N. Walters - Finding Chrissten

She turned her attention to Isaiah, waiting for the conversation to lag. As soon as it did, she jumped right in. “Any news on Brian and his pack yet?”

Eight sets of male eyes and four sets of female eyes landed on her. She forced herself not to squirm under their scrutiny.

Isaiah shook his head. “Nothing yet. Craig is still searching. Damek has some people on it as well. It’s only a matter of time.”

Time. Not something she had a lot of. Her gut was screaming that if she didn’t find Brian soon, he’d find her and she’d lose the element of surprise. She’d rather go on the offensive than be on the defensive. She wanted to take the fight to him and not bring it here to these people. They deserved better.

Footsteps fell on the stairs and, in spite of her telling herself not to look, her head swiveled around and she soaked in the sight of Hank as he came through the door.

Meredith called out a greeting. “Morning, Hank. Come have some breakfast. Teague made ham and eggs. There’s still some left.”

That’s not all Teague had made. There were bowls filled with hash browns, plates loaded with toast, a huge pot of coffee and a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice. Or at least there had been. The pickings were a little slim at the moment. The rest of them had gone through the food like a cloud of locusts in a wheat field. Werewolves had a fast metabolism and needed a lot more calories than humans did to sustain themselves.

She waited for Hank to look her way. He nodded at Meredith, Isaiah and the others, grabbed a plate and loaded it with most of the remaining food on the table. Then he pulled out a chair on the end of the table, sat and began to eat. Not once did he look her way.

Chrissten tried to ignore the senses of abandonment that flooded through her. He hadn’t sat next to her. Of course, Bethany was sitting on one side of her and Craig on the other. It wasn’t like there was any room for him.

And what was she, sixteen? She sounded like a teenager with a crush on some guy in school rather than a mature woman. Her hormones were really playing havoc with her intelligence.

She promised herself she’d ignore him. She honestly did. But somehow her gaze sneaked back in his direction without her permission. He was watching her. Something hot and possessive flared in his gaze and was gone in the next instant. He broke eye contact and applied himself to eating everything on his plate.

Time slowed to a snail’s pace. Finally, Chrissten couldn’t take any more. She rose from her seat and began stacking plates.

“You should rest…” Quinn began.

She glared at him. “I’m sick of resting. If I have to rest any more I’ll go crazy,” she snapped.

Everyone around them went silent. She was making a fool of herself, but there was no stopping her now. She continued to pile dishes until she had a large stack. When she had all she could handle in one load, she picked them up and carried them to the kitchen. Everyone watched her until she was out of sight.

Chrissten knew they all meant well, but she had to start getting her life back to normal. Her bruises and injuries had faded and she had to start working, doing something, if she was ever going to build up her strength. She needed to shift too, to see if she still could.

Part of her was worried she wouldn’t be able to after the trauma she’d been through. Her wolf was still there. Chrissten could feel her, especially in times of stress. And, if she was being honest with herself, whenever Hank was around. Her wolf was as attracted to him as she was.

She set the dishes on the counter next to the dishwasher and planted her hands on the cool tile. An industrial fan whirred and the large stainless steel refrigerators hummed. It was all so normal.

Why then did she want to fling the dishes against the wall and smash every one to bits? Why did she want to throw back her head and scream and scream and scream?

She bit her bottom lip. She felt on the edge of going crazy. Her emotions were scattered and extreme.

Would she ever feel anywhere near normal again?

The double doors swung open behind her. She knew who was there and it wasn’t the male she wanted.

Taking a deep breath, Chrissten turned and faced her brother. He looked wary, and she took pity on him. “I’m okay. Really. Just on edge.” If Quinn only knew just how on edge he’d be even more worried than he already was. But he didn’t. No one did.

Not even Hank.

Quinn stopped in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m just worried about you.” His pale eyes darkened with concern. “You’ve been through so much.”

“And lying up there thinking about it isn’t helping me.” She had to make him understand. Plus, her plan was twofold. First, she had to start working and moving to build her strength. If she was going to fight and kill Brian she needed to be in peak form. And secondly, she needed to be around the rest of them to keep track of any information they discovered. She didn’t trust them not to hold back any news about Brian. In their minds they’d be protecting her. She understood that, but she couldn’t allow it to happen.

Quinn sighed and pulled her into his arms. She’d missed her twin, missed their closeness. Chrissten wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back. “You have to understand. I have to have to start living some sort of normal life.”

Her brother pulled back and studied her face intently. He knew her too well. Or he had. She’d become adept at hiding her true feelings during her long months of captivity. Finally, he nodded. “I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it.”

She reached out and tugged a lock of his hair. “You can’t keep me locked up forever,” she softly admonished. “A prison is a prison even if it’s a nice one.”

“Fuck.” He released her and began to pace. “That’s not what I meant to do. I want you to feel safe. To have time to recover your health.” He whirled around, fury etched across his face. “You were almost dead.”

Shame washed over Chrissten. She’d been so wrapped up in her own concerns, in what she wanted, that she’d conveniently discounted everything her family had been through. She went to Quinn, put her hand on his chest and felt the heavy thud of his heart. “I know. I’m sorry for what you went through. Have I thanked you for never giving up, for saving my life?”

“For fuck sake. I don’t want your thanks.” Now he looked extremely uncomfortable.

Chrissten couldn’t help but grin. He reminded her of when he’d been a little boy and someone would compliment him. He’d never known how to accept praise. He had a code by which he lived and expected himself to live up to it. Period.

“But you have it whether you want it or not.” She needed to tell him this, needed him to understand the depth of her love for him in case something happened and she wasn’t able to. “I knew you’d come for me. I knew you’d never stop searching.” That knowledge had kept her from giving up and doing something stupid. “You gave me hope when I didn’t have any of my own.”

“Chris.” Her name was little more than a broken whisper. Then his big arms were around her, practically crushing her. She didn’t mind. She loved her brother. Wanted to be close to him.

If everything worked out as planned, she and her family would live together once again. Only this time there would be a new member. She was fiercely glad her brother had Bethany. It would help him if something happened to her and she didn’t survive the upcoming battle. No way was she letting him risk his life for her. Not any longer. He deserved his shot at happiness.

“Knock. Knock.” Craig eased the door open and stepped into the kitchen. “Is this a private party or can anyone join?” The uncertainty in his voice almost broke Chrissten’s heart.