtime and altering her behavior? ”
From the opposite sofa, Melody snuggled against Lakota. “Why not talk to her about it? If she understands what’s causing it, won’t that change her eating habits?”
Salem heaved a sigh. “Abuse is deeper than memory. Now she has these new memories of her mother that will reinforce her behavior. I’ll reach out to my contacts and get their input.
We need her healthy, but we also can’t put too much focus on food.
After hearing what her mother did, I’m not comfortable with anyone asking her to finish her plate or take another bite.
We must be careful with our words, even if we think she’s wasting food by not eating it.
Whatever is left over, we’ll give to Catcher or the chickens, but I’m worried she’ll regress after this experience. ”
Tak kicked up the footrest of his recliner. “She’s gone through her first change. It’s possible her animal might have an appetite and more desire to eat. If so, we can change her feeding times to when her leopard’s out.”
“That could throw off our schedule,” Lakota remarked.
Tak crossed his feet at the ankles. “Your stomach can hold out. If you get weak in the knees, your wife will catch you.”
Melody snorted.
“Mealtimes are when we bond,” Tak continued. “But if we have to make temporary adjustments for Cleo, that’s what we’ll do. Salem, I trust you’ll give us the best advice on how to handle this. What to say, what not to say.”
Salem stood and pulled Quinn up from her seat.
After putting his arm around her, he offered a final thought.
“I used to work in a hospital. I’ve seen what eating disorders can do when left unchecked, but I’m not an expert in dealing with them.
You have my word I’ll do the research.” He nodded to us. “Good night.”
“We’re heading up too.” Lakota stood and jerked Melody into his arms by the hand. “Come on, Freckles. Before you fall asleep and I have to carry you upstairs again.”
She pinched his butt as they made their way out. “Maybe you need to exercise in the gym more.”
“Say that again, wife?”
“You heard me.”
“So we’re not gonna discuss how you fake sleep just so I can carry you to bed like a princess?”
Their voices faded.
Krys’s thoughts were consumed by the indescribable sunset with Virgil at his side, Cleo running in a meadow, their banter, Virgil shifting in the gas station, karaoke night, falling in love, the panic when Cleo disappeared, the rage he unleashed on the Vampires. And finally… peace.
He pulled at his shirt collar when a swell of heat pushed out from the fireplace. “Routines are important when you’ve gone through shit. I’ll help her with a light chore in the mornings so she doesn’t start the day alone. She needs a short break from her studies so she can process what happened.”
“I agree,” Tak said. “It might be time to search for a tutor instead of bouncing her between packmates. My tribe has dedicated teachers. Everyone here is busy with work, and I don’t want her falling behind on her education.
I’ll look into it, but finding someone qualified and willing to move to Hill Country won’t be easy. ”
Krys stood. “She needs to hang out with more of the women in the pack. Her mother was a bitch, so that’s why she wound up bonding with the likes of me.”
Atticus uncrossed his legs and twisted to face me. “That’s not true. She trusts you because—”
“Yeah, I know. I ran through fire for her. But you could’ve easily been the one.”
“That’s not what I was going to say. She trusts you because you always make time for her, even when you have other obligations. That’s admirable.”
Hope rocked in her recliner. “Cleo’s so good with Jasper, but I took advantage and used her as a babysitter. She’s only fourteen, and that’s younger than we thought.”
Krys weaved between the chairs. “I’m going to bed.”
Even though Virgil had offered to drive that day, Krys wanted to be behind the wheel. It diverted his attention, but now he was suffering the aftereffects of a fifteen-hour drive.
He ran into Virgil upstairs, and he looked smoking hot with his tousled hair, sleepy expression, and bare feet.
Krys opened his bedroom door. Once inside, he sat on the bed to take off his shoes.
Virgil lingered in the doorway and cast a scrutinizing gaze around the room. “This is bleak. Do you plan to tell them, or did you change your mind?”
“Cleo needs to settle in first.”
Krys worried how Tak would receive the news about him and Virgil. They’d intentionally kept him out of the loop on Cleo’s disappearance, and he was probably pissed about it. Krys didn’t want to get kicked out, especially after giving Cleo his word he’d never leave, and that would make him a liar.
After changing into a pair of black sweats and a clean shirt, he approached Virgil and caught a glimmer of uncertainty.
Krys stepped closer until their chests touched and delivered a sensual kiss, one so passionate that he wanted to drag the man into his room and break the bed.
Instead of giving in to those impulsive urges, he leaned back.
“You’re mine. You got that? Taking things slow doesn’t mean what you think it does. ”
Virgil’s turquoise eyes sparkled with relief and joy and all the things he fucking deserved to feel.
Krys twined a lock of hair around his finger. “Always loved a dirty blond.”
“We’ll find out later how dirty you like me.” After a playful wink, Virgil shifted.
Krys ushered his wolf out. “Come on. Let’s check on Cleo.”
Virgil barked and ran ahead of him. By the time Krys got to the room, Virgil was lying at Cleo’s feet. Instead of going in, he stood in the doorway and listened to Eden telling a story about her father’s tribe. Cleo was curled up against her, head lolled to the side, the TV on but muted.
He backed out to thank Lucian for helping out. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to reinforce their home security.
Tak popped into view while scratching his belly. “Damn mosquitos. Six bites while waiting outside for you.”
Krys smiled at the red blotches on his stomach. “Looks more like seven.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just tired. It was a long drive.”
“That’s not what I asked. Are you okay?” Tak let the question hang in the air.
Krys shrugged.
“You can talk to me,” Tak said. “I’m not here to judge.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Cleo. We didn’t have time, and I was afraid you would tell me to come home and let the authorities handle it.”
Tak tilted his head to the side. “And if I did, would you have come?”
“No,” he said honestly.
“Maybe that was fate leading you. She’s home, and you and I will talk more tomorrow.”