She nearly sobs with joy at the prospect, stretching up her arm half-heartedly before it flops back down towards the floor. “Yes please,” comes her muffled reply, face buried in the cushions.
My lip twitches in amusement, gently maneuvering her to get a better hold. As I cradle her against my chest, her face lolling against my shoulder, a contented purr lodges in my throat before I make a fool of myself. But simply the fact that even as battered and bruised as she is, that she instinctually knows she’s safe with me, soothes my baser half in a way I can barely explain.
Carting her to the bathroom, I set her on the counter and she thankfully wakes up enough to stay upright. As I press a wet washcloth against her skull, she leans into my touch instead of flinching away, despite her small hiss of pain.
“Sorry for being such a burden.” Her voice is groggy as she fights to keep her eyes open.
Osiris jumps on the counter to rub against her arm. Bottles go clattering to the ground since he’s way too fucking big to be walking on the counter despite his runt-like size.
“Not a burden,” I assure her, wanting to tear apart the men that made her feel like she had to apologize for giving us the biggest gift we could ever ask for.
She brought our brother home.
I’m not going to think of her as a gift, because I’m not like the assholes she left behind. Theconceptof a mate is a gift, sure, but she isn’t a thing that the universe just hands over to us. We don’t get to own her, we get a shot at being happywithher. I can see how it could come out wrong to this woman easily and I make a mental note to be extra mindful of my word choice when we discuss it in the morning, because like hell am I about to let something as monumental as this drop for long.
Rin conveniently skimmed over the topic on our walk home, pretending like she didn’t hear me. She needs that right now, and making sure she’s alright is a higher priority at the moment, despite how much I’d prefer otherwise. I’ve barely been holding it together as it is, borderline feral these last few weeks. This punch to the gut, fueling the instincts I’ve already been wrestling to rein in?
I nearly lost my family once, I’m not about to let it happen again.
Eight
Rin
As I turn my head, a pained whimper slips out, the pillow sticking to the gash on my head and tugging at the sensitive skin. I can only imagine how pathetic I looked as nature kicked my ass, making it abundantly clear that I didn’t belong out there. But honestly, between the bugs, my aching muscles, and the cold, hard ground? I’m not a fan.
Camping might be something I could get behind eventually, with better supplies, but trekking through nature on the run? I’ll gladly take the fabric of this pillow pulling at the wound on my head over another cold night in the woods any day.
Ozzy rumbles low in his sleep and I bury my face against his front leg near his neck despite how incredibly warm I am, just soaking up the comfort. As something shifts closer to my back as I move, I tense.
I passed out before my head hit the pillow last night, so deeply in fact that I never noticed something, or rather,someone,climbing in beside me during the night. It takes me a few minutes to talk myself out of panicking, but if Ozzy isn’t spazzing out, there isn’t anything to be afraid of. And I trust his instincts far more than my own in this uncharted territory.
That, and I’m obviously broken. When Ares nearly tore my face off last night, sure, my heart was hammering with fear, but I didn’t feel the impulse to scream. I think I was more scared at being caught off guard than I was at the prospect of potentially dying. It’s like an instinctual part of me knew that he wouldn’t truly hurt me, the same way I’m able to curl up beside Ozzy so easily.
I can’t see him from this angle, but the stranger's body stretches the length of mine and then some, clearly in his animal form. There's no doubt he could tear me apart with little effort if he wished, so the fact that he's snuggled up against me comfortably instead isn't lost on me. The heat he gives off is immense, and with the chill in the air, I lean into him with my eyes closed, staving off reality for just a few more minutes.
I’m pressed between two shifters, and all I feel is an overwhelming sense of peace and safety. Obviously my better judgment leaves much to be desired, as noted by the way I set my life on fire.
The door creaks and I feel both bodies beside me tense, awake and alert in an instant before settling back down just as quickly, further confirming that my instincts aren’t that far off base. I may not know much about them, but I know they won’t try to hurt me, and isn’t that all I can really ask for after inviting myself into their house?
“Cole,” Ares states, surprised and stopping dead in his tracks before snapping, "You can't just go sneaking into someone's bed like a fucking creep! Not even going to introduce yourself before scaring the hell out of the poor woman?"
The figure behind me stirs and I finally risk a look over my shoulder, accepting that my attempt at willful ignorance and avoidance is futile with Ares around. No matter how overwhelming things may be, pretending they aren’t happening won’t make them go away, as nice as that would be.
Fur such a deep black it has a subtle blue shine to his silken coat, the panther at my back stretches his paws in front of him while bowing his back. With as deadly as even Ozzy is despite his small size, I can only imagine the damage Cole and Ares are capable of. Yet they just give off an air of laid back people that would rather keep to themselves. They may have no sense of personal space, but after the lonely, cold life I’ve lived, the easygoing affection is a welcome change.
Cole brushes against me before gracefully stepping off of the bed and striding from the room. I sit up, fighting against my building headache. Ozzy flops on my lap, twisting and turning like he can’t get comfortable.
I reach out to scratch his side to make him settle down, looking up at Ares for confirmation. “Is he always this needy?”
His lip twitches before casually tucking his hands in the pockets of his jeans and rocking back on his heels. His black t-shirt is pulled tight over his broad chest, making his unusual orange eyes pop even more dramatically. Even as a human he gives off a dangerous air, one that should scare me away after these last few weeks, but instead draws me in.
I’m attracted to his strength in the way I covet it for my own. No one would dare try to hit me if I radiated that level of power, though I can see how this desire could be turned into hate. Humans envy them, and hate that they’re everything they secretly wish they could be, but refuse to admit. We come up lacking in comparison and instead of admitting we’re lesser, we hide behind our numbers and call it strength instead of fear.
“I could say he just likes you, but nah; he’s always been this annoying,” Ares teases, smirking down at Ozzy. He bares his teeth, but doesn’t get off.
The room devolves into heavy silence, both of us struggling to find where to start. There’s just been so much so quickly, a million things that need discussed, that it’s hard to know where to begin.
“Thank you,” I finally manage. “For letting me stay here for a while, I mean. I sort of strong-armed Osiris into agreeing to let me hide out here in exchange for getting him out of the city, but concept versus reality is a funny thing. Logically, I knew he had a pack here I was helping him find, but that didn’t really translate into actual people in my mind.” I cringe. “Not that I don’t think you’re people! Just,” groaning, I close my eyes and rest my head against the headboard. “I wouldn’t blame you if you aren’t comfortable with a plan you had no say in. I’m not about to force you to let me live here, I just need some time to come up with a long term plan. Mostly, I figured you guys stood a better chance at helping him since I’m pretty much useless.”
