Wanted by the Alphas(40)
Jared tries to come in – to comfort her. He sits by her bed and says words that she doesn’t understand and can’t fully comprehend. Words like:
“It’s all right.”
“It’ll get better.”
“Want me to stay here with you?”
He does not say: “I told you so”.
Because he didn’t, really. He wasn’t exactly Lucien’s rival, and he never pursued their competitiveness because Lucien simply didn’t want to be competitive against Jared.
After a long period of her non-responsiveness, Jared says:
“I’ve got to go in to work. Call me if you need anything, OK? Will you be all right or should I take the day off and stay?”
She thinks she shakes her head, though she can’t be sure.
“It’s OK,” something with her voice says, “go ahead. I’ll be all right.”
He worriedly leans down to kiss her on the cheek. Her cheek, now dried of salt tears. And then he is gone.
She thinks he is not bad, really. They have been through a lot together.
She doesn’t know how long she stays in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Shadows flit across the windows and the light from outside changes.
Then she hears a knocking at the door in the lounge. The cottage isn’t that big and so sounds travel easily.
“Shannon? Shannon?” A male voice.
Not Lucien.
She can’t get up. Her limbs are leaden. She has turned off her cellphone.
The knocking persists, and she hopes that whoever it is will go away. Then after a while, it ceases. A pause. Footsteps padding closer to her window outside.
“Shannon?”
The window is closed, but a man is there, silhouetted by the light. She half-turns, her body like a marionette jerked by someone else’s strings.
Her boss, Kirk Fitzpatrick, stands there, a worried crease on his handsome forehead. He taps at the glass of the window.
“Shannon. Are you all right?”
No, I’m not, she wants to say. Go away. Please. I’m sorry I didn’t call in sick. It must be a workday.
“Shannon? Your brother called me to tell me you weren’t coming to work. I just came here to make sure you’re OK. Are you OK?”
Shifter.
Go away.
No, don’t go away.
I don’t know what to do. I can’t get up. All the strength has left my body. I can’t breathe properly. I can’t sleep. I can’t close my eyes. I don’t know why this feeling won’t pass.
“Shannon, please let me in. Just open the window. I’ll climb in.”
Something in his beautiful green eyes makes her pause. Somehow, she finds the energy to render her semi-paralyzed limbs mobile and go to the window. She is still zombie-like. Glassy eyes. Wild-haired. Her hand unclasps the latch, and he does the rest by shoving the window up and creating a gap.
She stands back as his lithe body climbs in. His sudden presence in the room makes it seem very small.
“Shannon?” He stands two feet away, not wanting to scare her. She can tell he is trying to tread carefully here. “I’m worried about you. You shouldn’t be alone. Are you OK?”
When she doesn’t say anything, he comes closer. A foot. Another. Then he gently touches her shoulder.
“Go back to bed. I’ll sit with you here.”
He shepherds her back to her mussed-up bed and helps her lie down again. He gently draws the covers over her. And then he pulls up the wicker chair by her dresser and sits beside her.
He says, “I heard what happened. Jared told me about the breakup.”
She doesn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
No, you’re not. You were the one who warned me not to mess with Lucien in the first place. You were right. Go ahead. Say it.
I TOLD YOU SO.
But like Jared, he doesn’t.
Instead, he says: “It hurts like a bitch right now. But it will get better. Not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But you’ll feel better on the third day. It’s different with different people. Some people come out of it quicker, others take a longer while. But it will get better.”
What do you know? she thinks. You have never been hurt like this. But what does she know about him anyway? He might have been hurt before. He is older than she is. More experienced.
She says listlessly, “I know what you are.”
He pauses. Conflicting emotions flit on his handsome face.
Then he says, “I know that you know. You’ve known it since you saw us in the woods with your brother not far from here.”
Good, she thinks. Then we are all clear.
“I know you know what Lucien is as well. The only thing you probably don’t know is how powerful a witch he is. He is not evil. He doesn’t use his powers to do bad things. At least . . . I don’t think so. Profitable things, maybe. A nudge here, a mental push there for a client to make him sign the deal.