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I shake my head, giving him a small smile. “I just want to relax today.” I turn back to the TV, hung high up on the wall in front of the couch. One of my favorite movies is on, one I used to watch with Jules when Monique worked late, and the nostalgia is crippling. I miss my sister.
Thinking of Jules leads back to Gideon—the reason she’s able to enjoy her time at the academy—and I find my gaze trailing back to the front door. My wolf snarls at the foreboding fog surrounding us, pushing me to conserve my energy and not waste it on training. When I came downstairs, I begged Frank to follow Gideon to the meeting, but he refused. I’m the alpha’s mate, not the alpha, and though he’d never say something like that to my face, the difference in power is undeniable and frustrating, like pleading for a hundred year old tree to move when you refuse to carry an ax.
He didn’t even take his cell phone with him, leaving it where he’d tossed it onto the nightstand by the bed. I sigh and try to focus back on the movie, one of those mindless romantic comedies where you know the plot and the ending within the first ten minutes, but it doesn’t make you enjoy it any less. At this point, the guy is rushing around trying to find the perfect cake for his current, toxic girlfriend, then stumbles into the bakery owned by a beautiful woman, who you know will steal his heart.
Dragging myself into the kitchen, my stomach grumbles at the smell of food and coffee. Frank stands at the counter, bacon sizzling on the stovetop as he cuts up slices of tomato. He lifts his head, pausing to look at me with a smile. “Hey, help yourself.” He points with the end of the knife at the coffee pot. “Fresh pot. This’ll be done in just a minute. You like BLTs, right?”
He smirks when I nod, gratefully pouring myself a mug of coffee. With the stress like lead in my stomach, I haven’t had an appetite so far today. “Thanks,” I say, bringing the mug to my lips and inhaling the sweet scent of caffeine and sugar.
He bobs his head a few times. “Yeah, yeah, of course. Can’t let you waste away on my watch.”
The coffee is quick to sour in my stomach as I look out the window and check the branches—bare and empty with no Kaylus in sight. Sighing, I slide onto a stool, staring into my half-full mug.
“He’ll be fine, love,” Frank says without looking up. “It’s not the first time Gideon’s had the world against him.”
My mouth pulls down into a frown. “It’s the first time it’s been my fault, and he went by himself, Frank.Alone. He’s only one man. How…” I blow out a breath, staring up at the ceiling as I try not to cry.
He sets the knife down, coming around the island to pull me into his arms. “It isn’t your fault. Your mother and whatever she’s doing is her doing and hers alone. You can’t take responsibility for that. It’ll only ruin you inside.” He pulls back, holding on to my shoulders as he looks in my eyes, his reminding me of warm chocolate on a winter’s day—full of the promise of comfort. “He’s onealpha, not just a man. He’s been alive for centuries with the council starving at his back, waiting for the perfect moment to drive their knife into him. He won’t let it be today.” The corners of his mouth lift slightly, then he presses a kiss to the top of my head before bringing the plates to the island. “Now, eat.”
By the time I’m choking down the second half of my sandwich, the bacon doing wonders for my nauseated, empty stomach, gravel is crunching under tires out front. I ditch the remainder of my sandwich on the plate, falling off the stool in my rush to the front door. Frank chuckles behind me, but I don’t care—I need to lay eyes on Gideon and make sure he’s alright.
Grabbing the doorknob, my throat tightens and my stomach curdles, the aching in my chest so painful I bite my inner cheek. I squeeze my eyes shut and throw open the door, releasing the breath I’d been holding as I watch Gideon step down from the cab of his truck. He looks over at me, his black hair falling in front of his eyes briefly before he brushes it to the side.
The burning in his gaze steals my breath—pure hatred rolling off him in waves. The lunch and coffee I just ate lurches to my lips, and I fight to keep it down. My wolf panics in my chest, begging me to move out of the way as he crosses the front yard and climbs the steps to the door. I can’t breathe, my lungs won’t expand and air won’t enter. He’s never looked at me like this before, not even when he caught me cheating in his bar, and I struggle to believe it’s real. When his hand shoots out in front of him, grabbing the front of my shirt, the shock feels like a brick on my heart.
He drags me down the hall, throwing me into Frank as he shoots off the stool, catching me before I hit the ground. “Get her the hell out of my house!” he yells.
I bury my face into Frank’s shirt, unable to watch whatever nightmare this is as it unfolds before me. My arms tremble as I latch onto his forearm, and my legs barely hold me up. Footsteps approach from behind me, and Frank turns slightly, shielding me from Gideon.
“Did I stutter?” Gideon asks, his voice low and dark, slowly enunciating each word. “Do you need me to repeat myself? Get. Her. Out.”
“I…” Frank shifts, glancing between me and Gideon. “Why? I thought…”
“You thought?” Gideon’s cologne surrounds me as he leans closer, making tears prick at my eyes. It smells off, but I can’t place it as he screams beside me. “Thinking isn’t your job! Here, I’ll show you.”
I whimper as he fists the back of my hair, my nail digging into Frank’s forearm. His other hand reaches out, grabbing Gideon’s wrist. “Stop it,” he growls. “This isn’t you. What’s going on?”
I chance a look at Gideon, immediately wishing I hadn’t. His lips curl up into a hideous smile as he stares down at Frank’s hand holding on to his wrist as he clutches my hair tightly, pulling strands from my scalp.
Gideon’s other hand flashes by my face, gripping Frank’s throat. He laughs—maniacal and unhinged—as Frank grapples against his fingers, trying to loosen his grip. “Is this more like me? Should I kill you for touching her?”
“G-Gideon, stop,” I say, struggling to get the words out around the lump in my throat. “Stop this. Please.”
His laughter grows, and he pulls me back against him, tugging my hair to make me look up at him. “This whole time I’ve hoped that your powers would grow, but instead, you’re still just as pathetic as you always have been. Powerless, helpless, begging others to do things for you. Make me stop, Adara,” he threatens, his gray eyes darkening like the clouds of a hurricane. “Or do you not care about his life?”
He releases my hair as he throws me to the ground. I land on my hands and knees, smashing my forehead on the floor. I reach up to grip the countertop, struggling to my feet as I scramble away from him. Frank’s face is turning red, and his panicked eyes stare back at me, pleading. “If this is some sick game for training, Gideon, stop!” I wish he’d let Frank go, apologize, make some twisted excuse at trying to awaken my powers, like the last time he pissed me off just to make me lose control.
But this is worse. Worse still when he shakes his head in disgust.
“You think this is a game?” He tilts his head. “You think I’mjoking?” He looks back at Frank, releasing his throat, but my breath of relief is sucked back in when Gideon rears back and punches Frank in the nose. Blood gushes down his face, and he lands hard on his knees.
“No!” I scream, rushing forward and reaching for Frank, but Gideon snatches my hair again, ripping me off the floor. My feet hover over in the air for a moment, then he throws me down the hall.
Run, my wolf says.Run!
My heart shatters right there in the hallway, staring up at the man I gave myself over to as he stalks toward me. I trip over my own feet as I push myself over the threshold of the front door, tears streaming down my face. My eyes frantically search the yard, the forest, everything—trying to figure out what to do as reality hits me.
I can’t use my fire on him—my heart just won’t let me.
