Wolves' Bane (The Order of the Wolf, #3)(48)
I opened my mouth to spill it all out—my hopes, my wishes, my dreams for us—but hesitated and cocked my head to the side. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Cal, his eyes closed and his breathing calm. He was asleep, again, but this time not of my doing. I sighed my resignation. I could wait to tell him what I was feeling. I nuzzled closer to him and closed my eyes, blissfully falling into dreams of love, belonging and contentment.
Cal jerked awake just as the muted light of dawn began to spill into the bedroom. Shit. He adjusted his body, his mind still foggy, horror and guilt seeping in as he realized that he hadn’t just fallen asleep, he had crashed for the night. And worse, he had crashed with Morgan in his arms.
Slowly, with deliberate moves, he extracted himself from her warm and inviting body. Despite the fact that his cock was hard and throbbing for her once again, he knew that he had to get out before she woke up and expected more from him than he could give.
He gently rolled to the side of the bed and got up, quickly moving to close the heavy drapes and block the sun out. He needed her to stay asleep for as long as possible.
He pulled on his clothes and fought against his instinct to stay, the intensity of which was frightening. He’d expected the physical attraction, it had been there before, he didn’t need the bonding for that. It was the emotional attachment he couldn’t abide or understand. This seething, burning need to be by her side at every moment. It would explain why Andrew was so loath to be apart from Kelly, even though she could only speak to him through their mental link. All the same, it took every ounce of Cal’s power to walk out of that room and shut the door behind him, and even more strength to walk down the hall.
His instinct did not coincide with the plan, and he desperately needed to speak to Kelly himself. He knew it was early, too early for normal people to be awake, but he wanted confirmation that he was doing the right thing because his body was telling him different.
Cal rapped on the door to Kelly and Andrew’s room. Although Kelly was wired up to machines, Andrew always slept in the room on a cot in the corner.
He raised his hand to knock again, louder if necessary, when a sleepy-eyed Andrew cracked it open and peered out.
“Cal?” Andrew’s eyes grew wide.
Cal nodded as he ran his hand through his hair, suddenly feeling like an ass for intruding. “Yeah, sorry, Andy, I know it’s early, but I really have to speak with Kelly.”
Andrew frowned and opened the door wider, motioning for him to enter. “Sure, sure. Is everything okay?”
He walked in and headed for Kelly’s bed. She looked the same as she always did, eyes closed, seeming in peaceful sleep, machines breathing and beeping around her.
“No, Andy, everything is definitely not okay,” Cal mumbled as he reached down to take Kelly’s limp hand. “There’s a problem with Morgan.”
Andrew moved to the other side of the bed, his frown deepening. “What do you mean?”
Cal rubbed his hand over his face, scrubbing down his eyes and mouth before meeting Andrew’s concerned gaze. “I need to know for sure. I need Kelly to tell me if she sees Morgan betray us. Otherwise…” He paused as he licked his lips, his heart thudding painfully. “Otherwise, I’m going to have to call the plan off.”
Andrew nodded. “She’s getting to you?”
Cal barked a humorless laugh. “Getting to me? I can’t stand to be away from her. I can’t bear the thought of Lance touching her, talking to her, being with her when I can’t.” He pointed toward the door. “It took everything in my power to leave her side this morning. And yes, I know, I shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but I couldn’t stay away. She’s bewitched me, mind, body and soul.” He lowered his hand back down to rest on the bed. “So I need to know for sure. I need Kelly to tell me.”
Andrew sighed. “Well, she has been seeing things a little more clearly since the two of you bonded. I’ll try to wake her up and see if there’s anything specific she can tell us, but no promises, okay?”
Cal released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Thank you.”
Andrew closed his eyes as his fingers trailed along Kelly’s arm and down to her hand where he intertwined his fingers with hers. Cal stood watching helplessly, feeling like an intruder on the intimacy of the couple’s only way to communicate. He felt bad for Andrew and he missed talking to Kelly—really talking to her—but with this curse came the possibility for the Order to regain control, to see what lay ahead and spin it to their advantage. It suddenly made Cal feel like he was demanding too much. Wanting a normal relationship with Morgan, to be able to love her without risk when Kelly and Andrew had lost all normalcy with their bond. They had accepted it, embraced it even, all in the name of their vows. What sacrifices had he made for the Order?
When Andrew opened his eyes his expression told Cal everything. Cal lowered his head and sucked in a deep breath.
“She can’t see the battle clearly, Cal, but she can see that Morgan will land a fatal blow to one of the beasts, possibly Lazarus.”
Cal’s heart leapt at Andrew’s words, and he looked up at the man hopefully, only to be crushed with his next.
“She will also betray us.”
“Is Kelly sure?” Cal whispered as he ran his thumb along Kelly’s palm, his heart crushing in on itself.