Page 36 of Son of a Witch

Tor squeezed my arm. “Out with it, Supergal. I can hear the cogs in your brain ticking and clanging together.”

Fuck. My men knew me too well. I scrambled for something else to say but came up with zilch. I was a terrible liar at the best of times. Asperger’s kept me a straight shooter.

“I just want to know that you’re going to be okay.”

I worried about his state of mind deteriorating. Whether he might end things. My cousin was diagnosed with ALS and quickly declined. On the outside, she portrayed optimism and a bright future, while on the inside, she felt anything but. I didn’t want Tor to feel helpless and lost.

Tor’s body tensed. He sighed and rolled his head back from atop mine.

Fuck, I did it again. Said the wrong thing and pissed him off. This was why I sent Knoxe in my stead. Dammit, why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut and let it rest like he asked? Because I didn’t know how. Because I loved this man with all my damn heart and was determined to fight for him even if he didn’t want me to or couldn’t fight for himself.

“Never mind. Answer that when you’re ready, okay?” I rubbed his abdomen, the bumps and grooves of his six-pack that used to give me pleasure cooling my heart. “Let’s talk about something else. Panties. Trouble. Um?”

Tor kissed the top of my head, reassuring me he wasn’t retreating like last time. “It’s not just about my body, Supergal. There’s more to it than that.”

Here I was fearing the restrictions this placed on his life. Or the fact the hammer struck twice with his broken back.

He played with my hair, winding it around his fingers, the orange streaks I dyed two weeks ago catching the light. “I can kiss goodbye to a career as a Tollen. I’ll be relegated to mixing potions and cleaning weapons.”

Not ideal for the man who demanded center stage and all the attention. A man who enjoyed the outdoors. Hiking, skiing, surfing, riding dirt bikes.

“That’ll bore you out of your mind.” I traced his collarbone.

He squeezed me a little tighter and chuckled. “Fuck, yeah.”

I held my breath, waiting for him to go on and get it off his chest.

Tor slapped his legs with the back of his hands. “This affects my ability to care for my family.”

Family came first to Tor. They were his world. The Guardians team his secondary family. Knoxe, Pascal, and Raze, his brothers. Me, his partner. His strong sense of family was a major plus that made me fall for him.

I gave him the space to get whatever he needed to out. Rant. Steam. Cry.

“I’m worried about my family. I’m the breadwinner. Stuck in here.” He gestured to the walls. "I can’t get to the gantii world and trade contraband.”

Oh. I hadn’t even thought about that element. Financial responsibility for his family was a heavy weight to bear. Stress he didn’t need on top of recent events.

Guardian stipends were pitiful. A couple of hundred a week. A pittance compared to half a million a year at the Shadows. The price to pay for breaking the rules.

Rules drove a desperate Tor to sell contraband and financially support his disabled mother as well as his sister, nephew, and niece. Activities that risked him getting thrown in maximum security. Risked the warden’s ire when Vartros discovered his side hustle.

Before his accident, my sexy bad boy hustled extra cash in a warden-approved venture, providing physiotherapy services to fellow inmates for a fifty.

Tor’s sale of contraband plus money from the sale of his mother’s home secured her a new unit and decked it out with wheelchair-accessible amenities. When Vartros commenced proceedings to reclaim Tor’s assets, including the house he purchased, his mother had to move out of her new home.

Without hesitation, I let her stay in my rental property bought with Guild income from the Shadows. We had to get it fitted out with a ramp for her wheelchair and other facilities to make it suitable for her comfort and stay.

“Your mom’s welcome to stay in my place as long as she needs.” I squeezed his hand. “She’s my mom too now.” I smiled, showing him how much I cared for him and my extended family.

Tor reached his arm across my body and cupped my face. “Fuck, you’re incredible, Supergal.”

“I clasped his hand. “Back at you, Superguy. You support your family and take so much responsibility. Let me look after you for a while. Take the pressure off. Or will that make your dick shrink too much, tough guy?”

He barked out a laugh. “The dick’s definitely taken a hit.”

Moments like this made it all worth staying.

I stroked his belly. “We’ll build up that Big Dick Energy.”

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