Nadine Book 7

2. Breathe

I hug my knees and stare at the fire.

Elek stands up. "I'll go get us some food."

Elroy nudges me. "I'm going to collect some more wood right outside the door. Keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

After the boys leave, I use magic to heal her. "What happened? Where did they go?"

"They are hunting and getting wood. You slammed your head into a rock. It seems ok though. Do you feel alright?"

She rubs her head. "Yea, I feel ok."

"What's your name? No one ever told me."

"Penny. It's short for Penelope."

"That's very pretty Penny. It's nice to meet you. I'm Nadine."

"You too. So what happened that was so bad? Those 2 won't tell me anything."

"My mate left me and seems to be trying to kill everyone on his way out."

"I am so sorry. I had no idea your own mate was the cause of all this."

"I guess he decided he didn't want me. Then tried to take everything from me in the process of leaving."

She stares at the fire. "I thought you had something going on with Elek. I woke up and you 2 were cuddled together. Not to mention he only cared about you last night. He kept asking me to check on you."

"He probably thought I would run. I'm known for that. But no, there's nothing going on with us. I was having nightmares and I couldn't sleep. I think he was just trying to calm me down, so I could sleep. But I overheard them talking last night. Elek was saying he didn't want you sleeping in the dirt or on the ground. It was pointless. I know he wants to move you. It's my fault that he can't. I'm sorry for that. I will go as soon as I can think of a place. Then you'll be free. He'll be able to get you home soon, I promise."

"Thank you for that. This place is horrible." She jumps up. "EWW IS THAT A DEAD ANIMAL?"

"Yea, aren't you hungry?" Elek's got a boar.

"Why can't you get meat at the market like everyone else? You don't have to kill animals."

He loses it. She crosses her arms and pouts.

The boys laugh for a while. Elek cleans it and cuts it into smaller pieces.

Elroy makes the fire bigger. Then 3 of us cook meat. 4 of us eat it.

She smiles. "This is amazing."

"It really is. Thank you. Better than castle food any day." I eat until I'm full and then run off to the back room. I need to think of somewhere to go. Then they can leave as soon as I'm gone.

I put my back against the rock wall. I have to figure out a place. I guess I could go to a random human village as far away as I can. Or maybe the human village with the arena. No, they know my shop is there. Maybe...

"What are you doing?"

"I was going to lay down."

Elek sits and leans on the wall beside me. "We both know you're going to run."

I shrug my shoulders.

"I WANT TO GO HOME."

"CALM DOWN."

"NO."

-Thud-

Elroy pokes his head in. "Me and Penny are going for a walk. I will tie her to a tree."

Elek stands back up. "No, sit here for a minute. I'll make sure you didn't kill her."

Elroy sits beside me.

"I see you figured out her name finally."

"Yea, I was ease dropping on the 2 of you."

"Figures."

"SHE'S NOT DEAD. I'LL PUT HER IN THE CORNER."

"THAT'S GOOD." Then Elroy says under his breath. "Elek wasn't talking about getting her off the ground. He didn't want you sleeping like this. It's driving him crazy. He doesn't care about her."

"I know what I seen."

"Maybe you should open your eyes a little more." He pokes me on the end of the nose. "Relax. They'll have some information for us soon. If not, we'll find somewhere with beds. I'm sure you've been somewhere that you don't own at least once in your life."

Elek comes back in.

I smile. "I know the perfect spot now."

"Can we please leave her?"

"No, but we can send her through a door if you really know somewhere else we can move to."

"It's an island. But we'll need some money. I don't own it. But I've been there twice now. I think they might have an inn. I know they at least have a bar."

"We're going to give them a couple more hours. Let them get the intelligence and let us know what they found out." Elek sits beside me and puts his arm around me. Elroy leaves and shuts the door.

"Come here." He lays down and pulls me on top of him. "I know you're tired. Try to sleep some more."

I try to argue, but I fall asleep.

I wake up and stretch a couple of hours later. That wakes him up too.

I stretch as tall as I can. I point my toes and raise my hands above my head. It is a little awkward since I am sleeping on top of him, but it's ok. He tightens his grip around me.

I look at his face. His eyes are pitch black. His lips are right there. I miss them.

I lean towards him and kiss his lips lightly. He parts them and we start really kissing. He holds me so tight against him.

He rolls us over. I wrap my legs around him, and he pushes his d**k against me.

He kisses me so deep. I push his shirt over his head. Then I drag my nails down his back while he pushes his d**k against me.

He kisses my marking spot then backs off me and lays his forehead on my shoulder. "We can't, Nadine."

I try to wiggle out of this.

He kisses me again. "Stop. If you want me in a month, then I'm yours. But not here. Not like this. We're in a cave. In hiding because of one of your mates. You are in shock and you are devastated. Anything I do to you, will be taking advantage of you. I'm sorry. It's not that I don't want to. I do." He rolls us back over and holds me tight. "Doing this won't fix anything. It won't make you feel better."

I climb off him and cry. I can't even make words. I sit there and cry.

He sits up and pulls me into his lap. Then he snuggles me against his chest. "It's ok to hurt."

He holds me for a long time before I relax. Then I take a breath. I snuggle my face into his bare chest and breathe him in. He smells so good. Even being out here in a cave for I don't know how long. He smells good. I relax even more.

He must notice I'm breathing because he takes a breath. "You smell good." He pulls me into him tighter.

Our attention is then drawn to my feather that's blinking. He kisses my head and then connects it. "ELROY." I move off him, and he throws his shirt back on as his brother comes in.

"Hi sweetheart."

"Hi Dipak. How's things?"

"They are home and being watched. There were a couple of poison traps set up around the vaults. They've been taken out."

"Did you figure anything out about him or why he did this?"

"He's got a girlfriend." I nod. "It's confusing at this point. I guess his dad killed his own soulmate and chose his mom because she's just as cruel as he is. The people are off. They kept telling him that soulmates make you weak. He should stick with his girlfriend. She seems horrible, but that's what he decided to do. I'm sorry sweetheart. I didn't see any of this coming."

"I know Dipak. It's not your fault. Can we move now?"

"Yea, Tye's island would be safest. They are being watched and he can't make a door. Stay on the upper level floors of that 2nd inn. You can order stuff through the brains. Have you eaten at all?"

"Elek makes boar about as good as you, and he sleeps without his shirt on so I can stay warm."

"ELEK. I WILL..."

"I love messing with you, Dipak. Although the boar is good. He never took his shirt off."

"Woman."

"Yes love."

"Did you take his shirt off?"

"I HAVE TO GO TO WORK. I LOVE YOU BYE." I shut off the feather.

Elek and Elroy crack up laughing.

I smack the feather on my arm a couple of times. "I have not heard the last of him tonight."

Elroy tries to stop laughing. "She tells on herself."

"Yea she does."

I smack Marcus's feather, which is blinking. "AHHH!"

They about fall over.

Elroy pulls me over by my arm and connects the feather. "Let us borrow your arm."

"SWEETHEART. I SWEAR…"

"She's not here right now. We borrowed her arm." I nod with 1 hand over my mouth.

Marcus about dies laughing. "She told on herself, didn't she?"

"Yep."

"Dipak, go over there... Angel, doing that won't fix a broken heart. You didn't, did you?"

"No."

"Ok. It's going to take time. Go to Tye's inn and watch the view for a while. I have about 600 brains there. Everything will be fine. I promise. Tre woke up tonight. The doctor gave him more sleepy juice, but he was up briefly. And Tye is sleeping with his head on the conference table. But he's trying to stay awake. We're making progress here."

"Where's Johen?"

"He's with Omar. We sent word to send them to Tye's inn though. They should meet you there eventually."

"I miss you."

"I know angel. We miss you too. You stay safe... And tell Elek to keep his damn shirt on."

"Yea, I'll try to keep it on."

Elroy sits up. "Oh we're sending... I forget her name again...."

"PENNY."

"We're sending Penny to you. We don't care. I threatened to tie her to a tree earlier."

"She needs a doctor. He really smashed her head the last time."

Marcus laughs. "The last time?"

"Yea, it's a reoccurring innocent."

Elroy shakes his head. "She was pissed off earlier because Elek didn't go buy meat at the market. He killed an animal for meat."

"What?"

Elek smiles. "Yea, I'm an asshole because I killed a boar, so we could eat. If you go to the market and get meat, no animals have to die."

Everyone at the table cracks up laughing. Marcus says, "I'm sorry I had to share that. Oh my God. What a dumb twat."

"Well, anyway, she's coming at you boys with a cracked skull. Elroy can't deal with her anymore."

"Send her in, sweetheart. We'll put her in medical, and make sure she gets home."

"Thank you, love. I love you both."

"We love you too, angel."

"I love you sweetheart."

I make a door and Elroy launches her in it. I laugh and make another to Tye's inn.

A brain grabs each of us and drags us to the elevator. "We'll take the top floor."

We get to the top and I go into the room at the end of the hallway. It's huge. It has a separate bedroom for the parents in this one. The boys follow me in.

A brain sits down a box. "Mary sent these." It's soaps and some clothes for us.

"Mary is amazing." I get my clothes out of the stack. I'm sleeping in underwear, shorts, and Tye's t-shirt. The boys each get their own stack and some soap. "We have the whole floor?"

"Yes."

"I'll be in the bath."

Elek wraps an arm around my waist and holds me in place while Elroy and the brains leave.

I feel him breathing. I turn around and breathe him in too. He smells good.

"I wanted to smell you again before you wash it off." He kisses my forehead. "I'll be a door or 2 down. Leave this door open, or I will break it down."

I raise my eyebrows at him and he walks off.