Dreaming of Darkness (Monsters in the Darkness #2)

22. Addison

Chapter twenty-two

Addison

I couldn’t believe this was happening. This was like a bad dream that I couldn’t wake up from, no matter how hard I pinched myself. I knew that if I panicked, I would potentially hurt the tiny beings growing in my abdomen. So I took all of that panic, and I shoved it deep, deep down, locking it into a tiny box and stuffing it away for later. Was it healthy? No. But I had bigger things to concern myself with. So I decided to focus on my fucking burning rage instead.

Once again, not the healthiest way to cope.

I stormed upstairs and took a shower, leaving Austin with the finger, which I couldn’t bear to look at. I seethed as I washed my hair out. Cain was goddamn lucky he was in police custody, because if he wasn’t, I’d kill him with my bare hands. Wrapping a towel around my hair, I walked naked into the bedroom and into the closet that now comprised of my clothes, Wyatt’s clothes, and a collection of random hoodies and tee-shirts that had made their way in here over the last couple of months. I grabbed a pair of my softest leggings and pulled those on, and one of Piper’s collared polo shirts. My stomach was finally starting to look like it was housing something other than my own organs, taking on a distinctly rounded shape at the front.

It made me… uncomfortable.

I grabbed one of Wyatt’s giant black hoodies and pulled it over my head, burrowing in the soft fabric and letting it obscure my shape. At some point, I would have to reconcile myself with the changes to my body, but today was not the day.

Today was for rage.

A black coil of scales shifted on the bed beside me, and I watched as… Selene? I thought it was her. Her tail was thinner, and she was a little shorter than Helios. She raised her head to watch me, and I smiled and scooped her up, letting her curl up in my hoodie’s pouch. Stalking back out to the kitchen, my damp hair loose and wild around my face, I spotted the box on the kitchen table. My lip curled, and I stomped over to it, knocking the lid off with a flick of my wrist, staring down at the body part inside. I was so angry, I could practically feel the flames coursing through my veins. I half-expected my shirt to start smoldering, like I’d seen Cain’s do when he got well and truly furious.

“Addy?” Austin appeared at the top of the stairs, looking… apprehensive. Of me? He wasn’t afraid of me. I looked down and saw his King Cobra curled up by the top step, face trained at the main floor. Good, we needed all the security we could get right now.

“I’m okay Austin,” I replied softly. “We are going to the police station to find out about Cain, and then we are going to get Wyatt. He needs to come home. We need to be together right now,” I explained. As if we were magnetized, Austin gravitated to my side, his arms enveloping me as his lips dropped to my neck. I let out a soft sigh as his teeth grazed my skin, tempting me with a release that I sorely needed. An ache between my legs reminded me that the new hormones rushing through my system weren’t all bad, some in fact were deliciously nice.

“No, not right now,” I murmured, stroking the soft hairs at the back of his neck. “Not until it’s safe, okay, love?” Austin stiffened in my arms, and I worried that somehow I’d offended him. He pulled back with a frown on his face, blinking at me with those eerie yellow eyes.

“Love?” he rasped, cocking his head to the side. I sputtered a laugh and stroked his cheek.

“Of course. Wasn’t that obvious?” I asked. I realized, as a group, we were not the most… emotionally expressive. Should we have discussed the whole ‘love’ concept? Probably would’ve been smart, considering their kids were growing in me. But I thought that we were beyond that. How could four letters encompass this… connection we shared?

I glanced down at the ring, ignoring the appendage it was still resting on. Piper had been wearing it for months now… on his ring finger. He’d been telling me he was committed to us this whole time. And Austin, he’d marked us all as his, calling me his mate. Cain, well… that fucker had some more secrets to share with us if people were calling me his wife. I’d deal with that later.

“Oh, Wyatt.” I murmured, and my traitorous eyes filled with tears once more. God help me, no one had ever warned me of the tears that pregnancy would cause. My sweet, stoic Wyatt. Never expecting anything from me, never asking for more. I’d always assumed they all knew, and I’d never spoken the words to him that he deserved to hear.

Fuck, stick with rage, Addy. No tears right now, we can fall apart after.

I grabbed Austin’s face with both hands, holding him close to me. “I love you Austin,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to his lips. His pupils dilated as a sheepish grin formed on his face. For a moment, he was the shy ghost from the basement all over again, working up the nerve to talk to me.

“My mate,” he rasped, nuzzling his cheek against mine and he pulled me close. “I love you too.” It was almost too much, hearing him say the actual words, and my tear ducts were aching to unleash a flood of emotions. It took everything in me to reign them in, focusing on his warmth surrounding me for just a little longer, wishing I had more time to savor this moment.

Eventually I was forced to let him go and get us moving. I decided on a quick breakfast, because I knew I needed to keep my strength up, and I found containers of cut up fruit in the fridge, next to little packages of Greek yogurt that boasted a high protein content. Damn Cain, I needed to stay mad at him. I ate in silence, thinking about how furious I was that Jake was somehow still alive, while Austin watched me anxiously. Fueled and pissed off, I grabbed the keys off the end table and shoved them in my bag, gesturing for Austin to follow as I headed out to the car.

It had been a while since I’d driven. Yes, I had a license, and it wasn’t expired or anything. But when I had an alphahole lover/boyfriend/husband/roommate/whatever the fuck Cain was, there wasn’t much call for me to drive. Although, knowing about Jake, it made sense now why Cain had been so goddamn overbearing lately. I snarled and slapped my hand on the steering wheel, making Austin jump. I wasn’t going to take it too personally that he looked so nervous with me behind the wheel. His hand gripped the door handle as I cut off a taxi going too slowly, weaving back into the lane and throwing on my signal light.

“Do you want to stay in the car with Selene while I go inside?” I asked gently, turning into the station parking lot. Austin threw up his hood as soon as the cop cars came into view, and I could feel his anxiety radiating off of him.

“Who’s Selene?” he whispered, and in response, my little friend stuck her head out of my hoodie pouch, her tongue poking out to taste the air. Austin looked bewildered, and I took great pride in having smuggled a snake out right under his nose. Holding out his hands, Selene reluctantly abandoned her little cocoon and slithered up his arm, letting him tuck her into his hoodie instead. When he looked back at me, the hunger in his eyes turned my core molten, and I suddenly felt very warm. “My mate,” he murmured. I leaned over and brushed my lips against his, only a hint of what I really wanted to do to him.

“I’ll be right back,” I smiled, drawing back to climb out of the car. I hated leaving him in the vehicle by himself, but come on, could Jake really get us at the police station? Grimacing, I hurried inside, not willing to take any chances. If he wanted to, I’m sure he could walk right in here and shoot me in the head without anyone giving a second glance. I gave Cain’s name at the front desk, and a very terse older woman brought me a form to fill out, and then another officer, this one not wearing the formal uniform, came out to talk to me.

“Mrs. Collins?” the officer asked, looking me over briefly. I was sure I wasn’t looking my best today, but he could get fucked. I wasn’t in the mood.

“That’s me.” I crossed my arms over my chest, leveling him with my gaze. “Where’s Cain?”

“It’s a packed day today. Your husband is still being processed. We’ll be holding him here until his arraignment. Have you gotten in touch with his lawyer?” I blinked, trying to follow along even though I was well and truly out of my depth.

“He’s got the lawyer’s information. I’d need his phone, or he could call him. Can he call him?” I asked. Was the ‘one phone call’ just a TV thing, or was that real?

“Well, I can’t release your husband’s phone. It’s in evidence now. But yes, he will be able to phone his lawyer himself if that’s the case,” the officer replied, watching me annoyingly close.

“When can I see him? Can he come home? Is there, er, bail, or whatever?” I frowned. He shifted, a sad smile forming on his face. Oh great, I’d gone from a potential accomplice to an unwitting housewife apparently, now I got the pity.

“That depends on the judge’s decision, which you won’t have until the arraignment. In the meantime, I suggest you talk to his lawyer, and maybe you can schedule a phone call with him later this week,” he explained. I stared at him, trying not to cry. These fucking tears. I swear I’d have my own river by the time these babies popped out.

“Alright…thank you, I guess,” I replied, losing some of my bluster. Despite being absolutely furious with Cain, I also really wanted to see him and make sure he was okay. I also wanted to get some fucking answers, such as why was I being called his wife?!

I walked back out to the car where Austin was still slumped low in his seat. He perked up when I climbed inside, but then his face fell as he took in my expression. “I couldn’t see him,” I explained, and he looked down at his shoes.

“When will he get out?” Austin asked softly. I started the car, pulling out and heading to the hospital.

“I’m not sure” I replied truthfully. At this moment, I thought the better question was if he’d get out.

Austin joined me when we reached the hospital, Selene safely hidden inside his bulky hoodie. After the epic disappointment at the police station, both my expectations and my spirits were decidedly low. The room was miraculously still private, Wyatt the sole occupant, with his bed tucked into the far corner. My heart was in my throat as I approached, my breath hitching when his eye cracked open and then promptly squeezed shut. “‘Lo?” he mumbled, his voice rough.

“Hey, Shades,” I whispered, and he scrunched up his face, immediately trying to shift up in the bed. “Oh, for fuck’s sake! Stop wiggling, you’re going to hurt yourself!” I bit out, practically running to his side. I put my hand on his shoulder and he grabbed it with his good hand, his jaw clenching.

“I’m sorry,” he announced, coughing and wincing. Austin found a cup of water on the end table and caught Wyatt’s good hand, peeling it out of mine so he could guide the cup into it.

“Sorry for what?” I asked, my voice sounding thick. “Getting hit by a car? Well, you should be. It was very inconsiderate.” I choked out a laugh, and he managed to smile back, his eyes still screwed tightly shut. I rummaged through my bag, grabbing the extra set of sunglasses I’d thankfully remembered to pack. “Here, I brought you a present.” Leaning in, I slid the glasses over his face, settling them on the bridge of his bruised nose. He sighed in relief, and I caught his lips in a quick kiss, unable to help myself.

“Thank you, it’s been hell remembering to keep my eyes shut, ‘specially with all the drugs they’ve got me on,” he mumbled, and I took his empty glass, setting it back down on the end table. Austin shifted around to the other side of the bed, hovering anxiously, his hands fidgeting at his sides like he wanted to climb onto the bed with Wyatt. I knew the feeling, but I was too worried about hurting him right now. “Where’s Cain?”

I grimaced, wondering if now was the right time to rip off that particular band-aid. God, what to hit him with first? “Did they say when you can get out of here?” I asked instead, and he cocked his eyebrow at me.

“They said this afternoon. No lasting damage to my spine, just swelling, so I’m good to rest up at home,” Wyatt replied, looking between me and Austin. “Where’s Cain?” I bit my lip, catching Austin’s eye. He was shifting nervously on his feet.

“Fine, alright.” I sighed. “Cain’s been arrested, something about embezzlement.” I threw up my hands. Wyatt’s eyebrows shot into his hairline.

“What?!” he exclaimed and moved to sit up. I shoved him back down gently, keeping my hand on his shoulder.

“There’s more,” I warned.

Once I filled Wyatt in, it was very difficult to keep him from leaping out of bed. It took Austin physically pinning him until he agreed to calm down and just… be patient. Patience, unfortunately, was none of our strong suits. I finally went and hunted down a nurse to get his discharge paperwork sorted out. Even then, it still took us over two hours to get him somewhat dressed and in a wheelchair to get him to the car. His doctor was very sweet, and helped me get his medications sorted out, even slipping in the iron prenatal pills she’d wanted me to take.

It wasn’t easy, but between the two of us, we managed to get Wyatt settled into the passenger seat, with Austin sitting in the back. I drove us home, and thus began the epic journey of getting Wyatt up the steps to the studio, and then up the flight of stairs to the main floor. We might as well be scaling Everest. Wyatt had one working leg, several broken ribs, and was pretty strung out on pain meds, so he wasn’t much help. Austin, thankfully, had his freakish strength and was able to hoist him up and support his bad side while I propped up the good side and kept him from pulling them both over.

The sun had set by the time we got to the kitchen, all three of us sweaty and shaking from the effort. I didn’t like how pale Wyatt looked, his face shining with sweat, so we gave up and settled him on the couch for now. He took a nap while I fixed us something to eat. It wasn’t anything fancy, just some boxed mac and cheese, but I was too hungry to care.

Austin prowled around the studio, checking all the windows and the front door to make sure we were locked up tight. Granddaddy cobra curled up in the entryway, acting as the official security guard. Some of Austin’s other little friends had returned throughout the evening, and they all stationed themselves at windows, ready to surprise anyone stupid enough to try to break in.

After I gave Wyatt his next dose of painkillers, he passed out on the couch, and there was no way we were moving him while he was unconscious. Instead, Austin and I curled up on the love seat, his muscled body spooning mine. He let his hand rest on my stomach, and I fell asleep listening to my two men breathing in the darkness.