Page 75 of (Sur)real
“How is he?” I asked, not stepping in.
“He’s fine,” Sam said.
“You need to get it through your thick skull,” Emmitt said from inside. “When you took the oath, you gave up your right to cookies. You can’t think of cookies. You can’t smell cookies. And you sure as hell can’t eat cookies.”
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Jim asked in a bored tone.
“Yes. The only thing that could top this is if you could do something that would get her to kick you in the balls so I can throw a bag of peas at you.”
“Emmitt’s helping distract him,” Sam said.
I nodded and stepped back so he could join me in the hall. His scent tickled my nose as it always did when we were close. An ache started in my chest, and I quickly thought of Jim, Clay, and everyone else under our care.
“Clay ripped a few of his stitches. I think it would be best if you stayed in their room tonight to prevent any further damage. We need him to heal as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll move my things back before breakfast,” Sam said, walking with me toward my room.
When we reached the door, we both stopped.
“What are we doing, Winifred?”
“What do you mean?”
He shook his head slightly.
“All of this. Another werewolf race, six women with irrefutable gifts, two of whom claim they need to do something to maintain a balance between races we didn’t even know existed six months ago, exposing our race to humans…what are we doing? Is this really the best course for us?”
I calmed my mind and listened to my heart.
“It is. You know as well as I do that even with Charlene’s help, our people were barely existing. We couldn’t have continued like that for another fifty years, not when Blake and his kind have been secretly killing families and taking female cubs.
“All those years ago, we needed change and change was forced upon us. I don’t believe that was a coincidence, just like I don’t believe the events of the past year have been a coincidence. I’ll never admit this to Jim,” I said with a half-smile, “but he’s right. There’s a reason for all of this. We just need to figure out what.”
He frowned and looked away, absently rubbing his chest right where mine ached, too. It hurt both of us to be this close; yet, I would change nothing. My heart belonged to my people. The oath demanded that. But we both knew it only beat for Sam.
“I’ll see you at breakfast,” he said before turning away.
Exhaling shakily, I went inside my room to compose myself before joining the others for breakfast. Sam’s question continued to echo in my mind. What were we doing? We weren’t just saving our people; we were saving the world from a threat greater than any we’d knowingly faced before, and these girls were the keys to our survival.
“Don’t doubt yourself now, Sam. I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”
Sixteen
JIM…
“Don’t you have something better to do?” I asked Emmitt after Sam left with Winifred.
“Not really,” he said, lounging on the bed. He wore his sleep shorts and nothing else. The idea of Olivia walking in with him dressed like that set my teeth on edge. And the ass knew it. I could tell by the way he folded his hands behind his head and grinned at me.
I could play his game.
“Christmas is only a few days away, and the boys are in a strange hotel without their family. Are you having gifts sent over to them so they have something to open Christmas morning?” I asked.
Emmitt frowned, and I almost grinned. He was too easy to read and distract.
“That’s below the belt,” he said.
“I hear that’s where you like being hit.”
