LIKE EDEN. Princes of Anon (3)

SENTIMENTS

“Oh..” Eldridge gaped. He wasn’t sure what he did, but she clearly snapped at him. He stared at her, feeling odd. Not that he was offended, but instead he found her to be fairly cute. Enough to make him grin obliviously.

“I don’t know if I should be apologizing.” He smiled. She had her eyes closed. Her chest was moving with each breath she took.

“No. I should be the one apologizing. I snapped.” She whispered, but he heard her perfectly well, “But I can speak perfectly well. I’m not speech impaired… Well, it’s not as if I’m healthy either when I can’t even breathe like everyone else.”

She glimpsed out the window, “I don’t even remember the last time I went out. Even whilst looking like a walking skeleton, they say that my bones aren’t able to support my weight… As if I have any significant weight to speak of…”

Nikita was a woman who hardly spoke, to begin with. She was introverted to the extreme and seldom talked to the very few people she knew. So it was no wonder the confusion she felt after saying what she said. It wasn’t the words she said that baffled her, but why she said it to a total stranger at that.

She shut her eyes and lay there as always. But there was a solemn atmosphere this time that made her uncomfortable. It almost felt as if a weight was pressing down on her chest.

How many years had she been in the hospital?

In the same room.

And on the same bed.

She had lost count of it all. She felt as if she had lost touch with reality. As if she was stuck underwater. And didn’t have the strength or motivation to pull herself out.

She sneaked a peek at Eldridge before shutting her eyes once more, feeling as if she couldn’t stomach the look on his face.

That helpless look.

And it made her want to laugh and yell at the top of her lungs. What had he got to feel helpless about?! She thought.

What had he got to look lost for?

She was the one withering away with every passing second. She was the one feeling as if everything was slipping out of her fingers and no matter how desperately she tried to hold on, it never helped!

And worst of it, she was used to it.

She was used to it all.

Now that she thought about it…

“I don’t think my mom had a friend like you. Unless you are her boyfriend, which I don’t know about?”

The question drew Eldridge's attention, making him feel slightly embarrassed.

“It’s nothing like that. I only met Rose a few days ago. It was purely a coincidence.” He said, feeling like he was being interrogated. It gave him mixed feelings. “Ah, Rose is clearly a beautiful woman, but I’m not trying to mean anything.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

Before Edridge could reply, the door opened and the woman in question walked in. She stood there for a moment in shock. Eldidge’s presence surprised her, but not as much as seeing her daughter awake and talking to someone else.

“You are awake, darling.” She beamed. The wrinkles beneath her eyes creased as she joyously closed the door behind her.

“And you are here too.” She turned to Eldridge with that same smile. She was slightly worried that something was wrong with him when he rushed off the last time.

“Yes. Something urgent came up last time, so I had to rush off. I hope paying a visit to Nikita out of the blue like this is okay with you.” He said. But then he wasn’t looking at Rose or Nikita but the little girl peeking at him from behind her. He felt as if he was looking at a tiny clone of Nikita with a head full of red wavy hair.

“No no not at all... How are you feeling dear?” Rose rushed to her daughter’s side, caressing her bald head with a smile. Then she helped her raise the bed up a bit.

“Same as always,” Nikita replied, Then turned to the little girl by Rose's side with a smile.

“Won’t you come to mommy, Bambi?” She smiled with her hand stretched out.

The 4-year-old girl placed her small chubby hand in hers, casting glances at Eldridge, who remained seated, dumbfounded at everything that was happening.

“Don’t be shy. This is Grandma and Mommy’s… friend?” Nikita said, not sounding sure of her words herself. Nonetheless, she didn’t put much thought into it when Bambi nodded her head.

“Hi, mister,” Bambi whispered to Eldridge, hiding behind her mother’s hand.

“Hello.” He smiled.

Eldridge was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to respond to the child. Add that to the sudden realization.

He really found himself stumped. Even with Innana and Dominique’s kids, he never knew how to handle them. He liked kids but just didn’t know what to do with them or how to deal with them.

And then there was the fact that Nikita had a child. Looking at her, she was tiny. And chubby with big cheeks. But then her green eyes were bright and clear. He imagined Nikita’s hair would most likely look like hers; red and wavy.

His wolf barked in his head, drawing his attention to Nikita’s ring finger. Although she wasn’t wearing a ring, the marks left behind by one didn’t escape his keen eyes.

And he couldn’t help but frown, an unpleasant sensation bubbling up in his stomach.

Eldridge quietly left the room when they were talking and Rose was trying to feed Kita. But he didn’t go far. He sat down on one of the seats opposite the hospital room.

Lost in thought with his finger rhythmically tapping on his cheeks, he let out a sigh. His eyes were shut tight, trying to calm down as his agitated wolf continued to growl and howl possessively in his head.

He was okay with Bambi.

He could already feel his wolf claiming her as his, and the fact that she looked so much like his mate made it all better.

Whereas there was the fact that someone else had laid claim on his mate before. It didn’t matter if it was in the past or not. But just the thought of her being with someone else, being held and kissed by someone that was not him made his throat itch and his stomach ache.

Eldridge couldn’t help but mock himself at the thoughts that were rolling around relentlessly and unforgivingly in his head. To him, she was already his. But then what did it matter when she had no idea? What did it matter when she was in such a weak state that he couldn’t even bring himself to indulge in those sentiments?

He couldn’t allow himself to feel possessive of her, afraid that her already delicate state would crumble.

What made it worse was that the instincts he had to continue to fight whenever he saw her or caught even a whiff of her scent, she didn’t feel them. She couldn’t even feel 20% of how his thoughts raged and his instinct screamed at him whenever she was near.

He couldn’t even bring himself to wipe away any trace of another man on her body because it clearly wouldn’t be as easy as if she was like him… not human.

His thoughts and emotions were like an itch on an injury. If he tried to scratch it, it would only make the injury worse.

What was more mocking of him than that?

“Have you heard from Drew?”

Kita’s voice rang in his ears. It was much easier for her voice to reach his ears even when he was outside. And although he didn’t want to intrude on their privacy, it wasn’t as if he could help it.

“Don’t worry too much about him and just finish your food,” Rose replied.

“I’m not an unstable teenager who would throw a tantrum. I don’t have the luxury for that.”

“Bambi is here. Let's talk about it another time, hmm?”

“She’s clearly sleeping. So just tell me.” Nikita insisted, taking long breaths with every few words that she spoke.

There was a few moments of silence before Rose sighed, “He called last week to ask about how you were doing.”

“And?” Kita urged.

“And he asked about Bambi too. He did say he would come and see you this week.” Rose answered, “I’m sure he is just a bit busy. We just need to be patient... then you can have your wedding once you get better. And why do you keep taking off your ring?”

Eldridge flinched when he heard her words.

“That is not important, Mom. I don’t really care about it either. You don’t seriously think that everything is fine, right? I’d be tired of myself too if I were him. Who would have time to wait for so long.” Kita’s response was dry, as if she could care less.

But Eldridge could hear how hard her heart was beating beneath it all.

“Don’t be so cynical, dear.” Rose sadly whispered.

“I’m sorry Mom. But everyone is just wasting their time. You and Drew pay thousands of dollars every month so the doctors can prolong the inevitable. I don’t even know how many loans you have taken for it. And the doctors have absolutely no clue of what is wrong with me. It feels like they are more intrigued by what is happening to me than anything else. They are always doing tests. Always giving me painful injections. Always doing something… But nothing works.”

“B… But the medicines are working. Aren’t they? You’re getting better.” Rose’s voice trembled. And Eldridge could hear her voice trembling and her quiet sobs.

“I’m tired, Mom,” Kita whispered. Her shaky voice made his heart ache and he clenched his fists. He could feel his whole body shaking.

He was scared.

There was only so much that had shaken him in his many years of life. But he had never felt such bone-chilling fear that gripped his soul as it did.

He could feel the sweat dripping down his nape.

His eyes burned.

And if anyone saw him with his eyes open at the moment, all they would see would be golden eyes with vertical slit pupils.

“If you say this… Then what about Bambi?” Rose’s trembling voice asked. The only thing that rang in his ears after that was silence.

His phone rang soon after, drawing him from his wandering thoughts. He picked up the call after a brief moment.

“Did you find her, uncle?”

From the other side of the call, Lucien’s voice was heard. There was chattering in the background, but he paid no mind to it.

“Yh. I think I might head back before you.”

“That’s okay. Athena’s brother doesn’t want to let her go after we told him about her pregnancy, so we’ll be here for a while. The chances of us spending the night here are high.”

“That's fine. It reminds me, Did you talk to them about the ceremony?” Eldridge asked.

Although Lucien and his mates were already mated, they were yet to have the proper ceremony and receive Selene’s blessing. And since Mar’s family was already on Anon, Athena’s family are the only ones left.

“I did. They’ll go with me to Anon. But they want us to have a wedding here before we go back. They insist on doing that before anything. And since it’s the early months of the pregnancy, it’s the best time to do it.”

Eldridge nodded his head even though no one could see him, “That’s understandable. It’s your wedding so just let us know when and where we have to be. I’m sure your mother would like to know a little bit earlier.”

After exchanging a few more words, they ended the call.