Page 51 of Bullied Mate

That was good news. He needed the rest after such a stressful event. The poor man was probably ready to kick himself all over again given the chance. Determination turned me back to the boy in the bed.

I reached for the television remote. “Why don’t we put on some cartoons?”

Leo didn’t reject the offer. He sank into his pillow as the television came to life. For a moment, I struggled with the streaming channels, trying to find something suitable for his age. Within a few minutes, he had drifted back to sleep, soft puffs echoing from him as he fell into a hefty slumber.

The poor things were both spent. My energy had depleted some, but not entirely. Elderlings had a much higher threshold for pain and injury. Though I sensed I had cuts on my arms, I didn’t mind them much, knowing that I could simply step outside and gain lifeforce from the surrounding gardens to heal them.

That wasn’t a terrible idea at this hour. It was unlikely that anyone would bother me, and Leo would be alright with his father. If I stayed near the window, I could listen for anything going wrong.

But regardless of my personal assurances, I had trouble stepping out of the room. Many minutes were spent bouncing between the room and the hallway, my back prickling with the strangest sensations, like millions of needles were being plunged into my skin.

Leaving them both unconscious felt like a horrible mistake, but I couldn’t pinpoint precisely why.

Etta was in her office. She was awake. Surely her presence could deter any intruders. The witch was well-versed in spelled alarms, and many of them had been put all over the building for extra safety measures. Nothing could get past her, and certainly nothing could get past me.

Irritation clawed my insides as I marched out of the lobby and into the cool night. Moonlight hung above, beckoning me to step into the shadows where I could bathe in her healing milk. Resistance crawled over my form. Those pinpricks came again, agitating my relaxation and healing process, turning me around so I could face the building.

That was marginally better. However, I was hardened by my experience. We had nearly lost Leo. Had our pack not come together in time to hunt him down, he would have been much worse off. The thought of him getting hurt returned in unforgiving waves.

Guilt clamored over the shame and embarrassment I felt. Inside that building was a man who demanded my care no matter how many times I tried to deny it. And it wasn’t that he was commanding it verbally. No, the directives came from his soul and body, from his gaze, from his hands.

I swelled at the idea of his mouth caressing my mouth. And at the same time, it infuriated me.

Bullies weren’t welcome in my presence. They were supposed to be rejected or reformed. With Xavier, I should have been more decisive. I should have kept my distance. But no, I had wanted so much to care for his mother and child that I’d gotten sucked back in.

Disgust mixed into the medley of emotions I was trying to resolve. The implication that he was sucking me in on purpose and causing harmful chaos to keep me tethered was terrible. Nobody could be that bad of a person. Truly, someone like Xavier had better prospects. He was well traveled, learned, and muscular. Any shifter in the area would be a suitable match presuming they were agreeable.

Claire mentioned that they had left Ambersky because of Xavier’s father. He had impregnated two other women. He’d abandoned the lot of them. To see Xavier in a similar situation angered me, and another part of me felt righteous justice over the matter.

But that wasn’t fair. That placed Leo in a delicate tangle that was sure to make everyone dizzy. Justified or not, Xavier was cycling through what his mother had experienced. And neither of them deserved it. Even with Xavier’s poor behavior and bullying, he needed nourishment. He needed a mate.

That isn’t going to be me, I promised silently to the sky.He doesn’t need me in his life. I’m staying for the boy and the grandmother. That’s it.

Numerous attempts to remain in the moonlight were fraught with worry. Eventually, my resolve crumbled, and I returned to the room to find Leo lying on his side and his father curled in a similar position. That man was going to ruin his back if he didn’t get to a proper bed.

I sighed as I drifted to Etta’s office. The woman was scribbling something while tending to some flowers sitting in a vase. Though the vase was clear across the room, she flicked her fingers, tugged and jabbed with magical precision. Invisible threads curated the vase to perfection without her so much as glancing in that direction.

“Impressive,” I commented.

She smiled as she wrote something else on the page. “Practice makes perfect.”

“Do you have a spare cot by chance?”

“There should be some in the supply room at the end of the hallway. Do you need help?”

I shook my head while patting my bicep. “No, ma’am. But thank you.”

“You could make just about anybody swoon with your build, Galanthia.”

“I don’t suppose that person would be Xavier.”

Interest sparkled in her eyes while I mentally chided myself for being forward yet again. Had this pack put a spell upon my lips so I would tell the truth at every turn? Liberally applying pressure to the back of my neck did little to comfort me. I was caught in a verbal trap with Etta, who knew plenty of magic that could yank the truth from me even if I denied it profusely.

“I think he appreciates meeting someone who matches his strength,” she said with a grin, “and it helps that you’re kind.”

“I’m not very kind to him.”

She plopped her pen into a cup with several others and rose from her desk. “I don’t think that’s true, Galanthia. You haven’t got a mean bone in your body.”

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