AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She flicked through her phone, and he said, “May I?”
She handed him the phone, and he flicked through a bunch of pictures of the roller derby. When he started tapping around, he paused and moved slowly. She glanced over at the picture of her in hospital, her face blue and eyes red.
He flicked, and the next image was the small bundle that was her daughter wrapped in her hands. “She was five months? She’s big.”
“Yeah, that was the problem. There was a rupture that took most of my blood with it when it killed her.”
“Where was the father?”
“Off getting designer suits.” She rubbed her forehead. “His family kept me from informing him about her, and not having my bonded alpha with me made the gestation very unpleasant.”
Syar flipped back. “You were so thin.”
“Five months of nausea and vomiting will do that. I have talked to other betas since, and apparently, if you have an adaptation like this, the father is important to a successful pregnancy.”
He nodded. “Do you mind me poking around in here?”
“No. I don’t put anything on my phone that I don’t want folks to see.” She shrugged.
He kept flipping and paused. “What’s this?”
“Oh. That’s something else. My cousin had a stalker who decided to get at her through me.”
Syar looked at the images of her body naked and bruised, and then her with the tubes up her nose and her cousin sitting next to her with bruises on her arms, visible around her medical gown.
“What happened to him?”
“Oh, he recently died while attacking my cousin and her new mates.” She smirked. “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”
“When was this?” He gestured to her picture.
“Five years ago. He got time for the sexual assault and kidnapping.”
Syar looked at her, and she shrugged. “I know the shadows when I see them.”
He frowned. “Where did these photos come from?”
“A friend from a women’s shelter took them. She wanted to remind me how far I have come. So, anytime I doubt that I am better, I look at those images.”
He pulled her toward him and hugged her while she waited for him to finish cuddling her. Her past upset him, but if he got attached to her, the pain would be worse for him.
She stroked his cheek and whispered, “It’s okay.”
He looked up at her. “It is the furthest thing from okay.”
“It happened. It’s done.”
“Can I get Reynaldo to kill him again?” Syar was hopeful.
“It isn’t necessary. He’s done.” She kissed his temple. “She’s safe.”
He frowned. “Who?”
“His target. My cousin Penny. He hurt me to get at her. He was obsessed.”
He breathed her in. “I can hardly wait until it is just you, but you have some of Reynaldo on you, so that is making you smell amazing.”
She sighed, and the back of her neck prickled.
