I can hear every word Talon says as he orders Axel and Nixon to stay somewhere in town until he gives them word to come back.
When I hear their car leave and the heavy footsteps head my way, my body tenses. I watch as the door handle turns.
“Open up. Now,” he simply says.
I can feel him trying to get into my head, but I don’t let him. The door flies open and I watch as his shoulders move with his heavy breathing. His fists clenched at his sides. He storms up to me, grabbing my ankle as I move away on the bed, and pulling me closer to him. When my face is close enough, he grabs it with both hands and holds me tightly as he bends down to look into my eyes. I’m trembling I’m so scared, but I still don’t let him get into my head. Even though his touch is harsh it still alleviates the heat radiating from my body.
“Stop closing your mind off from me, from us.” He speaks on behalf of his brother who is unsurprisingly absent.
We’re inches apart as he looks my face over.
“Where’s Tyler?” I ask the question that’s been bugging me since I realised that it was only Talon who had come to my so-called rescue.
He releases my face and I move away from him waiting for an answer. He moves to sit on the chair next to the bed, I can’t help but notice the distance between us increases my heat. I sit as close as possible to him on the bed.
“He’s busy,” he says, running his hands through the stubble on his jaw.
“With Kate, right?” I roll my eyes, not caring about the jealousy lacing my words.
“Jesus, Angel. Grow up will you? We can’t all stop our lives to look after your every need,” Talon spits out harshly. I wince, not bothering to argue, it’s a lost cause trying to defend myself. I don’t care how hot it is, I roll over to the other side of the bed, far from where he’s seated on the chair and turn around so I don’t have to face him. I let the tears soak into the pillow, already feeling dehydrated as it is.
“Shit!” He lets out a deep breath. “Listen, I’m sorry. Neither of us want to be here so let’s just try get along until you ride this thing out. Apparently having your mate here will help ease your pain or something,” he says, matter of factly.
Problem with that sentence is that I do want him here, I want him with me and near me. He’s the one that doesn’t feel the same.
I don’t respond, I just close my eyes and force myself to sleep. I don’t have to try hard because my body is officially finished and I fall asleep quickly.
I wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and rather cold. The heat is gone and by the looks of things, so is Talon. The bed beside me is still warm, I wasn’t even aware that he’d slept beside me. That’s probably why I had a good night’s rest; well, better than any other night these past seven days.
The cabin is quiet, so Nixon and Axel must still be away. I shower and change into the clothes I arrived here in. I don’t have much to take with me, and I don’t know when or if the boys are coming back to fetch me, I don’t even have a phone to call them with.
I search through the cabinets looking for food, but come up with nothing. I climb down the ladder, sitting on the trunk of a fallen down tree below the cabin. I think about changing and running my way home in my wolf form, but I still don’t have the energy to shift. An hour passes by and eventually I hear the sound of a car in the distance. Nixon looks concerned when his eyes meet mine, I know he’s about to ask questions, but I’m really not in the mood.
“I just want to go home. We can talk about it later.” I open the car door and climb into the back seat.
“Go lock up, I’ll wait down here with her,” Axel says.
I close my eyes and rest my head back on the headrest. I hear my door being opened, then feel the icy air from outside wafting in. Opening one eye, I find Axel hunched over the door looking at me, his eyes filled with worry.
“Do I have to hunt him down and hurt him?” he says flatly. I can’t help but smile at his protectiveness. I know what he’s implying.
“No. He didn’t hurt me.” I look away. “Well… not in the way you’re thinking.”
Chapter 15
It’s been three days since my heat ended and three days since I last saw Talon. I haven’t seen Tyler around since I got back either. It hurts just thinking how the beautiful relationship we once had has come down to this. Avoidance.
I avoid them, they avoid me, and if we’re not avoiding each other we’re trying to hurt the other instead; well… that’s what it feels like anyway.
Although Noelle has yet to teach me how to work this so called magic, I have been keeping busy with Phoenix. I’ve been teaching her some self-defence techniques and although she’s a really avid student, I think using her magic will do a better job if she needs any defending one day. Nixon has gone back to teaching. He’s been a stand in for my mom’s class, since she’s still stuck with my father in another territory dealing with rogues.