Page 37 of Healer’s Reckoning (The Healer’s #3)

Cha pter 37

Ava

I stand up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his. He doesn’t move a muscle. I pull back and stare at him. His eyes look tortured, and I know what I have to do. I reach out and take his hand. He lets me, and I put it on my waist. Then I take his other hand and put it on my other side before looking up at him. “Bryce, I don’t want there to be any confusion. This is me giving you permission to touch me. I’m sorry for the times I’ve jerked or flinched; it’s not you. I'm still getting used to people touching me, but it’s not you. I promise. I want you to touch me.” His fingers flex involuntarily on my waist, but still he doesn’t move. “Bryce, please.” He snaps. He yanks me towards him, and his mouth finds mine. I sigh against his mouth, knowing I finally got through to him. I rise up on my tiptoes, so I can be closer to him. He pulls me closer, one hand on my back and the other on my waist. His thumb on my waist rubs small circles, and it’s enough to drive me crazy. He all but consumes me. When I open my mouth for him, he growls low in his chest; and something opens up inside me. I want him to find a safe haven in me; I want to be the one that he turns to, that he needs. I want that more than anything. I pull back, gasping for air and search his eyes. His eyes are darker than usual. I reach up and frame his face with my hands. “I’m right here, Bryce. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not pushing you away or rejecting you or your wolf. I want you both. Just be patient with me,” I whisper. “I’m trying. I know I sometimes react, but it’s not you. Never you. You’ve been so good to me, so patient and protective of me. But I’m kind of messed up. I want to be everything you need; I just don’t know if I can...be what you need.”

His face softens. “Ava, Baby. I love you. I have from the first moment I saw you. I’ve known you were mine from that first moment. All I want is you, just the way you are. You’ve been through so much. I hate that for you.” He puts his forehead against my own. “I’ll be whatever you need me to be.” He closes his eyes a moment and takes a deep breath. “Thank you for letting me touch you.” He pulls me into his arms and just holds me, running his hand up and down my spine.

“I was never rejecting you; I just get startled by touch. With everything, I’ve grown averse to touch. Probably, because I locked myself away after everything happened with the vampires. But my family was never really touchy either.” His hand moves again on my spine. “Are you upset?”

“Not at you.” I pull back and look at him. “Who then?”

“Max to start with and then Wyatt.”

I try to hide my smile. “Because I talked to them?”

“Because you talked to other males instead of me. Promise me you’ll come to me.” He pushes the hair back from my face and runs a finger down my cheek. “Always come to me, Mate. I can’t take care of things if I don’t know there’s a problem. And there will be problems. I know I will do stupid stuff and make you frustrated or upset, which I hate the thought of. But when that happens, I need you to tell me. Me , not another male.” I can hear the aggression beneath his words. I know him well enough to know he’s not upset with me. I don’t know if he’s even capable of being upset with me.

I smile against his chest. “Are you okay now?” I ask softly.

He hums in the back of this throat. “Yeah, Baby. My wolf is calm for the first time in a long time.” It’s quiet between us for a few minutes; I’m content just to be wrapped up in his strong arms. I feel myself getting drowsy.

“Are we staying here tonight or flying back?” I ask.

“What do you want to do?”

I think about it a moment. “Can we stay tonight? I’d like to spend a little more time with Rose, and then we can head home tomorrow. Is that okay?”

He kisses my forehead. “Yeah. I’ll let the team know.”

“You okay to head back out there?” I ask.

He smiles softly. “Yeah.” I can see that he’s so much better than he was when we first came in here, and it softens something inside me.

“Do you think you could find something to wear for a shirt?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

I take his hand in mine as we walk out the door. “I’ve been meaning to ask. What’s happening with my brother while we’re gone and what about Sherese? I didn’t get a chance to check with either of them before we left.” I feel guilty about that.

Bryce squeezes my hand. “I assigned a few of my men to watch your brother. As for Sherese,” he blows out a breath. “Hopefully the building is still standing when we get back.”

I glance up at him. “She wasn’t happy to be left behind, I take it?”

“No. No, she was not. But there’s no way we could have brought her here with this many shifters. Besides, it’s too close to one of the vampire sites. I don’t want to do that to her.”

Hunter’s the first to meet us when we get close to the dining hall. He hands Bryce his bag. “They want to set up a meeting. Discuss next plans.”

“When?” Bryce asks. He grabs a shirt out of his bag and throws it on.

“It depends on when we’re leaving,” Hunter answers.

I look over and see Maverick lift a sleeping Paige off of Rose’s lap and help her to her feet. They both look dead on their feet. I squeeze Bryce’s hand. “Do it tomorrow,” I say quietly. “Give everybody today to grieve. Tomorrow, you can make plans for the future.”

Bryce nods at Hunter, and Hunter leaves. “I want to go hug Rose before she disappears for the night,” I tell Bryce.

“I’ll go with you.”

When I get to Rose, she’s full-on leaning against Maverick. I can see the exhaustion in her eyes. “Hey, you need to get some sleep. Is there anything I can do to help that happen?”

Rose gives me a tired smile. “I appreciate the offer, but we’re good.” Her smile dims as she glances at Paige. “She’s been up all night every night crying. When she’s tired, she’s inconsolable.” She swallows hard. “She just cries for her mommy; it’s honestly the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.” Her eyes tear up, and I swallow hard to keep my own tears at bay. Guilt hits me fresh anew. “No, stop. I know that look. What happened is not your fault, Ava. Cade knew the risks. He chose to go with the team.” She says what Bryce has been saying, but it’s still hard to believe. A hand touches my lower back and instinct has me stiffening. A quick glance behind my shoulder shows me it’s Bryce. He gives my spine an up and down stroke and steps close. Rose eyes him a moment. “Hey, Bryce.”

“Hi, Rose. I’m sorry for the loss of Cade and Amber. If there’s anything my pack or I can do, please don’t hesitate in reaching out.”

“Thank you.” She eyes me and then looks back at him. “Just take care of Ava for me.” She looks around a moment and then back at us. “Maverick doesn’t want me to worry right now on top of everything else that’s going on, but the vampires have been escalating.”

“What do you mean?” Bryce’s voice is low, and he steps closer to me.

“They’ve made several attempts to get onto pack land. They’ve been thwarted every time, but,” she bites her lip and looks worried. “I don’t know what will happen when they succeed.”

“We will fight them off,” Maverick says, joining our conversation. Rose and I both startle, but Bryce doesn’t move a muscle.

“How many attacks?” Bryce asks.

Maverick shifts Paige in his arms and wraps an arm around Rose, bringing her to his side. It’s so weird to see him as a family man. “That’s what we’re going to talk about in our meeting tomorrow.” It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what he’s trying to do.

“I already know, Mav. You don’t have to keep it from me,” Rose says.

“I know, but hearing about it won’t help tonight.” He squeezes her shoulder, and she relaxes against him.

Two men that I don’t know join our small circle. “What time are we meeting tomorrow?”

“Nine in the main conference room,” Maverick says shortly. “We’ll see you then.” He turns away, taking Rose with him.

I watch them go even as the two men turn to Bryce. “Alpha Bryce,” one of them says, with a nod.

“Alphas Terrence and Clyde.” Bryce’s voice is filled with respect, but he’s not overly gracious.

“Are you staying for the meeting tomorrow?” one of them asks.

“Yes.”

“You haven’t made the last three meetings, Alpha Bryce,” one of them says, sounding displeased.

“That’s probably my fault,” I interject. “Bryce has been busy helping me.” I may as well have not even opened my mouth.

The man doesn’t even look at me. “You really are supposed to be at these meetings, Alpha. The future of our packs are at stake.”

“I know exactly what’s at stake,” comes Bryce’s low reply.

The man looks at me pointedly before looking back at Bryce. “Do you?”

“I know that Ava’s my mate, and that’s not up for discussion,” Bryce returns swiftly. I can feel the tension coming off him, and I’m trying to play catch-up to see what I’m missing here.

The second man takes the opportunity to finally talk. “Alpha Bryce, she’s human.”

My jaw nearly hits the floor. I’m so shocked that I don’t even respond, but I don’t need to. Bryce does for us both. “Ava is my mate, and I'll thank you to treat her with respect.” Then he puts a little pressure on my back and turns us away. “Sorry,” he mutters when we’re a little distance away.

“Who are they?” I ask.

“Old timers that need to get with the times and accept that things are changing.” His words are fierce.

“You mean because some of you are taking humans for mates?” I ask.

He stops and turns so that we’re facing each other. “You’re my mate. I don’t care whether you’re a wolf or a human.”

“Okay,” I say simply.

He studies my face. “Okay.” He takes my hand and leads me down the hallway. I think about those two men. They weren’t mean exactly, but they weren’t warm and friendly...that’s for sure.

“You know, I think I have a good idea,” I tell him as we walk up the stairs.

“What’s that?”

“I’m going to go to your meeting tomorrow.” I watch him to see how he responds.

He doesn’t disappoint. He smirks. “Sounds like a perfect plan.” He opens a door, and I follow him inside, still thinking about those two men. When I realize we’re in the room, I pause and look around. “Mav asked if we wanted two rooms or one; I said one so I can be close in case of an emergency. Is that okay?”