Page 129 of Fated In Forever
“Don’t worry,” I told him, cutting him off with a wave of my hand. “I’ve been called far worse, and besides,” I bumped shoulders with him, “we might be related one day, right?”
“I highly doubt it,” Eldric groaned, running a hand through his long red hair, leaving it disheveled. “I went to rescue Angel, and got captured, then became another threat for you to worry about. Some protector I turned out to be.”
Sylvester elbowed me out of the way and peered at Eldric’s smashed in face. “Your arm’s healing, but I have to straighten this before the bones grow together. Take a deep breath and I’ll count to three. One, two…” Sylvester wrenched Eldric’s nose back into the center of his face, a fresh burst of blood splattering across my shirt.
“Sorry,” the old healer said, not sounding sorry at all.
“You saidthree,” Eldric complained, sounding much less nasally. “You lied.”
“Sue me for malpractice, see if I care.” Sylvester took one last, scathing look at the both of us and headed toward one of Finn’s guards, who looked like he’d walked into some sort of nasty magical booby trap at the compound.
“And here I thought it was only me he didn’t like.” I leaned forward, choosing my words carefully. “Eldric, what happened in the bunker wasn't your fault. They drugged you because they knew you were dangerous.”Okay, sothat was only partly true. “But here's the thing—Angel doesn't need a hero.”
That was totally true.
“She needs you to be her friend. To listen. Someone who stands beside her, not in front of her.” I smiled gently. “Trust me, I know my sister. She's stronger than she looks, and she values loyalty over heroics any day.”
Something shifted in his expression, a spark of hope replacing the despair. “Are you sure?” He glared at Blake, who made some hand gesture that didn’t seem especially complimentary. “Because all the other males are such…”
“Ignore them. You’ll never be like them, andhonestly, I don’t know why you’d want to be like everyone else. You’re smart and kind and well read. You and Angel love all the same things. Like reading,” I prompted.
“And research and baking and cats.”
“Exactly.” I said brightly, hoping he wasn’t talking about baking cats. “So why don't you go talk to her?” I elbowed him in the side. “She's been asking about you, ever since she woke up.”
He stood slowly, straightening his shoulders, cleaning the dried blood off his face with his shirt, which didn’t help one bit. “I think I will.”
I snuck behind him, unable to resist seeing how this would play out. Angel’s face lit up when Eldric got close, her expression filled with genuine joy, eyes shining, like they used to when she was little.
Bex wove her way through the room until she was beside me, up on her tiptoes, neck craning. “Stop it,” I scolded, pulling her down. “You’re being too obvious. Fuck, Angel’s looking over here. Pretend you’re telling me a joke or something.”
“I don’t know any jokes.”
“I saidpretend,” I hissed, watching my sister pat the cushion beside her on the sofa. Eldric sat down, talking fast, waving his hands all over the place, like he just realized he had them.
“Oh, gods, that lookssoawkward. What is he doing with his hands, they look like they’re about to fly off the ends of his arms.”
“He’ll be fine.” I muttered. “Matchmaking at its finest.” I nudged her with my hip. “Let’s get closer. I want to hear what they’re saying.”
We found a quiet corner where we could hide in thecurtains, behind a half-dead fern, just out of my sister’s line of sight, but well within hearing range.
Eldric sat with his spine so straight, he looked like he was in traction. “Angel, I feel the need to apologize. What I did down there, what I said to you…”
“Was not your fault,” she interrupted firmly. “You were drugged, Eldric. We both were.”
“What do you think he said?” Bex whispered, craning her neck. “I’ll bet it was something mushy.”
“Regardless, I came to save you, and instead, I ended up chained up in the cell right beside you. My rescue mission was a total failure.”
She reached for Eldric’s hand, “Not a failure at all. Knowing you were there, knowing you’d come made me feel safe. Knowing youcaredmade me feel like I wasn’t alone. That's what I'll remember, Eldric.”
“Hey.” Blake said loudly, right behind us, Bex and I both jumping out of our skins. “What are you two doing hiding in the drapes?”
“Go away,” I whisper-yelled. “We’re in the middle of something here.”
“Oh, I see,” his shit-eating grin grew even bigger. “You’re spying on the lovebirds. How’s our boy doing? Not making a total ass of himself, I hope.”
“Speaking of ass…” I punched my mate in the shoulder. “Be nice.”
