So, I pulled his boxers off, leaving his long shirt to cover me as I slipped on the jeans. Then I turned to look over my shoulder at Caleb and saw him watching me with a look that made me blush crimson as he fought to get his shirt on.
I smiled a little, bit my lip, and pulled my shirt off over my head, keeping my back to him. When I did a quick peek back he looked about ready to keel over so I quickly put on my new shirt and turned around to find him right in front of me.
“That wasn’t nice,” he said softly.
“Oh?” I said with fake innocence.
“Ooooh,” he groaned in mock anger. “No, not nice at all.” His lips touched mine softly as he took my hand and pulled me out of the room. “I better get you out of my room while I still have some sanity.”
I just shook my head at him as he stopped on the stairs.
“I want to warn you, I know how you are about crowds. There is definitely a crowd down there. And they are all going to fuss and bother over you all day, maybe more, and it’s gonna aggravate the tar out of you.” I wanted to giggle. Who says tar? “But if it’s too much, say the word and I’ll—”“Caleb, I’m fine. Your family is so sweet.”
“Our family,” he corrected and I smiled.
“Don’t worry about me. I think…I’m falling in love with them.” I held my fingers thumb and index finger up an inch apart. “Little bit,” I said and smiled wider.
He stepped up to be one step under me, our heights matched.
“You’re amazing,” he said and lifted our entwined hands to kiss the back of my fingers. Then he led me down the last few steps to a kitchen full of watchful, weary and worried eyes all fixed on me.
Chapter Seventeen
“Well, come on, pretty girl. Let’s get this over with,” Gran insisted as soon as my foot hit the bottom step.
I looked around at the packed red brick kitchen. There were some faces I recognized and some I didn’t, but there was a blast of titters and whispers at our arrival.
“Gran,” Kyle’s mother protested and I couldn’t help but think I needed to learn everyone’s names. “Let her eat some breakfast first. I made coffee and honey buns. Caleb told me it was her favorite.”
“I’m sure she’s ready to not have that thing across her face anymore. Come on,” she beckoned me again and took my hand to pull me into the next room. Her skin was cold and soft, but I could feel her bones as she gripped me. “Caleb and Peter—you, too. This isn’t going to be fun.”
I felt my eyes bulge at her words and wondered what she meant by that. She pulled me to lay on the chaise lounge and propped a pillow under my head as I saw Peter and Caleb come into the den with us.
“Now, Caleb, come sit right here,” she instructed and pointed to the spot on the floor by my head.
“Is this going to hurt?” I asked, unable to not ask. “It didn’t really hurt the last time you removed one.”
“Yes, I’m afraid it is.”
Caleb looked at her sharply and I realized he hadn’t known that either. “What do you mean?” he asked forcefully.
“Caleb, I’m sorry, sugar baby, but it was different last time. Yes, his intent wasn’t pure then either, but this time it was pure malice and deceit. She’s gonna have to feel that when I take them back and she’ll relive every attack.”
“No.” He started to get up and grabbed my hand to take me with him. “No, she’s not doing it then.”
“It has to be done.” She held him in place with a hand on his shoulder. “She won’t get her energy back until we take them off. Plus, she doesn’t want to walk around with those things forever.”
“No, I don’t,” I answered softly.
“I didn’t know it was going to hurt you,” Caleb said softly, squatting down in front of me, pushing my hair back. “We don’t have to do this today. You’ve been through enough already.”
“I want to. I want it over with. It’s ok.”
Caleb looked none too happy about that, but nodded tersely to Gran and stroked my other cheek with his fingers before scooting over to my head as I lay back down.
She motioned Peter to sit by my feet so he pulled my legs up to sit under them, pulled them into his lap. He patted my leg and smiled weakly at me.
Then Kyle ran in. “What are you guys doing in here?”
“Healing Maggie. Now get over here and make yourself useful or hit the road,” Gran said as she knelt beside me. For an older woman, she sure got around really great.
“Help how?”
“Hold her hand and the rest of you...hold her down.” I heard Caleb sigh inwardly in aggravation. “All right.” Kyle moved to kneel on the floor on the other side of the chaise and grabbed my hand. He even laced our fingers and his other hand held my arm by my elbow. He and Caleb glared at each other. “Let’s get started. Maggie. You heard what I said. It’ll be different than the last time I healed you because his intent was different. Before he was just trying to upset Kyle, this time, he was intentionally trying to hurt you. So it’ll be worse, but we’ll get through it.”
I swallowed and nodded. Caleb bent down to kiss my forehead and whispered that he was here and I knew his intention had nothing to do with Kyle being there. In his mind, he was extremely upset, pissed about the whole thing, and wanted to grab me and run upstairs. I wondered how he would react when he saw me in the pain from doing this. It was in his blood to protect me.
Gran didn’t do my face first and I wondered why, but didn’t say anything. She did the one on my hand, placing her fingers and palm in exact alignment as the black handprint and as soon as she was in place the vision hit me and I felt his hatred for me as I watched and felt the scene as it ran its course backwards of how I received that mark. It showed Marcus grabbing me to push me in the open car door but it was in reverse and disorienting.
It choked me, burned in my skin and I yelped. Then it ended. When I opened my eyes everyone was watching, looking ill and angry. All I could hear was my erratic breathing.
Caleb grunted and breathed hard through his nose.
“Are you ok?” he asked gruffly.
“Yeah,” I breathed.
He leaned his head on mine and I saw that he felt what I had felt, saw what I saw and was actually experiencing it for himself with me. It was killing him inside to see and feel what had happened to me before he got there to save me.
“Marcus better pray I don’t ever see his sorry hide again,” he growled.
“Go,” I said to him as he lifted his head.
“No,” he said firmly, knowing exactly why I was trying to send him away.
“You don’t need to be here. The others won’t relive it with me like you. Just go.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Caleb,” I protested.
“Maggie.”
“Did you know it was going to be like that for him?” I asked Gran, not unkindly.
“No.” She looked at him curiously. “No, I most certainly did not. Caleb, maybe you should go wait in the kitchen.”
“Not gonna happen, Gran. She stays, I stay.”
“So noble,” Kyle muttered sarcastically under his breath, but everyone ignored him.
“Caleb, I’ve never seen it where one significant feels another’s removal of offense marks or anything else I’ve ever done. I’m not sure it’s a good idea—”“Gran, I’m not leaving.” He looked down at me. “You still want to do this now?” he asked and I nodded. “Then let’s finish it, but I’m not going anywhere.”
“Peter,” Gran implored.
He shook his head and twisted his lips. “Caleb knows what he can and can’t handle, Gran. If this was Rachel, I wouldn’t leave either.”
“Well, you’re of no help, are you? All right, you two, brace yourselves.”
She did all the ones on my arms next. There were four between the two of them and each one was excruciating, horrifying, and I hated that Caleb had to go through it with me. And I hated that I had to go through it all twice.
Then she lifted my shirt and we all saw the long arm print with fingers wrapped around my side as Marcus’s friend had grabbed me around the middle. She lined her arm up and began as I felt the pressure of Peter’s grip on my legs and Kyle’s on my arm. I tried not to scream, tried to ride it out with grit teeth. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. When she released me this time she told us all to take a minute because the last one, the one on my cheek would be the worst.
I barely contained my whimper at her words and dreaded it being worse than it already was.
They all took their place a minute later, holding me down tighter this time. Caleb gripped my shoulders and laid his forehead on mine. I heard a small girly gasp behind Gran and looked up to see Maria.
“What are you doing? I heard screaming. Uncle Caleb?” she squeaked and looked at him like he was a monster.
“Maria, we’re helping Maggie.”
“Why are you hurting her?”
“Maria,” Gran stepped towards her, “listen, baby, sometimes you gotta do things you don’t like in order to do something good.”
“I’m fine, Maria,” I told her as strong as I could, “Really. It’s not pa—” I was going to say painful, but knew that was a lie. “It just sucks that’s all.” I smiled weakly at her.