Evelyn POV
A week had past and there seemed to be no sign of the Red Stone pack members going home. We had housed the warriors in some pack houses but Reuben and Nate were determined to remain in the alpha house. Of course they were, he could never make things easy for me could he?
I didn’t need to worry too much about Reuben pestering me, he and Rex seemed inseparable. I only saw him at meal times and occasionally when I went on walks around the pack, otherwise I locked myself up in the office. I had barely seen Noah either.
He seemed busy still at the hospital and had asked permission if Cassandra could assist him. He seemed to be making an effort with her and that warmed my heart. They were both trying, which sometimes was the hardest step.
Beatrice and Harry were coming around the house more often too, especially at meal times. I wanted to make sure she was doing okay in Donnie’s absence. The mate link had no distance boundary, not like a pack link and I had warned him to be mindful of what he shared with her and what state he was in when he mind-linked her.
I would never forgive myself if something happened to the baby due to stress of her mate being away on a mission. A mission I had requested.
Donnie’s absence was now widely noticed, he was well liked in the pack and his training methods made him the go to for the younger warriors. Noah. had asked me on numerous occasions where Donnie was and what was I up to, but I just answered with a shrug.
There was no way I was going to admit what I had asked Donnie to secretly do. Once he found her I would take actions alone and wouldn’t be deterred.
“Mummy!” One of Elspeth’s high pitched screams comes from upstairs. I lock my computer screen and rush out of the office calling up from the bottom of the stairs.
“What’s the matter darling?” I was used to Elspeth’s slightly dramatic moments and knew they weren’t always as intense as she thought.
“Mummy there’s a spider.” Her cute shaky voice comes from the top of the stairs.
“It won’t hurt you darling, where is it?”
“It’s huge and its scary. Rex won’t get rid of it…he said I was being a baby.” She starts to sniff, her eyes becoming teary.
Oh bless her heart. She was such an innocent soul and Rex needed to learn to be a bit kinder to her. Since his kidnapping ordeal, he hasn’t been as patient with her and kept snapping at her for the smallest of things.
Shall I mind-link Noah? He was responsible for spider duties…I won’t admit it to her but I’m not fond of the creepy crawlies.
“Mummy…” She insists and I start to walk the stairs, praying internally that it was a small spider and her imagination has been running wild again.
I walk up the stairs where she grabs my hand at the top and pulls me into her and Rex’s bedroom. As I walk in I find Rex laying on his bed looking up at the ceiling. His hands are crossed behind his head and he has a distant look to his eyes.
“It’s there Mummy.” Elspeth points at a massive woodland spider sitting in the corner of the ceiling above Rex’s bed.
“Just leave it Elspeth, it won’t hurt you.” Rex’s attitude comes out of nowhere and surprises even me. I choose to ignore it for now, he has been through a lot. “Erm, I need a glass or a box…”
“Just pick it up with your hands.” Rex rolls his eyes at me. No chance of that, that thing isn’t going anywhere near my skin.
“Off the bed Rex…” I order, giving him a pointed look. He climbs off and sits on the edge of Elspeth’s bed oozing annoyance. I step onto his bed, with an empty toy box Elspeth has passed me. In order to prepare the box for me she literally dropped all of its contents on the carpet. I eye roll internally, she had to pick the glittery toys that always left a mark on the carpet…
“Well are you getting it or not?” Rex’s voice moans out after I must have been standing looking at the spider for a few minutes. It must be looking at me, it must be readying to attack me.
“Rex, stop!” I reprimand him only for the spider to move and for a squeal to escape me.
“What’s going on?” His voice appears out of nowhere. His voice that causes goosebumps on my skin and the hair on the back of my neck to rise.
“Mummy is trying to get the spider…” Elspeth starts.
“Trying…she’s been standing there for minutes. Just get Uncle Noah already.” Rex not only rudely cuts Elspeth off but now turns his aggression on to me.
“It’s fine, I’ll be down in a minute.” I didn’t want Reuben to see us like this, this was too raw…too unguarded. “That’s quite a big one, here…let me do it.”
I go to step off the bed but he is in my way. Our eyes meet and I go to move up the bed before stepping off when he places his hands on my hips and gently lifts me up and places me on the ground.
My breath hitches as his hands remain on my hips, his thumbs gently stroking the bare skin that had exposed itself from under my top. My eyes roll into the back of my head from the pleasure of his touch, his tingles. He has touched me more in the last few weeks alone than he ever did in the entire two years of our marriage.
He doesn’t wait for me to object, he climbs on to Rex’s bed and places his hand around the spider. I cringe at the thought of the spider touching his hand. My spine shivering from the idea.
“Do you want to see it?” He thrusts his hand at me, earning a shriek from me as I jump backwards. He chuckles at my behaviour before he opens up the bedroom window and throws the spider out.
“See all gone.” He smiles at Elspeth who was now holding my hand.
“I said to leave it alone.” Rex sulks from Elspeth’s bed. “Rex it was upsetting your sister…” I start gently only to be cut off by my rather rude four year old son.
“Then tell her to get her own room. He roars at me, which takes me aback, before he pushes past me to head down the stairs.
“Rex!” I growl at him for his attitude. I had clearly given him too much scope and it was time to rein him back in.
I had excused his, at times, fiery temperament of late. He used to be so calm and patient especially with Elspeth. But enough was enough. I look to Reuben who is watching me with keen interest.
“What?” I whisper.
“Nothing…”
“If there’s something to say then say it.”
“Oh there’s plenty to say…” He cups his hand on my cheek before stroking it softly. He then places a few stray hairs that have fallen over my forehead into his fingers and places them behind my ear.
A noise downstairs distracts him and it gives me the moment I need to step away. Us being close wasn’t good. But when close to him I forget my own mantra.
He looks back at me, a frown forms on his face from the slight distance I have made between us.
