Page 92 of This Vicious Grace

“Yeah?”

“Can we have a girl’s night?” she asked.

“Tonight?”

“That’d be great. After you put Adam to bed? Maybe we can grab some of that wine you guys make.”

“Sounds good. Leave it to me.” I told her.

I could use a girl’s night. There were too many thoughts in my head and I had no one to talk to about them. I didn’t want to tell Cory about it yet. I didn’t want to complicate things and I didn’t need him to go into over-protective brother mode.

Chapter Ten

Violet

Ilooked at the clock on the computer screen. I needed it to be time for dinner already. Then time for Adam’s bedtime. I wanted my girls’ night with Bells to start. I had questions.

“Am I waking you up at the usual time in the morning?” Chris asked out of nowhere.

“Why wouldn’t you?” I asked.

“If you’re drinking with your sister tonight, are you going to be up at our usual time?”

“Yep. Wake me up and whip me into shape!” I answered.

Shortly after that last nightmare, I took Chris up on his offer to train me and, over the last week and a half, that’s what he’d been doing.

Except I was still scared of people. So, after I barely made it out of the pack house on our first day, only to run back to my room when I saw how busy the training grounds were, we changed tactics. Chris started waking me up at four-thirty in the morning so we could train while everyone was asleep.

It wasn’t that big a deal, except I was working while Bells was working and I was asleep by nine, which gave me no time to talk to Bells after she was done with Adam. She was still refusing to join us for breakfast or lunch, and I was beginning to understand there was some undercurrent with her and Cade. I needed to know what that was.

My eyes flickered to Chris, who was back to reading a book on his usual chair by the door. I also wanted to talk to her about him. Dr. Campbell was of no help. She simply told me my budding feelings for the man weren’t imprinting and refused to tell me what the heck I could do with them.

After he trusted me by telling me what happened to him with Traci, something felt like it shifted between us. Every morning, after training, I’d come out of the shower to find a new text with a joke on it. Chris thought he had a point to prove about what a fun guy he could be, but he was sending me nothing but Dad jokes. On purpose? Possibly, but I was beginning to suspect my mighty protector was a dork at heart.

I’d come to understand a lot about him. The reason he was so hard on himself, and tried so hard to be an elite warrior, was because his mom never had more pups. He felt the need to make his parents proud of the one they had.

He argued he was the only one who could carry on their legacy, and he felt that responsibility to the bottom of his soul. When I asked why Brenda didn’t have more pups, he said she simply didn’t want anymore. She told people she already had the perfect son, inadvertently putting more pressure on him to be good, I thought.

Brenda and Gabriel were wonderful people. They were fiercely protective of Mom and us for almost thirty years, never leaving her side until she retired along with Dad. I could not think of another mated couple that exemplified the role of loyal warriors more than them. But, I surmised growing up with that examplein his own home made it hard for Chris to be himself around them. I asked him a few days ago if he even liked fighting, and all he answered was that he was good at it and it made his parents proud to have their son following in their footsteps.

Still, I wondered if they knew how their decisions affected their son. I was confident they would love him no matter what he chose to do. Though, I guess I should be thankful. What would happen to me without him?

You would still make it. You are stronger than I am, Violet,Nenetl told me.

I froze. This was only the second time she’d talked to me since we were taken.

When I didn’t answer back, my wolf gave a deep sigh that felt like it was coming from the bottom of her soul, and began to retreat.

No wait, please,I begged her. When she stopped and stared back at me, I saw this as my only opportunity.Please stay. Talk to me.

I-I don’t know what to say, Violet. I can’t make up for everything that happened. I couldn’t protect you and I’m even weaker now. I’m useless as a wolf.

But you’re not. I need you. I’m not strong without you. We complete each other.

Our mate completed us, and I couldn’t save him either.

No, our mate complemented us. I can live without a mate, I can’t live without you. And his death wasn’t our fault. Please, Nenetl. Please don’t go back to how it was before.