Page 66 of Destined Mate

Theo returned and sat on the bed next to me. He lifted my head and offered me a few sips of the drink.

It settled hard in my stomach, but I needed protein to heal as quickly as possible.

“Okay, that should be enough to go ahead and give her this.” Tina held out the pill again, one that was definitely not Advil.

Biting my inner cheek, I fought against saying something again. They were going to force me to take the medicine, and protesting would only make them suspicious.

I begrudgingly opened my mouth, and Tina placed it on my tongue. She smiled. “There.”

Theo held the protein drink to my lips, and I took a sip while I slipped the pill under my tongue and swallowed.

The medicine began to melt and tasted awful. A strong bitterness I’d never experienced before seeped into my taste buds. I forced myself not to react and opened my mouth so they could see that the pill was gone.

“Good girl,” Theo crooned, patting my head like I was a dog.

I battled not to let the corners of my mouth tip downward, but it was so damn hard. I wanted him to go away and leave me alone.

Tina sighed. “Now that she’s taken care of, let’s go eat.”

He hesitated. “Do you need me to stay so you can finish this?” He held up the drink.

“Thanks, but I’m good.” I forced myself onto my right side and my good arm. “I can finish the rest. Go eat while your food’s warm.”

Narrowing his eyes, Theo studied me. I tried to keep my expression neutral and my heartbeat steady while sweat pooled in my armpits. Did he know I hadn’t swallowed the pill?

“Okay.” He handed me the drink. “Just yell if you need me. I’ll check on you before I leave.”

I’d bet he would.

The two of them left, and I immediately spat the pill into my hand. I took a few more large sips of the protein drink so he’d know I’d drunk more, then dropped the remainder of the pill in there and swirled it around. It should dissolve, and hopefully, they wouldn’t pay attention when they poured the liquid out.

Then I lay down and immediately fell right back asleep.

* * *

A hawk screeched,startling me. I blinked against the bright sunlight streaming through the window right on my face.

I jerked to the left and tensed when my shoulder ached, but it wasn’t as bad as yesterday.

Bracing myself, I waited for the room to spin, but everything remained in place.

Thank gods, I was feeling a lot better.

One thing ailed me, though, my screaming bladder.

Ready to test the waters, I leaned down and removed the covers with my right arm. I slowly moved my legs, their stiffness causing me some discomfort. I eased my feet onto the floor, taking stock of my wounds. My stitches had already scabbed over, but the area around them still ached. However, nature was calling, and I was at its mercy.

Taking my time, I stood up. Though my legs throbbed, I easily put my weight on them. I’d gotten lucky—my muscles must not have sustained substantial injuries.

With unhurried steps, I made my way to the bathroom just outside my door and to the right and relieved myself. The toilet was between the tub and sink, so I was able to lean on both to lower myself and stand back up.

As I washed my hands, I stared in the mirror. My face was pale, and my eyes were sunken. I resembled death, but I still had a pulse, so that was something.

After wiping the drops of water from the dark-brown granite countertop, I chose not to return to the bed. Instead, I shuffled toward the kitchen, needing something to eat.

As I stepped down the hallway, I noticed Zeke and Tina’s bedroom door was cracked open. A box sat on the bed, and a picture had been left out on the foot of the bed. The beat-up box resembled one of the older boxes in the room I was sleeping in, so whatever was in there must have been important enough for him to take it.

I could hear Zeke and Tina in the kitchen, but I shuffled to the doorframe and narrowed my eyes to make out the figures in the picture.

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