Page 83 of How to Trust a Hellhound
“You did good, Mei Ume,” I said, putting my hand on the back of his neck and pulling him in for a quick kiss.
He kissed me back, moaning softly into my mouth.
“I’m so lucky to have found you,” I murmured.
“I’m the lucky one,” Josh answered. “You really see me, Wilder, and you give me everything I need. You let me take care of you, too. I love you.”
“You are my plum blossom, and I’m glad to be the ground that holds your roots. You keep me steady and give me shade in return, and I love you,” I answered. I felt a little silly with my metaphor, but Josh only beamed at me. He really was perfect for me in every way, and I would never grow tired of telling him that.
Eventually talk in the living room turned to the cult and the investigation, and Josh and I leaned against the counter and listened.
“We’ll need to get the dagger back, obviously,” Dexter stated.
Jude started to speak up, but before Josh or I could say a word, everyone else in the living room said, “NO!”
Josh snorted next to me, and I smiled as well. Somehow I thought it probablywouldbe Jude going to get the dagger from police lockup, but I trusted he wouldn’t get intotoomuch trouble. After all, I could sense the sheriff in my mind, a faint pulsing beacon in the distance.
Thea remained a faint pulse as well, but Sebbie was brighter andmore connected to the pack. He was his usual cheerful self, although he kept sneaking glances at Corbin. Corbin stared at him more openly, and Sebbie just blushed and looked away each time he noticed.
“I think we’re going to have a new romance in our midst,” Josh joked, looking at Corbin and Sebbie.
I hummed in agreement. “Yes, those two have some things to figure out, though.”
Josh shrugged. “Yeah, Corbin is a bit quiet and mysterious. Sebbie is like a ray of sunshine, though, and I’m sure he’ll figure Corbin out.”
I chuckled at that, because I rather thought that Corbin was the one who would need to figure Sebbie out, but I wasn’t quite sure my mate was ready to hear about his friend’s gifts. Besides, I didn’t think Sebbie even quite knew himself.
Josh motioned over to Thea, who was also giving Sebbie looks every now and then. “You don’t think she’s interested in Sebbie, too, do you? Because that could get messy.”
I chuckled. “No, I don’t think she’s interested in him like that. I think she’s more interested in the story he told the police.”
Josh nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that makes sense, because there’s no way he missed Thea stabbing that lady. He’ll cover for her, though,” Josh stated, confident in his friend.
I hummed again, but my guess was that Thea was more interested in what Sebbie was and what exactly had happened after she’d stabbed the woman. I sensed no sexual interest between them, but I thought Thea might be a good friend to Sebbie. Corbin seemed to know it as well, because there was no jealousy when he noticed her staring at Sebbie.
As if thinking about him had drawn his attention to us, Sebbie wandered over to talk to Josh. “I stopped into the hospital this morning and I checked in on… well, you know…” he said, looking awkward.
Josh smiled at his unwillingness to say Rick’s name. “It’s okay, Sebbie. Rick is an asshole, but I don’t want him dead.”
Sebbie looked relieved. “Well, he’ll be okay. He was stabbed a few times, but no major arteries were hit, and he’ll survive. He’s still kind of out there mentally, according to the nurses, but apparently his brother from out of state is planning on taking him with him once he’s released from the hospital.”
Josh nodded his head. “Thanks, Sebbie.”
Toby called Sebbie over, probably with another question about being kidnapped, and Sebbie just rolled his eyes and smiled, walking away.
“Do you want to see him before he leaves the state?” I asked Josh. “Do you need closure from everything that happened?”
Josh paused for a moment, and I was glad he was thinking it through. He sighed and looked at me after a minute.
“No, I don’t think so. I’m still seeing Helene and processing everything. I know Rick was an asshole, and I know he was abusive. I loved him once, but that love dried up with his actions. Helene says it’s okay if I hate him, but I think I left before it got to that point. I don’t like him, but I don’t want him dead, either. I’m glad he’ll live, and I really hope he’ll work through his own shit and figure out why he’s like that,” Josh said.
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him, kissing the top of his head. “You are kind and forgiving, Mei Ume. You have a beautiful soul.”
“Mmm. Maybe. I’m just glad he’s gone from my life, and I don’t need anything more than that. I don’t want to give him the time or energy required to see him. It’ll take time for me to fully get over everything that happened, but Iwillget over it. He isn’t my problem or my worry anymore, and it’s like a weight lifted off of me to know that,” Josh confessed.
“If you change your mind, or if you ever need to talk about anything, I’m here for you,” I promised him.
He looked up at me and smiled. “I know you are, Wilder.”
