Vera’s pheromones flare, making my hands shake, and I stumble back a step. I’d almost calmed down. Between Timothy’s steady cinnamon scent and Vera sending out soothing pheromones, I’d almost calmed down, but I’m now back on high-alert.
Fuck...
‘Welcome home.’ Her reply makes my heart skip and brings tears to my eyes. When I look at her, she’s quickly wiping at her cheeks.
She’s so cute.
Fuck the Hearts, for messing me up like this.
‘I’m going downstairs. They need me. But feel free to message me whenever you feel like it.’ She gives me a small wave before going down the stairs. Her footsteps stop and a new message comes in. ‘I want you to message me. I want to be able to talk to you, no matter how. I want it.’
Then her footsteps fade away, just like her honey scent.
Instinctively, I take a step after her, but then stop. It’s no use trying to follow her when we can’t be near each other. Messaging is a much better idea.
She’s right. If this is how we can talk without things going bad, then this is how we’ll have to talk for now. It’s better than nothing, and it’s definitely better than either of us having to be in pain.
‘I will.’ I smile slightly, remembering how she looked wearing the shirt I just gave to Jorge. ‘You look cute in that shirt.’
My cheeks flash with heat, and I quickly put the phone away. Well, no matter how badly I react to her pheromones, that doesn’t stop my body from reacting to her in much more positive ways when her pheromones aren’t involved.
I follow Timothy to the rooms where my family is staying. My parents, two of my siblings and my little nephew.
Before tonight, I had no idea I’d become an uncle. While I don’t want to bring this up to my sister, I’m pretty sure I know who the little boy’s father is.
My sister had gotten involved with some bad people. Her kind heart abused by them, especially by one of them. I tried anything to get her out, but in the end, the only way I could was by giving myself up instead.
That’s how I got involved with the Hearts. They had their grip on my sister, their control over her tightening day by day, and the only way to protect her, to make sure that they would never contact her again, was to offer myself up.
Now, knowing she was already pregnant at the time, I’m more glad than ever that I did. I don’t want to consider what they would have done to her if the Hearts had found out about the pregnancy back then.
My older brother comes over, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “I’m so happy you’re alive and look well. After all those years, I never wanted to believe that...” He swallows hard, letting out a tight breath. “I’d always hoped we’d find you some day. And here you are.” He pulls me tighter against him and I lean into his embrace.
I want to tell him how glad I am that they’re all alive and that they seem to be doing well, but no words come out. Not that Leo needs words, he simply holds me tightly.
“We looked for you everywhere. The police got involved. The media. We posted about you on social media. But nobody could find you. You were gone. Vanished without a trace.” His voice is lower, quieter, making sure only I can hear him. “What happened? Where were you?”
No guilt. No accusations. A simple plea for explanations. For closure. For something to make sense of the situation.
I was right here, under their noses, but the Hearts are great at making you disappear if they don’t want anyone to find you. They did station me at a few other locations over time, but most of the time, they kept me in the same place I’ve always been, the same city.
And, once they found out I was a scent match for Mathew, they kept me in the same exact building I’ve been in for years. I was never far. Which made it all the more painful.
I want to explain everything, but at the same time, I don’t want to relive any of it. From how Vera, her pack and some of the people working for Mathew have reacted, they know what I’ve been through. Or at least enough that they don’t ask questions.
But my family has no idea. My family doesn’t have any connection to that world. And I want to keep it that way.
I don’t want them to know all the painful things.
I don’t want to hurt them.
I’ll come up with something, some explanation, a softer version of the truth. But not tonight.
Not tonight.
6
Riley
