Page 14 of Petals & Promises

Vili chuckled. “That be fun too, but Whipped Cream is ballet performed in Numoland. I saw it as a boy and feel that kitten would enjoy seeing it too. The show once traveled but now only found in Numoland.”

Warrick pulled out his phone, leaning close to me as he searched for the name of the ballet. When he clicked on a video, it brought up a series of clips revealing the story was all about a baker and various sweets dancing across the stage. Everything looked so bright and colorful, something to truly make you smile while watching.

“I don’t think it’s possible there could be a ballet more suited to you than this, Care Bear,” Warrick commented, then looked up at the others. “Um… so are we required to do all these adventures as well?”

“I say no,” Vili voiced. “My hope is it would be me and kitten, alone. Well, Waffles and Nugget too.”

Gareth snatched the list and a different crayon from the table. “I agree with Vili, but I have something to add to that. Instead of just one, we write down two adventures, so we each get a one-on-one outing plus the group activity.”

Warrick snapped his fingers before pointing at Gareth. “That is one brilliant idea because I thought of something, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to share it with all of you. It seemed more of a Care Bear and me thing.”

Seeing how excited the guys all got about this change to the rules had me laughing. “This is ridiculous. We have the rest of our lives to go on hundreds of adventures.”

“Yeah, but these are going to be the most memorable since it will be the first adventures you get to experience,” Lysse reasoned. “Which means we need to make them count.”

“Right, because I will never remember all the ones after these. Come on, Lysse, you know better than that,” I scolded playfully. “Mind of an elephant right here,” I added, tapping my temple.

The paper made its way around the table twice so the guys could put down all their ideas. I was laughing so hard my sides started to ache, and my cheeks felt like they were about to cramp up. Just as my majestic unicorn milkshake to-go was set before me, Yun-Sun got a call. Instantly, I knew it wasn’t good as his serious face fell into place, and he got up from the table. The joy I’d been feeling, allowing me to forget the darkness that lingered on the edge of my mind, now became a rock in my stomach.

Nugget butted his head against my arm, pulling my attention away from Yun to look at him. Watching me carefully, Nugget cocked his head this way and that, trying to get a read on my emotions before crawling onto my lap. He licked my chin and leaned into me, offering all the support his little body could offer. Waffles’ head appeared from under the table where he’d been lying at my feet. Without any preamble, Waffles flopped his head across my knees and let out a heavy sigh.

To my surprise, my body took a cue from him, and I, too, sighed, releasing some of the tension built up in my body. Warrick took my hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb. “No matter what it is, Care Bear, we’ll figure it out together.”

nine

Yun-Sun

“What do you mean he broke in again?”

I realized I shouldn’t be yelling at this officer who was only doing his job. It wasn’t his fault that Randall showed up once more to the studio. How the security system and cameras didn’t go off or alert us to someone being there made no sense. Everything had been upgraded and codes changed to one that no one could figure out even with a well-educated guess.

“Sir, I’m aware of the situation, and I understand why you’re frustrated, but the fact of the matter is that Randall Steele broke into the same building he tried to abduct Miss Thatcher from a month ago. Only this time, when he couldn’t find anything to tell him where she was, it appears he took it out on the building. I hate to ask you this, but it would be a great help if Miss Thatcher could come down here and tell us if he might have taken anything or if there is some meaning to what damage he did do,” the officer explained.

Rubbing my forehead, I growled out my frustration. The last thing I wanted to do of all days was to drag Bailey-Rose back into that moment. Her nightmares had finally started to lessen, and I feared if we brought her back, it would start all over again.

“How bad is the damage?” I asked.

“Most of it is in the downstairs level. Seemed like she might have been working on something, and whatever it was sure pissed him the hell off. He even left her a note,” he admitted.

Rage hummed in my veins that the bastard dared to speak to her after almost killing her. He’d left her no choice but to push her body to the limit in order for her monitor to go off. If anything else had gone wrong or the ambulance was delayed, I wouldn’t have an Omega to curl up in my arms and whisper in her ear how much I loved her.

“Tell me,” I demanded. It came out as an Alpha bark, putting the power of my rank into those words.

There was a sharp intake of breath, telling me this man was a Beta. While they didn’t react to a barked command like an Omega would, it still had influence over them.

“Give her back to me,” the officer answered. “He used some kind of yellow paint he found in the studio and drew something that resembles a bumblebee below the words. Does that mean anything to you?”

“It was the nickname that sick bastard gave her,” I spat. “Guess he wanted to make sure to leave a clue, just in case we didn’t know who he was talking about. Take all the pictures you need of that message, then cover it up, or I’m not bringing her there. She’s suffered enough trauma from this man, and I won’t let him steal one more ounce of happiness from her. Do we have a deal?”

“Yeah, I can work with that. Give me about twenty minutes, then it will be documented and destroyed,” he assured me.

“Good, we’ll see you in twenty minutes.” Hanging up, I took a moment to take a few deep, calming breaths like I’d heard Bailey-Rose’s therapist instruct her to do when things got too overwhelming.

Once my emotions were in check and I wouldn’t risk snapping at my girl, who was the last person who deserved it, I returned to the table. The guys looked at me expectantly, but my attention was focused on the pastel beauty who was being smothered by two dogs. If Waffles felt the need to add his help, she was not okay.

I turned to Warrick and with a gesture, asked him to move so I could sit next to her. He obliged and took my seat as I slid in, wrapping an arm around the most important person in my life. “Omae,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I know nothing I say right now will change the way you feel, so I will state facts that cannot be argued. You are safe in this diner and at this table with your pack. Waffles is not on alert or guarding the table, which means there is no immediate threat to you or us.”

Another thing we’d learned from her therapist was how to help her when she woke up from her nightmares. The hardest part for the person experiencing them was knowing what was real and what was imagined. So it was best to offer them facts they could see and acknowledge, helping their brain to realize they’d been dreaming.