Page 23 of Prodigal Son

“Fine. But you will give us those five minutes to speak privately.”

Adam’s eyes lit with fury and he growled, shoving past Cain to leave the house.

“He’s angry,” she admitted, without meeting Cain’s eyes.

Her hand gripped the molding and he rushed up the stairs. “You need to rest.”

She flinched away from his touch and her distrust cut deep, but she was too weak to refuse his help. Escorting her back to the bed, he gently helped her recline and covered her with a blanket. The room smelled of blood and soap.

“Are you in pain?”

She glanced up at him. “You know I am.”

“I’m so sorry, Annalise.”

She sighed and looked away.

He grasped her arm gently and led her back to bed. “Do you hate me?

“No, but I’m angry.” She finally met his gaze. “I nearly lost my baby, Cain. I could feel his soul being pulled from my womb.” Her normally pink lips were white as she forced the words out, fighting dearly to hold onto her composure, as tears welled in her eyes.

“Please don’t cry.”

“How could you have been so reckless? If I lost my child because of your actions, I’m not sure I could ever forgive you. Do you understand what I’m telling you, Cain? Never. And we both know that Adam would not.”

Her declaration was a hot blade cauterizing the hollow part of his soul. He was empty. He understood that having a mate meant putting her safety above all else, including his own. Adam was right. He needed to leave them in peace. “I understand.”

He had sacrificed everything, the highest honored gift among immortals, for his brother and Anna, but that wasn’t enough. An eternal life sentence of a lonesome existence where he was a pariah among his own family was all he had left. Cain had no one waiting on him, nor would he ever.

His heart constricted. If not a mate and if not a warrior dedicated to protecting The Order, then what was he? What purpose did he serve? Such a useless existence with no sight of a hopeful future was enough to make a male want to end it all. Yet, there again, he could not give up on life, for fear of taking innocent Annalise with him.

There was nothing more for him to say. “Just tell me you’ll be all right and I will leave you in peace.”

“I will be, but I’m not yet.”

“What will it take for you to forgive me?”

“Cain, it felt like a thousand heart attacks paired with the fear of having my unborn child ripped away from me. The horror of not knowing what was hurting me or how to stop it…” She shut her eyes as a tear slipped past. “That sort of trauma takes time to heal.”

“I’m so sorry, Anna. You didn’t deserve any of this.” Any acceptance of his apology would have been forced and false at that time, so he stood, emotion clogging his throat. “Rest and be well.”

He would not contact her again, not even in his sleep. From here on, he would leave her be unless she decided otherwise.

He didn’t see Adam as he left the house, but he was sure his brother sensed him go. Cain’s quick, heavy steps carried him toward the barn. The first act of contrition would be fully healing himself so that Anna no longer suffered his aches and pains.

As he ducked into the shade of an empty stall, he slammed his fist against a heavy support beam, rattling the structure. His head came up quickly when a soft feminine gasp sounded from the shadows. Could nothing go right for him?

“Cain? Is that you?” a delicate voice called.

He squinted through the shadows. “Hope? What are you doing here?”

“My father sent me to retrieve a tool that Adam said he could borrow, and I got side tracked with the animals.” She held the device in her petite hand. “I didn’t know you were back.”

Her pale skin held no imperfections, her hair the color of wheat. She was typically pleasant company, but he didn’t feel like being social. “I just got home.”

She set down the tool and closed the distance, pressing her palms into his chest. “Was it dangerous out there?”

The disquiet of his mind needed silencing. Taking her wrist in hand, he tugged her further into the shadows. She followed willingly.

---