Page 63 of Shifters' Fated Summer
“They’ll carry him to bed. He needs to rest. He’ll wake up soon, don’t worry.” Tears pricked in my eyes as I sank into Luca’s arms. His soothing words were the only thing keeping me sane. “It’s okay.”
Holt and Archer carried Cade up to his bedroom, the one he hadn’t slept in since before the full moon. I padded after them, ignoring the concerned chatter from our visitors.
At the bedroom door, Luca shooed everyone else away. I slipped under his arm and curled up in the armchair, sitting sideways so I could watch Cade’s unconscious form.
Luca shut the door and turned, leaning his back against it. I watched him for a moment before returning my attention to Cade.
The late afternoon light warmed his golden skin as his color returned. My fists tightened on the arm of my chair.
Sighing, Luca crossed the room and stood over Cade, brushing his hair back tenderly. My heart squeezed. Head hanging low, he crossed the room and sank to the floor beside my chair.
Without thought, I reached down and rested my palm on his chest. His hand came up and threaded our fingers together. We needed that small contact.
“So what’s wrong with him?” I whispered.
Luca hesitated. I held my tongue and waited. Finally, he exhaled and answered, “His body is rebelling because he won’t accept the fated mate bond.”
My muscles tensed. This was my fault.
“I’m so sorry.”
Luca frowned, tipping his head back to peer at me. “Why? This isn’t on you. He’s the one being a stubborn idiot.”
“Will he get better?”
“Eventually, his body will get used to the stress, but he will always be weaker without you. He’s missing a piece of himself.”
“He’s going to hate me even more,” I muttered, burying my face into the crook of my arm, cheek pressed against the back of the armchair.
Luca squeezed my hand. “We are going to work this out.”
I wanted to argue. Tell him that clearly that wasn’t the case, that his optimism was misplaced, that I wasn’t enough for Cade. I wasn’t enough for him either. My voice refused to catch.
With a groan, Cade turned over in the bed. Luca leapt to his feet, and I followed. But Cade might not want to see me. I took a few tentative steps, wanting to keep my distance.
With a confident grin, Luca sat on the edge of the bed and squeezed Cade’s shoulder. “Good morning, sunshine. Have anice nap?”
“You fucker,” Cade growled, rolling into his back and throwing his arm across his eyes.
“Headache?” Luca asked, softer. Cade let out a grunt, and Luca walked to the bathroom to retrieve pain medication.
Tensing, I inched closer. Cade groaned again and pushed himself up to sit. His eyes fell on me, and a mix of emotions flickered across his face.
He was beautiful, disheveled, and unguarded. My instincts urged me to climb into his lap and curl up with him. Comfort him. But my feet stayed glued because I knew he would reject me.
I chewed my bottom lip and watched him in silence. His expression closed off, and my heart fell.
Luca returned and offered him water and a couple of pills.
“What time is it?” Cade asked, his voice scratchy.
“Two, I think,” Luca answered. “Are we going to talk about..?”
“We need to meet about the mission,” Cade said, swinging his feet over the side of the bed.
“You just fainted,” I blurted, wrapping my arms around my middle as if I was trying to hold myself together.
Eyes narrowed, Cade ignored me. “Tell everyone to gather in the meeting room.” He paused. “Everyone except Summer and Elowen.”
