Page 51 of Calypso's Shield
Those words cut deeper than any bullet ever could.
She might be tough as hell, but even she can’t hide how wrecked she is. She tries to act like she has it under control, throwing out sharp comments and half-smirks like armor, but I see it. The flicker of fear in her eyes, the hesitation in her voice when she told me about what having Lupus meant for the pregnancy.
I’ve been shot, broken bones, lost blood in the streets. None of that shit even comes close to the fear curling like barbed wire in my gut. This isn’t something I can put a bullet in. This isn’t a fight I know how to win. I can’t fix this and that thought alone makes me want to burn the whole fucking world down.
I stand outside the Clubhouse, my boots grinding into the pavement, fists clenched at my sides. The night air is cool, but it doesn’t do shit to ease the fire burning under my skin. I should be in there with her, holding her, telling her it’ll be okay. But I needed a goddamn minute to breathe because I’m fucking terrified.
A flick of a lighter snaps me out of my thoughts. Blayze leans against the wall beside me, cigarette dangling from his lips. He watches me through the smoke, his expression unreadable. “You look like you’re about to punch through a wall.”
I exhale sharply. “Feels about right.”
He takes a long drag before speaking. “So, she told you?”
I nod, my jaw locking tight. “Yeah. She told me.”
Silence stretches between us. He doesn’t push or ask if I’m okay because he knows I’m not. “She’s a fighter, Law Dog,” he finally says. “She’s not gonna go down without one.”
I scrape a hand through my hair. “She shouldn’t have to fight at all.”
Blayze scoffs. “You think you can protect her from this?”
I snap my head toward him, my rage bubbling just beneath the surface. “I protect what’s mine.”
Blayze shakes his head. “This isn’t a gunfight, brother. You can’t just shoot the problem and call it a day.” I know that. That’s the worst fucking part.
Calypso isn’t just my woman anymore, she’s carrying my kid. Every decision she makes from now on affects both of them. And Lupus? It’s a battle inside her own body, and I have no way to fight it for her but I’ll be damned if I let her fight it alone.
I push off the wall, turning toward the entrance. “I need to get back.”
Blayze doesn’t stop me. Just takes another drag and exhales. “Yeah, you do.”
The clubhouse is buzzing, people talking in low voices, but I don’t hear any of it. All I care about is the woman sitting on the couch, Allura beside her, the glow of the lamp casting shadows across her face.
She’s paler than she should be, dark circles under her eyes, but the second she looks up at me, there’s fire there.
My chest tightens. She’s mine. My fighter. My woman.
I drop onto the couch beside her, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck, my thumb brushing her pulse. “We need to talk.”
Allura sighs and stands. “I’ll give you two a minute.”
The second she’s gone, Calypso shifts, angling her body toward me, her lips pressing together. She’s bracing for a fight.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her, voice rough. “I need you to know that.”
She exhales, her fingers resting on my knee. “I didn’t think you would.”
“Good.” I nod, then lower my voice. “But you need to be honest with me from now on. No more fucking secrets.”
Her throat bobs. “I wasn’t trying to shut you out, Farris.”
“I don’t care what you were trying to do,” I cut in. “That’s not how this works. We’re in this together, whether you like it or not.”
Calypso watches me for a long moment, then finally nods. “Okay.”
But before I can say anything else, Allura storms back into the room, her expression deadly serious. “We’ve got a problem.”
I’m already on my feet, instinct kicking in. “What now?”
