Testimony of Children (Alice Gray Book 2)

46

I was alone for a matter of minutes. They didn't even bother to knock, just traipsed in, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Not that I minded. The pack brought comfort and unconditional acceptance. I might have been feeling physically relaxed, but I was more than a little bit conflicted by what had just happened with Thomas.

I mean, there was no denying how well we fit together, and he was definitely a willing participant, but that didn't excuse it. It made it worse.

Thomas had been clear about his intentions since we met. Now I had gone and encouraged him when I still had unresolved feelings for Stephen.

And then there was Lucas, what was between us was definitely caused by the pack bond, or so I was desperate to convince myself. Another yearning that I was going to have to quash.

Speaking of which, when I stepped out of the bedroom, my Alpha was handing out a plate of delicious smelling bacon sandwiches. He'd been making good use of the time to really embrace his responsibility to care for the pack.

I sat on the floor with the others and ate. No one sat on the armchair.

Awkward.

"Where is Stephen," I asked, around a mouthful of tasty bacon, unable to get my fake ex-boyfriend out of my head due to an irritating surge of guilt.

"He stayed behind to care for Mary."

Great, now I really felt like scum. Leading Thomas and Stephen on like that. I had to put an end to it, soon.

A huge yawn from Evan set us all off.

Emily tried to suggest that she would stand guard, but she needed rest as much as any of us. I needed her to be sharp for whatever was coming.

As a compromise, we agreed to stay together while we slept. Security in numbers or something like that.

Emily and I shared the bed. The men took the bedroom floor. Sometime later, I felt Evan, and then Lucas, climb into bed with us. I didn't mind. The warmth and security of the pack bond was keeping the nightmares at bay.

I felt something small, rough and scratchy under the pillow just as I was drifting off, but it wasn't enough to halt the long-overdue sleep from pulling me under.

*****

"Eeek," I screeched, trying to untangle myself from three sets of limbs that had woven themselves around me during the night.

Poppet.

I moved my arm and the thing moved with me. Finally I pulled my arm from under the pillow. The poppet was attached to my finger by a loop of coarse hair that had unwound from its leg. I flung it back to the top of the bed and backed away.

Emily jumped out without any trouble, even though she'd been as tightly ensconced as the rest of us. Somehow she managed to land back to the bed and facing the door, in a full on battle stance.

If I came through that door, I would turn straight back around. Emily was fierce even straight out of bed. How the hell did she do that?

The absence of one person loosened up the mix of bodies. I scurried away from my pillow across the bed. Who I scrambled over to get away from the nasty little thing that agitated my skin was of the least consequence.

Lucas and Evan were only just stirring, their movements languid but relaxed. I couldn't help but envy them. It had been one of the most restful night's sleep I'd had for months. Finally, my anxiety infiltrated their fog of sleep through the bond and Lucas and Evan both sat up and looked around for the threat. Why could no one else sense the power emanating from that thing?