Page 27 of His Arranged Plus-Size Mate

Gabriella placed a card down. “Westley and I are thinking of trying for a baby.”

Nora and Jade both stopped, their heads snapping to Gabriella. Jade’s mouth dropped open, and Nora stammered.

“Really?”

“Oh my god, that’s huge!”

Gabriella blushed. “The house feels empty. We aren’t going to try until things settle here a little more, but we’re thinking about it.”

“Oh my god, that’s exciting!” Nora squealed.

“Talk about change,” Jade said, playing a card down.

I cleared my throat. “Is anyone worried about the guys?”

They all froze, and I suddenly realized why we were all sitting together. It was a cover-up to mask what everyone was feeling. I could see them all shift, worry filling their eyes.

“I trust Brandon will make smart decisions,” Jade said, taking a sip of her wine. “Which is why we are playing poker.” She offered me a smile.

“I’m sure everything is going to be okay,” Nora added. “Nothing to worry about.”

I looked at each of them, knowing I wasn’t the only one who was concerned. They all were. But they were all putting on a front.

“So, poker,” I said, pulling my attention back to the cards.

I arrived home late. The poker continued, and it was clear none of them wanted to be alone, so it went into the night. I didn’t bother flicking the lights on as I headed upstairs, tumbling into the sheets. I didn’t even bother changing as I let myself drift off to sleep.

I was sleeping peacefully, just dreaming about running through tall grass and feeling freer than I had in a long time. I could see the wind on my skin and the dirt underneath my feet.

But then I felt like someone was watching me, like my running wasn’t because I wanted to. That calm that had wrapped around me shifted into panic. I felt darkness creep over me, and suddenly, I screamed.

I jerked up in my sleep, gasping for air. I looked around my room, knowing it was empty. There was no one here, but that dream left me scared. It felt so real. One moment, I was safe, and suddenly, the next, I wasn’t.

I needed air. I needed to get out of my room and just sit in an open space.

I pulled myself out of bed and headed down the stairs. I paused when I noticed that the kitchen light was on. I knew I hadn’t turned it on. My heart stopped beating as I paused at the bottom step.

I swallowed, looking around for something. I found the broom sitting next to the stairs and grabbed it.

I moved quietly and stepped into the kitchen. I held the broom close, not sure if it would help, but it was something.

I stopped moving as I realized it was Asher. He was leaning over the sink, his back to me. But I knew his figure.

My shoulders dropped. “Jesus, Christ, Asher! You scared the living shit out of me.” I placed the broom down and rubbed at my eyes. “What are you doing?”

Asher turned slowly, and my eyes widened as I realized he was covered in blood. His left arm was hanging low, as if his shoulder was hurt, and he had a scratch that ran down his left side. He looked like shit.

“Oh my god!” I moved closer. “Are you okay? What the hell happened?”

“I’m fine,” he said, but I could see the pain on his face. “We just ran into a hybrid. It caught us by surprise because we hadn’t expected it. It had been following us.”

I reached up, trying to pull at his jacket. “Take off your jacket. Let me see where you’re bleeding.”

“Hazel, I’m fine.” He tried to step out of my touch, but wobbled.

“Stop saying that. Take off your jacket.” I moved, grabbed a stool, and pulled it closer to us. I practically shoved him onto it. Asher moved slowly, tugging his jacket off. I realized he had a large, deep gash on his left shoulder. The blood that was all over him had to be his, and he was going to need stitches. I quickly pulled our drawer open, yanking out a hand towel. I quickly pressed it onto his shoulder, and he yelped.

“Fuck!” he whined, grinding his teeth together.