“You need to know.”
“Doubtful.” She twists around and stops mid-way—locking up. An awful grunt of pain falls from her lips, as she whimpers.
“Come on, little moon, let me give you what you need,” I say, draping over her back, dumping us both in a fog of my scent while my purr fills up the room. “You can hate me tomorrow, but I can’t leave you tonight, not like this.”
Listening to her small shuddering breaths as she fights off tears and holds back her emotions, I feel so small. I feel ugly and hideous. I feel like a monster. But I don’t hear her tell me to go a second time.
“I’m so sorry, Heidi. We didn’t leave a note because we thought we’d be back.”
“You did exactly the same as my attacker did. You could have been honest instead of drugging me and taking my choice away.” Her voice drifts away to nothing. She stays quiet for a long time before she shudders under me and her voice breaks. “You treated me like I was just a fucking job, Darius.”
“You were never a goddamn job.”
I purr louder, trying to drown out the sadness of her thoughts. I think she falls asleep; she doesn’t move or say a word for a long time. “I’m so tired, Darius…”
My stomach drops to my feet, and I’m flooded with a wave of crushing fear. “Don’t you say that, little moon. Don’t you give up on yourself or what you’re doing.”
She huffs out a sad laugh. “They pay you to be my life coach too?”
I ignore her, sitting up. My fingers bury back in her hair, and she freezes up again. “I’m going to massage your head; you’re not going to get caught up in whatever bullshit goes on in your head whenever I touch your hair. One day I want an explanation, but tonight I’m going to help get rid of your pain and hold you while you sleep.”
“Pretty sure you and your brothers are the reason for said pain,” she hisses, but her words cut off when I start doing a proper headache massage. None of that light and fluffy shit, this is pressure points and tendon stretches.
My fingers ache after a while, but her breathing is deep and she’s rolled on to her tummy. Pulling back the blankets she’s sheltering under, I start on her neck, slow deep strokes. She’s tight as fuck, her muscles like rock.
I don’t mean to, but I also don’t stop myself when I reach down and kiss the column of her neck.
“I’ll never let you down again, little moon,” I whisper repeatedly, hoping my words find her in her dreams.
I totally creep on her all night. I watch her for hours. I also scoop up the two little hairless kitties Kai got for her. They’re both cute and ugly, but they curl right up against her chest, and I tickle them softly until the three of us purr our girl to peace.
It’s almost impossible to leave her, but when the kittens start to stir, I know I have to. First though, I teach the little guys a thing or two about a litter box. I’m kind of impressed my brother thought of all this, even more impressed when I realise Heidi has a team of people around her who do care for her. Simple things done without anyone asking, signs of how they tend to her are everywhere. And I know she sees them; I just need her to remember everything is for her. The cleaners leave little signs: flowers, stacks of her books; it’s all done how she wants, and I know she never asks because I’ve never heard her do it.
She’ll see. We’ll make sure she sees.
I half think of tying a note around a ribbon and leaving it on the black one, but he’s too strong willed to sit still. Instead, I prop my note on her chest which is equally cute.
And then I’m gone. Not sneaking out through the window but at the same time it’s not the usual way you’d enter or exit someone’s home. Jumping off the balcony, I hide in trees and the early morning shadows they cast until I get to the far edge of her property. From there, I jump in my car and drive back to the penthouse.
As much as I want to watch her reaction, I know one of my brothers will. I need to get ready for our date, anyway.
ChapterThirty-Seven
HEIDI
Last night I was mentally preparing myself to fight through exhaustion all weekend, but after my intruder I feel ready to take on the world. For the most part.
Saturday is squared away as time to work through a long list of reports, before I start properly thinking about how I want to fix a couple of things at Verdune. Thinking about what I could do gives me a headache. A new one. Because Darius single headedly dealt with the one I was suffering from last night.
I never knew the miracle of an Alpha for healing. I did in a sense, but it was pure hearsay. Now though, I have first-hand experience of the soothing magic of a purr, and a guided touch is better than a box of painkillers. Both of those kept the pain at bay, while Darius’s warm chai latte scent seeped in past all that and filled me with a sense of hush that went bone deep. Despite my bitter anger at him.
My eyes open and I come face to face with the kitties.
“Hello again,” I whisper, and they do a small pounce towards me that is insanely cute, making me giggle. “I’m not sure if you’re staying yet. I’m being honest, okay, and this is one of those situations where it’s not you. It’s the Alpha that brought you for me. I thought he really liked me, you know.”
Strangely, it doesn’t feel weird talking to them both. They tip their heads at odd angles like they understand what I’m saying, their eyes fill with sorrow. No, I’m definitely imagining that part, I think.
“So many questions, you two. What do I feed you, I guess is the first.” I roll up to sitting, and they climb up to sit on my lap.
