Blood Legacy

20

"Oh, so we're friends again?" It sure seemed like he had been siding with Kai the last time we talked.

He grimaced. "Yeah, I'm sorry for being an ass." I was thankful that we were fine now.

"If it wasn't for her, Micah wouldn't be alive right now." Kai gave me a sad smile.

"Wait. You saved one of those asshole heirs that beat your brother up?" Tripp's brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Because it was the right thing to do. And to be honest, everyone deserves a second chance." Maybe if he had killed my brother, I'd have felt differently … but thankfully, I didn't have to worry about that. "And he was there to save me. He could've let the wolf he was attacking get me, but he didn't."

"Only because of Liam." Kai frowned.

"Yeah, but so what? He still didn't have to come." That also applied to Simon even though he had to be half crazy. There was no telling what he had gone through while being raised by one of the council members. A while ago, I'd started to see that the heirs weren't raised by loving and caring fathers. Now that I thought about it, I'd never seen nor heard mention of their mothers. "This is kind of random, but why don't you guys ever mention your mom?"

"That, my friend, is a sad story." Bree sat back in her seat and frowned. "Mom isn't the most loving. She's either at home in her room away from us or out with her friends. The only time she comes around is for events where she is required to be present with Dad." Bree sighed. "She wasn't really around to raise us. Dad wanted the responsibility."

"Why does it have to be one or the other?" Tripp seemed to be hanging on her every word.

The heirs were viewed as strong and mysterious. We were getting a glimpse behind the veil.

"You have to understand the council members. All four of them," Bree said as she rubbed her hands together, "they refused their fated mates and forced a mate bond with women that they didn't care for. It was so the females didn't have any control over them. Most of the women, including my mother, weren't in it for raising a family. They were only in it for the benefits it gives them, and all they had to do was pop out an heir and a spare."

"I hadn't ever really thought about it that way, but you're right. It's almost like you're royalty." They'd need a spare in case something happened to the firstborn.

"Is your relationship with your mom that way?" Tripp focused on Kai.

"No, my mom is just as involved in my life as my dad." Kai shrugged his shoulders. "Even though they aren't fated, they still love each other. But I'm not an heir like those four are."

In times like these, it was crazy to think I was an heir to the council as well. I grew up so removed from this world, but I was learning more and more that was a good thing.

The front door opened, and Liam walked in, carrying the pizza with Evan right behind him.

As Liam headed to the kitchen to put the pizzas on the table, Evan closed the door and came straight to me.

"Let me take a look." His hands went to my shoulder and gently moved my shirt to the side. He looked at the bandage and frowned. "We need to change it out." Evan pulled out a bandage from his pocket and surgical tape.

Bree's mouth dropped open.

Liam walked back into the room with two plates of food and two bottles of water. He placed the drinks and plates on the table as Evan began carefully removing the tape.

"So we can touch her now?" Kai's eyes widened in surprise.

"He is helping her. However, you still have feelings for her." Liam's voice was raspy. "I really appreciated all of your help finding her, and that's why you're here. If it weren't for you, things could have turned out much differently. But let's not push anymore right now. I can only take so much." "That's fair." Kai sucked in a deep breath.

My heart melted at Liam's words.

Soon, Evan removed all of the dressing and looked at my wound. "It's finally stopped bleeding." "Shouldn't she be healing faster than that?" Bree leaned over so she could see my injury.

"Yeah, but it’s in the same place that Simon hurt her. Plus, we had to dig the bullet out, so it's a pretty extensive injury to a previously injured area." He gently put another large bandage over it and began taping it up.

Even though he was being careful, it still hurt as he messed with it.

"How do you know all this?" Tripp pursed his lips as he watched.

“I’m majoring in pre-med.” Evan put my shirt back in place and picked up the dirty bandage and tape from the chair. “So, I at least know the basics.” He headed into the kitchen without another word. Turning the water on, he washed his hands.

You need to eat. Liam picked up both plates from the table and handed me one as he sat on the floor next to my recliner. Do you need anything else?

No, thank you. I used my right hand to eat so I didn't move the left one quite as much.

Evan entered the room again a few seconds later with his own plate and a bottle of medicine. "Here, it's time for your medicine too. Try to eat a little bit before taking it though. Your stomach could get upset."

A grin spread across Bree's face as she sat back and watched.

I took the pill and frowned. It was both a blessing and a curse. The last time I had to drink so much coffee to stay awake. “I don’t want to get sleepy again. I feel like all I've done is sleep for the last few days.”

“You need your rest.” Evan sat in front of the table and pointed at me. “You’ll heal faster that way.”

“Fine.” The pain was coming back with a vengeance, so it didn’t take too much coaxing on his part. I popped the pill in my mouth and took a sip of water.

There was silence until Bree stood up and waved to the guys. “I’m starving. Let’s grab some food too.”

I enjoyed the quiet of the moment as the six of us settled in for a quick meal.

IT WASN'T LONG before my eyes grew heavy and I laid my head back on the headrest.

We need to get you to bed. Liam placed his plate back on the coffee table and stood up at the same time as Kai and Tripp.

"Thanks for dinner, but I think we’d better leave." Kai smiled at me. "You look like you might pass out any moment just sitting there."