“I’m sorry,” I eventually jutted out. The air around us tightened at the sudden intrusion of sound, and she looked at me, eyebrows tucked up in the corners. “I’m sorry for what happened and that I wasn’t there for you. Everything was just happening so quickly, and Rush decided that it was a great time to start talking about children-”
“You’re planning for a baby?” Her eyes sparkled.
I nodded. “Yeah, maybe when this whole thing is over.”
Her lips fought a smile, finger twitched. “I know it was unreasonable. I was emotional. It wasn’t your fault, Sloane.”
“That’s sweet of you to say, but that doesn’t excuse my actions.”
“No,” she agreed, melancholia stretching between us. “It doesn’t.”
“Hopefully, I can show you the kind of friend I can be.” I shrugged, looking down at Beckett’s olive hand in my paler one. “I really miss you, Ken.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I miss you, too.”
We stayed silent for the rest of our visit. She left before I did, and she parted with a gentle wave. I pressed a gentle kiss on Beckett’s hand, hoping that in some way, the small gesture would help him.
When I returned home, Rush was lying languidly sideways on our bed. I slid my shoes off in the pile that had accumulated by the door and jumped on the bed next to him. He jumped at the motion and shook the sleep out of his eyes.
“Sleepy?” I traced the curve of his temple.
“Yeah, I guess.” He leaned into my hand. “How’s Beckett?”
“The same.” I continued tracing. “But not any worse, so that’s good.”
“I suppose.” He turned and laid on the side of his body. His left arm reached out and grabbed onto my waist. I tucked myself down into the empty curvature of his chest and placed my head against his collarbone.
“The Warriors are training hard,” I mumbled against his warm skin, entirely captivated by the warmth of him.
“So is the rest of the pack,” he added. “They have different sessions of training since they’re not Warriors. They’re doing good. We’ll be fine.”
“That makes me happy,” I hummed.
“You make me happy,” he replied cheekily. I snorted. “I’m serious. You make me happier than I’ve ever been, even in the midst of a brooding war.”
“Well, I’m glad.” His fingers smoothed my hair back from my face and gently rubbed my shoulder. “Because you make me really happy, too. I can’t wait to start our family.”
“Who knows, our little bean could be in there right now,” he snickered.
I smacked his shoulder lightly. “Don’t even joke about that,” I replied haughtily. “You know that’s not possible; we didn’t have sex during my heat.”
“I know. I just like scaring you.” He kissed the top of my forehead where my hairline started. We stayed in our bed for the rest of the evening, talking and teasing until our clothes began disappearing. In a sleepy haze, I wandered to the bathroom to brush my teeth and go to the bathroom before I committed to being in bed.
As I cleaned my mouth from toothpaste residue, my mouth became dry, and I wanted a bottle of water from the fridge. I scurried down the steps, as I did most nights, in my dark silk robe, hurriedly snatching a bottle from the refrigerator and prying the top off. The fresh water hit my throat, and I nearly squealed with happiness.
A few drops dribbled down my chin, forcing me to walk over to the sink in search of a napkin. It was something I had done many times before, something that had become routine to me. I grabbed one and wiped my chin and chest of the cool water. My eyes shifted up out of the window above the sink. Something moved in the shadows outside.
I squinted, focusing on the movement of the trees. A small body was standing in the open space of the backyard. The body turned around, and Kenna’s unmistakable curls shifted under the small light from the moon.
I set the bottle down and walked to the sliding door, stepping out onto the small veranda.
“Kenna,” I hissed, hoping that I didn’t wake anyone up. She didn’t turn around. “Kenna!”
She turned her head but didn’t move her body, and she never responded. I grunted and pulled the robe closer to my body, stalking towards her. She wasn’t far from the house, and her shoulders shook softly.
“Kenna,” I said, nearing her. She turned, showing me the small trail of water her tears had left on the sides of her face. “Kenna, what’s wrong?”
“I did something bad,” she whimpered, arms folding around herself.
“What happened? What did you do?”
“I can’t tell you,” she whined, fingers curling into her skin.
“Kenna, we will figure everything out. Come inside.”
“No,” she said loudly and forcefully.
“Kenna,” I said, surprised at her roughness.
“No, Sloane. It’s too late.”
“Kenna, I’m going inside. I’d really like for you to come with me.”
“You aren’t.” She shook her head. “They won’t let you get that far.”
“Who?” I looked around the empty field behind her.
Something moved behind me, and I turned swiftly, looking at the three humans that somehow had appeared behind me. My blood moved faster in my veins as I prepared to shift. They paused and raised a rope and a pair of shackles. My muscle quivered in the few seconds before my shift, and in my concentration, I didn’t notice Kenna’s hand reaching around me, forcing a cloth over my face. I breathed in unknowingly, and the smell of chemicals seeped into my mouth.
I turned my body, no longer capable of shifting.
“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding anything but remorseful. My body slouched to the ground. Four hands grabbed my arms and legs, securing my limp limbs in metal and rope. My vision faded quickly, and as my foot kicked out, striking one of the human’s, the other man pressed the cloth to my face again.
My eyes closed.
Counting Heartbeats
I coughed when I woke up, dust and debris
