Spectrum (Stone Society #14) - Faith Gibson Page 0,100

her heart while the chemicals healed her body.

Rebekah did her best to take care of herself. For six years, everything was fine. She worked with the inmates. Spent time with her family – she’d stopped thinking of them as Gabriel’s family a long time ago – and watched over the kids on the weekends Gabriel wasn’t home. Her life was filled with a comfortable routine, and she thrived. Every year she met with Sabrina for a checkup, and every year the tests came back clear. Until one day they didn’t. Rebekah didn’t want to tell Gabriel the truth. If it was like last time, she would dread the conversation. Together, they had gotten through the treatments. Her hair falling out, then growing back. The sickness and pain. It was going to be much harder this time. On them both.

When she arrived at the Pen to pick him up for his weekend out, she put on her bravest smile as Gabriel exited the back door.

“This is cheating,” he said after kissing her hello.

“It is,” Rebekah replied as she did every time they made the drive for his weekend away. “But I like having you home. I like it when you can let your wings out.” Making love at the Pen had been fulfilling, but it wasn’t nearly as fun as when they had sex at home where they could be as loud as they wanted, and Gabe could let his wings out without worrying about hitting the wall next to his bed. The first weekend he got a free pass, they had made use of almost every available surface in the house. Rebekah spent hours afterward soaking in the tub.

They stopped having sex at the Pen once he started going home, and their intimate times waned when she got sick. Their love, however, grew stronger, as did their relationships with his family who visited often, bringing their kids. It was the younger Clan that kept a smile on Rebekah’s face when she couldn’t be around her mate.

“Who do we have invading our home this weekend?” Gabriel asked as soon as they walked in the door, removing his prosthetic as he headed toward the kitchen. She cooked for her male when they were together, and he enjoyed a cup of coffee while she worked at the stove. It was their quiet time before the family invaded. Her male liked to complain about their weekends being compromised with nieces and nephews, but he was a big softy when it came to the kids. Having missed out on their own, they never turned down the opportunity for visits. On the weekends when Gabriel remained at the Pen, Rebekah offered to babysit so the parents could have alone time. Being with the younger Clan members so often abated any longing for her own children.

“Actually, we have the house to ourselves.” Rebekah dreaded telling Gabriel the truth, but she needed to prepare him for the inevitable. She went about making pancakes, eggs, and bacon. When she set his plate in front of him, Gabriel dug in. She pushed her own food around the plate, not able to stomach more than a few bites.

“Bek, what’s wrong?” Gabriel was in tune with her moods, and he had more than once questioned her health. She did her best to hide her paling skin with makeup and her lack of energy with a smile. He saw through it all, but she had always played it off. She could no longer do that.

“Let’s go in the living room.”

“You’re scaring me.” Gabriel moved out of his chair to kneel at her feet. He grabbed her hands and studied her face. “You’re sick again, aren’t you?”

“Please, let’s go sit.” Rebekah gently pushed on his shoulder, and Gabriel relented. Once they were seated on the sofa, she gripped his hands in hers, using their connection to strengthen her resolve. “I went to see Sabrina for my annual checkup. It’s back, only this time, it’s worse.”

“How much worse?” Gabriel asked on a whisper.

“It’s pretty much spread throughout my body.”

Gabriel jumped from the sofa, pacing the living room. “What can we do? There has to be something.”

“Gabe—”

“I’ll call Jonas. He can figure something out. He’s a fucking genius for the gods’ sakes!” Gabriel shouted. Rebekah sank back into the cushions. She didn’t want him to accidentally lash out at her, so she curled her legs underneath her bottom and let the tears fall.

Gabriel glanced at her, and when he saw her face, he dropped to his