Page 104 of Candy & Her Saints

Sadness washes over me.

He doesn’t have a nest. It must have been agony, during his heats.

I can just make out that Ghost is clutching something in his fist: a tie.

His nose rests on the tie, where it’s tied around his hand, like he’s desperate to breathe in its comforting scent, even while he sleeps.

The tie is blue and decorated in bright peacocks.

It must be Thomas’.

I smile, softly.

Sugar wriggles free of the blanket and prowls around Ghost on high alert.

She narrows her eyes at me, haughtily. Her fur bristles.

“Good, kitty.” I reach out my hand and stroke Sugar’s head. Her fur is silky. She remains stiff for a moment, before pushing her head up against my hand and beginning to purr. “There you are, Sugar.”

I kneel down next to Ghost, wincing as my knees press against the hard earth.

Slowly, Ghost’s long, butterfly lashes flutter.

He yawns, adorably sleepy.

Then he chirps, clicking his fingers.

Immediately, Sugar pounces onto Ghost’s head like it’s a game that they’ve often played.

Ghost laughs, bright and unrestrained. He sits up, leaning against the back wall. He snuggles Sugar to his chest.

Ghost’s eyes finally open.

They’re as blue as the sky, wide and innocent.

When they meet mine, however, Ghost growls in shock and bangs his head against the wall behind him. He immediately clutches Sugar to his chest, defensively.

“She’s Tom’s new bonded Omega,” Lincoln says, calmer and quieter than I’ve heard him talk.

Ghost still flinches.

Then he turns to look me up and down.

His gaze drops to the Rej bracelet around my wrist in confusion. Then a sudden melancholy flashes across his face, before he hides it.

Thomas can’t bond with Ghost. I’m certain that Ghost thinks it’s because he’s a Reject but now, the man who he loves has bonded with me.

Shit, how can I fix this?

“I was going to die,” I force out. “Tom and I have known each other since school. In fact, Link and I have both loved Tom for years. Tom bonded with me to save me. He’s a good man. I wouldn’t be alive today without him.”

The truth of that hits me like a hurricane.

Suddenly, I can’t breathe.

My chest is too tight.

I gasp, and my expression crumples.

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