Page 122 of The Piece You Stole

Although no one has told me what will happen when Rylan comes after me, they must know—or at least strongly suspect—it will happen soon for Kade, Aden, and Dariel to take turns staying up all night.

During the day, I sit on Kade’s bed with one of his old laptops, streaming movies while he makes me blush with innuendos so rude I can’t look him in the face. Or I sit on the kitchen counter and watch Aden cook.

No matter how many times I demand, plead, beg, or wheedle them to tell me about this plan they must have worked out while I was sleeping, they assure me all my focus should be on resting, eating, and healing. That they have everything in hand.

But I haven’t forgotten my dream about them dying, and I haven’t forgotten Rylan’s cruelty.

So, a week after I woke in the lilac bedroom, I peel my eyes open one morning to discover the yellow roses Sam bought me have died and take it as the omen it is.

Something bad is coming.

Since Aden stayed up all night to monitor the security cameras, I leave him to sleep and go to Kade’s room.

I stand at his doorway for a second, resting my cheek on his doorframe as I observe him staring at his laptop screen through narrowed eyes. “My roses died.”

“Flowers do that,” he murmurs as he moves the wireless mouse across the mat before tapping at the keyboard. “You hungry, angel?”

Eat, rest, sleep, and heal. Those are the only things he will talk about with me.

Is it even worth pushing him to talk when he’ll just tell me there’s nothing to worry about?

Probably not.

Straightening, I turn away. “I’m going back to bed.”

I crawl back under the covers and peer up at the bright white ceiling, conscious Kade has followed me to my bedroom and is standing at my door.

“It’s been two days. Cut flowers never last long,” he says.

I roll onto my side so I can see him. He has his arms folded over his black t-shirt as he props one shoulder on the doorframe and focuses tired gray eyes on me.

He looks tired all the time.

Even though they take turns staying up all night, it doesn’t look like Kade sleeps at all. I don’t think he’s lost weight, but his clothes are hanging looser on him than they did at the Cerberus. I’ve yet to see a shifter with under-eye bags, but if he pushes himself any harder, I have a feeling he will be my first.

“You’re staring.” His lips quirk in a half-smile. “Were you thinking about my—”

“You need to sleep more,” I say before he can distract me.

The hint of a smile playing on his lips fades, and he gazes at me with a seriousness I’d expect from Aden, not him. “I do, do I?”

I slip my right hand under my pillow and tuck my left under my cheek. Although the movement tugs on my left arm, the dull twinge is nothing like the pain I was in before. “You do.”

He must have heard what I said to Dariel in the garden, even if neither he nor Aden have brought it up. But as he peers down at me, my gut tells me he’s thinking about it now.

“You need to spend more time looking after yourself instead of me,” I tell him when he doesn’t respond.

“I look after myself.” He smiles as if he thinks I’m being ridiculous for even suggesting such a thing.

“Not well enough.” I tug my left hand from under my cheek and pat the space beside me. “You can sleep here if you want.”

I’ve never invited him to stay in my room before. When I have a nightmare, or I want to feel Kade’s arms around me, I go to his room, but he never comes to mine.

He winks. “You want to fuck, angel?”

“No,” I correct him gently. “I want you to sleep.”

A muscle in his cheek twitches, but he doesn’t move from the doorway. It’s as if there’s a force field keeping him across from me.

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