Tabitha was nothing like Tibby, and I had hated her for it for a long time. I still did sometimes.
The sound of a chair scraping backward brought me out of my dark thoughts as a hand jerked me up out of my chair and into an embrace that smelled like pumpkin spice: it was Matteo. His nose was buried deep in my hair, and he was hugging me so hard that I was afraid he was going to pop my back if he kept squeezing.
“Uh, Matteo? I can’t really breathe.” I patted his back a few times, and he finally let me go, holding me at arm’s length. His dark eyes held so many emotions that I couldn’t help but look away from them, my throat tightening with unshed tears.
Firm fingers gripped my chin, and Matteo gently turned me until I was looking at him again. “You are a damned warrior, Tibby. Never forget that.”
Other arms wrapped around me until I was enveloped by the scents of rose, spearmint and, much to my surprise, eucalyptus. We were standing together in a whole ass group hug, and I opened my mouth to crack a joke about it, but thought better of it. I’d never felt so calm and so comforted ever in my life as I let myself relax into their embrace.
I never wanted this to end, I realized with a little jolt. I wanted to be in this house, surrounded by these people, forever. Was that even possible? What would happen after the trial was finally done? How could I go back to the academy after getting a taste of this kind of life?
CHAPTER 25
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After I finally toldeveryone about my past, things changed. Not necessarily in a bad way, but I did have to snap at Aria and Matteo a couple of times when they handled me with kid gloves—especially when it came to sex. I liked gentle sex as much as the next girl, but I didn’t want it to be because of my past. I also wanted to know everything about the case. I was tired of everyone picking and choosing what to tell me. That night, after I finished telling my story, I forced the rest of the pack to tell me about the investigation. There wasn’t that much extra information, but I now knew what was going on. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, though, my nightmares had ratcheted up again after that night. Even last night, Matteo and Aria hadn’t managed to soothe me before I woke up with a shout, still being chased by the unseen assailant in my dream.
All throughout the week, I couldn’t shake the feeling of time running out. I felt like a diver in a cage that was being circled by a bloodthirsty shark that was just waiting for the cage to open so that it could shred me limb from limb. It didn’t help that Theo and Cobb hadn’t gotten any further with their investigation, their ever-growing expressions of frustration had taken over all of our interactions. Oftentimes they would cut a conversation short, or be unable to even be present when Matteo, Aria, or I spoke to them, instead choosing to spend hours of their day staring at their murder wall. To me, it looked like they were hoping that something, anything, would happen if they stared at the wall long enough.
Not only that, there was a tension between Cobb and Theo. If they weren’t discussing the case, they weren’t speaking to each other at all. Something had changed the night before Aria went to visit the prison. I didn’t know what, yet, but I was determined to find out.
Armed with a plate of cookies and a glass of sweet tea, I climbed the stairs to Cobb’s bedroom. Theo was sitting on the couch with his earbuds firmly in his ear as he typed away at his computer and Matteo and Aria were out for the day. This was my moment to talk to Cobb one-on-one.
Food and refreshments was the only way that I felt like I could help the pack, I had no resources and no other skills other than being a damned good cook. Well, that was a lie, I also had a plethora of other hobbies like knitting, origami, watercolors, and many others. I’d spent the last eight years trying anything and everything that the academy would let me try. They had, of course, turned down ax throwing and archery the moment that I suggested it, but I digress. It wasn’t like I could crochet my way into solving a murder investigation...so I cooked and made sure that everyone ate.
What was the phrase? Jack of all trades, but master of none? At this point they may as well put that shit on my gravestone along with the phrase ‘And she had a great ass.’ I made a mental note to text Eloise with my wishes later on. One never knew when they would keel over, and I was pretty sure my chances were pretty high these days. What, with the psycho murderer on the loose who was looking to turn me into Tibby-cue and all.
I snorted at my own dark humor, lifting my hand to rap lightly on Cobb’s door, waiting for him to answer.
After a few seconds I heard a muffled, “come in!”
Using my free hand, I turned the knob and peeked inside, “Hey, I brought you some snacks.”
I had only been in the guest room a few times since coming to Pack Simmons’ apartment, and even then only in passing. One of the walls in the room had been covered from floor to ceiling with papers and photographs from the case though, this time, all of the crime scene photos had been put away out of sight. Warmth for the beta filled my chest as I walked further into the room, he had noticed how uncomfortable they made me when I was in here a few days ago and, rather than keep me out of the room, had chosen to take them down instead. Now, I could see the older looking photos from Hezekiah Jordan’s compound more easily.
