Page 57 of Unmasking Her Shadow

“Sam, it’s going to be a madhouse there. You’ll have better luck waiting here with me,” she shouts, but I’m already out the door.

Me: Green. Green. Fucking Green.

Marlene was right. The hospital is a madhouse not just with patients but with reporters as well. Nobody will take the time to talk to me. I finally spot a familiar face and zone in on him. What’s his name? What’s his name? Greg…Gage…Gar…..GARRETT!

“Garrett, PLEASE don’t shrug me off. Is Ki or Ryker here?”

“They’re on the second floor,” he clips, placing his hand on my shoulder as he moves me to get past.

I jog to the elevator and press the button repeatedly until the doors finally close. They are at the hospital, so that means they were hurt. But how hurt? “Nurses’ station…nurses’ station,” I mumble under my breath while speed-walking around corners. Why is this such a maze? To disorient patients so they don’t leave?

“Kioni Hayes,” I blurt out when I spot someone in scrubs. “Can you tell me if she’s here?” I beg.

“Sam?” A male voice comes from behind me. I turn to find Ryker walking down the hall.

“Oh, thank God, you’re okay!” I meet him halfway and wrap my arms around him in brief relief, and then pull away to look up at him. “Where’s Kioni?”

“I’m right here, love.” I hear her voice before I see her.

She has a small bandage on the side of her forehead, but otherwise looks unharmed. She’s okay. I run to her and wrap my arms around her neck, and she lifts me into her arms, squeezing me back.

“I was so scared,” I admit, not letting her go even though we are making a scene.

“I’m sorry, pup, I didn’t have my phone and was forced to come to the hospital afterwards.”

“Are you hurt?” I pull back just enough to look over her face and rest my forehead against hers.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” she assures me, and I smash my lips to hers.

She kisses me back with urgency, and when we come up for air, I give her everything…“Green.”

A smile spreads across her beautiful face, and she kisses me until Ryker coughs, “Ahem,” to get our attention. I unwrap myself from around her, and she puts me down, threading her fingers through mine.

I squeeze her hand and rest my head on her shoulder as we walk out of the hospital to my car. We get food and then stop by my house to pick up Nyx and an overnight bag for both of us. We will stay the night with Kioni and Ryker. Nyx more like grunts instead of growls when she jumps into the backseat with Ryker. Like she’s annoyed to be sharing space with anyone but her mommy. He’s extra still in the back seat because every time he moves too quickly, her head jerks towards him. I think she’s aware people are timid of her, and she does things just to mess with them.

I’m not sure where I expected their house to be, but I did not expect her to say turn left at the end of my road and then turn left again on the first road after.

“Really?” I groan, narrowing my eyes at her when we pull into their driveway. She tries not to laugh, but fails.

“I needed to be close to you.” She shrugs.

“And you went along with all of it,” I state, looking at Ryker when we all get out of the car.

“Pretty much.” He gives me the same shrug Ki did, like this is such a small, insignificant detail.

“Come on, baby,” I call out to Nyx. She hops out of the car, and I wait for her to sniff around the yard and use the bathroom before calling for her to follow us inside. Ryker goes to his bathroom to shower, and we go to Kioni’s room while Nyx sniffs around. I plop her bed on the floor next to Kioni’s and place her food and water bowl beside it. I spin around, taking it all in. Their house is a lot bigger than mine, but mine has more stuff.

“You need to decorate,” I laugh, and she comes up behind me and snakes her arms around my middle, nuzzling her nose into my neck and inhaling deeply.

“I was waiting for you to decide where you wanted to live. There was no reason to decorate this house if I had to move shortly after.” She smiles against my neck.

I turn to look at her. “Elaborate,” I demand the way she always does.

“I knew from the moment I saw you, little wolf, that you were mine. I told you this already. It was only a matter of time until I was able to catch you. So yes, I have been waiting until you told me where you want us to live before I made it a home.”

It should scare me how obsessed and unhinged she is, but she’s…mine. I get all of her attention, her love, her lust, and I thrive in it. She makes me feel comfortable being…me.

“Show me,” I whisper. “I want you to show me Shadow without being blindfolded. Not now, but when I’m not expecting it. I don’t want our fun to stop. I need all of you.”