Page 90 of Tangled in Knots

“You’re such a pain in my ass,” he sighs. “Kane and I have both noticed you leaving, usually at one in the morning.”

I’ve only stalked her a few times to work, because I figured out I can watch her from the cameras all the way there. It’s the walk back to the shelter that worries me.

“Still,” I sigh. “You were gone most of the day all week, only coming home to crash. The overnights only started happening recently.”

“The commute to Missouri is miserable,” he mutters. “I’m going to be out there most of next week, I want to know you’re being safe. Kane is already going to make me insane, since he won’t be able to work out as often.”

“‘Maybe you’ll let me kill a few people to make up for it,” Kane says with a shrug.

This is why I love these two crazy men.

“Are we all alright with this plan?” I ask. “I’ll start working on it now if we are.”

“You’re still not sleeping,” Jed says, his eyes seeing too much.

“Not much, no,” I grunt.

“Our little rabbit will come around,” Kane says hopefully. “Should we offer her Dad’s head on a platter? Is that romantic?”

I chuckle under my breath, because this is the chaos demon energy that made me fall in love with him. We may not say it very much, but I fell hard for both of them.

ADIRA

I can’t believe I’m going to be attending school.I created an email a little before I sat for my test at the University of Lyons, waiting for the message that would tell me if I’d get it. The link sent me to a password protected site that allowed me to see if I passed or not.

Now, I have to deal with something else. I’m sitting with the nurse to find out what my test results say. It appears to have taken longer than expected.

“I had them run this twice,” she says as I sit with Aisling. I’ve been leaning on her hard lately, and I feel bad about it.

I will never tell her that again, though, because she gave me an earful. Now, I’m going to accept her friendship. I need the support.

“What does that mean?” I ask, chewing my bottom lip as I hold Aisling’s hand.

“Some of it was inconclusive, and that’s because an omega’s hormones and instincts are not an exact science,” the nurse says, closing the door to give us privacy.

“Your blood tests are all clear of any sexually transmitted diseases, so that’s not a worry. As to whether or not you’re going to be going into heat, your bloodwork says there’s a very minimal chance of it because of how malnourished you are.”

“Is it possible for her to take a suppressant?” Aisling asks. “She has a bond, but he’s not a good match for someone who can help her through her heat at this time. ”

That’s the nicest way to say he’s not in my life that I can think of. Wow.

“I don’t see why not,” Laurell says. “These aren’t meant for long term use, Adira. I don’t know what the situation is, butit will get you some space to figure things out. Biology is an asshole.”

Aisling chuckles while my lips twitch in amusement. Biology is fate’s best friend and they’re both bitches.

“I’m going to go visit Wren’s mates to see what they suggest,” Aisling says. “They have the best street suppressants. Most legal suppressants aren’t going to be strong enough to keep your heat from affecting you. If you were stronger, I don’t think it would work at all. It’s a shitty situation.”

It really is. Every day, I feel stronger. I can only hope that I can build up the suppressants in my bloodstream enough for my heat to not break through. I hope that’s how it’ll work, anyway.

“How is your appetite lately?” Laurell asks. “I know food wasn’t treating you well last week.”

“It wasn’t at all,” I admit. “Every day, I find myself able to eat a little more. I’ve been researching different options and experimenting. So far, it’s going pretty well. I’ve been working a lot and walking, which is forcing me to get my stamina up.”

“Every night this week,” Aisling grumbles. “I know why you’re pushing so hard, but you’re going to be exhausted with school starting.”

“Since I enrolled so late, my classes were chosen by the school,” I explain. “I have absurdly early classes. Every morning at eight. It’s going to suck either way. I can’t have caffeine, so I’m going to have to tough it out. Since I have a little nest egg, I am going to talk to Caleb about working three days during the week and weekends.”

“That’s still five days a week,” Laurell says, eyes wide. “Take care of yourself. It’ll be an adjustment, but if you can catch a nap between classes, there’s no harm in that.”

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