Page 139 of Caelum

As I processed his words, I looked around our Pack. Two strong Alpha Units had been laid low by one woman. Without her even meaning to do anything.

Only God knew what she could do to the rest of Caelum if her intentions ever changed…

That was not a thought I needed to be thinking, but it was there nonetheless.

Protecting Eve, not just from Caelum but herself, had just become a top priority, and where my Pack was concerned? They were all that mattered.

EIGHT

NESTOR

The ache went so much deeper than my head or body. Literally, every bone hurt. I was sure of it. So sure, I wanted to swallow the whole packet of pills the doctor gave me whenever he dosed me up with the meds.

Even though I was being kicked out of the sickbay today, I was well aware I wasn’t fully healed.

Whatever those bastards had done to me, it had been more than just fangs to the throat.

I knew how close I’d come, how near death I’d been, and only Frazer, of all people, had spared me.

To say I owed him was an understatement, and my Pack did too, otherwise they’d have been attending a funeral. Which was ironic considering how glum they’d been whenever they visited.

Their eyes had burned with the need to tell me something, and only knowing that I was being kept out of the loop made me happy to be leaving sickbay, even though I was sure it was too early for me to be going anywhere in a vertical position.

The fact I was allowing Eve to push me out in a wheelchair was testament enough.

Whenever she moved, the packet of pills the nurse had given her rattled, taunting me, and I murmured, “You can let me have them, Eve. I won’t swallow them all in one go.” Even if I wanted to.

A slight laugh escaped her, and I clutched that to me like a hug. The momentum of the chair stopped, then the packet was handed over to me. Icurled my fingers around them tightly and released a breath as I fought the desire to swallow two more of the small pills.

I hurt.

And each step Eve took reminded me of that.

As we approached the elevator, the only one in the Academy, I tipped my head back into Eve’s belly. She didn’t startle at the intimacy, and I was glad for that. If anything, when we made it inside the metal coffin, she ran her hand over my head in a soothing gesture.

The gentle touch felt so good that I released a sigh, loving the easy affection that was loaded down with bone-deep care. The feeling was mutual; I knew that. Pack. It warmed me to my soul.

“How are you feeling?” she rasped, her voice low now that we were alone together.

“Tired. Hurting,” I admitted, unashamed because it was her. With the others, I’d have denied it, but not with her.

She made an aggravated sound and mumbled, “I was about to say you’ll be in your own bed soon, but I’m not sure how we’ll get you up those stairs.”

The prospect had filled me with dread. There were four sets of stairs to get to my rooms, and that was sure as hell something I wasn’t looking forward to.

“When I get up, I won’t be coming back down for a while. That’s for fucking sure.”

“I don’t understand why they won’t let you stay there. You’ve only been in there for two days!”

“I’m okay, Eve,” I reassured her. “And that’s the point. We’re supposed to fend for ourselves.”

“Well, it’s horrible.”

My lips curved. “This isn’t a children’s hospital,” I reminded her. “They’re building an army, not a charity.”

“That’s stupid,” she huffed, but she fell silent as the doors opened onto the main foyer.

It was jam-packed with people scurrying to classes, over to the gym, and down to the common rooms. This place was the heart of Caelum, and each corridor that ran from it was an artery or vein.

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