He turns me and washes my back. Taking off the spray handle, he even cleans my sore, irritated butt while I sniffle and cry.
He turns me back around and then starts to wash vigorously, stepping out of the spray while he soaps up. Unlike when he washed me, he's not gentle with his own skin. Even when he scrubs his rock-hard erection, he's rough. I have to bite my tongue to keep from asking him to stop. Or worse, asking if I can take over and do the job. Goddess, I'm a mess.
He rinses, pink water running down the drain, all while making sure I stay under the warm spray, too. "Good,Nene?" he asks me.
I nod, miserable.
Carmichael shuts the water off and wraps a towel around me. Once again, when he dries himself off, it's with an almost angry-fast motion.
"Hurry," he says abruptly. "Cassidy needs me."
We walk out, and I nearly trip over my own two feet when I see Miranda and Rique standing over Cassidy.
"She'll be fine," Miranda announces. She is gently spooning a liquid into Cassidy's mouth. "She'll have a headache for a few hours, at most."
Carmichael walks over and gently kisses my sister's cheek. "Check Mattie, too,si?" Ignoring me, he goes to the bed and starts to strip the sheets off. I swallow the vomit rising in my throat. He hates me. It's my fault Cassie is hurt.
I feel warm as Miranda smiles knowingly at me. "Here, let's put some cream on those scratches, alright?"
"Need a match?" Rique asks with a cruel smirk. I can't look at the male I've been crushing on for weeks. Two reasons; he's not my mate, and I've never seen him so cruel.
"Si, you have one?" Carmichael finishes stripping the sheets and walks over to the fireplace. Both males stuff them inside the small, grey-stoned space, along with my clothes and Cassie's. The flames eat away at the cloth quickly. It's the first time I've had a fire in the fireplace. It's probably the only time I'll have a fire burning in there. I thought it was unusual for an apartment like this to have a real fireplace, but the apartment's previous owner wanted a real one.
When Dylan groans, I freeze, but Rique swiftly kicks him in the head with his heavy boot, silencing him.
The casual cruelty, as well as burning my sheets, is all I can think about for a minute.
Miranda finishes tending to my injuries. "Here, Mattie. Go sit with Cass for a bit, OK? I need to take a look at our other wolf over here."
I blink and see Gio, bleeding from two holes in his chest. He's lying on the tile floor of the kitchen, surrounded by towels. He wasshot; oh goddess, Dylan shot him.
Why not take care of Gio first? He was the most seriously injured. I only had scratches. Not willing to argue, I sit down next to Cassie. She curls into me, resting her sore head on my shoulder, but for once, I don't reciprocate the embrace.
Dread is filling me. I watch in silence as Rique and Miranda clean up the mess in the apartment. More wolves come. A grim-faced José and a male I don't recognize take Dylan away after talking to Carmichael in low voices. A she-wolf comes and takes Gio away.
When Miranda and Rique leave an hour later, only the three of us are left in the apartment. Cassidy is stirring, still a little bleary from whatever Miranda gave her.
Carmichael is standing at the fireplace, staring down at the black ashes. When he looks up, his eyes are so bright it hurts to look at him.
"We all need to talk," he says.
Despair, it's all I feel.
---
Carmichael
I have twin mates. Two omegas. My mates. My female... and my male.
I clench my right hand into a fist as I lean against the mantle. My head is spinning. There's so much shit to shovel here that I don't know where to begin.
I tap out a rhythm on my leg. A lullaby Lily used to sing to me, I realize.
"Carmichael?" my female calls for me, and I'm helpless to resist. Turning, I look at her. Caramel eyes hold nothing but pain and confusion. I can't even look at the ugly wound on her head without bloodlust threatening to take over. My sweet omega was brutalized. It feels like my alpha-wolf is breathing fire. The fury is consuming, and I know that the male who hurt my omegas will suffer for a long, torturous time. I can't wait to make him pay.
I tear my eyes off of Cassidy to look at her brother. There is a look of complete terror in his eyes. The same beautiful eyes as his sister. Matt. This is Mattie.
Two mates.