Chapter 32

She left to pack up the food and my entire body was alive and buzzing with electricity. I could feel Jaxon’s eagerness and I couldn’t help but think of all the things he would do to me when we got home. He refused to let me take my legs off his and he grasped my knee in a possessive grip while his thumb rubbed small circles on my skin.

We waited for the woman to return but a man returned in her place. I almost laughed because it meant she finally took the hint and realized that Jaxon wasn’t up for grabs. I felt a sick sense of pride as I took the plastic bag from him and thanked him. He nodded to us and disappeared into the back.

We finally rose from the chair and although my thighs were sticky, I still forced my legs to move.

Jaxon walked with a purpose as if he couldn’t wait to be alone with me. We had gotten to the door of the place when my world was rocked on it axis. I was thrown back by the force of the blast.

It took me a second to figure out what happened and in that time, Jaxon was hovered over me protecting me from the majority of the blast. I was worried that he was hurt but he stood up like nothing happened and within a second, some men rushed into the building.

At first I was worried that they were attackers but Jaxon seemed to recognize them and he handed me over to one of them. I didn’t want to let go of him and I grabbed his arm in an attempt to keep him with me. He cradled my face softly and ki*sed my lips.

“Go with them, Freya,” he said softly to me. “They’ll take you back to the palace and you’ll be safe there.”

“What about you?” I asked not wanting to let go of him and he let out a sigh. “Promise me you’ll come back.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he assured me and with one last nod at the men, I was pulled out of the building.

They formed a protective circle around me and I was carefully ushered into the car. As got in, I recognized the person in the driver’s seat. Aiden winked at me and I let out a sigh of relief that I at least knew someone there. He floored the gas pedal and I lurched in my seat. I barely had time to put on my seatbelt when he took a sharp turn.

Fit If it were any other time, I would have complained but I couldn’t bring myself to do so because I was so worried. about Jaxon. Aiden drove like a man possessed and like he had ten extra lives. He made sharp turns and he never let his foot off the gas pedal. Even though there was no one following us, I knew he had to do his job and get us to safety.

A journey that should have taken thirty minutes ended up taking ten. He arrived in front of the palace with a sharp screech and it was when he turned off the ignition that I realized how fast my heart was beating. I had to put my palm on it to calm it but it didn’t seem to be working.

다 “What happened back there?” I asked and Aiden shrugged although he didn’t meet my eyes so I knew he had an idea of what had happened. “Why won’t you just tell me?”

“I think you should go inside,” he said without missing a beat. “Jaxon asked me to keep you safe and I can’t do that when we are out in the open.”

“You don’t think they will come here, do you?” I asked in alarm and he stayed silent. “You need to be out there. “helping him.”

“I was assigned to help you,” he said simply as if it was the easiest thing in the world. “Please, let me do my job, Freya.”

I wanted to refuse but I also knew that he was going to do anything possible to get his job done so I reluctantly got out of the car. Aiden followed suit and with a hand on my shoulder, he directed me into the palace. I could see guards running around in the halls and my heart clenched with fear for Jaxon.

Realistically, I knew that if anything were to happen to him then I would feel it but I still couldn’t help but fear that he was hurt badly. My skin itched and I wanted nothing more than to go back to the greenhouse but I knew I would be more of a distraction than a help to him and I hated it.

I walked towards my room where Kiara was staying because I wanted nothing more than to be close to her. I got there and when I didn’t see her, I almost flew into panic mode. I had started hyperventilating when Aiden turned me to face him sharply.

“She’s in her room,” he told me and it took me a second to decode what he had said. When I did, I let out a sigh of relief and ran there.

I heard him curse but he followed me nonetheless. I didn’t relax until I pulled open the door and saw my daughter sitting cross legged on the floor with Nadia. They were peering into one of the picture books on lycans and she looked up and smiled when she saw me. Her smile was so innocent and calm and was relieved that she knew nothing of the storm that was raging inside of me.

“Where is daddy?” she asked with scrunched brows and I desperately wracked my brain for an excuse.

“He had some work to do,” I lied and she hummed. I turned to Nadia. “You can go home, you’re done for the day. Thank you for watching her.”

“It was my pleasure,” Nadia said and without another word, she walked out. Before she went however, I saw her cast a look towards Aiden and it was a look that held a lot of tension and wanting.

“Is there something I should know?” I asked once she had left but Aiden pointedly ignored me.

I walked into the room and lay on the bed with Kiara. She didn’t understand my need or want to keep her close and she kept removing herself from my hold. It hurt and I wanted nothing more than to keep her glued to my side but I knew that the more I tried to keep her close, the more likely she was to decode that something was wrong By the time the sun was setting and I noticed that Jaxon still wasn’t around, I started to get worried.

I was “anxious and itchy and I started to pace around the room. Aiden was seated by the door and I felt his eyes on me while I paced the length of the room.

“He is going to be back,” he said simply but it did nothing to ease my fears. “Jaxon isn’t going to be taken down by something as trivial as that.”

“You call almost being blown up trivial?” I whisper yelled trying to make sure that Kiara didn’t hear me.

He must have realized the error in his words because he gave me a sheepish smile and went silent again. I tried to use the mind link to get to Jaxon but his end was bolted shut as if he didn’t want me intruding in his mind at a time like this. It frustrated me but I knew there was nothing I could do.

Kiara walked over to me and it was her soft tapping of my thighs that had me snapping out of my thoughts. She gazed up at me with her warm wide eyes and I felt part of the tension bleeding out of my body as I analyzed my daughter.

“I’m hungry,” she said softly and I nodded then picked her up and made my way to the dining room.

I could hear Aiden following us but I didn’t care about him. I needed to focus on Kiara or I was going to lose my mind. As I gently placed her in her chair, the maids appeared as if summoned with plates of food for us. I couldn’t focus on eating but for Kiara’s sake I pretended to enjoy the food so she would concentrate on eating.

Soon she was shoving oatmeal into her mouth while I watched her but my mind was faraway with Jaxon. I was worried about him and what he was doing. I wondered if he was still at the greenhouse or if he had left and was now focusing on more important things.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Kiara asked and I offered her a small smile. “Is it because you’re waiting for daddy?”

“Yes,” I admitted knowing there was no harm in telling her the truth. “I don’t want daddy to eat alone when he gets back so I’m Paiting for him.”

“That’s nice, mummy,” she said and I tried and failed to keep my smile on my face but it kept wobbling, “But your don’t have to wait for him.”

“Why not, sweetheart?”

“Well, because daddy is right behind you.”