Ten

Half dozing on the sofa with the TV on, Genevieve frowned at the door when she heard the knocking. Pulling the blanket back, she gingerly got up and went to open the door. 

“You shouldn’t be up, and you didn’t even ask who it was.” Remiel frowned at her. 

She stared at him with annoyance. “If you were anyone else I would shut the door in your face and let you wait for Brandon to get back. Come in and let me lay back down.”

“You… are angry.” He seemed baffled.

“Yeah. I have no idea why. I keep just getting angry about nothing, about everything.” Sighing, Genevieve shook her head. 

“Where has Brandon gone?”

“To get the air mattress and something to help me be less angry.” She settled back onto the sofa and Remiel knelt and rubbed her head. It felt like heaven, she closed her eyes focusing on the head tingly feeling as he used his nails gently. “That’s…”

“I need to touch my mate and my mate needs to be touched.” He sounded almost amused. “I’ve been angry ever since I was told I couldn’t save you myself. I could feel how afraid and hurt you were. And I couldn’t come to you. I couldn’t rip him to shreds and take you to safety.” She opened her eyes to look at him as he spoke. “And then my Alpha sends you home with Brandon instead of with me. I know where you are, I know you’re safe…”

“But you’re so worried and angry and off-kilter that you can’t stand it. You think it might be what’s making me angry, it could be bleeding over.”

He nodded, “I’m sorry.”

“I wanted to come home with you but Brandon would have called in the National Guard. Alpha Germain was right.” She reached to touch his face and he made a grumbling growl as he rubbed his cheek against her fingers. “I need to be close to you as much as you need to be close to me. Waiting is awful but it isn’t forever.” 

He kissed her fingers. 

“Will you do something for me?”

“What do you want me to do?” Remiel smiled faintly.

“Find a way to do something nice for Alpha Germain. He’s had to deal with you being surly, me being a trainwreck,” Remiel frowned at her as she continued, “and his mate being gone for way too long, if what I’ve felt and the cards were right”

He blinked. The look of horrified realization broke over his face. “He’s handled it better than anyone could have or should have been asked to.” 

“Find a way to do something nice for him.”

“Do you have any suggestions?” He started rubbing her fingers under his chin.

“I don’t really know enough about etiquette to make suggestions. But if it wouldn’t be out of line, have Sage put together a bracelet, something with light blue and black kyanite and black sapphire, tell him to use gold. You can help him with aesthetics. If he doesn’t have any black sapphire, tell him to use the stone from my necklace. Wherever that is.” She looked at him pointedly.

“In my room waiting for you.” Remiel returned her pointed look.

“You might need to go get it. He wanted some black sapphire but he was waffling on getting it.”

“I can do that, my thoughtful mate.” He tilted his head listening for a moment. “How long before Brandon comes back?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“Can I take you to the bedroom and try to help heal you?” His hopeful expression made her smile. 

“Absolutely.” Genevieve let him help her into the bedroom and took off her shirt as he stripped to change. “You have to be in the other form to heal?”

“Not entirely, but I want to make you smell right again.” The need was palpable, an ache that he needed his mate to be marked with his scent.

“I forgot about the soap. I need to switch to something less offensive.” She wrinkled her nose. “And I like smelling like you.” Closing her eyes she had to stifle a moan as she felt him above her. 

Licking her sides and back made her squirm, but it helped to combat the rush of desire she'd felt as he'd first stood over her. 

“That tickles and your tongue is so-,” she started giggling as he growled. A swipe of his tongue up her spine made her wince as she laughed. “You have to stop. Squirming and laughing kinda hurts, my angel.”

His furry head began to rub against her upper back before lowering his body gingerly onto her back and rubbing. Remiel’s hips started to rub against her still covered a*s and she reached to unfasten her jeans. 

Growling he leapt down from the bed and changed back. “No sex until you're cleared.”

She cursed into the pillow until she felt a little better. He was dressing when she looked back up. “For future reference if sex is off the table don't do that.”

Remiel laughed and rubbed his face. “I'm sorry, my desire got the better of me. I thought you might let me get my own relief.”

“As sexy and sticky as that sounds, when you started rubbing the only thing I could think of was how much I wanted you inside me.”

The growl as he spoke was a delicious vibration she could feel in the core of her being. “We need a chaperone.” 

Whining and cursing into the pillow again, she heard him starting to laugh.

“Frustration bleeds over worse than anger and you don’t handle it well at all, my loving mate.”

“No. No I don’t. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this.” Genevieve took a deep breath trying to cool and calm herself. He climbed back onto the bed straddling her and kissing across her bare shoulders and the back of her neck. “You are not helping.”

“You’re sure I can’t rub against you? It might help.” His voice was teasing.

“It really wouldn't.” She shifted under him feeling the heat and wetness as she kept her legs pressed closed. “Remiel…”

“I love the way you say my name, Genevieve, I want you home where you belong.” 

“I want to come home. I am going to come home, Remiel. But if you don’t stop teasing me I’m going to make you do something about it and get us both in trouble.”

“You think you can?” Nipping at the mark he’d left as he teased, she shivered under him. 

Softly, “You really want me to try?” Shifting again and slightly parting her thighs, she started to fantasize about what she wanted him to do. Pull down her jeans and tilt her hips. She could almost feel the tip pressing against her wet and eager opening, feel how good it felt when he pushed inside. The way his c**k felt so magnificently-

“Stop.” Remiel’s voice was a low groan and his breath was hot on the back of her neck.

“I haven’t even gotten to the good parts, my radiant, angelic Remiel.” She murmured, pressing her thighs back together for the feeling of pressure.

“I shouldn’t have teased you. Now all I can think of is the scent of my mate’s desire and the perfect fit of my wolf’s c**k,” his voice was a low growl that was making her tingle, “in your wet witch’s-”

“Remiel, I need you so badly, please.” Her hands were moving back down to her jeans and he grabbed them. 

“Put your hands back up, Genevieve. If your pants come down we’ll be defying my Alpha, our Alpha.” He was almost panting.

“Then you better get off of me and out of here because I need you, and I can’t-”

Remiel bit the mark making her whimper and arch her back, it sent pain through her side. “Mate, if I wouldn’t hurt you, I would be having you right now. I don’t want to go. I need to be near you, don’t try to send me away.”

“You are making me crazy.” She pulled the pillow against her face to scream into it. This kind of frustration was like nothing she’d felt before. It felt like her skin was too tight, the way her muscles were contracting as she screamed made her hurt worse.

“I’m sorry, shhhhhh. Please. I can feel the pain I’ve put you in. Please, forgive me.” Sinking next to her on her uninjured side he stroked her hair. “Genevieve, I’m sorry.”

Breathing as deeply as she could without making pain shoot through at each breath, she struggled to calm. “Think about cold things, calm thoughts. I’m going to go to the bathroom and try to get myself together.”

She carefully got out of the bed and picked up her shirt, pulling it on as she went to the bathroom to clean herself up and wash her face with cold water. In the mirror she could see how mussed her hair was, she almost looked like she’d been… Genevieve turned the water on full blast and washed her face until her hands were icy. Taking her hairbrush out of the canvas bag that still needed unpacking, she fixed her hair and pulled it up.

Coming back out, Remiel was in the kitchen. The sofa was where she was supposed to be anyway. Lying down and pulling her blanket back up she listened to the sound of him moving around. “What are you doing?”

“Making you something to eat.”

“You should be careful what you do in Brandon’s kitchen. He’s funny about that sort of thing.”

“Did I hear him say you can’t be trusted to make eggs?” The amusement in his tone made her huff and sigh.

“That was one time. I don’t have a sense of smell and I scrambled some bad eggs. Apparently they look different when they’re off but I wasn’t really paying attention and couldn’t tell the difference. It resulted in some minor food poisoning.”

“Minor?”

“It didn’t require a hospital stay.” She crossed her arms and glared at the ceiling. 

“I like to cook, I don’t do it often anymore. Not since I started woodworking instead of cooking at the diner.”

“You made diner food?” That perked her ears up. “Can you do french toast?” 

He started laughing, “That’s what I’m making. I can get him more challah, eggs, and milk. I thought since you have trouble tasting things I’d go heavier on the spices, cinnamon, some nutmeg, and cardamom. He doesn’t have real butter though, that’s a shame.”

“I love that you always try to make things I can taste. That’s really sweet of you, Remiel.”

“You’re easy to please, Genevieve.”  

The sound of the key turning in the lock brought her attention to the door. “Vivi, I picked up a few things for you. I got you breakfast from the diner and since the old air mattress had apparently popped, I got a brand new one.” Brandon’s bags rustled as he dropped some on the floor and set others on the coffee table. “Sage couldn’t persuade the hospital doc to call the prescription for Xanax in to the pharmacy here but he did talk up your pain and get you some Tramadol. So I have that for you and you’re going to take it. I…” His chattering stopped as he realized Remiel was there, and cooking.

“I was making her french toast. She said you’re funny about people using your kitchen but I wanted to get her fed. I’ll replace-”

“Eh. Don’t worry about it.” The speculative look he was giving Remiel made her narrow her eyes.

“Did you say she’s supposed to take Xanax?” Remiel managed to catch what she hoped he wouldn’t.

“I don’t want to take it.” She tried to keep her voice even and calm.

“You really should be taking it, Vivi. You’re a mess. Sage and I both think it’ll help you, and we hardly ever agree.” He was looking at Remiel again. “You could probably talk her into it.”

“If she doesn’t want it I’m not going to push her.” He brought over a plate with delicious looking french toast. But she wasn’t feeling very hungry. 

“I appreciate that.”

“You need to eat.” Remiel helped her sit up and sat next to her pulling the plate onto his lap and starting to cut the toast with the side of the fork. 

Watching him do it made her want to shove him off of the sofa. “I am not an invalid. I can cut my own food!” As she snapped at him, he stopped cutting it up and pushed it into her lap. 

“That nastiness right there is going to do more harm than anything else, Vivi. Ease your anxiety and you’ll feel better.”

As if he could feel the wave of fury starting to wash over her, Remiel rubbed her back and spoke softly, “Easy, easy. You’re hungry, eat something for me?” Standing, he took Brandon by the arm and walked him into the bedroom. She couldn’t make out the low conversation but she could feel Remiel was worried. 

“Let me f*****g eat.” Genevieve sighed trying to push down the anger and frustration. She could taste the spices, he must have really put a lot in. It was nice though. Syrup would be nice. Or something to wash it down with. The thought of pumpkin spice eggnog came to mind. It was almost the right time of year.

She had almost finished when they came back out. “Are you feeling any better?” Remiel ran a hand over her head.

“Some. I don’t want Xanax and I don’t need my food cut up for me. I’m not an invalid.” She still felt a little surly.

“You are. You’re on strict bed rest for four days, minimum. Then you’ll be checked over and we’ll see if you can start being up and about. I need you to get better and I need you to not fight about it.”

“I was laying down and being good when you got here wasn't I?” Genevieve fixed the last bites on the plate with a glare.

Remiel sighed. “I’m not going to push you to take something you don’t want, but please. Think about it. Brandon says you can get the prescription from Sage’s doctor, they just have to take you in for an appointment. If you don’t want it and don’t think it will help, you don’t have to take it.”

“Even if it would help I wouldn’t take it, it’s addictive. I’d rather find some other way to deal with all of this.” With a slight shrug she suggested, “Herbal tea and meditation, maybe.” 

“Ok. Tell me what tea you want and I’ll get it for you.”

Biting her upper lip she tried to think. Brandon was the one who knew about herbal tea. “I’d have to ask Brandon or look it up online.”

“Stop biting your lip.” He murmured and kissed her shoulder before calling out, “Brandon?”

“She’s still refusing?” Brandon came back out from the bedroom.

“What kind of herbal teas would help her anxiety? Whatever she needs I’ll get for her.”

“I gave her passionflower after the incident at the shop… she was still jumpy. I think she’d need something stronger. Kava, probably. But I can give her passionflower and valerian for today and see how that does.”

“How does that sound?” Remiel gently took the plate and stood.

“That’s fine. Thank you.” Genevieve sighed as she lay back down. 

“You look like you’re hurting again.” Brandon began to rummage through his bags, “Take your Tramadol.”

“Again. Still.” Closing her eyes she tried to think cool thoughts and not snap about it.

“Get her a juice glass of water. She’s on limited fluids, so we’re going to be keeping her just this side of dehydrated. I bought her a sippy cup with measurements but it hasn’t been washed yet.”

“Because that won’t piss me off, making me drink out of a sippy cup like a goddamned child.” Her angry mutter was answered with more rummaging of the bags.

“Jet and smoky quartz.” A bracelet with smooth beads was pressed into her hand and she began to roll them between her fingers. 

“Cairngorm. Nice.”

“It creeps me out when you say what it is and don’t open your eyes to look, Vivi.” There was a pause and more rummaging. “Here’s a straw to sip your water and if you open your mouth…”

She opened her eyes and then opened her hand for the Tramadol. “Thank you for the bracelet. I’ll try to be less creepy.”

“You’re not creepy, Genevieve.” Remiel began to rub her head.

“She can be. Did you tell him about the band you were in?” Brandon teased as she took the Tramadol and sucked down the water.

“Sibulla. I didn’t like the sound of that.” Remiel wasn’t sure if he should be amused or annoyed, she could feel it.

“It was awful. I’ll show you one of the videos if it’s still up.” Brandon sounded almost gleeful as he fetched his tablet from the entertainment center where he charged it. 

Genevieve closed her eyes and kept rolling the beads between her fingers. The video started and she knew which one it was immediately, the Sibyl was being announced and she was being brought out and chained down on her knees. They had started that show with a cover of Cocteau Twins’ Blood B***h. Swaying and throwing herself forward, jerking in the chains as she sang. She’d looked possessed.

“Vivi? Why is there a reward for information on you?” Brandon sounded more creeped out than he usually did after watching one of her performances. “It has your name listed as Sybil Mesny. And it says you’re from North Carolina.”

“The f**k if I know. They’re probably trying to restart the band with someone else as the Sibyl.” The niggling feeling of Remiel’s unhappiness with what he’d watched and what he was looking at was threatening the calm she was working on.

“I… I don’t think so. This says you’ve also gone by the name Nev Geary. When you click through the video it takes you to what almost looks like a missing persons website.” Genevieve heard him coming closer. “Look, Vivi.”

Opening her eyes in annoyance, she started to feel sick looking at the page. There was a picture of her around the age of three that she’d put up as a joke on the old band page and a picture of her performing that showed her face well. They probably couldn’t find much more, she hated pictures. 

“It’s almost tempting to call the number and ask what this is about. I haven’t seen the name Sybil Mesny before in my life.”

“Let’s not.” Brandon pulled the tablet away. “This is just too creepy.”

“I agree with Brandon,” Remiel came over to perch on the arm of the sofa by her head. “That puts my hackles up.” He stroked her head. 

Genevieve realized with a sudden shock, she couldn’t feel him as clearly as she had in bed after he’d mated her. She hadn’t been able to since… since the concussion. It had gotten better in the bedroom but it was back to feeling so faint. Tilting her head up to look at him, he nodded as if he’d heard that and her heart twisted.

“Get some rest. Don’t worry, not about anything. I’ll be back later.” Sliding off of the sofa arm he bent to kiss her. “It’s going to be fine.”

After he left, she closed her eyes and cleared her mind until she fell asleep rolling the beads.