Shadowing Me
Page 24

“You want balm and wrap, Feather?”
She whimpers for both, so I grab some cloth before I walk back over to her. I lift her into my arms and carry her over to my bed and lay her flat on her stomach. I open the salve and dip my fingers into the palm and apply it to her skin. I do this until all seven lacerations are covered in cream. I then unroll the cloth and have her sit up straight. The ointment already doing its job of numbing her. Once the wrap completely covers her back, I help her slip back into her dress and kiss her on the forehead.
“Am I still needed?” I ask as I get dressed.
“As always, you’ve hurt me, fucked me, and then took great care in fixing me right up.” Feather grins at me as she answers.
I nod as she lets herself out of my room.
Once I clean everything, I lock my room and head towards Alec to deliver the blowing message that will make him see red. I locate him near the bar, and so no one can pick up on anything, I keep my back to the room. The conversation will be tense enough, and I’m afraid if he angers me, others would read it in my black eyes. I should have worn my fucking blue contacts. This is why I should always wear them, or at least keep them on me.
“Alec,” I greet as nicely as I can. “My Prez wants a meetin’ with ya the day after tomorrow.”
“Is that so?” He sets his glass down and turns to give me his full attention.
“It is. The day after tomorrow, two o’clock at Club Sated.” I roll my eyes.
He says nothing for a few seconds, and my patience with him begins to thin. It doesn’t help that he has been letting certain things go when it comes to this club.
“I’ll be there,” he hisses as he picks up his glass.
That was too easy, and now I can’t imagine what the fuck he has up his sleeve. I wonder what in the hell he might have heard, because he took that way too easily.
I head outside to my lady, throttle her on, and head to the club.
***
Back at the compound, I look for my Prez to let him in on the information about Alec. I find him playing a game of pool with Akela, Winter, and Sniper.
She sure looks like she’s comfortable here.
“It’s a little strange, isn’t it?” Pyro says as he walks up to stand next to me.
Not to me, but I could see why he would say so.
The Prez spots me, hands his pool stick off to Winter, and strides towards me.
“And…”
I cross my arms, peer behind him, and notice we have the attention on us, so I say what I have to as quietly as possible without leading us away.
“It went how we expected, and I spot grey.”
He scowls when I say grey. Grey means shady in our world. He isn’t happy, and he shouldn’t be. Who knows what the fuck is going to happen because of this shit.
“Thanks, brother.”
I nod as he turns and walks back over to his game.
“Well, ain’t that shit. I was hoping she’d get to leave here unscathed,” Pyro hisses under his breath.
I know his comment is about Akela. She has been damaged enough by the news delivered to her when she arrived. Everything seems to go awry when new women appear. It is like their beauty beckons hell to rain down on us.
“I know,” I respond.
But once the Prez says something, he sticks to it. He’s already told her she could stay, and he isn’t about to revoke that. I think it’s more for Pyro’s benefit than Akela’s.
“Here we fuckin’ go again,” he growls more so under his breath than out loud.
I close my eyes as exhaustion takes over. “I’m hittin’ the sack, brother.”
He smacks me on the shoulder as I make my way towards the live-in.
***
Chapter Thirteen
Tatiana
I can’t even go to the gas station by myself. It seems like every other month, I’m on lockdown or require an escort to leave the compound.
Even though I have my room in the live-in building, I still miss the feel of my own bedroom and childhood belongings that are in my dad’s house off the compound. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was actually there longer than an hour to pick up something. Grandma goes a few times a week to dust, sweep, and mop, and I constantly tell her it’s a waste of her time to do those things. We’re never there anyways. Her response is always the same. Every child needs a place to call home, and that home should always be welcoming.
I gave up on trying telling her what to do a long time ago. It is no use. She does what she wants, when she wants, and how she wants. She is the epitome of old-fashioned when it comes to family and homes.
Now that Akela is at the compound, things seem off. I can’t explain it, but it is like everyone is on pins and needles every second of the day. Add in the stress of the upcoming Euphoria takeover, and it fuels an already lit fire.
I don’t mind her being here for one reason only.
In her own way, she is helping my Uncle Pyro heal by sharing stories of Lana’s childhood and reminding him that Lana had truly loved him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have felt the need to write her sister all about Pyro right before her passing.
To top all of that off, the two jokesters in the family, acting a little strange towards one another, makes it even weirder around the compound. I don’t know what Uncle Sniper and Piper’s problem is, but someone needs to smack them. They almost remind me of Shadow and me. The attraction is there, visible for everyone to see, but neither one will move on it.
Well, okay, it is half of what Shadow and I act like. I know I want him, and I would act on it in a heartbeat. He is the one that is scared of moving towards me in any way that isn’t friendship. It irritates me to no end, because even though I have told him we’re fine again, deep down, we really aren’t. I find myself wanting to talk to him a lot less than I used to. I still watch him, but not as closely as I used to. It all seems to be pointless to me. A girl can only daydream about a guy for so long before she decides to move on, and my wanting to do that grows stronger and stronger every day.