“Easier said than done.” Grinding against his lengthening shaft, I realized how quiet it was outside. “I’ve never been this alone before. Do you mind if I’m loud?”
“I’d be insulted if you weren’t, little wolf.” Eyes dark with desire, he palmed my breasts and pushed me to a sitting position. “Just like that.”
My heart skipped a beat. “I’ll go slow this time.”
“Torture me,” he whispered back.
Chapter 34
While the pack chattered in the dining room at the far side of the house, I sat alone in the rocking chair, staring at the front window, Violet in my arms. Hope had placed the chair in the living room so we could see outside, and Tak even hung a bird feeder on the porch to give her something to look at.
While straightening the purple tulle, I admired the dress Melody made her. It matched the hat I’d knitted last week. A headband would have been cute in summer but not for November, so I knitted my first flower pattern on the hat.
I quietly hummed a song while gazing into her eyes. They were still grey, and Milly had told me I’d know her true eye color in a few months since some babies were like that. Her hair was definitely blond, but unlike mine, it didn’t have a single curl.
I pinched her cheeks together, trying to summon a smile. The others said babies don’t smile at three weeks—that it’s just gas—but I was certain my Violet had given a few smirks, often while sleeping.
Last week, Hope and Tak had gone to her mother’s house for a visit. When they returned, they gifted me with a cradle her mother had made. Atticus and I kept it next to the bed so we could easily rock her back to sleep without getting up.
Catcher trotted over and sniffed her hand. Violet stretched while turning her head to look at him. After taking a seat, Catcher yawned and whined simultaneously. He was a happy boy.
Virgil swaggered into the room in a tuxedo-print T-shirt, black pants, and leather shoes. “How’s Miss Poopypants?” He sank into the curved chair across from me and crossed his legs.
When she began to fuss, I put her over my shoulder and patted her back. “Where’s Cleo? Is she coming down?”
He raked his fingers through his dirty-blond hair. “That girl’s been locking herself away like a princess in a tower. She let Milly in, but Milly’s only there to lift the hood and inspect the engine.”
Milly had given Cleo a thorough examination a few weeks ago. Tak had cautioned her not to tell anyone about where she came from. The poor girl was underweight and malnourished. She had a scar on her lower belly but wouldn’t talk to Milly—or anyone, for that matter—about how she got it or what happened to her. Milly didn’t ask us where Cleo came from. It was nice to have a Relic we could trust. Since Salem could monitor Cleo’s progress until we found her a home, Milly prescribed supplements customized to her specific needs.
Having been through captivity myself, I suspected she was isolating herself out of fear and a need to process everything. Unlike me, she could remember what had happened to her, and that was a terrifying thought, especially for a kid her age.
“That poor girl,” I said, my eyes fixed on a sparrow outside. “Bear said he just leaves food outside the door. Does she at least come out at night to sneak food from the kitchen?”
Virgil shrugged. “Ask Lucian. He’s the resident night owl.”
“I hope Tak can find her family. They’re probably worried sick.”
“Yeah. The Relic doesn’t want to move her until the lab results are normal and she gains weight. People who do that to kids are real shitheads.”
When Violet finally burped, I cuddled her in my arms again.
“Might want to check your shoulder.” Virgil pulled a lock of his hair in front of his nose. “You should have seen what she unleashed down Lakota’s back yesterday. It was like a scene fromTheExorcist.”
“That I don’t doubt. He’s always swinging her in circles like a human roller coaster.”
When Virgil steered his gaze out the window, the bright morning light lit up his turquoise eyes.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how it could have ended that night. Violet would have been okay, but what about Atticus? Would he have stayed in the pack? I couldn’t imagine him separating my daughter from them, knowing how important packs were to us. The thought of not being able to see my baby grow was the worst.
“What’s wrong, sugarplum?”
“I was just thinking about that night. I almost died.”
“No, you didn’t.”
I gave him a quizzical stare. “Yes, I did. I remember standing outside my body.”
He uncrossed his legs and waved his hand as he spoke. “Believe me, I know what a dead person looks like. Sometimes the spirit jumps out of the body in shock, but it doesn’t mean you’re dead.”
