When they touch me (Shelagh Milano) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44
Artemisia

As I step into the office, my heart stops.

Cayden has his face buried in his hands, and I feel so much desperation at seeing him like this, that I could cry.

I would like to step around the desk and hug him, but that would hardly be appropriate.

“Please take a seat,” he says with an exhausted sigh, and I sit down, keeping silent.

As he passes a hand over his face, it looks like he is about to think about how to start the conversation. I give him time to come up with something, but as he still doesn’t say anything, I decide to speak first. “What is happening, Cayden? What are you all keeping from me?”

“I’m sorry, Missy. But I can’t talk to you about that now. Not yet. Unfortunately, it’s not my place to do so.” He says calmly, worry flashing in his eyes. “Fynn has to make a difficult decision, but I’ll see that he won’t have you hanging for too long. He can’t play with you without taking responsibility for what he will cause.”

His worry transmits to me as his encoded speech just triggers my anxiety.

Shifting in my seat, I clear my voice, trying to remain calm. “Is there something I can do? Or something I have to look out for?”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I guess we will have to trust the Goddess that she will lead us onto the right path. All you can do is go with your instincts, maybe it will help him do the step he has to take.”

“I can’t keep chasing him and acting like he isn’t absolutely horrible to me,” I say, regretting my words immediately.

Then, even if they sounded so confident in my head, I don’t like what they allude to.

“I understand you completely, Missy. And you don’t have to. If you want to take your time and decide to take your distances until he will be honest with you, you have all the right to do so.”

Scoffing, I lean back into my chair. “What if he just breaks into my room again? What if he finds me somewhere alone and acts like he always did until now?”

“Try to have your phone always ready to call me. I’ll do my best to have you protected. Warriors are always around and ready to mind-link me. He won’t harm you, and I’m sure that he will let you be. I’ll talk with him again.”

Nodding, I bit the inside of my cheek, not really convinced anyone could do anything about it.

‘See, you should have done better, and fought for Rick.’ I have to fight the urge to gag as Cassy growls in the back of my head.

Even if Fynn is absolutely the worst, I would pick him over Rick anytime. I straighten my spine as I ignore her, and concentrate back on Cayden. “Thank you. I’m sure it will be alright.”

As the awkward situation we are in is already a happy gathering, I decide to be a better person, and get one thing about me off my chest. Clearing my throat, I get him to look at me questionally. “There is something I have meant to tell you since I have come here, and please accept my apologies that I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“If it’s about your wolf, you don’t have to worry,” he answers, still looking at me as if he just told me that I had only two months left to live.

“Huh?” is all I’m able to push out as I freeze on the spot.

Shrugging, he takes a file from the pile sitting on his desk and opens it. “It’s strange that a wolf wouldn’t want to communicate with her mate, even if she was overwhelmed with the situation. They are feisty beings and can surely handle their primary instincts less effectively than we would be able to. So, I had my men do a little research, and as my adviser got everything they gathered, it was quite easy to add two and two together.”