That hit real fucking hard. Sid’s eyes widened as his head snapped toward Daniel. Jared actually gulped loudly, then whispered, “Ah, shit.”
Sloan took one slow step toward Daniel. “Careful, boy.”
“No.” Daniel didn’t back down, his eyes locked with Sloan’s. “You need to hear it. You are the man she trusts to stand between her and them. You can’t do that hiding. Nor can you lead the Warriors, who trust you, into a battle that will be fought with or without you.”
“Enough,” Sloan growled, knowing what Daniel said was the truth, but it still pissed him off. Fuck.
Daniel’s voice softened, but not by much. “Don’t walk away from the very thing that gives you the power to keep not only Becky safe, but your child.”
“I said enough.” Sloan’s voice cracked through the room. He needed to get his thoughts together, and needed to focus on one thing at a time. “Phillips will be here soon. Adam reads him the second he arrives. Until we know exactly what Golden Blood has done, every mate is protected. Human. Vampire. Witch. I don’t give a shit. No one goes anywhere alone.”
No one argued which was smart on their part.
A knock sounded on the door before it opened. Steve stuck his head in, his usual smirk nowhere to be found. “He’s here.”
Every set of eyes went to Sloan. For a second, no one moved. Then Sloan’s gaze shifted toward the private suite.
“I need a minute,” he said, his voice low.
No one questioned him. Sid and Jared walked out first, followed by Duncan. Daniel stayed where he was for a heartbeat, his eyes flicking toward the suite door before coming back to Sloan.
“Words said out of fear still cut,” Daniel said quietly as he glanced at the door Sloan had glanced at, then back to Sloan.
Sloan’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Daniel didn’t answer. He walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Sloan stood there for a second, staring at the closed door. His anger was still riding him hard, but Daniel’s words had crawled under his skin and stayed there. With a curse under his breath, he turned and walked to the private suite.
Quietly he opened the door and looked inside. Becky lay on the bed, her back to him, one hand tucked beneath her cheek. She didn’t move, and for a moment, Sloan just stood there watching her breathe, letting the sight of her pull him back from the edge.
Sloan forced himself to turn away, when all he wanted to do was walk and pull her into his arms. Phillips was here, and this time Adam would know if the bastard was lying. He needed the truth. But as Sloan closed the suite door behind him, Daniel’s words followed him out.
‘Words said out of fear still cut.’
CHAPTER 24
Becky leaned against the door, listening to every word being said on the other side. Her throat tightened until it felt like she was strangling, and no matter how hard she tried to breathe through it, she couldn’t stop the tears from sliding down her face.
I never would have chosen this.
The words kept playing over and over in her head, each time cutting deeper than the last. Was that how he really felt? Had he lied when he told her things were okay between them? Did he feel the same as Sid about mating with a human? So many fucking questions she wished had been answered when she’d asked him not hours ago.
And now he was talking about resigning from the VC. Why hadn’t he told her any of this? Why was he spilling his guts to his men while keeping it from her?
She was hurt. Pissed. And God help her, devastated, but hadn’t she done the same to him. Kept things from him that as her mate...her husband he had a right to know.
Old feelings and memories started clawing their way back in. It was stupid, she knew that, but they still haunted her. She knew Sloan wasn’t her ex. He had never once made her feel like she was too much, too needy, or too damn inconvenient just by existing. But standing there with his words tearing through her, she felt that old, ugly feeling crawling back in anyway.
Becky pressed a hand to her stomach, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks. She hated that feeling. Hated that she could still be dragged back to a place she thought she’d left behind. She was a strong fucking woman, and yet, right then she felt useless. Like she was always someone’s problem to solve.
And she was sick and tired of it all. Realizing she had heard all she needed—no, all she wanted to hear—she walked back toward the bed and lay down. Forcing herself to stop crying wasn’t easy, but she was so sick and tired of her emotions, and this was just the start of it. She knew pregnancy could have her laughing one minute, cursing someone the next, and then came the crying.
Another tear slipped free, and she wiped it angrily away. She could hear the low murmur of male voices, but couldn’t make anything out. They were probably making rules against mating with humans about now. She snorted, wiping away another tear. The assholes. She knew that wasn’t fair. Sid was the one who had made the comment about being mated to a human, but Sloan and Jared had remained silent, which to her said more than words ever could.
Hearing heavy footsteps, she quickly wiped the wetness from her cheeks, then controlled her breathing as she closed her eyes. The door opened slowly, and she knew it was Sloan. No one else would dare open that door without knocking first. He didn’t come in, but she could tell he stood there staring at her. She could feel it, feel him all around her. Then the door shut witha quiet click. She listened to his footsteps fade before the office door closed.
It had been a long time since she had felt this lonely, and damn if it didn’t drag her right back to a place she thought she’d left behind. Reaching toward the nightstand, she picked up her phone and sent Frankie a quick text just to say hey, hoping he would text back. Becky knew she was going to have to tell Frankie about the baby, but that conversation would be with Sloan.