Page 38 of Liberating Water

Lailah

I sleptthe rest of the day and halfway through the next. Whenever I woke up, I was surrounded by my guys, nestled in the middle of them keeping me warm. There was something about this that just seemed to heal more than just my dip in the pond; it was as if this is where I’d belonged my whole life and I was catching up on the years I’d missed. Cami came to check on us from time to time, bringing me piping hot cups of chai tea, but my wakefulness didn’t last long, and soon I was asleep again.

When I finally awoke feeling rested, I was alone in the bed but could feel Brayden and Hudson nearby. My body still ached, but other than that, I was much more myself and ready to get up. I needed to meet with Beth and the other Elementi members to share with them what I learned about Ubel and the danger he presented if there were more like him. Ms. Tabitha was bad enough, having been blessed with demonic power without the serum, but we had no idea what Ubel could do. I’d seen him poof out of existence, and that would definitely make catching him extremely difficult.

Heading to the closet, I pulled on soft yoga pants and a shirt that said Wake me up when winter is over. I added a fluffy sweater, still not able to shake that last bit of chill from my bones. Exiting my room, I found Hudson sitting in his armchair, reading a book. But the moment he saw me, the book was tossed to the side and I was wrapped up in a warm hug.

“Sunshine, you need to stop taking years off my life, pulling stunts like that,” he whispered into my ear as he scattered soft kisses on my face. “Do you know how lucky you are to still be alive?”

Wrapping my arms around him, I hummed at how warm he was. “Not as lucky as that little boy. If I hadn’t done what I did, he for sure would have died, and I couldn’t live with that on my conscience, Hudson.”

“I know. I get it, I do, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Poor Cami has been beating herself up about the whole thing, not that Micah didn’t help with that,” Hudson grumbled.

Micah must have really said something awful to Cami for Hudson to be so bothered by it, or it was another sign he was embracing his emotions more and not locking them away. Either way, it told me I needed to talk to her to see if I could smooth things out. Before I could pull out of Hudson’s arms to do that, I felt another warm body wrap around my back.

“How are you feeling, Angel?” Brayden asked, placing a kiss on my cheek.

“Better. Still a little chilled, but I’m sure that will go away once I’m more active and moving around,” I answered with a shrug. “Hudson was just telling me I might need to check in on Cami.”

Brayden let out a heavy sigh and stepped away from me, letting me free from their hold. “Let’s get you something to eat before you deal with that situation.”

“Where is Micah?” I asked, knowing he would be upset with me for doing something so rash.

“He’s down in the training center along with Parker dealing with his misplaced emotions. But Tony is there keeping an eye on him and refusing to let him spar with anyone,” Hudson informed me as he took my hand and led me down to the dining room.

“I’ll be right back. Just gonna let Sarah know you’re awake and see what we have to feed you. She’s been having Garrett make a bunch of really good soups in preparation,” Brayden said, giving me a wink before he headed off to the kitchen.

I sat down, but I wasn’t able to relax. I hated the fact that Micah was so upset about what I’d done. “Hudson, has something like this happened before with Micah?”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems that something happened between you guys while we were in France and this situation has made it worse. I’m just wondering if this kind of thing has happened before where he gets so angry and how you guys fixed it.”

Hudson looked at me, his face softening as he felt my need to have everyone get along. “Sunshine, before you showed up, this was normal. When I say that Micah has never gotten along well with others like he has recently, I mean it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him spend this much time together with us in the years that I have lived here.” He reached out and took my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Don’t take on this burden too, Lailah.”

I took a moment to think that over. Brayden had told me something similar a while ago. I guess I just hadn’t believed it. The version of Micah I’d been seeing was a far cry from what was happening now, and it was making me feel unsettled.

“Alright, I have Garrett’s famous chicken and rice soup for you, Angel, with some homemade bread to go with it!” Brayden announced as he walked back in with a tray of food. “I brought enough for the three of us—just taking a wild guess you haven’t eaten lunch either, Hudson.”

Hudson smiled at Brayden as he took the bowl of soup. “You are correct. Like yourself, I couldn’t bring myself to go far from her.”

“Where’s Jay?” I asked, breaking off a piece of bread.

Brayden and Hudson looked at each other before they answered me.

“He’s looking for Ubel…” Brayden started.

“WHAT?!” I yelled, slamming my spoon on the table as I stood. “Why would he go looking for him on his own? He should have waited for us so that we could have his back! Do you have any idea how dangerous this guy is?”

Panic clamored in my chest as I imagined all of the horrible things that could happen to him.

“Lailah, breathe,” Brayden said, pulling me back down into my chair. “He isn’t alone; he took a team of his men with him. They are far better trained for a situation like this than we are at the moment. This is his job, and he’s good at it. Trust that he will come back to you.”

Shaking in my seat, I looked between Hudson and Brayden, feeling their total confidence in Jay and trusting that he would be fine.

“Why couldn’t he wait?” I whispered, slumping in my seat.

“Do you really think he would sit around while there a crazy man out there willing to harm people just to torture you? Jay’s feelings for you are just as deep as our own, and this proves it,” Hudson said, his voice tinged with a slightly scolding tone. “He left once you were out of danger. I have a feeling he will be back soon. Now eat your soup while it’s hot, please. We need you to be okay, Lailah, the same way you need us to be safe.”