Caged

Chapter 20

"Sang." Hands shook my shoulders and I batted them away, putting distance between whoever touched me. I blinked a few times, trying to come out of the pain and misery of that match.

We both had almost died, but we managed to shift, barely just surviving.

"Sang, what the hell was that?" Gabriel asked, standing in front of me, his crystal blue eyes widen with worry.

"Sorry," I said, forcing myself to dislodge that one word as it tried to get stuck in my throat. "I'm okay."

"Bull-fucking-shit," Gabriel said.

"Gabriel," Kota warned, standing off to the side slightly, watching the two of us carefully.

"No," Gabriel snapped. "That wasn't right."

I looked down at the cement ground. We were just outside the doors now and others were slowing down to stare at us. I hated the extra attention. My wolf did too because she surged forward. My entire body stiffened, ready to lash out. My lip curled up into a snarl and my chest rumbled in warning. They needed to back off.

"She had a flashback," Silas said and while I couldn't see him, I felt him as he moved closer. His body heat reached out and calmed me. His scent reminded me that we were okay. We were alive and healthy.

"Is that what it was?" Kota asked.

I stared at his cheekbone on the right side, noting the way they gave him a sharper look.

"Sang?"

I nodded.

"Shit, if that's what a flashback does to her, I don't want her having them," Gabriel said, turning to Kota. "How do we stop them?" He looked so hopeful as he asked Kota.

Kota frowned and shook his head. "Only time will help," he said, keeping the answer simple.

Gabriel did not like that answer as he glowered at the ground. He mumbled something underneath his breath and I didn't bother trying to hear it. I could guess what he was saying.

"Come on," Gabriel finally said, his shoulders slumping. He opened the door and let me go through. Silas opened the next set of doors for me and then we were inside.

I felt like I slammed into a wall as all my senses were nearly overwhelmed. There was so much chatter coming from people, plus the mall music, people walking, doors opening and closing, and toys going off from the store next to us. Then there were the smells. Perfume, cologne, body odor all blended into a potent cocktail that had my nose twitching with irritation. Not a single scent was pleasant.

The lights were also bright and flashy, so much going on that I couldn't focus on anything as I tried to take everything in. There was too much. Too many people, too much noise, too many things that could go wrong.

"Don't worry," Kota said, standing at my side, his hand out for me to grab if I chose to. "We won't let anything happen to you and you'll get used to it."

"Why do they need to wear perfume and cologne?" I asked. "Why don't they just enjoy their natural scent instead of trying to kill our noses."

Kota's lips turned up into a smile. "Because they're human. They don't have a heightened senses like we do."

I huffed because I knew he was right. Still. My eyes wanted to water. I didn't like this. I grew irritated the longer we were here. I stared at Kota's hand before reaching out and grabbing it. Kota's smile widened as he stayed at my side, pulling on me gently as he took the lead while I just gawked at everything. Silas stayed at the back and I appreciated it. I knew no one was sneaking up on us if he was there. His massive size alone would make others think twice before trying to stir up trouble.