Page 39 of Healer's Call

I’m almost to the door when Cade’s voice stops me. “Rose.” I turn and he stands to his feet and rubs his jaw. “He’ll kill me for telling you this, but I feel like you should know, as his mate. He was always too strong, too hated. He never knew love growing up. I know that doesn’t excuse his bad behavior. He was never touched in a loving way, never hugged...all he knew was fighting to survive.”

The tears are dripping down my cheeks now. “Thank you for telling me and thanks for dinner.” I barely get the words out before I head out into the hallway. I wipe my eyes as I walk past the shifter on duty and around the corner. I want to curl into a ball and cry, but I keep moving because there’s something I needto do more. I don’t stop until I get to Maverick’s apartment, and then I knock before I lose my nerve.

Maverick opens the door. If he’s surprised to see me, he doesn’t show it on his face. His eyebrows rise. “Get lost, Healer?” he asks. I don’t say anything, I just step forward and wrap my arms around him. He stiffens. Knowing what I know now, I don’t take it personally.

“I’m sorry, Maverick,” I whisper.

“What are you talking about?” he demands. I pull back and wipe my eyes, and his eyes narrow. “Are you crying?”

“Cade told me about your past,” I tell him, looking him in the eye.

His eyes go cold. “And now you’re here to what? Make it all better with tears and a hug?” he asks snidely. He shakes his head in disgust. “It’s a good thing you didn’t grow up in my pack; you would have never made it. You’re too sensitive and way too emotional.”

I swallow and nod. “I know; I’m working on it.” He goes silent, and I wipe my eyes. Unsure of what else to say or do, I simply turn around and walk away. I did what I came to do—give him a hug. And for now, that’s enough.

Chapter 20

Rose

On the way back to my room, I nearly run into Eli, the tough-looking enforcer. He stops right in front of me, blocking my path. “Are you crying?” His voice is low.

“I’m fine,” I say, waving him off.

He glances behind me, like he’s looking for the person that made me cry. “Does Mav know?” he asks.

“Uh, yeah,” I say with a small laugh. “I’m fine; I promise.” He doesn’t look certain, but he lets me go. I run into three more people on my way back to my room—all of them worried about me. I tell each person I’m fine and finally make it back to my room where I change into a tank top and shorts for bed before I decide I really don’t want to be alone. Slipping on flip flops and a zip-up sweatshirt, I head next door to Ava’s room and knock on the door. When she sees my face, she doesn’t even say anything, she just opens the door wider so I can come in. I follow her in and sit in one of the chairs in her living room.

She curls up in the one next to me. “What happened?”

“Maverick.” And then I proceed to tell her everything. When I finally finish, I wipe my eyes. She gets up and disappears a moment and comes back with a tissue and a water bottle. “Thank you.” I take the lid off the bottle and take a long drink. “Thanks for listening.”

“You didn’t give me a choice.”

I smile ruefully. “You didn’t have to open the door.” I take another drink and pause, staring at it for a moment. “Do you have more of these?”

Ava gives me an odd look. “Yeah. I always do. You know how I feel about anything besides bottled water.”

“Yeah,” I say absently. I face her full-on. “Have you felt sick at all?”

She looks at me like I’ve grown two heads. “No.”

“No shivers, pain, tremors, muscle spasms?”

“No,” she says more adamantly.

I stand to my feet. “I need to go talk to Cade.” I'm out the door before I even hear her reply. I make it through the building without anybody stopping me this time. I figure most people are in their apartments for the night. Cade answers almost immediately. “Rose?”

“I think I’ve got something. Can I come in?” He steps back to allow me entrance. Amber comes out of the bedroom.

“Rose, are you okay?”

I hand Cade the half-full water bottle. “The water.” He gives me a blank look. I hurry to explain. “That water bottle is from Ava. She has a thing about tap water. She never drinks it; I mean like never. She doesn’t even brush her teeth with tap water.” I wait a moment and then deliver the clincher. “And she hasn’t gotten sick; she’s one of the few.”

Cade stares at me, and I can see the wheels turning in his head. And then I see it—hope. Hope that we’ve finally figured it out. He shakes his head and turns to Amber. “Eli, Maverick, Carl, Jacob, and Van are on their way.” She nods, unsurprised and puts on a fresh pot of coffee. I wonder how many times she’s had this happen in the evening. Within minutes, the shifters start showing up. I recognize Van and Carl as two of the enforcers often on duty near Cade and Amber’s apartment. Eli shows up next, looking unsurprised to see me. Jacob shows up after that. Him, I recognize as the really friendly guy I talked to the other day in the hallway. Maverick is the last one to join our little party. By the time he shows up, I’m already regrettingbeing here. There are too many men in too small a space, and I’m starting to feel overwhelmed. The door opens, and I know without looking that it’s Maverick; I can feel his energy or presence or whatever it is across the room. When I turn, his eyes are locked on mine. A second later, his eyes drift over me from my neck to my toes, and I suddenly regret only wearing a tank top and short shorts. I pull my hoodie closer around me, wishing the zipper worked so I could zip it up.

“What’s going on, Cade?” Mav asks first.

“I think we might have figured something out tonight, or at least a possibility. You all know that we’ve been dealing with strychnine, but we don’t know how we’re getting it.” Cade faces me. “Want to do the honors?” I really don’t, but I don’t want to make a scene.

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