Send the Pain Below
Damon
1 feet fine. I have nothing wrong with me, and I am leaving I growl at Eric as he argues that I need rest to allow the deep contusions and ribs to heal.
“I know that you feel you are better, but I am advising you to take a few more days here.”
“It’s been long enough. I cannot work if I am here, and I need to get some things settled. I am leaving.” I sit up, grab the IV catheter in my hand, and pull it out. I watch as the insertion site closes. “See, all better.” I toss it away and swing my legs over to the side.
“Will you please talk some sense into him?” Eric turns, asking Amani to help him. I don’t like it. I growl as he shakes his head and holds his hand up in surrender. “Okay, Okay. Just….take it easy,
alright?”
“Sure, yeah….whatever…I just need to get out of here.” I watch Amani as she stares at me, chewing on the inside of her cheek. I realize she is nervous. Her citrus sent has a faint hint of bitter fear.
I’m afraid, too, but I will not tell her that. She will understand soon enough.
I rise from the bed as Amani rises from the chair. She has a bag packed of things Ayla provided for her, and I am grateful. I also need to get out of here before Cyrus shows me his angry rat he found.
“Are you ready to…are you ready to leave?” I ask, stuttering and clearing my throat.
“Yes, lead the way.” Amani smiles, and her braids hang over her chest. She wears a tight tee and athletic pants. Her golden eyes and cheeks draw my gaze, inviting me to stare at them.
Shit, I’m in trouble.
“We have to take your vehicle. Cyrus totaled mine when he blew up the heat clinic.”
“I feel there is a story there I need to hear sometime.” She laughs, and her smile stops me in my
tracks. It leaves me breathless.
I offer her my hand, and she slowly takes it and lets out a breath. Where our skin connects sends zings of what feels like electrical/current through my hand and fingers.
“It doesn’t feel real that you are okay,” Amani whispers, and it causes me to grimace, realizing how much fear she had to deal with nearly losing me.
Because of me,
I pull her close and embrace her in my arms. I inhale her scent and allow it to ground me as she
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slowly starts rubbing her cheek on my cheat.
Whether she realizes it or not, she is scent–marking me.
She shouldn’t do that until she knows how I am.
What I deal with.
I let out a loud sigh and pulled her away from me. I offer a smile that I can muster out of the fear I am feeling and grab her hand again, leading her out of the room and through the clinic.
“This is it, over here.” Amani points to a big white SUV that I have no memory of being in. I open the back seat and I hear her faintly gasp as the dried blood his all over her beige interior.
“Looks like I owe you a new vehicle.”
“No, that’s okay…I can..We can clean it. You don’t need to go through the trouble. It will be fine.”
“I do not want the memory you have of whatever happened in this vehicle to haunt you every time you get into it. We will figure it out. Leave it here in the parking lot.” Amani squeezes my hand as the bond in my chest pulls tightly, begging us to be together. I did not realize how strong the pull is when you find your mate. I cannot describe it.
An instinctual burning need to be with this person.
“We can walk to the packhouse. It is not far, and the weather is decent.” I suggest, and she nods. I hold my arm out, and she entwines her own as I lead us down the walk.
I cannot believe I’m doing this.
I do not even know where to start. Neither of us says anything. We both have pasts we clearly do not
wish to discuss, and we do not know each other well enough to hold long conversations.
We walk silently to the pack house as I tighten my hold on Amani. I’m not sure if I am trying to protect my mate from potential threats to our bond or if I am trying to hold onto something I want
dearly to keep.
The elevator ride up remains quiet between us, but I notice she is slowly rubbing her thumb back and forth over my forearm. The action is comforting. Whether it is for her or me, I do not know nor
care.
I lead Amani to my apartment door and open it without a key. I have no reason to lock it. There is nobody on this floor that I do not trust. There aren’t many within the pack I wouldn’t trust, and of course, the obvious reason, I have nothing to take anyway.
I walk in, pulling Amani behind me, and switch on the lights. I have extremely bright LED lights
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throughout the apartment, Growing up, everything was dark from the piles upon piles of fer
tacked to the colling, I did not like not knowing what was behind the corner. Usually a fat or tam dead animal, but the bright lights now, in my personal space, make me feel better for some screw
up reason.
This is my place.” I close the door behind her. She looks around the space, walking into the living area more, holding her bag. “There isn’t much.” Understatement. I have a recliner and a TV on a small stand in the living area. Couches can hold too many scraps of items from pockets or crumbs
from food. I do not have end tables or a coffee table.
I prefer nothing that can hold clutter.
I do not have the urge to hoard or clutter, but I do not want to take the chance either.
“Well, that’s okay. There is always room for more, or maybe if we move, we can figure things out then. I can sit on the floor.” A growl leaves me at the suggestion of my mate on the floor. “Or not.” Amani laughs, but she has no idea the emotions warring within me now.
Tell her the truth.
Hide it from her.
She will leave.
You cannot lose the only gift you have been given.
“Are you okay?” She asks, placing a hand on my arm. I run a hand through my hair and force a smile
for her.
“Yeah, just a little out of sorts right now,” I reply.
“I can show myself around if you need to lie down.” She suggests, and I can see concern on her
features. I do not want her to worry about me.
“No, it’s fine. As you see here, this is the kitchen. The food in the fridge is probably spoiled, but we can go to the mess hall or order something.” I leave out that I prefer to eat out all the time. The less in here, the better.
Amani pulls away and opens the fridge and laughs. “You have a science experiment in there right now.” Probably leftovers I shouldn’t have brought back with me.
I go to the fridge and promptly remove the take–out container and throw it in the trash can. Amani walks over to the other counter and starts opening cupboards. One after one, she opens them, revealing empty shelves.
“There is only one cup in here.”
Send the Pain Helow
That is correct
One plate. She turns and looks at me with her perfect eyebrow in the air.
Yes.
“You only have one place setting?” Amani closes the cupboard, a smile on her face.
“Yes,” I answer.
“Well, we will need to change that.” Amani jokes, but I cannot stop the emotions that start to bubble
- up.
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