They hadn’t attacked me, hurt me, tried to kill me. I needed to, I don’t know, not be too irrational about all this.
What else is out there?
I made a motion for pen and paper with my hands, and Bones already had it ready for me.
What else are there? Vampires? Fairies?I wrote.
“Yes, much more,” Bear said as he scooped me up and held me in his arms. I could feel his body relax as he rubbed his cheek over my hair. His scent was so soothing it put me at ease. The calming fragrance filled my senses, and I felt myself relaxing even more in his arms.
This is so weird. Somehow, I’ve drunk the Kool-aid too.
Instead of shying away, I let him hold me. I gazed around the room, looking for odd glances, but they acted as if this was a normal occurrence.
I didn’t have the strength to fight this man. I was still weak, still too broken, but I had been strong for so long. Maybe I wanted someone to lean on for once.
How long have thesebeingsbeen here on earth?I scribble again.
“Always, as long as the earth has held humans,” Bear replied. “We are not allowed to reveal ourselves. It is important you do not tell others about us.”
I huffed a tiny laugh.I don’t think we have a problem.
“Nadia, there is something I need to ask you. It’s about last night, your nightmare—” Bones stepped closer to us.
Bear let out a warning noise, which I now knew was a growl. Bear stood up and stepped away, holding me tight to his body.
“Now that I don’t have to hide what I am, you need to stay the fuck away from her,” Bear snapped. “Get away and don’t touch her. She’s mine to protect.”
“You asshole, she’s my patient. I’m trying to take care of her!” Bones threw his hand in my direction.
“Nadia is my responsibility now!” Bear snapped.
I dropped the pad and paper and covered my ears.
Bear’s shoulder deflated, and his large hand covered my ears. “I’m so sorry, Nadia. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he whispered.
“See, you can’t take care of her,” Bones whispered. He pulled out earplugs from his pocket. “She can wear these until she gets used to hearing loud noises again.”
The noise and footsteps from the second floor of the bar echoed down to where we stood. People—shifters—came stomping down the stairs, talking loudly, laughing, and pulling on their vests. The people and the noise were already becoming overwhelming the closer they came.
Along with being tired, weak, and overstimulated from just being told that fairy tale creatures were real, I felt a panic attack rising. I grabbed the ear earplugs from Bones’ hands and shoved them in my ears, my fists curled up in Bear’s shirt, and even with the earplugs, the faces, the large amount of people—shifters, vampires, and who knows what else—it was too much.
Bear
I felt her curling up into my arms—I could smell her fear.
She was here, seeking my strength. Nadia clung to me, using me to protect herself, and I would give whatever my mate wanted. Now was the time to prove to myself again that I would do anything to protect her, even if that meant taking her away from Bones and the club.
I held her tightly, pressing her head to my chest, keeping her ears covered. “Quiet!” I bellowed, and all fell silent at the bar. My voice was loud but deep. My mate didn’t shutter or whimper when I kept the tone of my voice lower.
As the bar lay still, I turned to Bones and Delilah. “I’m taking her to the cabin. I have my cell. You can reach us there.”
“Her treatment…” Bones argued as he rushed to the door with me. “What about her nightmares, the levitation? We need to have her see Tajah and Bram. She may have a curse on her mind.”
I grunted and pulled the heavy-laden door of the bar open. Winter was still in full swing. It was cold and blustery. Not much snow had fallen, but there was enough chill in the air that my mate would be cold.
I rounded the corner of the bar’s building with Bones still on my tail. He was huffing and puffing, and I could hear him rubbing his hands up and down his arms to keep warm. Bones wasn’t faring well, and working on a patient such as my mate right now was not good for him, anyway. He did the brunt of the work; I’d watched him over the week. It was my turn to take care of her.
“Anything I need to know about Nadia’s care?” I stepped into the mud as we headed to the back of the bar property and closer to the mechanic area. Cars and bikes lined up ready to be used by any of the men, but I was looking for the ride I used to get up the mountain where I kept my cabin.