Chapter 19: The Devil in Me Ch. 19
Chapter Nineteen:
Shay:
Oh man.
I was so nervous.
When was he going to call?
Was he even going to call me at all?
Crap.
Was it even a good idea to give Eileen my cell phone number to give it to Noah?
Could he even message me at all?
The thoughts running through my mind right now were really starting to get to me.
To be honest, it made me a little depressed.
I wanted to talk to him.
I wanted to spend time with him.
Why did this whole thing have to be so damn stupid?
It felt a little like I was mad about it too.
I knew that so far, I have done what I can about it.
I wished that I felt better about the special mate program, but I didn't.
Was it so wrong that I wanted to feel certain?
It was beginning to mess with me.
Every single time my phone went off, I thought it might be him.
It was probably stupid anyway.
Baird would never approve of us going behind the programs back.
I had this sinking feeling that Noah would get in trouble because of me again.
Shit.
Cody poked his head into my room.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I smiled, trying to hide my anxiety.
"What is it?" he asked.
I frowned, "How do you always know?"
"Your smile isn't genuine," he stated.
Why did he have to be so damn smart?
I actually didn't mind it. It just sucked sometimes.
It made me have adult conversations with an eight-year-old.
"Tell me," he said.
He sat at the end of my bed to stare at me impatiently.
I huffed.
"I may have given Eileen my cell phone number to give to her brother," I said, avoiding his eyes.
"Really?" he asked.
I couldn't tell if it was a good thing or not.
"I like him," Cody said, "He seems nice."
I actually stared at him now.
"What?" he asked, "Your last boyfriend sucked."
I laughed at that comment, "He really did."
"He likes you too," Cody said, "In case you were wondering."
I was pretty sure after all the stuff that happened that he did like me. It was different when your little brother noticed, though.
"Really?" I asked, "You think so?"
His eyebrows furrowed as he nodded.
"He said you were pretty."
If only this kid was old enough to really understand.
If only I could really tell him.
"Shay," Cody said after a minute.
"What's up?" I asked.
"I like somebody too," he barely said it loud enough for me to hear.
"Really?" I asked with a gargantuan grin.
He nodded.
"Who is it?" I asked.
He just barely met my eyes.
It clicked in my head like the last piece of a puzzle fitting perfectly into the final spot.
"Is it that boy that painted his nails?" I asked.
His cheeks went crimson.
"Oh honey," I said, "That's okay."
He looked surprised by my words.
"As long as you're happy," I said, "You could love a Dolphin."
He grinned at me.
"Really?" he giggled, "A Dolphin?"
"Of course," I said, "If it meant you being happy, and whoever it is that you like, if they are good to you."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"That is how much I love you," I said.
I could see the tears forming in his eyes.
"Come here," I said.
My arms spread wide for him to come and cuddle with me.
"I love you too," he cried.
I pat the top of his head.
These were happy tears. I was thankful for that.
"What about you?" Cody was quick to pull back.
"What about me?" I asked.
I was genuinely confused.
"Isn't Noah a Werewolf?" he asked.
There was no trace of a joke on his face.
He believed the story Eileen told him.
I opened my mouth to deny it, but I remembered his sharp teeth.
Did they get bigger than that?
Would he bite me with those teeth?
Why did I shiver with excitement at the idea?
"I don't know," I said.
"He won't hurt you?" Cody asked, "Will he?"
I wanted to tell him that he had absolutely nothing to worry about.
I feared, though, that might mean I was lying.
I was a little afraid that Noah might hurt me.
Not enough to stop seeing him, though. It wasn't like he could help it even if he did.
"Shay?"
I looked down at him and watched as he wiped at his eyes.
"Aren't Werewolves dangerous?"
I could see the worry on his face.
There was no lying my way out of this one.
"They are," I said, "But they are also incredibly protective."
His eyes widened in surprise, "They are?"
I nodded, "They protect their families and their pack."
I could see his brain processing this information.
"If Noah and I become more," I said, "You too would become his family."
"And he would protect me too?" he asked, "And Conner and Andre?"
I nodded again, "My family would become his, and his would become mine."
"Would that make us his pack?" he asked.
I had to think about that for a minute.
"It would, yes."
He looked relieved.
"You need someone that can protect you," he said, "You deserve that."
His words hit me right in the heart.
"What makes you say that?"
He looked at me seriously, "Because you protect us."
My eyes were going to water.
"I know I didn't really get to know much about mom," he said, "But to me, you're like a mom."
He needed to stop. The last thing I wanted to do was cry right now.
I hugged him closer to me.
"Can I sleep in here tonight?" he asked.
"If you want to," I said.
"Can I wear those socks?" he asked, "The tall ones?"
"Wear whichever ones you want," I said.
He got off the bed, excited. He went right to my sock drawer to look for the pair he wanted to wear.
When he pulled them out, I realized why he was a little shy about asking.
They were different shades of blue with pearlescent purple glitter.
He grinned the whole time as he put them on.
His smile was contagious.
Once they were all the way to his knees, he jumped onto the bed and crawled up to me.
The smile didn't leave my face.
I watched him get under the covers and snuggle up to the pillow under his head.
"Goodnight, Shay," he grinned.
"Goodnight, Cody."
I snuggled into my spot next to him, and I pat his head.
Noah:
I felt like complete and utter dog shit.
Something was wrong.
It felt like the tiredness from the last few days hit me all at once.
I felt sick.
I couldn't suppress the groan that erupted from my throat.
My body instinctively rolled to my side before I threw up.
I was thankful it went right into the small trash can.
The knock on my door surprised me.
"Noah?"
Baird?
"Can I come in?" he asked.
I couldn't answer, my body heaved again.
The door opened anyway.
Baird stood there in a pair of sweat pants and a plain white t-shirt.
I was able to stop puking once I saw him. I was too surprised, even my body couldn't fathom him not wearing something formal.
"Your vitals are troubling," he said gravely.
It felt like I barely had the energy to be sarcastic.
They felt pretty troubling.
My current state would prove that my vitals should be a little haywire.
"Did you eat anything strange?" Baird asked.
I was only able to shake my head before I heaved again.
"Did you drink?" he asked, "Alcohol?"
I shook my head again once I was finally able to stop.
Baird's eyes went over tablet like he was perturbed.
"Out with it, Baird," I said.
I was feeling exhausted. I could hear it in my own voice.
More than that, I could feel it in my limbs.
I wasn't sure how I knew it, but I knew that even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to sleep.
How many days has it been now?
"This is not good, Noah," Baird stated, "When was the last time you slept?"
Fuck.
I didn't want him to keep Shay away from me.
I couldn't tell him.
"It has definitely been a few days," he said, "Judging by your numbers."
I only nodded.
"This is because of your meeting with Shay."
I shook my head, furiously, "No."
"That is the only explanation," he said, "You said so yourself that even the sedatives are not working as they should."
My body felt like it was constantly on edge.
The sedatives didn't knock me out like they should.
Damn it.
"Please," I said, "Don't keep her away."
Baird sighed. A little too loudly.
"You have been awake since your first meeting," Baird said, "Have you not?"
I glanced up at him, "And if I have?"
"If it was a residual effect it should have worn off by now," he said, "This has to be something else."
"What about Delaney?" I asked.
Baird's attention went to the tablet, and I could see him seriously looking over the data.
After a minute, he shook his head.
"Delaney's vitals look normal," he stated, "He did mention to me he had difficulty sleeping after his first meeting."
"Is that normal?" I asked.
"It is," he nodded, "A Devil does not know not to physically process being around their mate for the first time."
Even though it wasn't the first time.
I had trouble sleeping then too, but I managed.
"What do you think it is?" I asked.
"I really do not know," he said, "But this is getting out of hand."
I frowned.
"You should have said something sooner."
I already told him before. There was no way I was reporting anything to him ever again.
It was only because I was mad. I still sort of am.
"You know why."
It was all I should have to say about that.
He opened his mouth but shut it.
"So, then you are still angry with me?"
"Sometimes," I admitted.
"Then why did you not speak up about this?"
"I didn't want you to cancel our meetings," I said, "I thought that much would have been obvious."
"Maybe," he said, "But I need this information."
"I get it," I sighed, "I'll try to be more open. Okay?"
He looked skeptical about my response.
"Even if it might affect your meetings?" he asked.
"If you promise that you won't mess with them," I nodded, "Then I trust you on that."
He looked surprised.
"In that case," he said, "I might have an idea."
"What kind of idea?"
He checked his watch.
What time was it anyway?
"What time is it?" I asked him.
"It is early," Baird stated, "6:23 AM."
What exactly did he have in mind? What exactly was it too early for?
"Baird?" I asked, "What are you thinking?"
"Give me twenty minutes," he said, "I'll be back."
He left the room.
The pain in my stomach came back in waves.
I leaned over the side of my bed in case I threw up again.
Shay:
"Shay."
I frowned.
"Shay!"
I jumped up quickly.
"Your phone is going off," Cody frowned.
I looked over to see the last name I expected.
Baird was calling me.
"Hello?"
"Shay," Baird said, "This is Baird."
Yeah, I knew that.
"Is everything alright?" I asked.
"I am sorry," he said, "I am just going to jump right to the point."
"Alright," I said a little awkwardly.
"Are you busy?" he asked.
I looked around the room.
My eyes landed on the clock on my nightstand.
6:40 AM.
I frowned.
"It's a little early," I said, "I'm not doing anything."
It felt like an awkward silence passed between us.
"Baird?"
"Something is going on with Noah," he stated.
I felt something heavy in my stomach.
I've had this feeling before, and it was never good.
"Something like what?" I asked.
"I wanted to know if you could come in as soon as possible," he said, "You being here might just help."
Was it really that bad that Baird would ask for my help?
What did they do with these kinds of things before they found their mate?
I shook my head.
"I can be there in about thirty-five minutes," I said.
"Oh," he said, "That would be wonderful."
"Anything I need to know?" I asked.
There was a short silence before he spoke again.
"Just wear something comfortable."
I felt myself nodding. I knew he couldn't see me.
It felt like I needed to do something so that I didn't panic.
"I will see you shortly then," he said.
"Yes," I said, "I will see you soon."
"Thank you," he said.
He hung up the phone before I could respond.
My brain went through a thousand different scenarios.
Was he alright?
I didn't have time to think about it.
I was quick to my feet.
"Shay?"
I looked over at Cody.
Shit. I completely forgot.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
I nodded, "I have to get ready."
He laid his head back down. He was still sleepy.
I was thankful for that.
My body moved on its own.
I headed for the shower first.
I already knew that if I didn't take one, I would feel self-conscious the whole time.
Please be okay, Noah.
I'll be there soon.
Weekly Power Status
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