Accidental Surrogate for Alpha novel Chapter 360

Chapter 359 – Necessary Rest

Ella

I heal for hours that afternoon, long into the night. I stop and take breaks of course for dinner, to feed and spend a little time with Rafe, to consult with Cora about our next steps – but then I’m back to it. Talking to the men to see what hurts worst, accessing the gift, holding out my hands to fix them.

It’s incredible how much I get done, how much healing I perform as the day passes. By the time Sinclair puts his hands on my shoulders, proud but stern, I feel as if half of the room of terribly wounded men has been healed completely and the others are well on their way.

“Enough, trouble,” Sinclair murmurs to me and I gasp and twist to look up at him. “What?” I ask, confused. “But there’s so much more ”

“Enough,” he says, shaking his head at me. “It’s ten o’clock – ”

“What?” I gasp, truly surprised. I had no idea that the time had passed so quickly. I honestly thought it was earlier –

“Please,” he says softly, low enough so that only I can hear. “Stop now, Ella. They’ll all survive the night. They’ll make it till morning, when you can start again.”

I stop, trying to listen to him, but as I look around the room I feel so guilty. How can I let these men to go sleep in pain? How can I possibly curl up in my own bed, comfortable with my mate and my baby, knowing they won’t be able to sleep because they got hurt trying to protect my son? When if I just pushed a little further I could heal them –

“That’s it,” Sinclair snaps, perhaps sensing my guilt and anxiety, and before I can protest further he scoops me up in his arms, shaking his head down at me.

“Dominic!” I protest, frowning up at him. “Put me down! I’m not even tired yet! I can-

“Ella,” he says, his voice still stern, you have done enough for one day. And you don’t know what toll this gift takes on your body or if it takes a toll on = itself. Does it need to regenerate? Do you need to sleep for three days to build back your strength?”

I hesitate now, realizing that he has a point. We have no idea how this works, if there will be a cost to me. Honestly, considering that, I’m surprised he let me work as long as I did.

“Moderation, little mate,” he murmurs to me, turning me towards the door where Cora waits with little Rafe curled up in her arms.

“We’ll start again tomorrow,” Cora says, smiling at me and handing me my baby even though I’m still held lightly in Sinclair’s arms. “You did amazing today, Ella!” And I grin at her, happy to see that her own face reflects my excitement. The things we could do with this power

But Sinclair just nods to Cora and carries me from the room, even as I call goodbyes and goodnights to the men still laying in their beds. He doesn’t put me down, in fact, until we get to our little metal bedroom door – and then I think he only does so because neither of us have a free hand to turn the doorknob.

“In,” he urges once the door is open, pressing a hand to the small of my back and ushering me inside. I do as he says, cooing down to Rafe, who burbles sleepily in my arms. As soon as I get the baby ready for bed and down in his cradle, Sinclair takes my hand and directs me again, this time towards the bathroom.

“So bossy tonight,” I laugh, letting him guide me, and he shoots me a little glaring smile over his shoulder as he brings me into the bathroom. He doesn’t turn the lights on and I’m glad he doesn’t the bathroom only has horrible florescent light bulbs. Instead, Sinclair just turns on the shower in the dark and begins to strip himself down. And then, once he’s finished, he peels off my clothes piece by piece and nudges me towards the shower.

I take his suggestion silently, stepping into the steaming water and taking a deep breath. Sinclair follows, wrapping his arms around me and letting me rest against him as I let the hot water do its work, letting it relax me, letting me realize how tired I really am.

“How do you feel?” Sinclair murmurs, his voice barely audible above the pounding of the water.

“Tired,” I sigh in reply, winding my arms around him, enjoying the press of his wet skin against mine. “You were right. I – I’m more tired than I thought I was.”

“Is it bad?” he asks, going a little tense beside me. “Do we need to -”

“No,” I interrupt, shaking my head. ” It’s a good tired – like after a busy day. But you’re right – my adrenaline was running me. It’s it’s good. To take a minute.”

Sinclair murmurs his affirmation, which rumbles warm in his chest, and then moves away from me for a minute to get some supplies. And then, to my delight and surprise, my mate begins to soap my body down, his movements soft but efficient.