She nodded. “It’s complicated.” She played with the hem of my shirt. “I feel safe with you. I don’t know why, and I know Delilah asked you all to help me, but with you, it’s different.”
I smiled, and my grizzly automatically let out that deep, rumbling purr from his chest.
“And I like that.” She pointed to my chest and blushed.
“Good, my grizzly enjoys doing it for you. And don’t worry, they will understand, and I will tell you more about why you feel comfortable with me later. First, let’s get you fed before they get here.”
“Has he treated you right? Fed you three meals a day, plus snacks? Oh, and those protein drinks?” Bones rambled while I stayed behind my mate with my arms crossed. We were all standing in the kitchen, my mate sitting at the table along with Bones. He had on his serious face with a stethoscope around his neck.
I wanted to choke him with the damn stethoscope and throw him off the cliff outside for questioning her. I had done everything to keep my mate healthy. Why would he not think so? She gained ten pounds since coming here, a fucking feat in itself for seven days.
All she’d done was sleep, eat, and watch movies. Along with sitting on the porch swing and drinking hot cocoa at sunset with me. She loved the outdoors as much as I did, and it had quickly become our favorite thing to do in the evenings after dinner.
Soon she would be healthy enough to take hikes outside, and I would be healthy enough to show her my animal and take her deeper into the woods.
My mate nodded at Bones’ question. She refused to talk to anyone else but me. I took pride in that; Bones was less amused.
Bones tapped on his tablet to type in his notes. “I’ve brought you some vitamins. Your blood work came back, you are deficient in several areas. These are prenatal vitamins, but they have a high concentration in several vitamins you are missing, so taking these will help.”
“I use those,” Delilah added. “They don’t upset my stomach. They’re great.”
Nadia looked down at Delilah’s stomach. It had grown in just a week; her pregnancy would be significantly shorter than a human’s, and I was sure Bones was seeing her more often than he needed to help measure for future pregnancies.
Nadia smiles at Delilah, who sits down next to her.
“How are you doing on sleep? Are you sleeping well?” Bones asks.
Nadia nodded again and looked at me like I was to answer too. “She sleeps all night and takes two naps a day. No nightmares or levitating off the table from what I can tell.”
Nadia frowned at Bones. She took the paper from him he had ready for her and wrote:I have nightmares. I’ve had them ever since I’ve been in prison. I don’t know about the levitating.
“Bee, why didn’t you tell me you were having nightmares?” I picked my mate out of the chair and sat her on my lap.
She shrugged her shoulders.
Bones sighed. “You were thrashing all over the bed the night you came into the Iron Fang when you were sleeping. You even levitated off the table. It looks to be a sign of witchcraft, some sort of magic. Bear was able to restrain you, and you don’t appear to have that magic control you when he is around.” Bones locked eyes with me. “That hasn’t happened here in the cabin, has it?”
“No,” I growled. “It hasn’t. I’ve stayed within arm’s reach of her.”
Nadia giggled and nodded.
“These shifters.” Delilah waved her hand. “Such possessive animals, am I right?” She nudged Nadia.
“But you still have nightmares?” Bones asked. Nadia nodded solemnly. “What about?”
She took the paper again, pausing before she wrote:Depends. Mostly watching my parent’s deaths that I did not see happen in reality.
“Fuck that’s awful.” Hawke rubbed Delilah’s shoulders.
Delilah shifted in her seat, her hand rubbing her small protruding belly. “Nadia? Can you tell me, do you know who killed your parents?” Tears sprung in Delilah’s eyes.
“Why?” Hawke snapped. “Why does that matter?”
“It just does,” Delilah replied with a crack in her voice.
Nadia took the paper again.They are in a better place now and no longer suffer. It does not matter anymore.
Delilah broke down and sobbed, and immediately Hawke had her in his hold. “He said he wouldn’t kill a woman, and he did!” Delilah held onto her mate and cried. Nadia’s lip trembled, and she held onto me, not sure how to comfort Delilah.
