Chapter 410 Chapter 410
Noah perched on the windowsill and watched her. Shaelan was checking her throat and ankle again. He didn’t know what she was putting on it, but the stench he’d be able to taste for days at least. Everyone had come back except Calum—who was on the phone. Noah was trying to avoid the sad looks Kobie kept giving him, so he watched Emersyn instead.
She was doing a good job hiding how freaked out she was right now, but Noah saw every nervous twitch and how she flinched when anyone in the room moved. Tomorrow it would hit her, the fact that she was really free. If he remembered right, the nightmares held off for about a week—right after the exhausted sleeping phase wore off.
He hoped, for her, she was spared them. How anyone could make a new life and put all that out of their mind, he didn’t know—but he wished it for her. The nightmares and fear of sleeping to go away. He hoped for his mind to let it go and not fill his head with thoughts of worthlessness and defeat. Those thoughts came to him hundreds of times a day, and functioning like they weren’t happening was draining, emotionally and physically.
Emersyn was doing great, but he saw all the little tells that marked her as both a victim and survivor. He knew her only chance at a semi-normal life was if she had her daughter, and he was going to do that for her. He was going to do that for Carlene because the compassionate little girl he remembered who talked to flowers and wild creatures would want that from him.
“Sorry,” Calum came into the room, “Illias called with information, and I had to go over it with Devin.” He turned and looked at Emersyn. “He found your clan. You’re originally from an island in South America. Your parents and brothers are still there.”
Noah watched relief fill her, but it was brief.
“The problem being,” Calum continued, “is if we reach out to them, we run the risk of alerting those that are working for the very people we’re trying to shut down.”
“Don’t contract them.” Emersyn blurted out, “I can’t—I don’t,” she looked down at her hands, “it’s safer for everyone if you don’t,” she looked back at Calum, “for now.”
Calum nodded slowly, “that leaves the issue of where to send you.”
“Send me?” Emersyn looked from Calum to Blair, then Noah, “I’m not going anywhere until my daughter is found.” She motioned her hand to encompass the room, “if you’re finding Aspyn, then I’m staying with you.”
“It might be easier for you if you went to the campground where Rayne…”
“I’m not going to another camp.” She gave Blair a hard look.
“What about Ed’s?” Calum looked to Blair.
Noah scowled, “you plan on tossing her into the bunkhouse with all of us men?”
“She can use one of the guardhouses at our place,” Kobie glanced up at Blair, “then she’s with her own kind at least,” she gave Emersyn a welcoming smile, “there’s lots of room to run when you decide to shift.”
The mere mention of shifting made her stiffen.
“It’s a bit chaotic there,” Blair spoke in a soft tone while looking at his mate, “especially with all the extra families now and kids…”
“There’s children?” Emersyn looked at Kobie quickly, “other children for Aspyn to play with would be wonderful.”
“Then it’s decided.” Kobie gave Blair a big smile and then looked at Calum. “She’s coming with us.”
Noah watched Blair’s expression change from shock to contemplation. There were so many people there now. Noah volunteered to do menial things around Ed’s to avoid being on the task force at Blair’s while construction and endless chattering people were. “It’s a bit,” he caught the warning look Blair gave him, “busy over there.” He motioned to Emersyn, “it might be overwhelming.” He knew at first, that he couldn’t do a lot of people, still couldn’t some days.
“Oh,” Shaelan turned to Blair, “you could move the trailer Jesse used to the back by the trees.”
Blair rubbed his hand over his hair, “that would save kicking Cale out of his place.”
“As long as I can be outside, I will be fine.”
Noah watched Emersyn as she said it. He knew all about closed-in spaces and how bad the demons of the past were if it was dark and had no windows.
“Okay. Now that we’ve settled that.” Calum glanced at Blair again, with amusement in his eyes. “Let’s figure out where your daughter is.” He gave Emersyn a slow appraising look, “why was she taken? How long ago?” His expression softened, “anything you can remember might be relevant.”
Emersyn clutched one of the pillows to her chest, Noah wasn’t sure if it was out of fear or comfort, but his cat stirred inside him showing concern. Noah clenched his jaw and tried to communicate that now was not the time to have an opinion.
“He thought I was,” Emersyn swallowed and gasped a breath like she was struggling to remember how to breathe, “he thought I was purposely doing something to prevent my cycle—because I’ve never had one.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Kobie stood up, “there’s no way to prevent it,” she scowled, “if there were, I’d know.”
Blair smirked.
“Bad living conditions, inadequate diet, and poor health seem to be common with those we’ve found that have never had their cycle.” Shaelan said in a matter-of-fact tone, “that’s likely the reason,” she assured Emersyn.
“I tried to tell him it wasn’t anything I was doing.”
“Him?” Noah said it out loud without meaning to.
Emersyn turned to him, and he could see the fear in her eyes before she said his name. “Lindon.” The sorrow in her eyes felt like it was burning all the way to his soul—if he had one. “He-he,” she turned to look at Blair, “looks a lot like you.”
The change in Blair’s demeanor was immediate and severe, it sucked all the air out of the room. “He was my brother.” He spat.
“Was?” Her voice cracked with emotion. “He’s dead?”
Blair held her look, “I killed him for crimes against our kind and killing our parents.”
“He’s dead.” She whispered. Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked around at each person in the room.
Noah felt his blood heating with fury as he watched her. Was she going to miss him?
“He’ll never be back.” She closed her eyes and leaned back, exhaling a loud and very audible breath.
Relief. Noah took a quick breath and blew it out to settle himself. Not miss him. Relief that he’s gone.