Page 47 of Freed

“You’re being weird,” I tell him with a sigh.

“Weird?” he asks, his hands clenching tightly at his sides as if he’s resisting reaching for me.

“Yes! Like that,” I say, pointing at his fists. “It’s like you’re stopping yourself from touching me. You used to pull me close whenever I was near you.”

He lets out a small grunt, almost sounding amused as he holds his hands up to me. They are covered in dirt. “Baby, I didn’t want to get you dirty.”

I blink at him, feeling stupid, but then I think about why he’s out here in the first place. “But why are you cutting wood right now if not to avoid me?”

He steps closer, wrapping his arms around me without his hands touching me, pressing my face into his sweaty chest… which I don’t mind at all. “Baby, I’m not avoiding you. I’m just trying to let off some steam.”

“But why do you feel you need to do that?” I ask in worry. “Is it because you’re in pain from our missing bond?” he tenses for a second before I feel his head nod.

“Yeah. That’s part of it. The other part is just knowing what happened and that Blaze is still out there.”

“But you feel better when you’re touching me?” I ask for confirmation.

“I do.”

“Well then, you should be doing it more often.”

His chest bounces a little as he lets out a small chuckle. “Okay, baby. I’ll make sure to touch you more.”

“That’s all I ask,” I say with a sigh as I hug him tightly. After a minute of silence, I whisper, “Bain?”

“Yeah, angel?”

“I love you.”

He kisses the top of my head before whispering, “I love you too.”

Chapter 17

Cherry

“So what’s the deal with Erica’s grandmother?” Chase asks from the seat behind me. I glance out the window at the passing trees as I shake my head.

“I’m not sure, really. Erica said she’s powerful and a bit of a clairvoyant.”

“And an omega,” Gage adds.

“Right, and there’s that.”

“What do you think you’ll learn from her?” Hunter asks. “Or what are you hoping to learn?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe more about my phoenix side. Erica didn’t mention anything specific. She just thought it would be a good idea.”

“There it is,” Maddox says from the driver’s seat as a small Victorian-style home appears between the trees in front of us.

“I wonder why she lives all the way out here?” Hunter asks.

I had been surprised to find out that Starfall Haven was actually much larger than what we’d seen so far. Apparently, most of the population didn’t live within ten minutes of downtown like we did. Since we backed onto a forest, I just assumed we were at the edge.

But apparently, many citizens, including Erica’s Grandmother, prefer a more isolated location. On the way here, I’d seen dozens of roads snaking off into the trees. Who knew how many people lived at the end of each of those?

Maddox pulls to a stop, and we climb out of our SUV as the front door opens, and Erica steps onto the front porch, waving at me. “Hey, you found it!”

I nod as we approach, and she surprises me by pulling me into a friendly hug, something I’m still getting used to.