Page 27 of Fated to the Hunters
“Oh, let’s get some food in you so you can rest.”
“How are Paul and Daniel?”
“Recovering,” her father stated rather plainly. “Do you remember anything new?”
“No, I remember the accident and then waking up in the warehouse.”
“The warehouse was a hunter’s hiding spot—he was one of the ones you found dead. We couldn’t recover any of the security footage to figure out what had happened. The phone you used also belonged to one of them.”
Thankfully, her mother saved her from discussing the matter further. “I don’t believe we need to speak about this now. Scarlett is weak and has gone through a lot. I cannot imagine the nightmares she’ll have from all of this.”
And there it was again, her mother painting her as some weak little girl. It hadn’t always bothered her so much but lately, the backhanded comments made her feel… small, and unimportant. She’d always felt that she stood above being belittled, but now it seemed as if something crawled beneath her skin, some primal urge to stand up and scream that she wasn’t a little kid anymore.
She let her mother feed her half the porridge before she lied about feeling sick. Closing her eyes, she let her mother fuss over her hair and tucked her in. When Killian stepped in to check on her, Scarlett could barely hold back the relieved sigh as her mother stepped away from her bed. She watched as Killian shutoff the machine that had been cleansing her blood. Scarlett listened as he explained how the machine worked and asked a few questions here and there, happy to have the attention on anyone but her. Once she was freed from the machine, he hooked her up to an IV for fluids and vitamins to help her get back on her feet.
Finally, everyone left, shutting off the lights and leaving her to get some rest. Only once she was all alone did she feel her mates’ presence. She soaked it up and let her exhaustion take over, she didn’t want to think about if they knew—or iftheyhad been the ones to save her. She couldn’t let those thoughts manifest, terrified of her father searching her brain again.
Killian ordered her on bedrest for two days in which her mother coddled her every step of the way. She hated it, but kept up her façade and pretended to be the sweet, well-mannered daughter she’d always been. She wasn’t sure what had changed, but maybe it was her conversations with her mates’ that made her realise how much was out there for her.
Once she was allowed to leave, her first stop was to see Kurt. He’d also been put on bedrest with Paul and Daniel. The three of them shared a room and all assured her that they were fine, but she knew better. Kurt’s pride had taken a big hit, and he was afraid he would lose the spot as her guard. Though that didn’t matter to Scarlett—he was still her best friend.
She pulled a chair up next to his bed and laid her head on the mattress next to him. Immediately, his fingers combed through her hair. “I’m sorry you got hurt because of me.”
“Part of the job,” he said. “I don’t want you to feel bad. None of us do.”
“I felt useless,” she admitted.
Kurt sighed softly, knowing exactly what was running through her mind. She missed her gym sessions with him and had mentioned it a few times, but without her father’s permission,he’d refused to continue to train her. He was too loyal of a warrior to go against his alpha. She wasn’t sure for how long, but she dozed off, imagining Kurt’s hand to be one of her mates’. Their presence was still strong—it had been for the past few days. Whenever it weakened, she knew that it meant one of them had left the others.
“I thought I’d find you here.” Maximilian softly woke her with a kiss to her head.
“I told her to go rest in her bed,” Kurt scolded.
“And I told you I don’t want to be alone.”
“Fair enough.” She looked up at Maximilian, who looked rather dashing in a suit and tie. “We’re off, but if you need anything I’m just a call away.”
“You look handsome,” Scarlett muttered, immediately regretting her words when she saw the cocky grin on her brother’s face.
“Ialwayslook handsome,” he retorted with a wink.
Scarlett narrowed her eyes. “I’m only keeping quiet because I know it’s a big night for you.”
“How very sweet my little sister is.” He bent down and kissed her hair again. “Promise to go upstairs and rest soon?”
She sighed and pushed herself to stand. “How about you walk me to the elevators?”
“The day you won’t let me escort you anymore will be a very sad one.”
Little did he know that the day would come far sooner than expected. She waved at the three men in their beds. “I’ll come check on you tomorrow.”
“She does know that we’re aware that she only cares to see you, right?” Paul laughed. “We just happen to exist in the same room.”
She rolled her eyes at him and carefully closed the door, turning to Maximilian. “I don’t want them off my detail. It wasn’t their fault.”
“No one said it was.”
“But you blame them for me being hurt.” Maximilian’s silence told her everything she needed to know. “You wouldn’t have been able to do anything more than they did. Kurt was bleeding out, and both Paul and Daniel were unconscious from the collision.No onesaw it coming. There was no one else on the street and before you say it, no they weren’t distracted either.”
