Page 76 of (Sur)real
He sat up and ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m hoping we’ll be done with this before then. I miss the cubs. Michelle goes into the bathroom and cries at night. She thinks I don’t know, but I can feel it.”
“Is she calling them?”
“Yes. They’re having a blast with Paul. They swim and eat whatever they want and watch cartoons.”
“They’re safe. That’s the most important thing, even if this does take a while. Olivia keeps saying that Bethi has the answer. I’ll talk to Carlos and Isabelle and see if Isabelle can help Bethi figure out what that answer might be.”
Emmitt nodded and stood.
“I was being serious, you know,” he said.
“I know.”
“It would be better if you stayed away from Olivia. Sam told me he avoided being near Winifred for ten years after he saw her. Feeling her in his head was a comfort, but seeing her caused pain.”
I sighed.
“Maybe if things were different, that would be an option.” But we both knew I couldn’t avoid Olivia. Not with what Bethi and Olivia said was coming.
“Yeah. Just be careful. The boys need their Uncle Jim.”
After Emmitt left, I showered and changed. The pain in my chest had eased enough that I could breathe normally. It was getting harder to convince myself that what I felt for Olivia in some way benefited the pack. The way she’d touched me, what she’d said, the burst of interest in her scent, the way she’d leaned in and sighed like she’d found home…it had all pushed me too far. I wanted her and knew that want had nothing to do with helping the pack. And, I’d almost died because of it.
But now, I couldn’t get a new thought out of my head. Olivia said the Lady stacked the deck. Wouldn’t that then mean everything that was happening was supposed to happen? Not just with the girls, but with each of us, individually.
I frowned as I left the room and made my way to Isabelle’s. My mind circled back to the same questions. Why me? Why now?
Isabelle opened the door on the first knock.
“Do you have to be so damn loud with your emotion? Turn it off or I’m stealing it then kicking your ass.”
I grinned and immediately closed myself off.
“Sorry, Isabelle. Could I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure. Come in.”
I stepped just inside the door but didn’t follow her as she walked further into the room and slid back into bed next to Carlos. The man watched me intently as he slid his arms around Isabelle.
“Olivia said Bethi’s dreamed the answer. Bethi’s saying all she’s dreaming is about death. I think she’s focusing on the wrong parts of the dreams because they are so upsetting. Could you talk to her? Calm her enough that she can maybe see past the death?” I asked.
“Yep,” she said, not even hesitating. “Carlos and I will need to take her somewhere else, though. I can’t spar for a while.” She lifted her arms to show the colorful array of bruises lining her forearms.
Taking Bethi somewhere else meant a remote location where Isabelle could release the emotions she pulled in, without risking hurting anyone else. It almost meant separating the group. They’d need an Elder to go with them.
“All right. Let me know, and I’ll go, too. The sooner the better,” I said.
She was already shaking her head before I finished.
“Not you. Grey’s better at blocking. We’ll take him. Probably Luke, too.” She grinned slightly. “He likes it when I hit him.”
“I doubt that,” Carlos said. “I’ve reached out to Grey. He’ll talk to Bethi and Luke. If they agree, we’ll leave in a bit.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as I stepped into the hall, I smelled muffins. My stomach growled, a reminder that I hadn’t eaten since before seeing Olivia.
