A Dying Legacy

Chapter 17

"I said to tell him you're waiting, not to crush his soul!" Lula shouted. She got so loud in my head, her words reverberated against my skull. I fell back, laying on the bed, grabbing my head as if that would stop the headache she was bringing on.

"I know! And I know that it seems like I screwed up, but -"

"But, what!" 

Barret's reaction started out as one of absolute shock after I said that I would never be with him. Slowly, it changed to hurt, but he made sure to mask it and twisted into anger- but he wasn't quick enough. I saw the hurt that, sadly, gave me hope. 

I had to hurt him to feel hope... how terrible is that? 

His anger was toward the confession that I had saved a part of myself that - while technically was meant for him as my Destined Mate - I would be giving to another. Well, it wouldn't have to be another man if he came to his senses, quit Vanessa, and chose me. 

He didn't stick around much longer after that and stormed out of there, muttering some excuse to get out of there.

"But my plan is better than yours!" I yelled just as loudly back at Lula. She certainly heard that, and all went quiet. "Thank you - " I sighed aloud and massaged my temple. "I figured out what you did - "

"W-what I did? What do you mean?" and that brought Lula right back, nervous as to what 'plan' I knew about.

"What I mean is your late night with Koba."

"Wait... when... how did you find out?" Are we pregnant? Is that how? But how come I don't know we're pregnant? Lula's private thoughts got away from her, allowing Caterina to feel the happiness that had suddenly filled her.

Why the hell is she suddenly so happy?

"How the hell could I not find out? One moment, you're chatting with him, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up in bed with Barret and Rosalita. You told him about our desire for them, didn't you?"

And just as unexplainable as Lula's sudden happiness was, it suddenly plummeted to sadness. Oh, that late night.

"I get it. I'm too stubborn to tell him, and you thought that if we were close again, he wouldn't want to give us up and be without us, isn't that right?"

"That was the hope - " Lula confessed, "-give him a taste of something he'd realize he couldn't live without."

"It was a good thought, but while you needed Rosalita for that plan, she was also the flaw. He could have just as easily gotten a taste and realized he could get it whenever he wanted as long as he used our desire against us. Clearly, we're not against sharing, so our threat of choosing Rosalita as our Mate was no longer a hindrance once you let that secret out of the bag. On the other hand, Barret is already threatened over a man I have never met before this morning. Barret might think Rosalita is willing to share me with him, but there is no way another man will allow that. They're too protective."

"So your plan is?"

"I think it's time we finally pay Colton a visit in the infirmary." But wait- I glanced down at myself. I myself had been shocked by my own outburst at Barret. He stomped out of the room, and I plopped down dejected on the bed as I reviewed what in the hell just happened in my head and tried to make sense of it. Half an hour later, here I still lay with bed sheets soaked from my half air-dried hair and nothing but my towel still covering me up. "First, we'll get ready, and then we'll pay him a visit." With a huff, I finally got up and trudged to the closet.