Page 27 of Healer’s Reckoning (The Healer’s #3)

Chapt er 27

Ava

Bryce opens the front door for me, and I take in the inside, noticing the differences between this pack house and the one in Orlando where I stayed with Rose. I think of Cade, and my stomach knots in grief. I push those thoughts deep down as I follow Bryce. I notice right away that this pack house is set up more like a meeting place. There’s a large dining room with several tables, but there are fewer bedrooms and more offices. The building is mostly empty as we pass through. Bryce stops in front of a closed door and knocks. The shifter I now know as Cody opens the door. He gives me an easy smile and steps back. I step inside cautiously. Bryce stays out in the hallway, so I face the shifter. “I just wanted to check on my brother.”

“Of course.” He leads me through the room to another door that opens into an adjoining room. My brother is sitting on the bed.

“Hey, Brandon,” I say quietly. He looks up, and I’m happy to see there’s not a trace of redness in his eyes. I sit on the bed next to him. “What are you up to?” He eyes Cody, and I turn that way. “Do you mind giving us a minute?” I ask.

He looks between the two of us. “Sure. Just call if you need me.”

He leaves the door open between the two rooms but steps out to give us privacy. “How are you doing?” He doesn’t answer, but I wasn’t expecting him to. I look towards the door and then back at my brother. “I just wanted you to know that I’m really glad you’re here with me. I’m sorry I didn’t get you out sooner. I hope you know how sorry I am.” My voice breaks at the end. He just keeps his head down. “I’m going to take care of you, Brandon.” I refrain from touching him. “You’re in a safe place now. They won’t let anything happen to us here.” I sit with him a little longer. “I’m going to go, but I’ll check on you tomorrow.” I stand in front of him awkwardly for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Bye, Brandon.” I walk back into the other room. I can hear murmured voices through the open door, so I follow the sound out into the hallway. I wait for the two of them to stop talking, which happens almost immediately when I join them. I take a breath. “I want to stay here with Brandon.”

Cody and Bryce both look at me. Bryce doesn’t even blink. “No.”

“Can he stay with me at your house then?” I ask.

“No.” Before I can argue, he continues. “He’s safer here with several of my pack surrounding him.”

“Then let me stay here with him,” I try again.

Bryce shakes his head. “No.”

I take a breath and try to stay calm. “He’s not doing well. I don’t want him to be with people he doesn’t know.”

“No, Ava,” Bryce says.

I cross my arms over my chest and lock eyes with him. “Look, if this is punishment for running away from you, I’m sorry; but don’t take it out on him.”

“I’ll just wait in here,” Cody says, slipping into the room.

“Bryce, please.”

He steps closer. “Ava, this has nothing to do with you running from me. I’m not punishing you for anything. This is about safety. I know he’s your brother, but we don’t know what he’s going to do just yet. I’m not leaving you alone with him until we do. He could really hurt you.”

“But he won’t.” My argument sounds weak even to my own ears.

“But we don’t know that for sure.” His voice is gentle, and I don’t want it to be. I’d rather fight with him. “Until then, you’ll stay with me; and he’ll stay here.”

“Are you sure that’s not just because I’m your mate?” I throw out.

He lets out a small laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “It’s all because you’re my mate, Ava.” I don’t know what to say to that, so I don’t say anything.

A voice draws my attention. “Bryce, I can’t find that paper. Are you sure—” The girl looks up from the folder in her hand and stops. I notice immediately that she’s young and beautiful with long, brown hair. “It’s her! Ava!” She squeals, and I look at Bryce with eyebrows raised. Before I realize what’s happening, I’m wrapped up in a tight hug and have brown hair in my eyes.

“Krista,” I hear Bryce say. “Let her go; you’re squeezing her too hard.” The brown-haired hurricane pulls back and beams at me. With that smile, I know instantly who she is. She’s Bryce’s sister. “Ava, the person who mobbed you is Krista, my sister.”

She elbows Bryce but continues to beam at me. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Ava. My brother has told me so much about you.”

I eye Bryce a moment before looking back at Krista. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Are you coming to dinner tomorrow night?” she asks excitedly.

“Krista,” Bryce says with no heat in his voice.

“What’s tomorrow night?” I ask cautiously.

“Monday night dinner. Every Monday night, we get together as a family for dinner. Bryce and myself and our parents,” she explains.

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to intrude. It sounds like—”

She cuts me off. “Intrude? You’re not intruding! You’re family. Tell her, Bryce.”

He gives her a look before turning to me. “Sorry. She's a bit much; she must not have taken her medication today.”

“I’m right here, and you know I’m not on medication,” she says, elbowing him hard in the ribs.

“Give Ava time to adjust,” Bryce tells her.

Her face falls. “I know; I’m just so excited. I’ve always wanted a sister.”

“I can, uh, come,” I say. “I mean if you want.” I'm not sure whether I’m directing it to Bryce or to his sister.

“Yay!” Krista squeals. “I can’t wait to tell Mom. I’ll see you both then.” She’s gone as fast as she came.

“Well, that was my sister.”

I stare after her. “She’s...”

“A lot to take in?” He fills in.

“I was going to say animated,” I tell him.

“That too.” He looks down at me. “You don’t have to come to dinner tomorrow night if you don’t want to. Krista is my mom’s mini-me ; they will both be like that.”

“I don’t mind. Or did you want to go without me?”

“I want you there. Now, back to the conversation about your brother. I really think it’s the safest thing for him to stay here.” I nod, not wanting to fight any more about it. “Come on. Let’s get back to the house.” He gets stopped a few times as we head towards the door. A tall guy comes down the hallway and smiles easily, and Bryce stops. “Ava, this is my beta, Ryan. He keeps things running for me when I’m not here.”

Ryan puts his hand out, and I put mine in his. “Ava, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

“We want you to be comfortable here. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

I manage a smile. “Thank you.”

He turns to Bryce. “I’m just finishing making my rounds and then heading home. Need anything?”

“No. I’m good, Thanks.” Ryan moves on, and Bryce and I start towards the car.

“How come I was allowed to shake his hand?” I ask, curious.

“He’s happily mated. You’ll meet Liz soon.” Bryce explains as we step out into the dark night.

“Do you think we could stop by and check on Sherese?” I ask when he climbs into the car. He nods but stays quiet. He drives past his house to another house that’s further away from the pack house.

“Hunter likes his privacy,” he explains.

I climb out of the car and shut the door. “Have they killed each other yet?”

“Not yet,” he says right before he knocks on the door.

Hunter opens it and steps back. He doesn’t look very happy, so I scoot past him quickly. “People!” Sherese says dramatically. “Have you come to rescue me?”

I make my way over to her. “You need rescuing?” I ask wryly. “He won’t let you leave?”

She huffs. “As if he could keep me here.”

Bryce and Hunter move away from us and talk in low tones. “How’s it going for real?” I ask quietly.

She blows out a breath. “It’s fine. I just don’t want to be here, and he definitely doesn’t want me here. But until I figure out what I’m going to do next, I’m kind of stuck here. Hey, want to run away together again?”

I shake my head, remembering Bryce’s words about me running away from him. “I have to stay for my brother. You should come over to Bryce’s house tomorrow, though. I know you can’t be in the sun, but he has an overhang we can sit under. It’s really nice.”

“Anything beats sitting here all day. What time?”

I shrug. “I guess late morning or early afternoon but how will you get there?”

“I’ll just walk.” At my questioning look, she explains. “I’m good at staying in the shade, and I can be in the sun for brief periods of time, just not long exposure.” She eyes me. “How are things going for you and a certain alpha?”

I glance over at Bryce and find his eyes on me for a moment before he looks back at Hunter. I keep my voice low, so he hopefully can’t hear me. “He’s been...different.”

Her eyes narrow. “Different bad or different good?” she asks just as softly.

I glance over and see him engrossed in the conversation with Hunter. “I don’t know. He’s just...quiet and distant, I guess.” I shrug. “I don’t know; I guess I don’t know him all that well yet.” She doesn’t get a chance to say anything because Bryce and Hunter finish their conversation.

“Ready?” Bryce asks me.

I look back at Sherese and an idea forms. “Hey, can Sherese come tomorrow night?”

“Yes, can Sherese come?” she repeats. “Where are we going?” she whispers loudly out of the corner of her mouth.

Bryce meets my eyes and nods. “Your parents won’t mind?” I ask.

“Ooo, the parents,” she repeats. “Wait, the parents? The alpha still has parents?” She looks in confusion at Bryce.

Bryce nods. “My dad handed the pack over to me when I came of age, so he could focus on other things.”

Sherese studies him. “Interesting. How’s your brother?” she asks me.

“I don’t really know. We just came from there. He’s not talking or anything, but at least he’s eating. That has to be a good thing.”

Her face gentles. “Just give him time. He went through a lot in there.”

Her words stir up memories best left forgotten. I turn to Bryce. “Ready?” He nods and steps towards the door.

I reach out and hug Sherese, surprising myself and her. “Hang in there; don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Does that mean I can’t kill him?”

I nod. “Yes. That’s exactly what I mean.”

When I turn around, Hunter is only a few feet from me watching our interaction with his intense stare. “Bye, Hunter.” I walk past him, giving him a wide berth. He doesn’t say anything, not that I expected him to.

We make the short drive back to Bryce’s house. When we get inside, he turns to me. “Do you need anything?”

“No, I'm good. Thanks.”

“Okay. I've got some work to do. Call me if you need me. Otherwise have a good night.”

Without another word, he turns and walks into the kitchen. I head to my room and sit on the bed. I don’t know how to take Bryce. He seems like a totally different person. Granted, it’s been a horrible few days; I’ll give him that. Feeling restless, I stand up and walk back out to the kitchen and over to the sliding door. I step outside and sit in one of the chairs near the pool. I take a breath and try to relax my tense shoulders. The quiet of the night settles around me, and for the first time in a long time, I feel at peace. Guilt descends because I shouldn’t feel peace. I think of Cade and Amber’s little girl and what Rose and Maverick are facing. I wonder if Rose hates me now. I look at my phone and see there are no text messages. I’ve thought about reaching out to her, but I’m too scared to. I hear a noise behind me and jump in my chair.

“It’s just me,” Bryce says in a low voice. “I didn’t mean to startle you; I didn’t realize you were out here.”

“I was just enjoying the peace and quiet.”

“I can go back inside,” he offers.

“No. It’s your house. If anything, I can go inside.”

“Stay. I’m just going to do a few laps. It helps me unwind before bed.”

“Okay.”

He walks down into the water and starts swimming laps. I watch his methodical strokes, and it finally makes sense that his lean, muscular body isn’t as bulky as some of the other alphas. He’s got the body of a swimmer. I blush and look away, even though he’s not even looking at me. The lights of the pool illuminate him just enough for me to see him but not to really make him out clearly. I close my eyes and relax to the sounds of his even strokes.