Page 109 of Haze

In our suite, he sits on the floor in the most spacious part of the bedroom. I’m exhausted from making my wolf listen. I push her the last little bit to walk toward him. Our head drops toward the floor. That is, until she realizes my intent.

No, my wolf objects, putting our feet down outside of his reach. You are not shifting back. We are with our mate, and you refuse to listen. Until you see we need him, I stay.

I whine. No, come on. It’s so much more comfortable sleeping.

“She’s fightin’ you,” Finn observes correctly.

Even in this form, I feel the sludgy rolling fire of the unsettledness between us. It’s that taking-over feeling that I can’t settle. I can’t fight through.

She refuses to even inch closer to him.

If you go to him, he’ll pet us. He’ll hold us. I try appealing to our love for touch. Something we’re starved of, something that I know she craves. It’s no use. She won’t take a single step.

The molten turmoil inside us has fused us in place. I’m stuck in limbo. Even with her help, I’m not sure I could move. She’s absent and quiet.

“Oh, faolan. I can’t let her keep you this way,” Finn says sadly. “I don’t want to hurt you either. I know it will though.”

Chapter 36

Finn

Commanding Lena out of her wolf was my last resort. It was hard and painful for her. My heart wrenched watching her shift back. But sitting here on the edge of the bed with her in my lap, in front of her fireplace, reassures me she’s not hurting.

“Finn?” she whispers.

“Yes, faolan?” I answer, matching her tone.

Lena yawns. “You’re not moving in here or at my apartment.”

Where did that come from? I want to ask, but it’s not important. I’m willing to consider compromise. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

She doesn’t answer.

We will not be away from our mate. My wolf presses the subject.

We’ve always been territorial and possessive. Lena magnifies it.

“Oh, hey.” I adjust her ever so slightly, tipping her on my lap to fish my phone from my pocket. “Plants.”

Opening the screen, I bypass the messages from Cade and pull up the photos. The most recent ones are of her plant. I zoom in.

“Okay, so I watered it. The internet plant people said I needed to be sure the top dozen centimeters or so were dry before I watered it again and that it wanted to be watered thoroughly. So, I did until the water came out the drainage holes like it suggested online. And I rotated it because it seemed to be leaning a little bit.”

The silence is deafening.

I freeze. “Did I do it wrong?”

“No.” She shakes her head and nuzzles up against me. “I’ve never had someone take care of my plants.”

“Cade said to water it. So I thought it was something you did?” I squeeze her a little before melting into the comfort of her.

“I should clarify.” She pauses, her body relaxing into my touch. With a yawn, she finishes, “I’ve never had someone take care of my plants well.”

“Back to bed?” I ask, putting my other arm around her to better envelop her.

“Yeah.” Lena tries to pull herself off my lap.

Stopping her, I stand and bring her with me from the foot to the side of the bed before depositing her with great care onto it.

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