As he followed her, listening to her talk about how much she loved living there, it struck him as odd that she felt that way in a house full of shifters. He thought it might be because her son was a shifter. He had to admit that after David helped him learn how to use the computer, his fears about shifters had diminished somewhat—but not completely.
Back in his room, Cain thought about what the Alpha would do to him if he left it without Sofia. The last thing he wanted was to be sent back to the paranormal prison, but his need to see what Sofia had shown him at the end of their tour was overpowering.
He’d thought the tour was over, but evidently it wasn’t. Sofia had stopped in front of a set of double doors, resting her hands on their doorknobs. “I think you’re really going to enjoy this room.”
Looking over Sofia’s shoulder, Cain’s eyes roamed up the intricately carved tall doors, trying to figure out why she would think that. Lowering his gaze to meet hers, he said, “Maybe, but I don’t think so…this is a nice house…or for me the nicest prison I’ve ever been in, but it’s not my home.”
Smiling, Sofia pushed the door open and stepped aside. “I saved the best for last.”
Stunned, Cain couldn’t believe what lay before him. His eyes focused on a huge, circular, two-story room, lined with filled bookshelves on both floors. An iron balcony ran around the second floor, leaving the center of the room open. A large desk sat in the middle of the space, under a ceiling adorned with stars and moons.
“Go on in,” Sofia murmured.
Staring at the thousands of books before him, Cain whispered, “Is this for real? Are you sure we can go in here?”
“Of course,” Sofia replied softly. “I spent hours in here when I first arrived at the Blackwood Pack. It became my refuge from the chaos in my mind. You see, I initially came to make sure my David would be safe and happy here, but I never intended to stay. I’m human, and I had doubts about fitting in here. I think Dakota could sense that, so he suggested I spend some time learning about shifters before deciding.” Pointing to a bookcase on the balcony, she continued, “All the books in that bookcase are about shifters and other paranormals, including magic users. I started reading the ones about shifters and, after a while, I realized they were very much like humans, with the same feelings, dreams, and hopes that we have. And there were good ones and bad ones, just like in the human world. And when that finally sank in, I stopped grouping them together and started seeing them as individuals.”
“Do you really believe you’re safe here?” asked Cain.
“I do…and what’s more, this is my home now…a place where I’m free to be me…and I haven’t ever experienced that feeling in my life before.”
“The only home I had was with Sarge,” Cain murmured. “But he’s gone so…”
Sofia put an arm around Cain’s shoulders and whispered, “You’ll have one here…I know it.”
Cain was dubious about it but held back on expressing those doubts to Sofia. He could understand why his new friend enjoyed living with shifters, but his life had differed vastly from hers, starting with his conviction of a crime against shifters. The experiences he had while in their custody were proof that they were going to make him pay for his crime.
Interpreting Cain’s silence as agreeing with her, she took his hand and led him into the library and over to the desk. Turning on the computer that sat upon it, she said, “To find a book or books about a subject, all you have to do is enter a word into the search bar and hit go. Here, I’ll show you.” Sitting down, Sofia’s hands hovered over the keyboard for a moment, thinking about what would interest Cain the most. Then, she quickly typed the word and clicked on the search button. Within seconds, a long list of gardening book titles appeared, along with a map showing where they were in the library. “You can break your search down further by using a word specific to the topic you are most interested in. For instance, instead of using a broad word like gardening, you can type in vegetables or flowers, and it’ll tell you which books are available and where.”
Cain nodded as he studied the map on the computer screen. It took several attempts, but he finally figured out where the section on gardening was in the vast room and headed there. Slowly he read the titles, his finger lightly touching the spine of each book, enthralled by how many there were. Finally, he pulled one out, but before he could open it, Sofia took it from his hands and put it back.
“Come,” she murmured, “it’s late, and morning will be here before you know it.”
“Can I come back in the morning?”
“Yes,” Sofia said, ushering Cain out of the library and down the hall to his room.
That was an hour ago, and no matter how hard Cain tried to forget about the library, it was impossible. Finally, giving up on getting any sleep, he quietly opened his bedroom door and peeked out, finding the hallway empty. Satisfied that it was safe, he stepped out of his bedroom and gently closed the door behind him. Removing his shoes, he padded slowly to the library, hoping he wouldn’t encounter anyone. Sighing in relief as he approached the library, Cain put his shoes on before opening the tall double doors. Once inside, he inhaled the aroma of books and ink—reminiscent of every library he’d ever been in, even those in prison.
But as much as he loved that scent, time was short, so he hurried over to the bookcase where all the gardening books were. After locating several that piqued his interest, he pulled them out and set them on a small table before climbing into an oversized, plush chair next to it. Turning on a small reading lamp, Cain curled up with the first book. Reading the first paragraph, Cain smiled softly, immediately knowing the author had written it for him.
~/~/~/~/~
Even though exhausted, Ollie was loath to leave his aunt and uncle, but when his mate assured him Colton would call them if a problem arose, he finally agreed. After kissing his aunt on her cheek and hugging his uncle, Ollie left their hospital room. “I guess you’re right,” he murmured to his mate. “It’s been a long day, but a good one.”
Wrapping his arm around Ollie’s waist, Mac said, “I’m glad your aunt and uncle are here, away from that terrible place.”
“Me, too,” Ollie muttered, fighting off a yawn. “I bet Theo will want to see them immediately.”
“That may be, but I don’t think Jackson’s gonna let that happen.”
Stopping, Ollie looked at his mate in confusion. “Why not? It’s clear they were locked up against their will.”
“True, but until they can prove they had nothing to do with sending Theo to Arald’s, Jackson won’t allow them physical contact with Theo.”
“How are they gonna do that if they can’t remember what happened that night…or the next day?” demanded Ollie.
“That’s why we have to figure out what drug is in their system to see if we can reverse its effect,” Mac said, lightly tapping Ollie on his nose. “And the only way we can do that is to make sure we get some sleep tonight so we can tackle the problem fresh tomorrow.”