Page 47 of The Bull's Head

The ground crumbles beneath my feet, falling into the pit, never to be seen again. It won’t be much longer until the ledge I’m on crumbles and I tumble into the darkness, which won’t let me go this time. It’ll consume me, I’m certain.

At least the pain will end.

Chapter 15

The next four days found Teddy hard at work. From the moment he woke up after sleeping six hours—thanks to Gwyneth’s concoction—he pored through box after box, sifting through the detritus as well as the disgusting. He found notes on experiments they’d performed on some of the people from Wald, but they weren’t about Byk, so he added them to a folder to deal with them after he helped… whatever Byk was to him. Friend? Lover? Mate?

Ivan would stop in and bring him water or food, but wouldn’t stay to chat. Teddy could smell Jerome on him, but it was more a lingering scent rather than one where he and Ivan had slept together. He would make sure to ask about it after he helped Byk. Alp came to offer his assistance again, but after finding the files detailing the horrible things they’d done, especially to the children, Teddy sent him away. He was far too nice to have this taint his soul more than it already had.

Cece, goddess that she was, visited several times to bolster his spirit with a joke or a massage. She too offered help, but Teddy didn’t want her to find out things that had happened and get angry again. After all, since Sheena Jolie’s Angel didn’t actually exist, Hyde could only die once, damn the luck. Damon and Mal brought sweets, which Teddy was grateful for. The sugar rush helped him stay awake longer.

“Stand up.”

Teddy shook his head. “No time.”

Ivan grabbed him by the collar and yanked him off the floor. “I will not tell you again, Theodore, stand up.”

Teddy growled at him, but Ivan simply looked amused. “We both know how a fight between us would end, da?”

And Teddy did, but not the way it seemed. If they started to fight, Cece would somehow know and come in to kick both their asses.

“The room is looking cleaner,” Ivan noted.

And it was. You could actually see bare spots on the desks where before there had been piles of folders and notes.

“Come with me,” Ivan insisted.

Not giving Teddy a chance to react, he turned and marched out of the room and down the hall. Teddy followed as quickly as he could.

“Where are we going?”

“When is the last time you shifted?”

It had been so long, Teddy couldn’t recall. “A few days.”

“We both know that is a lie. Cece said when she massaged you, your muscles were like granite. After hearing this, I spoke with Malachi and the rabbit, and neither of them have noticed you leaving the compound, nor are there any instances of you on camera. Now, I ask again, when is the last time you shifted?”

“It’s been a while, okay? I’ve had other things occupying my mind, in case you didn’t know.”

“I know, and so does your new First and his mate. They’re the ones who sent me to find you. We will go outside and shift, and for an hour, we will run the hills. We can search for fish or berries.”

“I don’t have time for this,” Teddy said, turning to head back to work.

When a hand clamped down on his shoulder and spun him around, Teddy snarled.

“Look at you, so fierce,” Ivan mocked. “Go ahead and hit me. Cece will be here in moments, and you will have to fight her. Either way, you will shift. So, would you rather do it for fun, or to get your ass kicked?”

He knew Ivan was right, but that didn’t matter. “I have work to do,” he snapped.

“And it will be there in an hour,” Ivan countered.

“Why do all of you keep dragging me away from this?” Teddy demanded. “First Gwyneth gives me something to make me sleep, then you want to take me out to frolic in the forests, while Byk is in there, possibly dying!” Then he realized the truth. “It’s because you don’t love anyone. Are you even capable of it?”

It was a low blow, and the moment the words came out of his mouth, Teddy regretted saying them, but people needed to let him do this!

“I am more than capable of it, and you know this full well. I have always been by your side, forever protecting you. If that was you in that bed, I would do anything I could to save you.”

And it was the truth. “I’m sorry.”

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