Page 48 of Redeem Me
Chapter 37
Jade
We had moved to the main house, where Damian was staying. Somehow the rest of the compound we had been living in had been set on fire too. I wondered if it was Micah’s farewell gift. I knew he was gone for good as soon as he left. It hurt but I knew he had to get out. The plan had gone horribly wrong and I couldn’t imagine living with that guilt.
Besides Bee, twelve others had died in the explosion because of the building falling on them or the fire. We were two of the lucky ones.
I tried to remind myself of that every time I looked at Lucas. He had suffered a bad head injury and a concussion but other than that he was fine. I had needed six stitches on the top of my head because the amount of wolfsbane in the air had been toxic. That was another reason four wolves had died. They had been too close to it when it exploded.
Lucas was laying on the plush canopy bed reading a magazine when our routine watch came through the door to do an inspection. He checked under the beds, behind the curtains, and in the bathroom before he marched out. He wore a ski mask and didn’t speak to us. None of the guards were permitted to speak to us and now we hardly had a chance to be alone or speak quietly. If we got too close, a guard marched in to separate us. My skin crawled with the thought of it. There was nothing more I hated than Damian.
I had hated Rafe. I had hated how he had taken my choice away from me. I had hated his smirking face and his taunting. But now? Now all I hated was being under Damian’s thumb and he enjoyed it too. He always wore a little knowing smile when I saw him. But he never asked. He never asked if I had planned the explosion until one evening when I was eating lunch on the balcony outside of my room. I had already checked to see if I could jump off of it, but it had a magical forcefield surrounding it.
I took a bite out of my sandwich as he came out. He sat in the metal patio chair beside me and we watched as the rain poured from the heavens and bounced off of the magic surrounding us. It was like we were in our own little bubble.
“Did you plan it?” His voice came out quiet, unsure.
“Plan what?” I asked confused. I really had no idea what he was talking about.
“The explosion?”
“No, I didn’t. Everything about that day makes me sick.”
A guard I hadn’t realized was behind us spoke up. “Truth.”
“What?” I asked.
“I brought a wolf with me to tell me if you were lying or not.”
I nodded my head. It was to be expected and I was thankful that I hadn’t been included in that day. I felt guilty enough over it. I shouldn’t have tried anything or thought about trying anything when it meant another person would get hurt. Now I had several deaths on my hands, even if I wasn’t the one that planned it. I chewed a few more bites of my sandwich before I placed my plate on the iron table between us. The wolfsbane coated my tongue and I had the urge to throw up all the food I had eaten. I was back to being fed wolfsbane with every meal. Would this interrogation change anything? I doubted it, Damian was on edge. He was extra jumpy. A bird squawked in the distance and he about jumped out of his skin.
“Are you okay?” I asked as his head twitched.
He ran his hands down his thighs before he shot me a dazzling smile. “Yes, of course. There have just been some hiccups lately. Nothing I can’t fix.”
I nodded my head and watched the mountains. The previous day there had been deer feeding in the distance. This had become my happy place. Lucas didn’t even bother me when I came out here to eat the poison they called meals.
I stayed out on the balcony until the sun dipped down and disappeared for the night. I tucked my legs beneath myself as the night grew chilly and I wished I had my sweater.
Right on cue, Lucas came out with a blanket. He wrapped it around my shoulders before he sat down beside me. “Do you think Micah is okay?”
It seemed like a safe enough question. I reached out between us and pulled his hand into mine. We threaded our fingers together and I shrugged. “I really don’t know.”
We lapsed back into a safe silence before he got up and scooted his chair closer to mine. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I snuggled into the crook of his arm. His warmth spread into me and I sighed in contentment. “Do you think we will be here forever?”
Lucas rested his chin on top of my head. “I think Damian will get bored of you by then.”
“He mentioned that I have a mate,” I hadn’t said it out loud until that moment. I had a mate out there somewhere.
“I figured you did,” He ran his hands over the tops of my arms. “All the best ones do.”
I poked him in the ribs. “You have a mate out there too.”
His chest vibrated with a hum. “I don’t know. I would like to think so. Before I was a wolf, the thought of having a mate terrified me. Now the thought isn’t so bad. Maybe it will be someone that is everything I’m not. Strong and courageous.”
I rolled my eyes and poked him again. “You are those things.”
He shrugged. “My dad never thought so.”
