Looking at the huge pile, Cain’s eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. “I don’t need much…some jeans and a few t-shirts,” he murmured.
“I understand,” Sofia said, pulling out a t-shirt and holding it out to him. “What about this one? It’s a nice shade of green.”
Cain stared at it for a moment before taking it from her. The first thing he noticed was how soft it felt—a far cry from the coarse fabrics prison uniforms were made of. No matter how many times they were washed, they never got softer. But the one Sofia gave him was just as soft and fluffy as the clouds he used to watch float by in the sky when he was a child. Lifting it up to his face, Cain rubbed it against his cheek, smiling when he realized it was actually softer than he’d thought. Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to feel it against his body. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?” Sofia asked, surprised.
“Uh…my room…so I can put this on,” Cain said, hesitantly. “That’s why you gave it to me, right?”
“Yes…but I thought you might want to try these on too,” Sofia replied, shuffling through the clothes before offering Cain a pair of jeans.
Examining them closely, Cain couldn’t believe they were actually jeans. All the jeans he’d worn in the past were stiff, with rough, scratchy seams and had fit him badly. But Sarge told him to always be grateful for what the Good Lord saw fit to give him. He never could figure out who the ‘Good Lord’ was, but he did what Sarge told him to do and on a cold night when he slept outside, he learned to be really grateful that the ‘Good Lord’ had decided to give him any jeans at all.
When Cain kept staring at the jeans in his hand without saying a word, Sofia said, “If you don’t like them, I have others you can try on.”
Forcing his memories back to the place in his mind where they couldn’t hurt him, he slowly shook his head. “No ma’am, they’re just fine.”
Smiling Sofia said, “Good…you can use my bathroom to try them on. It’s right through that door.”
Looking at the door Sofia was pointing to, Cain headed for it and stepped into the biggest bathroom he’d ever seen. Shutting the door behind him, he first noticed the bathtub. It had been so long since he’d taken a bath; there were only showers in prison and could only be used for a few minutes. Bending down, he ran his hand along the inside of the tub, marveling at the smoothness of the cool porcelain. He hoped there was a bathtub in his bathroom because, if there was, he could hardly wait to use it.
Straightening up, he glanced at the large glass-enclosed shower and the many handles in it, wondering what they were for. Shrugging, he decided it didn’t matter becauseif there was a bathtub he’d be using it, instead. Smiling, he turned around, setting the clothes down on the wide sink counter before stripping off the ones Smokey had given him.
Cain wasn’t sure why the Alpha Mate wanted him to buy new clothes when the ones he had on were okay—and much better than his prison ones. But, while he was waiting to find out if Jackson had decided to accept him into his pack, he promised himself he’d do everything he was told to do. So if he was supposed to wear new clothes, then that’s what he was going to do.
Quickly stepping into the jeans, Cain moaned quietly at their softness, pulling them up over his naked body. His underwear had been left behind in his cell, so he was very careful with the zipper. After slipping on the t-shirt, Cain ran his hands over it, smoothing out a few wrinkles. Then turning to the mirror, he stared at his image in disbelief, wondering who the man was looking back at him.
Cain never could remember having clothes that fit him like these. As a kid they’d always been someone else’s, either too big or too small. Then when he went to prison, uniforms were always too tight or baggy; The guards couldn’t care less about giving him the right size. Not that he ever dared to object. His motto was keep his head down, fly under the radar, and don’t make a fuss. It had served him well in his foster homes and it was the one he lived by when he ended up in jail.
Concerned because Cain was taking so long, Sofia called out, “Is everything all right in there?”
Nodding to himself, Cain yelled back, “Yeah…I’ll be right out.” Then, taking one last look at himself, he opened the door, taking a few steps into the bedroom. Nervously he waited for Sofia’s reaction.
“Oh my goodness!” Sofia exclaimed. “Don’t you look handsome.”
Chapter 29
“What the hell happened, Oracle?” Jackson asked. It wasn’t his intent to be so brusque but there wasn’t time for niceties. “Who shot Cain? And where the hell is Frank?”
“Mystia is trying to find that out right now,” Oracle replied, sitting down. “All I can tell you is the Fates notified me Cain was in danger and authorized me to use any means possible to remove him from the prison.”
“That’s why you called Mystia?”
“Yes…she was the first person I thought of that had the ability to enter Cain’s cell without going through the normal process.”
“It’s a good thing you sent her. Cain almost didn’t make it, but Smokey saved him, so thank you for getting him here so fast.”
“Where is Cain now?” asked Oracle.
“Steel said Cain was tired and wanted to take a nap so he left him in his bedroom. And I know you’re wondering if I’ve made a decision…I have. Cain is staying,” Jackson said.
“I will inform the Fates.”
“There’s also the matter of Cain’s unauthorized removal from the High Council prison. Dylon has informed me the Council will issue a kill-on-sight order for Cain, not to mention charging me with harboring a fugitive.”
“I will take care of both,” Oracle replied. “The Council has accepted the Fates’ request to release Cain into your custody so I will notify them he is with you and he will no longer be listed as an escaped prisoner. However, the Council will require your signature accepting therelease terms, one of which will be the implantation of a tracking device…unless you have changed your mind about Cain having one.”
“No I haven’t, but I want to hold off on it being done right away,” Jackson said.
