Page 4

4

LEO

M y body hurt.

Not that endless agony consuming every moment of my existence like at the lab, but a steady ache still permeated all my bones.

It had only been a week since I had returned, so perhaps it was na?ve of me to expect to be fighting fit by now, but even Ven seemed puzzled. A day or two after I’d accepted Miranda and Jason into our pack, she cautiously approached me to ask if I had a theory as to why my healing was taking longer.

I hated that she was walking on eggshells around me. It was as if she was afraid even her voice would rattle me, or perhaps she simply didn’t trust me. I had been quite violent when I was fighting against being captured, but surely she understood that. At least I hoped she did. Of course, I could ask her outright, but part of me was afraid of the answer.

Then came the matter of me giving Ricky orders behind her back. While she hadn’t brought it up, Ricky had told me he didn’t appreciate being put in the middle like that. I didn’t blame him, but I was immensely grateful he’d gotten Ven out of there. As crazy as it sounded, I would go through that entire torturous experience three times over if it meant keeping Ven safe.

I didn’t use the question about my healing taking longer as an opportunity to talk about such heavy topics. Instead, I told them I must have been consistently dosed with wolfsbane so the scientists could test my limits as a wolf. Hopefully, Jason and the others blowing up the lab meant all their research had been destroyed.

One could only hope.

Ven had seemed satisfied with that at the time, but we still tiptoed around each other. I was happy to be around Ven again, and I was sure she felt the same, but we were avoiding very specific conversation. I knew we had to have them eventually, but surely after everything I’d gone through there was no harm in procrastinating a bit.

Well, that was what I told myself.

“You really want me to pluck the heads off your flowers?”

I sipped at my tea as I listened to Ricky and Ven tending her flower patch. It was difficult not to resent Ricky for taking my place as Ven’s helper, and I wondered if I should go out and help. Then again, what if I was more hindrance than an aide?

“Ha-ha. I know it may sound counterintuitive, but dead heading makes sure your flowers continue to reproduce.”

“How’s that work again?”

I leaned toward the window, eager to hear Ven’s explanation. While I was glad to have Ricky back, I missed when Ven and I fooled around in her garden, when she taught me about all the little things I never even knew existed.

“Well, you see, basically all plants want to reproduce. That’s kind of their whole purpose. The way most flowers reproduce is by the seeds that come once their flowers dry up and die. Not all, but a majority. So, if you cut off the blooms right before they start to dry out, it tells the plant it needs to make more flowers in order to produce more seeds and make more babies.”

“Huh. That’s so crazy. I never would have thought of that.”

Ven chuckled. “Plants are fascinating.”

It was a sweet moment between my beta and Ven, but I wanted to be the one out there with her. Even though we were both so happy to see each other again, and I knew I loved her down to the bottom of my heart, there was an awkwardness between us. Something a conversation would fix, I was sure, but I simply didn’t have the energy for it.

Funny how I could face off against powerful warlocks with little-to-no trepidation, but speaking to the woman I was in love with seemed like a monumental task.

Come on, Leo, get yourself together.

Easier said than done.

I stood there, waffling for several moments about whether to go outside, until I felt a very deliberate thunk against the side of my leg. I looked down and met Goober’s wide, beseeching eyes. He had one of his streamer toys in his mouth. I’d never met a cat who would drag a toy to its owner like a dog, not even Andromeda’s, but Goober clearly didn’t care about his canine leanings.

“Well, I suppose I am free.”

Was it exactly what I wanted to do? No. What I wanted was to be out in the garden with Ven, acting like nothing had happened, like I hadn’t been captured and tortured for days on end. But I had to admit, playing around with the giant Maine Coon wasn’t a terrible consolation prize.

Just when I thought we were having fun, Goober abandoned all interest in the toy and marched to the back door of the kitchen.

“What, was my technique off?” I teased. I knew the cat couldn’t actually understand my words, but all of Ven’s furry charges had a very strong grasp of tone.

Goober looked at me with those big eyes of his and let out a truly egregious meow. It was almost accusatory in nature and demanding as well. Certainly not the usual gentle giant sounds I heard from him. Whatever he wanted, he was adamant about it.

“Oh, I don’t think you’re supposed to go outside. Don’t you have a kitty tunnel for this?”

Before I met Ven, I probably would have felt like a dolt talking to a cat like a human, but Ven did it all the time, so I figured they were used to that sort of communication. It was kind of comforting, like having three little nonverbal friends who found increasingly creative ways to share their opinions.

And boy, did they have opinions.

But apparently, my gentle parenting wasn’t working because the large cat continued to chew me out like I had offended him. If it was Mud Pie or even Fork—the eternal chaos goblin that he was—I would have chalked it up to a temper tantrum. But Goober wasn’t so temperamental, so after several long moments of absolutely no negotiating with him, I opened the door, hoping I wasn’t about to piss Ven off by letting one of her indoor cats out into the great outdoors.

Strangely enough, Goober didn’t try to go out the door. Instead, he practically ran away from it and went out the flap to his tunnel.

“That was weird,” I said, and made to shut the door, only for Goober to race out of the tunnel and back to my side. “Buddy, what do you want?”

After a few more head butts to the back of my legs, I guessed he wanted me to be outside for some reason. Obliging, I took a step outside. Goober gave a satisfied meow, then ran right back into the tunnel, until he was parallel to me in his protected passage.

“Well, you got me out here. What now?”

At that, the cat let out a chirp and began to strut through the winding structure, pausing after a few feet to look behind him. Those big eyes of his landed on me, almost as if he was asking why I wasn’t following.

I shrugged. Even alphas had to follow the orders of a very determined cat.

More amused than anything else, I followed him. It amazed me how much personality each of Ven’s cats had. What amazed me even more was how fond I’d grown of them. I’d never been against cats, but I’d always preferred canines, what with kind of being one myself. However, there was something so comforting and entertaining about having three family members who didn’t speak my language but still loved cuddling with me and purring every chance they got.

I was so fixated on Goober and how he continued to stop every few feet to ensure I was still following him, that I didn’t realize how close I’d gotten to Ven and Ricky until my beta called out to me.

“Hey, man. You sure you’re ready to be walking out and about?”

I smiled at Ricky, but my gaze was fixed on Ven, who had shot up from the flower starts she was planting. Did I know what they were? I had a feeling she’d shown them to me when they were smaller, but I wasn’t nearly the expert she was, so I couldn’t identify them.

“Probably not, but a certain someone was pretty insistent I get some fresh air.”

With the type of timing that could only come from a sitcom, Goober gave a very proud meow from within the greenhouse, poking his large head out of the window.

“I didn’t know Goober had gotten his medical degree,” Ven joked with a smile. Although her grin was genuine, I could see the apprehension in her eyes. Was that because she was angry at me? Did she pity me? Did she think I was weak for becoming a prisoner and needing her to help me? That last one didn’t seem likely, but my ego had taken a huge hit after everything that had happened. I was used to being the rescuer, not the rescuee. What kind of alpha was I if I needed my pack to save me? It was hard to sort through my dark thoughts. I didn’t know when my anxiety had gotten so powerful, but I hated the hold it had on me.

“Hey, not that I’m not having a rip-roaring good time,” Ricky said, “but I want to go on a run with Miranda and Jason to connect with one of America’s cousins. They’re close by. If you two don’t mind holding down the fort, I could actually get a head start now.”

And there it was, the two of us being forced into close proximity with no polite way to disengage. I couldn’t tell if Ricky was doing it on purpose, or if he simply didn’t pick up on the tension between Ven and me.

“Sure, I would love to help. That is, if I have my doctor’s permission.”

I looked at Ven, trying to analyze everything about her expression. She definitely looked conflicted, and I liked to think that was because she was worried about my health, not because she was uncomfortable being alone around me. Really, she hadn’t done much to make me feel so insecure about everything between us, but I supposed it was an aftereffect of being so powerless for over a week.

“Let me go get a chair for you to take breaks in,” she said finally. “And you gotta promise that you’ll stop the moment you start to feel too tired or sore.”

“I promise.”

And I meant it. While I didn’t feel up to all the tasks I used to do—hauling dirt, watering, or digging deep holes for her tomato starts—I would be more than happy to sit in a chair and hand her different plant starts so she wouldn’t have to twist her back constantly. Even if things were a little strained between us, it would be nice to be by her side while she was in her element again. She’d spent many hours sitting in her room with me—reading, talking, or joking—but none of that quite compared to bonding with her when she was in her element.

“I’ll get the chair,” Ricky said with a clap of his hands. “Y’all get yourselves situated. You need more water, Ven?”

“No, there’s still plenty of ice in my canteen.”

That wrinkled feeling rose in me at the thought of Ricky taking care of my mate, which, really, I should’ve been grateful for. He’d helped her and took care of her when I couldn’t. He’d ensured she was safe, even when she was crazy enough to concoct a plan to get me back. I owed him more than ever, and jealousy was not the right way to go about it. Still, it ate at me. My inner wolf was more bombastic than ever, and it definitely wanted to bare its teeth at my beta and remind him of his place.

Ugh. When had my own head become such a complicated landscape?

I didn’t know, but luckily, my love for my best friend allowed me to keep those stupid instincts in check, so when he brought me the chair, I gave him an appreciative pat on his back. It was a simple touch, but it felt far more affirming than it probably should have.

Once he was gone, we quickly got to work. Ven sat on her stool, digging holes for different flower starts, seeds, and tubers. Thankfully, her labeling system was pretty great, so I only had to read the little marker to make sure it was what she’d asked for. The seeds were also labeled, which made the tubers the most difficult to identify. Those I had to identify by their shape, since the piles weren’t as organized.

For a while, we didn’t say anything outside of her asking for the next plant. Every moment that passed felt like an opportunity to say something, but whenever I opened my mouth, the words died on my tongue.

I’d never been a verbose person, but I’d also never been so tongue-tied. I ended up more in my head than ever, enough so that I nearly jumped out of my skin when Ven cleared her throat and stood up.

“That’s all I had planned for this area today. Thanks for the help.”

Damn it. Had I missed my opportunity? “Is there anything else you wanted to do today?” I asked, my tone bordering on desperate. I wasn’t ready to go back inside. Ready to be an invalid who was too scared to talk to the woman I was in love with.

“You sure you don’t need a break? This is the most you’ve been up and about since you got back.”

“I know, I’m just not ready to go back inside.”

“That’s fair. You have spent a whole lot of time cooped up inside.” Ven let out a sigh that had so much weight to it. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate your help, but I don’t think I have the brain power for any more tasks today. I’m a little fried.”

That was understandable, and I felt a little sliver of relief that Ven still trusted me enough to tell me as much. “Maybe we could just sit outside and chat for a bit? Soak up the sun?”

When was the last time that we had just hung out in her garden? It hadn’t been all that long ago, and yet it felt like an entire lifetime.

“Sure,” Ven said after a beat. “We can do that. I’ll go get another lawn chair. Do you want me to get you a drink while I’m at it?”

My first instinct was to say no, that I could get it myself, but the practical part of my brain told me that going to the kitchen and completing that small task would use up too much of my energy. There was something magical about Ven’s garden—there always had been—and it was hard not to feel like the green space and its cultivator couldn’t fix everything that was wrong with my head.

“I would like that, yeah. Perhaps some of that ginger tea if you have more?”

“I do,” she said with a smile. “Coming right up.”

With that, she hurried off. Although I longed for her company, I certainly didn’t mind the view. Thankfully, she returned before I could lose all my gumption and scuttle away to my safe but boring haven of the bedroom.

“Would you mind holding my tea for me while I grab the other chair?”

“Not at all.”

I held our steaming mugs while she got herself a seat, warmth spreading through me when she settled her chair beside mine. Although she spent many hours at my bedside, sometimes it felt like we were so far apart. Which, again, was probably from all the things we very much needed to say.

The two of us sat there for a while, sipping at our drinks and staring at the beauty around us. Once more, I wondered if I was going to be a coward and let the moment slip by, but Ven spoke first.

“You ordered Ricky to take me away if things went sideways.”

Well, it looked like we were jumping straight into it. I always liked that about Ven. She was direct.

“I did.”

“That was wrong of you. It broke my trust in you.”

Sometimes Ven had such a matter-of-fact way of saying things, it was easy to assume she wasn’t affected by the topic at hand. But I knew her well enough to tell she was very much bothered, and my nose caught the stress rolling off her in bitter waves. I hated that I made her smell like that.

“Ven, I did it for?—”

“I know why you did it, and ultimately getting me out of there was the right call, because it allowed me to put together the group that freed you and everyone else. I’m not objecting to having a backup plan to make sure that Ricky and I got out safe.”

Oh, she wasn’t? I felt like I was misunderstanding something.

“Then, what...?”

“What I’m upset about is that you thought you couldn’t discuss any of this with me. That you had to baby me and go behind my back like I’m a moron who doesn’t understand logic.” The stress in her shifted into something with a bit more brimstone. She was angry. Had I ever experienced her being angry at me? I didn’t think so. It was a strange sensation, and I didn’t like it.

“Look, I get that you and Ricky are shifters, and I’m a human. There’s a whole bunch of things you guys can do that I can’t, and I’m fine with that, but when we make a plan together, every one of us needs to be included in all aspects of the plan. Going behind my back like that told me you didn’t trust me to make the right decision, which I do find pretty ironic considering that twice now I have had to clean you up after our plans went to shit.”

She had several points, and I did feel quite a bit guilty for assuming she would be difficult about retreating rather than practical. But as much as I respected where she was coming from, there was a deep truth that neither of us were acknowledging.

“I’m sorry I went behind your back, Ven. However, I do have to ask…” I reached over and put my hand on her wrist. Although so much of her was soft, large, and lovely, I couldn’t help but marvel at how small and delicate her hands were compared to my massive palms. “Can you honestly tell me you would have been able to leave me behind?”

I appreciated that Ven didn’t scoff and immediately rebuff my question. I hated when people did that in a discussion, because it usually showed they weren’t really hearing what I was saying. But Ven remained quiet, and I watched a litany of emotions cross her beautiful features. Although she might not have agreed with me, I could tell she was truly pondering what I’d asked. That meant a lot to me.

“I...”

My senses pricked, and I lurched to my feet, arm out as if I was going to protect Ven even in my weakened state. An eagle spiraled out of the sky and crashed in front of us. Ven was on her feet in an instant, running over to the animal as it quickly shifted into a battered-looking human.

“Oh my god! Are you okay?”

The shifter looked woozy as she tried to sit up, so Ven and I knelt on either side of her. Our conversation definitely wasn’t over, but even in its interrupted state, I felt like we were one step closer to getting it back to our normal rhythm.

“Hey, don’t move. Let me take a look at you, okay?”

“America…” the girl wheezed. I had no idea how old she was, but she looked like she was barely out of high school. “She told me not to go. She told me.”

“That’s okay, honey, we got you,” Ven said. “We’ll call America and have her come pick you up. But let me take care of you first, okay? Keep you on track until that healing of yours kicks in.”

The girl shook her head. “No. I went there, you see. I got in and out. I did it!”

Even though she was half delirious, I could hear the steady conviction in the young girl’s voice.

“Did what?” I asked, adding a rumbling subharmonic into my alpha voice. It wasn’t a command, more of a soothing mechanism. It didn’t always work, especially across species, but I figured it was worth a shot.

“One of the brothers’ compound. I found out what he’s planning.”

Ven and I exchanged concerned glances, wondering how much of what the girl said was true and how much was delirious rambling.

“He’s gonna auction us off. Like fucking eBay.”

Ven gently stroked the young girl’s head, and the eagle shifter’s pale and clammy skin pinked up a bit. “Auction who off?”

“Shifters and other magic folks in various states of enthrallment. They’re going to sell us like cattle to the highest bidder.”

I swallowed hard as I thought back to the first time we’d encountered the enthralled harem of our kidnapped people, and the idea of more victims like that being sold to anyone with a fat wallet made me physically ill. Once more, I exchanged a heavy look with Ven.

It was time to start planning again.