Chapter 58: Chapter 58

Nadia let out a quiet groan as he placed her on the big, nicely laid bed. He tightened his jaw when he saw how swollen her face had gotten now. Her neck and face were discoloured and there was evidence of bruises around her neck, face and ankles. The corner of her mouth was cracked and a coat of dried blood lined it. Xavier cursed.

“I know she can not be one of the captives because of what she is wearing and she looked better fed than the ones we saw. I also doubt you would do something like this, Angel…”

“I didn’t. I couldn’t…”

“Who did this and why? And who is she?” he asked in evident anger. Angel’s heart tightened.

“You are right, she is not a captive. Daniel Antonio Rufus attacked her because of her association with me…”

“You killed him…”

“I did.”

“I suppose this is the friend you mentioned?”

“Yes…”

“Tell me who she is, Angel…”

“Nadia Rufus…”

“Oh, shit! Please, tell me that last name is just coincidental…”

“She is his niece.”

“What?” Xavier said. Angel nodded, folding his arms against his chest. When Nadia groaned again. Xavier reverted his gaze to her. Angel watched him frown with concern.

“Let me get Amèlie to attend to her. We can go to Alexander’s office to talk,” Xavier said.

“I can’t leave her alone, Xavier….”

“Why not?”

“She might try to leave…”

“Okay, why don’t you tell me just what the hell is going on here,” Xavier said through gritted teeth.

“She is my mate…”

“That still doesn’t mean you can just take her, Angel. We are not like them. We don’t do that. Our lives are not a walk in the park that you can just ‘take’ a human and force her to endure.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Our kind are still being hunted and killed, Angel. The weres with me are still alive because of the sacrifices I had to make. Cole Miller’s addition has brought in a lot of relief but it is still not over yet. We rationed food and skittered about like fugitives. Amèlie ’s father used to help me get jobs and taught me how to blend in. Now, he is dead. We don’t own lands. We can’t buy one. We are undocumented unaccounted citizens of the United States. Cole recently bought the island we live on now it belongs to Isabelle. We fight for the right to exist. By the look of what she is wearing, she wouldn’t survive in our world.”

“She will learn,” Angel said automatically.

“Then give her that choice to make. Tell her what she is getting into,” Xavier said then moved closer to him, leaving only two inches between their faces. “She is from a wolfless clan, Angel…”

“I will not let you kill her, Xavier,” Angel said, clenching his teeth. His fist tightened by his side and he searched Xavier's eyes with a mixture of determination and plea. Xavier sighed.

“I can not do that to you, Angel. Cole Miller, on the other hand, might have a different opinion.”

“I will not let him hurt her. He will have to kill me first!”

Xavier raised his hands to hold Angel by the nape of his neck, his eyes mirror his affection for him and that made Angel's throat cloaked with emotions.

“Let’s leave that till when he gets back. And you are not dying anytime soon. Not on my watch ” he said and paused. Angel nodded. “I was going to remind you that since you know what being wolfless clearly means then you should know she already had our blood in her. I know you have bonded with her and telling you to be careful not to turn her is already too late—”

“Turn her?” Angel asked as his heart slammed hard against the wall of her chest. His eyes widened in shock. Xavier groaned, moving back from him.

“You don’t know then…”

“I only remember the part where her kind is killed off because our people deemed them weak..”

“You are Wulfblood Angel. You can turn an ordinary human into a wolf. She is not ordinary. The only difference we have with her right now or should I say before is our ability to shapeshift and now you have given her that. She will be able to turn into a full-blooded wolf because she is your mate!”

“What?!”Angel whispered, raising his two hands to lay over his head and then turned to the bed to see Nadia lying there.

“Although Isabelle and Cole Miller’s case was different from yours, just like you, she omitted the part of being his mate but luckily for her, he fell in love with her. Heavens, Cole would nuke an entire country if they dare threaten her. That is how crazy he is about her. He knows what he is up against and took it on with his full chest. You must let her know. Then give her the choice to choose. You can’t force her. And now you owe her an apology,” Xavier said.

“Antonio Rufus was draining my blood to feed his son and himself for years. Why didn’t they turn? We know now that that was what he wanted…”

“It doesn’t work that way. For your blood to turn Antonio Rufus and his son or heal them, you will have to be mated to them. You will have to have sex, bond and take their blood inside you with your canine teeth while sharing sex. I doubt you have done any such thing with anyone other than her—” Xavier said. Angel nodded. “You have taken her blood while inside her?” Xavier added, and Angel nodded. “Has she drawn blood from you into her?”

“I don’t know, mating with her is always… intense,” Angel replied. Not even feeling embarrassed about having such a discussion with his cousin. The importance of his revelation took precedence.

“As it should be. And have you had sex with her while wounded to heal?”

“Yes, more than once—” Angel replied, giving him an eager earnest gaze. Xavier nodded.

“Talk to her, let her know— trust me, it is far better to have her come with us because it is her choice. Does she have any living relatives?”

“Yes, a father…”

“Is he also into capturing and enslaving our kind?”

“According to Nadia, no, he is a criminal though. He is in jail. That was why she came to live with Antonio Rufus – for safety.”

“Safety?”

“She is always targeted.”

“Shocker…”

“She is not bad, Xavier,” Angel replied.

“You have to be very certain of that. If she has any kind of loyalty to her father, we can not let her come with us, Angel,” Xavier said and when Angel tried to interrupt, Xavier added, “ And if it comes to that, I will not leave you behind. If I have to beat and gag and hog-tie you, I will do it.”

Angel chuckled despite himself. “You sound like my father,” he said. Xavier smiled back at him.

“We just found you. We can’t lose you again. Taking her with us would pose a lot of risks. Now that you are back with us you will understand that we can not afford to be selfish when more than a thousand lives are at risk.”

Angel lowered his gaze at that, remembering his father telling him something similar but in a different setting. His heart ached, knowing he could not afford to mess up this time. He would not want Xavier and Isabelle to regret coming for him.

“Do you think I could like go back home?” Angel asked, raising his eyes to Xavier. His cousin walked back to stand in front of him and placed a hand over his shoulder.

“Listen to me, Angel. Home, right now, is where we all are. Humans have taken over our lands. There is none left. And we can’t fight to get them back. We don’t have the number. They will kill us all. Do you understand?” Angel paused, pondering the information. Rage filled him up inside and the fire burned in his eyes.

“We are just going to let them get away with all the murders and taking what is ours?”

“In time, we will find a way. Right now, we are trying to survive.” When Nadia groaned again, Angel turned to see her turn her head. The pain lining her face was heartrending. “I will get Amèlie,” Xavier said without asking for Angel's permission and left.