Mated Girl (Wolf Girl #4)(8)

A tear slipped free and I wiped it away with the back of my hand.
Sage frowned, lying on her side, facing me. “You miss Sawyer?”
I nodded. “Also Creek.”
Agony flitted across her face. “Me too. I miss the little squeaky sounds he makes when he sleeps.”
I grinned, feeling better after talking about it to someone. “I love the way he smells.”
Sage nodded. “Except when he poops.”
We both laughed until tears leaked from our eyes. Finally, I just stared up at the ceiling until I drifted off to sleep.
SPECIAL_IMAGE-images/svgimg0003.svg-REPLACE_ME
‘Demi!’ Sawyer’s voice in my head woke me from a deep sleep. My mind was foggy and my limbs were heavy with exhaustion. I looked around the room half expecting to see him before I remembered our current situation.
‘I’m here,’ I told him, shaking the last bits of fogginess from my brain.
‘I miss you.’ His voice was raw, yearning. I hadn’t expected that. He seemed less rushed this time and I relaxed, lying back into the pillow.
‘I miss you. So fucking much.’ My throat tightened.
‘They have a shield which keeps us from talking, but my warlock friend is able to take it down sometimes so he can contact his coven.’
So we didn’t know how long we had. I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. ‘Sawyer … I … a year. I’m so sorry.’
I’d told him three days and I was a gone a year. That realization killed me.
‘Are you crazy? You being gone this whole time has been a blessing. It’s the only thing that kept me sane. It gave me hope you were still alive and the vampires hadn’t gotten to you. Tell me something about your time in the woods, about Creek, I want to know everything.’
I guess that was a good point about being safe from the vampires. ‘I … can’t believe I had our baby in the woods and Sage delivered him in a cabin with no electricity.’
I could almost feel Sawyer smiling. ‘You’re amazing. Was the birth okay, or traumatic?’
I considered that question. What birth wasn’t traumatic to some degree? I had nothing to compare it to, but from what I knew it was pretty textbook. ‘Normal. I had to carry around his placenta in a bowl because we were too scared to cut it.’
He laughed, a deep throaty laugh that reverberated in my head and made me miss him so much it physically hurt. It felt like a weight sat on my chest and pinched my heart. ‘I gotta get you a push present when I get out.’
I giggled and looked at Sage to make sure she was still sleeping. ‘How do you know what a push present is?’
‘They let us watch human movies in here,’ Sawyer said.
I played with the ring at the chain on my throat. ‘Tell me about your past year. Walsh is there?’
‘Yeah, the idiot followed me in here. I don’t deserve him.’
I nodded, staring at a sleeping Sage, and wondered what I did to deserve her.
‘Is it … rough in there?’ I asked. I mean regular prison was rough, I couldn’t imagine prison with supernaturals who could kick your ass with magic.
He was quiet, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to say anything.
‘Sawyer. Tell me.’ I couldn’t feel much through our bond. Either he was tightening it up or some magic wasn’t letting things through.
‘I’m surviving,’ he finally said. ‘They make us all wear the cuffs you grew up with. The ones that cause pain if you try to shift.’ There was shame in his voice and I knew he felt guilty at knowing I wore those nearly every day of my life for over twenty years.
‘I’m sorry,’ I told him honestly. Keeping your wolf at bay for a year sucked, especially for an alpha. ‘Are there many fights?’
I suddenly felt protective of my man and I wanted to know what he’d been dealing with.
‘Every day,’ he finally answered. ‘But I’ve created my own little pack in here. Don’t worry about me. Focus on keeping yourself safe. Keeping our baby safe.’
It sounded like Sawyer had created some little pack gang to survive prison. My, my, how things had changed. I frowned at his telling me to just focus on keeping myself and Creek safe. ‘I’m focused on getting you out of there. I’m in Dark Fey Territory right now, meeting a guy named Seam who broke out of Magic City Prison ten years ago.’
Something spiked through our bond. Fear. ‘You’re in Dark Fey lands? Where’s Creek? The packs?’
I wanted to roll my eyes, but then remembered what it felt like to be in the woods for a year cut off from all information. Sawyer knew nothing about what had been going on. ‘Creek is with my mom and they are all in Paladin Village with both of our packs. Everyone is safe because I’m an alpha and I’m good at my job.’ I all but growled at my man.
‘Damn, you’re sexy when you’re mad,’ Sawyer said, and I could almost see him grinning, which lightened my mood. ‘You’re right, you know what you’re doing. I just hate not being there.’
I could imagine, especially for an alpha. ‘I got everything covered. Including getting you out of prison,’ I told him.
‘Seam you said? That guy’s a legend here.’
‘Yep. Him.’ I brightened knowing he recognized the guy.
‘Demi, that is a really good plan … but that dude broke out before they went all high-tech with the place. There is literally no way you can get me out of here, my love. Not without alerting half the magical community.’ He was quiet. ‘Demi, I’ve seen Queen Drake here. I’ve heard them talk about me, asking if they thought I was talking to anyone or passing notes to Walsh about you. They are waiting for you.’