“I don’t understand,” I say sullenly.
Alisha chuckles. “Yes, you do. That’s why you’re sulking.”
“I am not sulking,” I pout.
“I get it,” Alisha says, hugging me. “I really do. It was such a moving experience for you, on every level, and it feels like a complete betrayal that he won’t accept it now. But I think you should give him time. He’s going to talk to the guys, so this is going to come back around soon enough. Everyone will hear about this incident.”
“Perfect,” I groan, putting my face in my hands. “Everyone gets to hear about how my orgasm scared off the big, bad snake.”
“Well, to be fair, you said the orgasm happened after.”
I look up into Alisha’s solemn face, and we laugh. I put my arms around her and let her rock me back and forth, and as I think about trying to talk to Dan again, a wave of bitterness rushes through me.
I can’t look into those beautiful eyes and see them closed to me… not after what we shared. How can I ever speak to him again if he doesn’t open his arms to me?
“Gracie,” Alisha says, rubbing my back. “Shh.”
“I hear you,” I whisper, burying my face in her shoulder. “I understand everything you just said. But for now, I just need to cry, okay?”
“Of course,” Alisha says, tightening her arms around me and stroking my hair. “I’ve got you, honey. Just cry. I promise, everything will be alright.”
Chapter 19 - Dan
While Grace greets the other women, I address the men who have gathered. I don’t want our average citizens getting panicked about the snake, so I send the guys off to do repairs or help the girls with heavy lifting. With a few quick gestures, I let my military buddies know we’ve got far more important things to discuss.
I manage to keep my shit together until the women and other pack members walk away, but the second I’m alone with the guys, I collapse onto one of the low bench seats and sigh like I’m trying to lift the weight of the world.
“Jesus, buddy,” Luke says. “What the fuck happened to you? I’ve never seen you this bad, and I’ve seen you stagger out of bolt holes you were trapped in for over a month.”
“The first thing I should tell you is that I went head-on with the snake last night,” I say.
Luke’s eyebrows shoot right up into his hair, and Brad lets out a low whistle.
“Why are we only hearing about this now?” Brad asks.
“I was a little busy last night getting melted into a pile and then put back together.”
“Okay,” Brad says, pulling out his phone and typing furiously. “I’ve updated Rex. He’s going to want to talk to you. I’m guessing it wasn’t a major breach?”
“It didn’t go for anyone else or attack the town if that’s what you’re asking,” I reply. “Just Grace… and me.”
“How the hell did you wriggle out of this one?” Luke asks, amazed.
“Grace went out for a walk,” I say. “After we sort of had a fight.”
“Oh,” Brad mutters. “What kind of fight?”
I shake my head. “I’m not even sure. We kissed and fought again. Honestly, I know the snake should be my biggest concern right now, but it’s just not. I’m too twisted up over what happened with Grace.”
“So back up,” Luke says. “You had a fight, kissed, had another fight, and she went out for a walk?”
“Yeah,” I reply, deciding not to tell them about how paranoid I’ve gotten about her “walks.” “I’m not sure how I found her, but I saw the light in the trees. She was getting attacked by the snake, and I just jumped in.”
“You weren’t injured?” Brad asks, astonished.
“I was dead, actually,” I reply, looking at my hands. “Or I should have been. I saw my body melt. I just begged for the pain to end. Then Grace grabbed my hand…”
I don’t know how to explain the strange charge that passed between us, or the power that took me over, and the feeling of being healed, so I just shake my head.
