Page 29 of Twilight of Embers
Knox approached, and Cáel pulled me tighter against himself. “She doesn’t know you, Cáel. You don’t want to scare her.”
He let out a shuddered breath, slowly releasing me.
When I was back on my feet, my legs wobbled.
Cáel’s light blue eyes narrowed on me. “Did I scare you?”
“Uh, no?” It came out like a question instead of a statement.
“Good,” he grunted.
Knox sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sit down, Cáel. I’ll get our order in.”
Cáel glared at Knox but slid into the booth. Easton didn’t sit until he was completely settled.
“Come on,” Knox whispered, guiding me with a hand on my lower back.
That was when I felt it. The eyes on me.
I quickly glanced around and saw that everyone in the diner was staring at me. “What did I do?” I whispered back.
Knox pushed me into the back hallway, away from prying eyes. “Are you okay?”
I tried to peek around his large form and back into the restaurant, but he moved to block my view.
“Hayden.”
I looked up into those green eyes so filled with concern. “I’m fine. But that was…What was that?”
That concern morphed into pain. “Cáel. He’s one of our brothers. But he doesn’t always act like most people. A lot of kids on campus are scared of him.”
Pain lanced my chest. “I know what it’s like to not feel normal,” I said quietly.
With all the eyes that had been on me a few moments ago, I could only imagine how Cáel felt all the time.
Knox wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. “I’m so sorry, Hayden.”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled. “I just meant that I get it.”
Knox kept hold of me but pulled back a fraction so that he could meet my eyes. “I told him about you. How amazing you are. But I didn’t expect that.”
My brows pulled together in confusion.
“Cáel doesn’t usually touch…anyone,” Knox explained. “He can’t handle the contact.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. What would that be like? Not to be able to withstand any human contact.
I didn’t get a lot of it. Even now, just having Knox’s arms wrapped around me was an overload to my senses. But I’d had something. Mrs. Johansen would hug me on big occasions like my birthday or graduation. Mr. Johansen would pat me on the shoulder when I got an A on a test. Cáel had none of that.
My stomach twisted as I wondered what had happened to result in that need for complete touch deprivation. My eyes searched Knox’s. “What happened to him?”
Knox’s entire expression became a blank mask. “It’s a long story.”
I understood his not telling me. It wasn’t any of my business. But that didn’t change the fact that there was a part of me desperate to know.
Knox let out a long breath, but he didn’t release me. “I’m not sure how he’ll be going forward, but I have a feeling he’s going to be pretty protective. Once he decides he likes someone, he doesn’t deal well with any perceived threats against them.”
My mouth curved. “Good thing I’m not on the run from the mafia, then.”
