TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 125

One hundred and twenty five

Cameron POV

Evangeline pulled back before the oil touched her hair.

“Don’t use that on me!”

The oracle stopped with the bottle still raised. Evangeline rushed closer to me and kept her arm pressed tight against her side.

“It makes me feel worse, Cameron. I can’t breathe.”

I reached out and took the bottle from the oracle before it tipped, then set it on the table. The glass felt cool against my palm and left a faint ring on the wood when I placed it down.

“It’s only infused oil,” the oracle said. “Raven root, ginger, clove. It cleanses. It does not harm.”

Evangeline pushed herself up from the edge of the bed. She planted both feet on the rug and stood with her weight shifted to one side.

“It does. I can’t stand the smell.” Her hand moved over her arm as she scratched harder, nails leaving thin red lines across the skin.

Luna Catherine shot the oracle an apologetic look. She tilted her head slightly and kept her hands folded in her lap.

“I apologize on my daughter’s behalf. She didn’t mean to offend you.”

The oracle did not answer her. She looked at Evangeline for a long moment, then bent down and picked up her basket from the floor. The woven handle creaked under her grip.

“I hope you recover,” she said before turning and walking out. The scent stayed behind after she left and settled into the room without shifting. It clung to the curtains and the folds of the bedspread.

Evangeline walked to the door. She stopped at the threshold and rubbed her forearm again.

“I need to wash this off.”

“Eva, that was unnecessary,” Luna Catherine said. She stood up from her chair and took one step toward her daughter. “You don’t speak to a priestess like that, and you’re not helping yourself with that attitude.”

“Then she shouldn’t come here and make things worse. Everything hurts already. I don’t need something else suffocating me. I’m the one going through it. I’m the one who might not make it.”

“Don’t say that,” Luna Catherine said. Her voice dropped lower and she pressed her lips together for a second before she continued. “You haven’t even had the surgery yet. The doctors have told you the risks are low.”

“Low doesn’t mean impossible. It just means I get to hope I’m lucky.” She pressed a towel against her skin and wiped harder, the fabric dragging across her arm in steady strokes. Then she turned to me.

“Promise me you won’t marry Lisa if I die.”

I forced myself to remain still. My back stayed straight against the chair and my hands rested flat on my thighs. I kept my breathing even.

“That’s not something you should even be thinking about right now,” Nadia said. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

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“It is,” Evangeline said as she wiped her arm. “Because I know how this goes. You’ll all move on, and she’ll be close enough to step into my place. You can find someone else for him. You’re good at that. Just not her.”

“That’s extreme,” Nadia said. “You’re asking him to make decisions based on something that hasn’t happened.”

“I’m asking because it might,” Evangeline said. “And if it does, I don’t want her replacing me.”

“She wouldn’t be replacing you,” Nadia said. “She would be taking care of the child if you’re not here. That’s different.’

Evangeline glared at her. Her shoulders rose with each breath. “So you’ve already thought about it”

“I’m being realistic.”

“No, you’re already making space for her!”

Nadia raised her hands. She held them open with palms facing forward. “That’s not what I meant. You don’t get to make a final wish when you’re not even dying anytime soon. Also you can’t control what happens if you don’t make it.”

“That’s enough Nadia.”

“No. I’m not falling for this. She’s going to survive the surgery and everything will be okay.”

“And if I don’t?” Evangeline said. “What if I come out of it and I can’t walk, or I can’t function, or I end up depending on everyone for everything? What’s the point of surviving like that?”

“You’re thinking about all the worst outcomes and acting like they’re already decided,” Nadia said. “They’re not.”

She looked away and began heading upstairs. Her footsteps sounded on the first three steps.

“You better not replace me with her,” she said. “Ill hunt you all if you do.”!

Nadia and Luna Catherine laughed even though there was nothing funny to laugh about. The sound came out short and forced.

Nadia went to her and wrapped her arms around her. She pulled Evangeline in until their shoulders met. “You’re not going anywhere. You’ll see.”

She followed her upstairs and Franklin excused himself. He gave a brief nod and closed the door behind him. Once they were gone, Luna Catherine looked toward the stairs and kept her hand near the table as if she needed something to hold onto. Her fingers rested on the edge and pressed down until the knuckles showed white.

“My daughter is afraid. She’s not thinking straight. I’m not either. I can’t imagine losing her.”

I reached for her hand and held it. My grip stayed firm around her fingers. “You won’t. The doctors know what they’re doing, and I’ll make sure she gets through it.”

She held on and didn’t respond, but she didn’t pull away either. We stayed like that until the clock on the mantel ticked past another minute.

I didn’t sleep that night. I stayed in bed long enough to accept it wasn’t happening, then got up and went outside. The floorboards cooled under my feet as I crossed the room and stepped through the side door.

The woods gave me space to move without thinking about the conversation from earlier. I shifted and ran through the trees, pushing hard and clearing obstacles without slowing down until the pressure in my chest eased. My paws struck the ground in steady beats. Low branches scraped along my sides. The air moved in and out of my lungs in rhythm with each stride.

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When I shifted back, I showered, sat down to work, and fell asleep at the table without meaning to. The chair creaked when I woke up. It was early enough that there was no point going back to bed. The sky outside the window still carried the last of the night.

On my way to find Evangeline, I passed through the house while staff moved around preparing for the trip. Suitcases stood open in the hallway and the wheels of a luggage cart rolled across the tile floor. The scent of fresh coffee drifted from the kitchen along with the clink of cups being stacked. When I reached her, she stood near the mirror in a short sundress. She spoke under her breath like she was working through an argument she hadn’t finished. Her reflection showed her shoulders pulled forward and her fingers twisting the hem of the dress.

“I didn’t sleep,” she said. “I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

“That hasn’t changed.”

“Neither has the risk.”

I adjusted my cuff and faced her. The button slid into place under my thumb. “When this is over, you’ll realize you should have listened from the start.”

She gave a quiet scoff. The sound came from the back of her throat. “Or I’ll realize I should have trusted myself.”

Franklin waited outside by the car when we stepped out. He held the driver’s door open and took the driver’s seat without speaking. I gave him instructions before we pulled away. The engine started with a low rumble.

“Make sure Lisa gets everything she needs. No delays, and don’t let her miss her checkups.”

“I hear you.”

We got on the road, and he stayed on his phone longer than usual. He held it close to his chest and spoke low enough that I couldn’t follow the conversation. The way he angled it made it clear he didn’t want me to hear. His thumb moved across the screen in short taps.

“Who is that?” I asked.

“Training updates.”

Evangeline leaned against me and fell asleep. Her head rested on my shoulder and her breathing slowed into a steady pattern. I stayed awake and watched the road pass without keeping track of it. Telephone poles moved by at regular intervals. The sun climbed higher and cast flat light across the dashboard.

At the airport, recognition slowed things down. People greeted me and waited for acknowledgement, so I gave them what was necessary and kept moving. Hands shook mine in quick grips. A security officer stepped aside and held the gate open.

The flight dragged on. By the time we landed, the lack of sleep had settled into my body. My shoulders felt tight each time I shifted in the seat and my eyes burned when I blinked.

“Can we wait a few days before going in?” Evangeline asked, “Just to settle first.”

“The doctors are already waiting.”

“That doesn’t mean we have to go in today.”

“It’s scheduled.”

Her mother stepped in before it went further. She placed a hand on Evangeline’s arm. “You’ve delayed enough. We’re not pushing this back again.”

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Evangeline didn’t argue, but she didn’t agree either. She kept her gaze fixed on the window until the car stopped at the hospital entrance.

The hospital staff were ready when we arrived. The lead specialist met us in the lobby and took Evangeline in without delay while the rest of us followed behind. His shoes made soft sounds on the linoleum floor.

“She’s stable,” he said after the initial checks. He flipped a page on the clipboard and pointed to a line of numbers. “There’s organ stress, but it’s progressing slowly. We need more blood work to identify the cause.”

“Do it. Whatever you need.”

He nodded and returned to her.

I stepped aside to take a call, but I didn’t make it far. My foot had only cleared the doorway when her voice stopped me.

“Don’t leave, Cameron.”

I turned back. Evangeline watched me from the bed. The sheet lay folded across her lap and the pillow propped her up at an angle.

“I’m not leaving. I’ll be right outside.”

“No. Take it here.”

“It’ll take a minute.”

“I don’t want you outside.”

I looked at her, then ended the call and put the phone away. “It can wait.”

She kept hold of my hand as the doctor prepared the syringe. Her fingers tightened around mine when the doctor tied the band around her upper arm and wiped the skin with alcohol. I stayed where I was while they drew the blood, and she kept her eyes on me the entire time. The tube filled slowly with dark red liquid.

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