Page 48 of These Wicked Desires

She leaves and I stand in the kitchen, inhaling the steam from my mug and letting it warm me from the inside out. When the oven beeps, I find an oven mitt and place the muffin pan on top of the stove to cool. They smell amazing, nice and golden brown on top with blueberries bursting inside. Shari sure can cook.

“Oh,” a soft voice says behind me.

I whirl around to find Cade’s sister standing in the kitchen with a blanket wrapped around her. Her brown hair is matted and tangled, hanging in a clump well past her shoulders. Her blue eyes are wide in her sunken eye sockets.

“Hi,” I say, standing up straight and tucking a curl behind my ear. “Chloe, right? Would you like something to eat? There’s muffins, bacon, eggs. And coffee.”

Her throat works on a swallow and she eyes the mug in my hands. “I haven’t had coffee in … a very long time.”

“Coffee it is, then.” I smile and find a second mug for her. “Do you want anything to eat? These muffins look really good.” I hand her the mug, noticing how skeletal her hands look as she cradles it between them.

Instead of answering, she does the same thing with her coffee that I did with mine. She lifts it to her face and inhales. When she opens her eyes, I swear I see tears shimmering along her lashes.

As she opens her eyes, Cade steps into the kitchen and stops. His eyes widen as they land on his sister. “Chloe,” he rasps, stopping to clear his throat. “Are you okay?” He grimaces and shakes his head. “I mean, that was a stupid question. Of course you’re—” he cuts off with a muttered curse, heat creeping up his neck.

I watch their encounter with my heart in my throat. I know how important this is to Cade, to finally have his family back. But, will they ever truly be ‘back?’ I have the same thoughts when I think about my sister, and I have to squash the despair that tries to overwhelm me.

Chloe gives Cade a small smile. “I’m … okay.”

He nods and glances around the room, like he’s searching for something to do or say. His gaze lands on me and his shoulders drop, his feet bringing him toward me, probably on their own accord.

I give him an encouraging smile. “I’m sure Shari has some tea somewhere in this kitchen. Would you like some?”

He nods, but before I can turn around he pulls me against him. “Thank you,” he whispers in my ear.

“Don’t thank me. I’m happy to do whatever you need.” I pull back and kiss him, just a quick peck since his sister is watching. “Is Kai still sleeping?” Turning for the cabinets, I search through them for tea.

“Sleeping like the dead,” Cade replies, a slight smile to his voice.

I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see with my back to him. “You are hilarious,” I say drily.

“Oooh, my mom made muffins?” Cole asks as he joins us in the kitchen.

“She did. Do you guys have any …” I trail off as I turn around, my question about tea forgotten when I take in the room.

Cole is frozen in the entryway to the kitchen. His body is tense, still like only a predator can be. Even though he’s in his human form, I swear I can see his hackles raised along his neck. His icy blue gaze is locked on Chloe. Each breath he takes sounds loud and harsh in the sudden silence. He takes one step back. Then another. His pulse thrums under his skin hard enough even I can see it in his neck.

I glance at Chloe and frown. She’s staring at her hands clasped tightly on the table in front of her, her eyes wide and filled with shock. Blue sparks, the same color as Cole’s eyes, fizzle and hiss at her fingertips. They are weak and almost sickly looking, like she hasn’t recovered her magic fully from whatever has been blocking it. Cade is tense, glancing between the two.

“Cole?” I ask, stepping around Cade to approach Cole. Cade stops me with a firm grip on my bicep. “Are you okay?”

He shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opens them again, he swallows. “She’s my mate.” His words rasp through the kitchen, and we all snap our attention to Chloe.

She lifts her head, blue eyes impossibly wide. A startled gasp escapes her open mouth.

Cole takes off, shoving past Cade and me, knocking a chair over, and finally pushing through the back door. He’s already shifted into his black wolf before he hits the grass behind the house.

Chloe stands, her chair scraping across the linoleum, the sound loud in the silence. She rushes out of the kitchen and up the stairs without a word. Cade tries to follow, but I stop him.

“Give her some space,” I say numbly and tug him to the living room. “Give her time to … process that.”

“Mate?” he repeats. “What the hell?”

"I just passed Chloe upstairs," Kai says, descending the steps. "Is everything okay?"

Cade shakes his head and rubs his eyes. Something between a groan and laugh climbs up his throat. "Fucking mate?"

Kai glances at me, sitting on my other side. "Is he okay? Does he need more rest?"

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