Come Out Swinging (Reach for the Moon Book 2), Sam Hall [leveled readers .TXT] 📗

me. What was left shook like I’d just experienced a near miss of fatal proportions, the need to take Aidan’s knot this alien shadow in my mind. I burrowed down under the covers, bodies rolling over to cover mine as soon as I did, and the deep proprioceptive feedback helped to ground me somewhat. I reached out, a tendril beneath a fall of rocks, seeking Mason’s hand and finding it instinctively.

“Thanks,” I said in a very small voice.

“Of course, love. Now try and sleep.”

Chapter 15

I woke up in pain.

“Paige…” The voice was gentle at first, easy to ignore, but when I burrowed back down under the blankets, it grew more insistent. They peeled them back from over my head, pulling me out of my cocoon forcibly.

“What?” I snapped finally, flopping onto my back and blinking as I saw Mason hovering over me. His expression softened, and he placed a steaming cup of coffee and some toast on the bedside table.

“You want to sleep the day away.”

“Yes, and who are you to tell me I shouldn’t?”

“The town meeting’s soon and we need to attend, but, Paige…” I knew what he was going to say, could see him trying to put the words together in a way that wouldn’t hurt as much. He needn’t have bothered, since there was no avoiding this. “We need to find out what your aunt is up to. What Aidan said…”

“What did they do? What the fuck did they do?”

When I looked at Mason, I was willing to bet he heard the exact same thing in his head.

“Have a drink and a bite to eat,” he said, gesturing to what he’d brought up for me. “Then a shower and we’ll go.”

“What was that, Mason? It was like the two of us were under a spell, but how?”

“The only way we’re going to know is to leave this house and see what they do next. Do you need some help?”

I rolled into a seated position, shooting him a dark look, and his smile let me know this was what he expected me to do. Apparently, pissing me off was still a good motivator. I took a long swig from the coffee, which was at just the right temperature, warming me through and helping ease my throbbing head, then dared a bite of toast once I had. Mason nodded and smiled.

“I’ll leave you to it.”

I got cleaned up, then dressed in clothes I felt comfortable and strong in. I would never have thought to gauge how well I could fight in what I was wearing to a town meeting, but apparently, that’s what this had come to. Declan came into the bathroom as I began to drag a brush through my hair. Neglecting to do so last night was a mistake.

“C’mere,” he said, pulling me back against him, then slowly, carefully working it through my knots. When he finally set it down, my hair was pin straight and wet, the bags under my eyes obvious in the mirror. “Something happened last night.”

Whether that was a statement or a question, I couldn’t work out.

“I nearly took another man as a mate, before Micah, before Mase, before you, Dec.” I watched myself frown. “I barely know Aidan.”

“Did it feel right?” he asked. I could see what he was holding back in the tense muscles around his mouth, but he stared right back into my eyes.

“I don’t know if feelings or thoughts had anything to do with it. I just knew I needed to in ways I haven’t before. It was like it was something buried deep inside me that activated because we’d gotten naked…” I turned to face him, not his reflection. “What the hell?”

“What the hell indeed. C’mon, let’s head to the car. We’ll talk about it on the way.”

“So if everyone would like to take their seats, we’ll go through the nominations…” Mr Collins, the head of the chamber of commerce stood up and spoke to the crowd, who went still and quiet at his words. He’d suggested we sit off to the side of the stage, still at the front, but not in the ceremonial seat.

“Don’t want to rub the fact you’re a nix in the face of the town,” Lorcan said in a low growl.

“Let’s just get through this circus, and then we can get to the real business,” I hissed as the guys started to get antsy. “We’re leaving this place behind as soon as we find out what happened to Dad. Then the good folk of Lupindorf can be scandalised by someone else’s shit.”

“We’ve collected and collated everyone’s votes and the most popular contenders were—”

“Surely that won’t be needed now.”

My head spun around to see my aunt stalk in wearing a pale grey power suit and, dear god, were those Nana’s pearls? But her accessories weren’t what caught everyone’s eyes, it was the company she was keeping. Aidan’s dad walked a step behind, followed by what appeared to be an adoring couple. Selma’s hand held tight to her beau’s, her eyes trained on him, leaving Aidan to steer them through the crowd to the front of the hall. Murmurs started as everyone caught sight of them.

But that seemed to fall on deaf ears for the four of them. Nance and Mr Peters stood there, proud as punch, while Selma only had eyes for Aidan. And Aidan? He was that same confident figure who’d regarded the town hall when I was looking at candidates. That shining golden boy but now with neatly trimmed, slicked back hair, a nice suit, and an open friendly expression that only deepened into something much more intense when he looked down at Selma.

He gazed upon her like she was the last beautiful thing left in the world, like the sun and the moon rose with her, like she was his heart. I should fucking know, as I’d caught some of that fervent gaze myself last night, telling me unspoken stories about how important I was and how much he needed