Page 32 of Wrath
Wyatt stumbled into the living room where Alek, Vooyek and Roksana had turned off the music and put on a home video. The room was a little musty, but lived in. Comfortable.
Feeling out of place, Wyatt stood at the arched doorway to watch. On screen, a heavily pregnant blond woman was fluttering around an outdoor table, helping two young girls shell beans into a red pot. Every few moments, she would rub her belly and Roksana would rub Alek on the head. There was a male voice in the background of the movie—probably Vooyek on the camera. One of the girls looked around five years old, probably Roksana, and the eldest, was perhaps eight or nine, making that girl a young Misha. Wyatt smiled as the girl chewed on her frizzy ends, then spat out her hair to make room for a bean.
“This is my favorite bit,” Roksana murmured from the sofa.
When Wyatt looked back at the screen, the girls screamed, the camera wobbled in a frenzy as something was happening. A bird had tried to peck at Roksana’s hand to get to the beans, but Misha had protected her with a broomstick handle, swatting at the cheeky bird until it flew away. Their mother cooed to the girls, and hugged them.
“No need to fear. As long as your sister is here, she will protect you.”
The camera panned out to a full-length shot of the wild, young Misha standing proud, holding her broom with dignity.
A sigh next to Wyatt drew his attention. Misha had come from the kitchen. His gaze darted back to where Roksana, her father and Alek were beaming at the screen. Their expressions were the polar opposite of Misha's. Her face was full of something other than happiness—concern, perhaps. Duty. Dread, maybe?
“She died in childbirth,” Misha whispered to Wyatt. “We miss her incredibly.”
Died in childbirth. So, not long after that video which made the mother’s declaration about protection something Misha took seriously, perhaps to the point of getting herself involved with the wrong people. The memory of Misha arguing with Dimitri outside the restaurant came to mind. There were things she wasn’t telling the rest of the family, and while they seemed to believe their involvement with that man was done, Misha didn’t appear so sure.
She picked up the remote and turned the video off. “Come on guys, Wyatt doesn’t want to see soppy old family videos. Let’s put on a movie that we all like.”
Alek’s eyes lit up, and he launched to the DVD collection on a shelf next to the TV, almost tripping over his own feet.
Wyatt snorted.Who watches DVDs these days?But just as quickly as the sarcastic thought rose, he stifled it down. There was no place for it there. Instead, he forced himself to sit down on the vacant two-seater sofa and settled in.
Alek pulled out theDie HardDVD and showed it to Wyatt for approval.
Wyatt smirked at the kid, then punched his fist to his heart in a classic gangsta show of solidarity:A man of my own heart.
A blush stained Alek’s cheeks as he set the disc in the player and they settled in to watch. A few minutes later, Misha came back and handed everyone a plate of food, then lodged herself next to him to eat. When her bare feet shoved underneath his thighs, and stayed there, he arched an eyebrow at her.Make yourself at home, why don’t you.
“What,” she mumbled through a mouthful of food. “I get cold feet.”
She promptly ignored him and went back to the movie. As if it weren’t a huge deal that her cold feet burned a hole through his jeans. As if she didn’t feel the connection of their bodies. As if she didn’t know what her touch was doing to him.
When he finished his meal, unable to help himself, he set aside his plate and pulled her feet onto his lap where he warmed them with his palms. The adoring look she cast his way made it worth it.
* * *
It was almostmidnight when Wyatt got back to his borrowed apartment. He felt more at peace than he had in a long time. Good food, good company, and… he felt good. There was no other way around it. Not once had he accidentally destroyed something with his new power. Alek had even taught Wyatt a few basic sign language movements. He now knewThank you, Yes, No, I love you… That last one was awkward, but Alek had insisted teaching it. In return, Alek had asked Wyatt to teach him some self-defense moves. He wanted to be like John McLain fromDie Hard. No one in the family had objections, so Wyatt, already a little buzzed from a few more vodka shots, taught Alek how to block an attack.
Still thinking about how well Alek had responded to teaching, Wyatt pulled his shirt and pants off, then got into the bed. Before he shut the light off, he checked his Yin-Yang tattoo, marking its perfect symmetry and balance with an odd sense of pride.
Sara had never given him this sort of peace. With her, it had always been as though he was afraid to mess up. She’d kept their apartment in perfect order—towels lined up, can labels facing the front. There had been a sense that something would always be around the corner, something to mess up the order.
Evan was right. Being around his mate, even just enjoying her company and having her feet shoved under his thighs for warmth, was a soothing experience. He felt replenished and rejuvenated, ready to take on the world.
Wyatt scrubbed his face. He’d just called her his mate. Wow. He didn’t even mince words or skirt around it.Mate. Like two animals in the wild. Not just any mate, but a fated one. One in billions.Mate. He said it a few more times in his head to test it out. Each time he conjured a visual of Misha’s heart-shaped face and bright cupid’s bow lips. She always had a rosy look about her, bright eyes and a happy vibe. Little pink nose.
Yawning, he drifted.
He almost missed the sound of the door opening until someone came tip-toeing in.
With a profound sense of déjà vu, Wyatt tensed. Was she drunk again?
“Wyatt?” she whispered loudly. “Are you awake?”
He turned the bedside lamp on, careful not to crush it.
She stood before the closed door, still wearing her attire from the day. The same clothes she’d peeled off before they’d—heat flushed his skin as he remembered what an asshole he’d been, rutting her like a wild animal in this very bed. He caught her worried gaze.
