Page 135 of Claimed

“I know,” she whispers. “I knew she wasn’t long for this world when I left, and I felt it the next day. She came to me in a dream. She’s in a better place.”

But I wish she could be in the better place I live in now. That she could see where that is, how wonderful.

We hug again, both of us hanging on tight to one another.

“Blossom,” Grey whispers. “Been a really long night. These girls all want to get washed up and catch some sleep. Yeah? Tomorrow’s not far off. We’ll all sit down and talk things out. Make some plans. Yeah?”

“All right,” I whisper and let go of Addy.

“Girls,” Grey addresses the group, “If you wanna tell these guys where your beds are, they’ll bring them into the mess hall there. We’re keeping everyone together tonight. Okay?”

I love how gently he’s speaking to them. None of them are looking him in the eye, but he’s being so soft-spoken right now and I know that’s what they need.

Grey adds, “Except you, Addy. You and Brody are in your trailer.”

Addy’s eyes hit my face, and I watch as the pain slashes across her features.

Grey keeps talking, “All of you can go in the mess hall and use the bathroom if you need but don’t wash up in there. We’ve got power to that building only with a generator, but use the water at the washing station, not from the taps. Eloise will show you. If you’ve got loved ones here, they’re likely in there sleeping. Many of the folks asleep are the sick, so quiet as you can be, please. Catch up with your loved ones tomorrow, yeah?”

Nobody answers him. Nobody is looking at him. They’re all in the mode we go into when Wyatt addresses us. Eyes pointed down, heads tilted to the side presenting our necks.

“Yes sir, thank you,” Addy says and moves, without looking up, into the mess hall. The other girls follow.

I look at Brody and he’s standing back, arms crossed over his chest, leaned against the front bumper of his SUV, but he’snot relaxed. It’s a mirage. I can tell he’s coiled tight while he’s watching Addy, tracking her like she’s about to disappear into a puff of smoke. And he’s also got a vibe that lets me know that if she did disappear, he’d probably move heaven and earth to find her again.

“Thank you, Brody,” I call out. “Thanks for rescuing them.”

He gives me a chin jerk before his eyes move straight back to the doorway and Gus walks inside after the girls, which makes Brody move fast, growling as he pushes off the SUV and prowls in behind him with his teeth bared.

I startle at that.

“He needs her away from other alphas,” Grey says. “Don’t worry. He’ll look after her. Let’s get some sleep.” He puts his hand to the back of my neck, giving a gentle squeeze and leading me back to the Airstream.

“I don’t want to put you out of your bed,” I say to Jared who is now nearby, putting a blown-up air bed into the bed of his pickup truck.

He shakes his head. “It’s all good. Please, catch some z’s. You need ‘em more than I do.”

“Are you sure?”

“He’s sure, Blossom.”

I bite my lip.

“Only sleep two or three hours a night, Stacy. I’ll be fine catching a few winks in the back of the truck out here.”

“Thank you,” I say. “Thank you for everything.”

“My pleasure.”

“C’mon,” Grey says and leads me back into the camper.

***

Once we get inside, in bed, he wraps his arms around me and starts purring for me. Hard. I look into his eyes and his are stone-cold, so I bury my face under his chin and hold on tight. To feel the comforting purr when he looks so angry doesn’t sit right. But he’s purring because he wants me to sleep.

I put my palms to his face and press a kiss to his mouth. His arms around me tighten, but he still says nothing.

He’s furious. I don’t know if he’s going to sleep or if he’s just here to hold me until I do. But the purring is pure magic, so it doesn’t take long for my eyes to close.

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