Page 43 of Caging Fire
“Do you remember anything?”
I thought hard, trying to hold on to the fragments of the dream as they slipped away, one by one.
“Eyes,” I said, unsure. Then, with more certainty, “Glowing eyes. And dead plants.”
I expected Cade to react like I was crazy. Glowing eyes? It sounded ridiculous, random, and surreal, like something out of a child’s nightmare. But when I looked at him, he wasn’t laughing. He was deep in thought, something shifting behind his eyes. He knew something he wasn’t telling me.
What did he know that I didn’t?
I didn’t bother asking. Cade only shared what he wanted, when he wanted. Keeping me in the dark was nothing new for him.
“Okay. Well, it’s late. You need to wake up soon and get ready for your appointment. Come here,” he said, holding out his arm so I could lay against his chest again.
I sank into him, grateful for the comfort, still feeling jarred by the lingering nightmare. He purred softly, stroking my hair, and despite the anxiety curling in my chest, my eyelids grew heavy. Sleep crept in again, dragging me back into its depths.
Chapter 25: Rowan
Iyawned, sinking into my mismatched chair at the dining table. Once again, I didn’t feel rested. The nightmare had kept me awake, just like it had been lately. I’d never had dreams like these until recently, and now they were coming more often, and becoming more vivid.
I couldn’t fully remember them when I woke, instead they lingered like ghosts in my mind. Maybe the trauma from being ripped from my life was finally taking its toll, but deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than that. That something was invading my dreams. The thing was reaching for me, calling out.
The delicious smell of bacon drifted through the air, pulling me from my thoughts and making my stomach growl in anticipation. Cade was cooking, and everything he made was yummy. I watched him for a moment, moving around the kitchen with practiced ease, until he turned and studied me with concern.
“You okay, Rowan?” he asked.
Was he asking about the nightmare?
“Are you in any pain? I can get you some ibuprofen and ointment if you are.”
My face turned beet red.
He wasn’t asking about the dream.
He was asking because of last night. Because we’d been intimate. He was asking if he’d hurt me… down there.
I blushed.
He had taken my virginity.
An image of his corded arms caging me in and his skin glistening with sweat, flashed through my mind. I squeezed my legs shut.Not right now.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, shutting down the conversation just as Ryker stomped into the room and threw himself into the chair across from me in dramatic fashion.
Ryker was in a foul mood. He wasn’t his usual jovial trickster self. He took it upon himself to antagonize Cade every chance he could with openly combative comments. At one point he passed Cade in the kitchen, clipping him with his shoulder and muttering “asshole” under his breath.
Something told me he was feeling left out last night. After all, I was pretty sure his room shared a wall with Cade’s. There’s no way he couldn’t hear what we were doing.
The men were fighting, and I briefly considered how I could use Ryker’s jealousy and immaturity to my advantage. Maybe if I drove a wedge deeper between them, it would aid in my escape. While I’m sure it wouldn’t be that hard to do with Ryker, the brothers would prove difficult to divide. We sat at the table, eating our scrambled eggs in awkward silence.
Finally, Cade, fed up with Ryker’s brooding, combative attitude, addressed it.
“Ryker, do you plan on acting like a child all day?”
“I don't know, Cade.Maybe.Maybe I’ll act like thisfor-fucking-ever,considering you took it upon yourself to fuck our virgin omega without the rest of us!” he said, crossing his arms and pouting.
Great, so they all knew I was a virgin.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his immature behavior.I knew it!He was jealous.
