Page 31 of Freed

Silently, Maddox helps dry my hair before braiding it, then he helps me get dressed in sweatpants and a comfortable, fitted T-shirt.

“Hey, are these my clothes?” I ask, realizing they actually fit me properly.

“Yes, everyone’s been adding pieces to your closet.” He stops adjusting the hem of my T-shirt as he glances at my face. “If you don’t like these, there are lots of other options. I just thought you’d like to be comfortable today.”

“This is perfect,” I tell him with a smile. Although I couldn’t help but think that if I was wearing a dress, there was a better chance at getting one of them to help with the growing need between my thighs. The entire time Maddox has been helping me, he’s had a towel wrapped around his waist. Leaving his chest bare. Which just seems cruel to make me stare at that without giving me any relief.

He grabs my hand and leads me down the hall, back to the living room, where the others are all scattered around the couches, except for Gage, who is on his laptop at the kitchen table.

“We’re all going to relax together for the rest of the day,” he tells me. “Go sit with them while I get dressed.” He presses his hand to the small of my back, urging me toward the couch, where Bain snatches me up, nuzzling my neck and making me giggle before he sits me between him and Chase.

I see Maddox disappear down the hall and scrunch my brow. “Why did he walk me down the hall?” I ask in confusion. “Did he think I’d get lost?”

Chase snorts, grabbing my hand and holding it between his. “None of us want to leave you alone for even a second.” I think about how Maddox had me use the bathroom in front of him and realize that’s why he did that. Are they afraid of Blaze snatching me up again?

“Do we know how Blaze got in here and tampered with the systems?” I ask.

Bain and Chase tense beside me, but it’s Gage who answers. “Philip said it was some sort of spell that works on technology, sort of silencing it.”

“And he used a scent blocker so we couldn’t smell him in the house,” Hunter adds.

“His car was invisible,” I tell them. “I couldn’t see it until I was inside it.”

“That spell only works on objects and the things inside them,” Gage reassures me. “Apparently, there is no invisibility spell that works on actual people.”

“What if he used it on some sort of piece of clothing that he wore?” I ask, glancing around the living room. What if he’s here right now?

Gage is silent long enough that I have to look over at him to make sure he heard me. He’s exchanging worried looks with the others, and I realize they’re speaking through the bond.

Tears instantly spring to my eyes, remembering what I’ve lost.

I pull my hand from Bain’s so I can wipe a stray tear away before they notice, but that thought is short-lived.

Bain grabs my wrist, lifting my hand to his mouth as his tongue darts out and touches my finger, where I caught the tear. Suddenly, his hands are on my face, tilting it up so his worried eyes can look into mine.

“Baby, why are you crying?”

“She’s crying?!” Chase asks, sounding just as worried.

I sniffle, telling them, “You were talking through the bond, and it reminded me what I’ve lost.”

Bain’s face crumples as he drags me sideways into his lap and buries his face in my hair, hugging me tightly. “You haven’t lost us, angel. We’re still here.”

“And who knows,” Hunter says, grabbing my foot and giving it a squeeze. “Maybe it will come back.”

“I’ve added infrared sensors to the house,” Gage says, making us turn to look at him. “If it senses anyone's heat signature besides the six of us, I will get an alert.”

That makes me feel a little more relaxed, and Hunter’s next works help even more. “Besides, Erica’s coven shielded our entire house with a protection spell. Nobody should be able to get through it anyway.”

With that thought in mind, I snuggle further into Bain as Chase finds something for us to watch on TV.

“Gage, what are you reading?” I ask, wishing he was also over here relaxing with us. I wouldn’t ask him to join, though. I know if there is something he wants to learn about, he needs to do all the research he can before he can settle.

“I’m trying to see what info I can find on phoenixes."

His answer stuns me into silence. Somehow, I forgot about the fact that I’m not just a wolf shifter.

I’m a hybrid. A phoenix.