Page 14 of Savage Sacrifice (The Savage Six #4)

POLARIS

I don’t know who the hell this hot guy is or why he’s touching me, but I don’t want him to stop. Today has been crazy and I have no clue what’s going on, but all I want to focus on is him.

If I thought surviving classes was enough for one day, I was not prepared for the true trajectory that was already destined for me.

Coming home to two people claiming to be my parents was insane enough, but I barely got them seated to explain when the most handsome guy I’ve ever seen exploded through the door, and he’s all-consuming.

“Fuck, I forgot, you don’t remember me,” he mumbles, more to himself as he peers into my eyes, ghosting over my soul with no effort. “Can I just hold you for a minute longer before I stress over that?” he asks, startling me even further, and it sends a flurry of butterflies zipping in my stomach.

“Uh, sure?”

He smiles, sweet and serene, as he envelops me in his arms once again.

I embrace him back, breathing him in, and he smells like Heaven.

His fingers comb through the ends of my hair as he slightly rocks us from side to side with my face pressed against his chest. It’s invasive, but I want more of it.

Earlier, when Grant was touching me, it was like ants crawling over my skin, but with this guy, all I want is to melt into his touch, and I can’t even recall his name. But he must know me, right? I must know him?

I let him take as long as he needs, more than content in his hold, and when he takes a step back, I feel a twinge of sadness in my chest.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m freaking out a little bit over the fact that I don’t recognize you at all, but you feel so… safe and familiar,” I blurt, feeling my cheeks heat, and he smiles down at me, running his thumb over my inflamed skin.

“The eyes never forget what the heart has seen, Midnight.”

I choke on my next breath, swooning at his words, and I shake my head in disbelief.

What in the ever-loving heck is going on right now?

Peering at the two new additions, who claim to be my parents despite the nurse’s words, their expressions are etched with weariness.

Glancing to my right, my gaze flickers between Bianca and Ben.

The latter offers me a reassuring smile, but the way his eyebrows are practically touching his hairline confirms he has no idea what’s going on either.

But Bianca eyes the man before me, feasting on him, and a fit of rage immediately burns up my spine.

Calm down, Polaris.

He might just be my… friend? Besides, he came with someone. I look past him and freeze. Not because the woman is brushing away tears, but because I recognize her.

“Uhm, why is the nurse from the hospital here?” I ask, cringing at my bluntness, but take a step back from the delicious man before me. “And who did you say you were again?” I add, wrapping my arms around my middle.

“Don’t do that, Midnight. Don’t put your walls up, not with me,” he murmurs, his fingers twitching as he keeps his hands at his sides. “I’m going to make it all okay, alright?”

I nod, trusting in him with no real proof that I should, and he smiles.

That smile… damn. I think my panties just disintegrated.

It doesn’t last long enough before he turns to the nurse, who immediately begins shaking her head. “Help her remember.”

“I can’t,” she mutters, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind her ear as she takes a step back.

“You have to,” Mr. Hot and Delicious insists, desperation thick in his voice, but I’m still caught up on the fact that I don’t know his name.

“I can’t,” she repeats, and he huffs, tugging at the ends of his hair.

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage?” he snaps, and her eyebrows gather in confusion.

“Damage?”

“The curse,” he roars back, and my eyes widen in confusion.

What is he talking about?

The man claiming to be my father stands, lips pinched as he clears his throat.

“I don’t know what’s going on here, but none of this is good for Polaris.

Maybe you should leave. Maybe you all should leave,” he grumbles, casting a withering stare at everyone in the room apart from the woman at his side and me.

Mr. Hot and Delicious waves him off without even bothering to glance back at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll get to you in a minute.”

The nurse shakes her head. “There’s a lot you don’t know,” she mutters with a sigh, and he shrugs.

“I’m sure, but help me. Help me help her,” he grinds out, aiming his hand in my direction.

“It’s not because I don’t want to, Lincoln. It’s because I can’t, not if you’re not magically connected, and?—”

“I’m sorry, what?” Ben interjects, frowning at the new arrivals, but I’m stuck on his name.

Lincoln.

Mr. Hot and Delicious is Lincoln.

Wow.

“You can get the fuck out,” Lincoln grunts, turning to Ben with a raised brow, and I interject, lifting my hands between them before this can spiral any further. All while Bianca smirks, eating up the drama before her.

“Hold up. We need to calm down,” I insist, and Lincoln takes a step toward me so the palm of my hand is flat against his chest.

I relish the touch, and I’m certain he shivers too, but he speaks, muffling the certainty.

“Blaze may have been patient with you, but I won’t be,” he warns, baring his teeth at Ben, and I gulp. Not in fear for me, but for my friend.

“Go Ben, it’s okay.”

His worried gaze turns to me. “I’m not leaving you here, Polaris. I’d rather die,” he grinds out, and Lincoln scoffs.

“He’d do it too, I’ve already witnessed him in action. But do as you’re told now, and I might explain it all to you later.”

“I want to know too,” Bianca interjects, thrusting her chest toward Lincoln, and the jealousy is like acid in my stomach.

Lincoln doesn’t even turn to look her way; he’s in a stare-off with my friend, who nods his head after a moment. “Don’t think I didn’t hear you say magically connected. I want to know about that,” he grunts before heading for the door.

The nurse moves aside and Bianca huffs, trailing after him.

“And these two?” The nurse asks, pointing to my supposed father and mother, and Lincoln waves them off.

“They’re good.”

She sighs, closing the door behind her, and the moment she does, Lincoln steps back so we’re side by side, draping his arm over my shoulder. I tilt my head to look at him and he beams down at me.

“She is my mate, and I am a part of her coven.” The pride in his voice is palpable, but all I can do is gape at him in confusion as my eyebrows furrow. Before I can say a single word, the nurse gasps.

“A wolf and a witch,” she breathes, eyes glimmering. With what, I’m not quite sure, but the woman on the sofa makes a strangled noise.

I gape between them all, confused. “You’re not making any sense,” I grumble, trying to step out of Lincoln’s hold, but the moment it drops, he interlinks our fingers, pulling me tighter to his side.

A wolf? A witch? I’m pretty certain I’m the one with the head injury and memory loss, but it’s everyone else saying crazy shit right now.

“Please, can someone explain?” I demand, worry getting the better of me as Lincoln’s hold continues to tighten and the nurse looks up at the ceiling, blinking back tears.

“It isn’t about you right now, Bella. Keep it together,” she whispers to herself before dropping her gaze and locking eyes with me. “I can work with this,” she declares, brushing away the tears tracking down her cheeks.

“Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” my supposed father interjects, and Lincoln whirls around to face him with a deathly look etched into his eyes.

“And I told you, I’ll get to you,” Lincoln warns, and my supposed mother gulps, reaching for the man’s hand and tugging him back to the sofa. With a huff, Lincoln turns back to the nurse, Bella, if she was indeed referring to herself.

“Help me help her,” he commands, and she gives him a pointed look.

“Does she want to be helped?”

Both sets of eyes turn to look at me. I blush under the intensity of it. The question wasn’t aimed at me, but she’s looking for an answer in my direction.

My gaze drops, zoning in on my hand that’s intertwined with Lincoln’s. There’s something about it, something familiar, safe, and trusting. His thumb strokes mindlessly over my skin and it’s comforting.

Whatever he’s feeling right now is intense, so intense that it’s impossible to deny what he wants to show me, even if I have no true idea what’s going on.

“Yes,” I breathe, answering her question as I look up into Lincoln’s eyes, and he smiles.

Turning my attention toward the nurse, she nods. “They need to leave,” she states, glancing at the couple on the sofa, and I shake my head.

“No, they’re… they say they’re my parents,” I ramble, nervously worrying my bottom lip as I turn to Lincoln for guidance.

I don’t know why, but it’s instinctive. He nods before glaring at the couple in question.

“I think they are, too,” he mutters, and I frown. “What have they said so far?” he adds, and I shake my head.

“Nothing, you showed up minutes after I got home, and they were already here.”

The couple says nothing, but grimaces. Despair is evident in their eyes but they don’t utter a word.

If these are my parents, why are they so submissive? Why aren’t they really saying anything? How the hell did they find me? Do they feel anything at all?

Guilt?

I’m not sure, but it doesn’t sit right with me.

“Okay, well, let me just clear some space first,” the nurse murmurs, slipping her hand into her pocket to retrieve a small, velvet pouch. She reaches inside, retrieving a handful of sand before she starts to spread it on the floor.

“What are you doing?” I gasp, and Lincoln squeezes my hand.

“It’s okay, Midnight. You trust me, right?”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Are you forgetting I don’t know you?”

He smirks. “Fuck, I’ve missed that sass,” he rasps, shaking his head, and I roll my eyes at him before returning my attention to the nurse just as she stands tall, tucking her pouch away as I take in her handiwork.