14.
1708 Words
CHAPTER 14
RINI POV
Lyall gave me a fierce look that clearly demanded I keep my mouth shut and nodded at Doc.
“Leave that to us, we will call you if we require any more assistance.”
“I’ll have the antibiotics and ointment ready to pick up first thing tomorrow morning. If you wanted to come and stay the night at the clinic you would be more than welcome.”
“We’ve got it covered,” Lyall told him firmly. “If you can get her stuff any earlier, text me and I’ll come get it right away.”
The doctor looked a bit hesitant to just leave me but Lyall’s power and authority was such that he really didn’t have a choice.
He settled for a brief nod at Lyall and then pulled something out of his pocket to hand to me.
“That’s my personal number,” he told me. “I want you to use it if you need anything alright? If your symptoms worsen I expect a call.”
I didn’t bother telling him I had no way to call him or that I was pretty sure the Luna was already going to punish me for having met with him. I offered a smile instead.
“Thank you so much for you time, I really appreciate it.”
He looked at me sharply, and I wondered if he picked up on the fact that I hadn’t agreed to call him, if maybe he was spymaster because he had gifts no one spoke about, gifts like mind reading.
“I’ll come and check on you tomorrow.”
“Oh that won’t be necess -“
He stopped me with a single look. “I’ll check on you tomorrow and then I will be seeing you each week. Please rest up.”
He gave a brief bow to Lyall and then he left… leaving us alone again.
And from Lyall’s casual stance against the wall, he had no intention of leaving any time soon.
Just great.
“Right, well thanks for everything today. I’ve got it from here, thank Rafe and Ralph for me too.”
Lyall’s eyebrow quirked. “Are you dismissing me?”
“Yes. I’m tired and want to be alone.”
“What about dinner?”
Anger filled me instantly. I knew this over protective caring was bullshit! As soon as he got the clear from the doctor that I was fine he was back to treating me like a slave, demanding I cook them dinner.
“I’m sure you can all fend for yourselves for one night,” I replied coldly. “Call for takeaway if you must, but I am going to bed, I think I’ve earned one day off.”
“No,” he said firmly.
“No?” I repeated, my hand actually twitching I wanted to hit him.
“No,” he said, stalking forward and caging me against him. “You are not going to bed, you are going to eat something, you’re going to redress your wounds and then you’re taking more pain meds.”
What?
“Y- you, you don’t want me to cook dinner for everyone?”
“f**k everyone else,” he snarled. “They aren’t my concern. You need to eat. I don’t know where you get those curves from but it certainly isn’t from nutrition, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat a full meal.”
A warmth fills my chest and because I refuse to analyse what it actually is, I cloak myself in anger and shove at him.
“When have you ever cared if I have eaten enough? Gotten enough sleep? Experienced even a glimpse of happiness?”
For a second I think I see guilt flicker in his eyes but it’s gone so quickly I’m sure I imagined it.
“We aren’t talking about the past,” he growls. “I’m telling you what’s going to happen going forward and you need to start f*****g listening.”
His lips are close enough that if I pressed forward woven a tiny bit I would feel them on my skin. His breath is minty and hot and he hasn’t even touched me and I am quivering, wet… wanting.
I hate it.
“Am I interrupting?”
I jump at the drawling voice that cuts through the tension but Lyall doesn’t move at all, acting like he has every right to be in my room, to be alone with me, to be this close to me.
“Lyall was just leaving,” I manage to croak.
Ralph laughs without any humour. “Is that what this is? Because to me, it looks like Lyall is getting ready to f**k you.”
I flush in embarrassment, and if I’m honest, excitement.
“No one is f*****g me!”
“Not today,” Lyall mutters and finally pulls away from me.“What’s going on brother?”
Ralph smirks. “I should be asking that. First Rafe destroys the towel rack in the bathroom in some sort of a rage, I just passed the good old Doc who looked a bit murderous himself and then the s****l tension is so thick in here I could choke… what have you been up to little Rabbit?”
Was he joking? How was any of this my fault?
“If you’ll recall,” I said through gritted teeth. “I never asked to be brought here, I never asked to be gift less and a burden, I didn’t ask any of you to pay attention to me… I didn’t ask for anything!”
“And yet you’ll take everything won’t you,” Ralph replied, a slight menace to his tone.
The twins were identical to everyone else and they loved to play the we are one person in two bodies thing but the truth was, out of the three of them, Ralph always always had been the most distant and at times the most dangerous.
He didn’t have Lyall’s imposing physique or overpowering Alpha aura and he put up a good front of being cheeky and carefree like Rafe was, but I knew better. Ralph had a casual cruelty to his gaze that I knew promised violence if pushed, he fought back a rage that burned so deeply within him I had always wondered who had stoked that flame, the flame that was now an inferno.
Of the three of them it was Ralph that watched me the most. Watched me when he didn’t think I noticed, when they had made a silent pact to ignore me, watched me even though he hated himself for it.
It was a game we played over the years. Ralph watching me and me doing all I could to act like I didn’t notice… that I didn’t care.
The problem was I just didn’t have the energy to play games right now, maybe not for awhile either. I really truly was exhausted to my bones and my head was really pounding again, trying to capture all of my attention.
“Please,” I whispered and it came out small, vulnerable. “You can go back to tormenting me tomorrow but for right now can you please just leave me alone? Please.”
They exchanged a loaded look, no doubt communicating silently.
Ralph finally broke the silence and moved forward to place something in my hands; a phone.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Aren’t you supposed to be stupid smart?” Ralph drawled. “Or are you just one of those things?”
“Why am I holding this?” I returned.
“It’s yours.” Ralph said simply.
“Mine?” I returned.
He just simply nodded.
“Why?”
“You don’t have one and as today has proven; you need one.”
“I have never had a phone,” I remind him. “I have been hurt before and it’s never changed that.”
“The polite thing to do would be to say thank you,” Ralph said, his eyes burning again.
“Thank you,” I bit. “But I don’t want it. Whatever this is going to cost me, I can’t afford it.”
Lyall stared at me like I was crazy, Ralph though? His eyes were ablaze and he moved so he now caged me in.
“This is a gift, I realise that concept is foreign to you and you can sleep well tonight knowing we all feel s**t about it. So take the goddamn phone, say thank you and stop being a brat.”
I wanted to snap back at him, hit him even but the pain in my head was making it almost impossible to focus on anything. I curled my hand around the phone clutching it tight in my hand and used everything I had not to scream in front of them, to show any more weakness than I already had.
“Thank you, this was thoughtful.” I bit out, proud of how steady my voice came out. “I really would just like to sleep if you could please just give me tonight. You can go back to tormenting me tomorrow I promise.”
They shared another long look before Lyall nodded, coming over to brush my wet hair out of my face with rough gentle hands.
“Do not leave this room without texting one of us,” he demanded. “Ralph has already programmed all the numbers you’ll need in them.”
I simply nodded, eager for this whole interaction.
Those gorgeous eyes gazed into my own for a few long moments and when they appeared satisfied with what they found, he gave a small nod and then left, closing the door behind him.
It confused me for a moment until I realised Ralph was no where to be seen.
He must have slipped out without me noticing. Rude but also, thank god.
I counted to 60 in my head to allow them time to climb the stairs and get some distance from me, as soon as I hit 60 I curled into a ball, shoving the pillow in my mouth to try and stifle my scream.
- Writer
