Chapter 68 – Kidnapped by My Mate Series II: His Lost Queen

Filed To Story: Kidnapped by My Mate Novel (Belle & Grayson) Online Free by Annie Whipple

Liam’s eyes seemed to darken. “You’ve got to be shitting me,” he muttered under his breath. “You’ve been here since five in the morning? Is that even legal?”

I was about to respond when my neck suddenly exploded with pain. I froze, squeezing my eyes shut. It passed a few seconds later, and I sucked in a deep breath, feeling suddenly lightheaded and queasy.

“You okay?” Liam asked, his tone more gentle now. All of the anger was gone from his tone and replaced with genuine concern.

I nodded, licking my lips. “Fine,” I squeezed out.

“I wish you would just let me take you to my doctor. You’ve had that thing for months.” He motioned to my mark. “It’s only getting worse.”

He was right—going to the doctor was probably a good idea, but how did I explain my mark to them?

Oh, yeah, my werewolf soulmate dude bit me to magically bond me to him forever and then slept with someone else, leaving this thing on my neck that I think might be slowly killing me. Anything you can do to help?

Yeah, I had a funny feeling that wouldn’t go too well.

“I don’t have the time or money to go to the doctor, and you know it,” I replied.

Liam opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off instantly, already knowing what he was going to say.

“I am not letting you pay for a trip to the doctor. You’ve already done enough for me, and I still owe you for the months you let me stay in your apartment.”

I looked down at the ketchup bottles in my hands. “Besides, it’s really not that bad.

I’m just being dramatic.”

Liam’s jaw ticked. I knew he didn’t believe me even one bit. “I already told you, you will not be paying me back for staying with me. Now, how’s your head?”

I rolled my eyes. I wished I had never told him about the stupid headaches Grayson had caused me. It just became really hard to hide that much pain all the time. I couldn’t keep avoiding his questions.

“I’m fine, Liam,” I said once again. “I’m as healthy as an ox. I officially give you permission to stop worrying about me. I’m sure you have better things to do.”

He obviously didn’t agree because he kept asking me questions. “When was the last time you got a good night’s sleep? Are you still having night terrors?”

Embarrassment tightened my chest, remembering all the times I had woken Liam up in the middle of the night with my screaming. It still happened nearly every night and had been that way ever since I had left Grayson.

“I don’t want to sleep,” I said. “I would rather be here.”

It was true. I hated going back to my apartment, where I only had my thoughts for company.

Sleeping was even worse. If I did somehow manage to fall asleep despite all the pain constantly coursing through my body—nightmares tortured me throughout the night.

They always consisted of Grayson taunting me, chasing me, staring me down with his bright red eyes. I woke up screaming, covered in sweat, and tears pouring from my eyes.

I couldn’t remember where I was or how I had gotten there, only that Grayson—my soul mate and the only person in this entire world who I really cared about—hated me.

Didn’t want me. Would rather be with someone else and found amusement in torturing me.

After every dream, I would spend the rest of the night wide awake, staring at the ceiling, feeling hollow and hopeless and afraid.

So yeah, working at Pom Pom’s may not have been a dream, but it was better than going home.

Liam glowered, about to say something else, when the door to the diner flew open, and a very upset Laila came marching in.

“Liam! Why are you ignoring all of my calls?” she yelled. “Are you seriously thinking of having a party at Dad’s tonight?”

Liam groaned, his head dropping. He gave me a pleading look, probably asking him to back him up in one way or another, but I just smiled and shrugged.

I decided then and there that dealing with his sister would be his punishment for badgering me.

He turned on his stool to look at her. “Hey, sis,” he said casually. “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?”

“Do you have some sort of death wish or something?” Laila babbled on, hands on her hips. “If Dad finds out you’re throwing a party at his house, he’ll kill you!”

I didn’t know a whole lot about Liam’s relationship with his millionaire father, but I did know they loved to push each other’s buttons. Liam would do anything to upset his father.

“Chill,” Liam replied. “He’s not gonna be home until late tomorrow night, and I’ll have the place cleaned way before that. Besides, it’s only a few people.”

“That’s not what Chelsea Matthews said when I ran into her at the mall. She said our entire senior class from high school was going to be there!”

Liam grinned, shrugging. “So what? It’ll be fun! Lighten up.”

“I wasn’t told about any party,” I interrupted, trying to move their attention away from killing each other.

I had witnessed enough of Liam and Laila’s fights to know that they usually ended with violence, and I didn’t need that in the diner tonight, especially since my boss was here right now.

“That’s because you weren’t invited,” Liam replied without hesitation.

Ouch.

Liam watched my face fall. “Shit, Belle, I didn’t mean it that way—”

“It’s fine,” I said, cutting him off. I had never met Liam’s or Laila’s friends before—

not that I really wanted to.

I just found it a bit odd they were always talking about them, but I had never seen them around. I assumed it was because they didn’t want them to know they hung out with someone weird like me.

My presence in their lives was kind of hard to explain.

I looked down, willing the bottles of ketchup I was holding to fill faster so that I could get out of this conversation and go do something else.

I didn’t want Liam to see that what he’d said struck a nerve. Even though I probably wouldn’t have gone to the party even if I had been invited, being left out still hurt.

Laila glared at her brother. “You’re such an asshole.”

Liam ignored her. “Belle, really, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just didn’t think it was your sort of scene. My friends are a bunch of jerks. I don’t want you around them.”

“It’s okay. I get it,” I said. I couldn’t look at him.

I hated the fact that I was sad I wasn’t invited to some stupid party. I had to remind myself that this was what I wanted.

I was going to be independent and work my way from the bottom without anyone’s help. That meant lots of long shifts at the diner and no time for friends.

But even if this was what I wanted and needed to do, it still sucked sometimes. I had absolutely no life.

Just then, Jerry walked out from the back. “Hey,” he said to Liam and Laila. “Either order something or get the hell out. I’m not paying her to talk to people.”

I looked back at my friends. Liam was shooting daggers at Jerry with his eyes.

“Okay,” Laila replied quickly, always the calmer one. “We’ll both get some coffee, please,” she said.

I nodded and turned to the coffee maker, filling a mug of coffee for each of them. I set the cups down on the counter in front of them. Jerry narrowed his eyes at us before turning and marching out the front door.

The table of men across the diner waved me over, probably needing refills or something.

“Belle,” Liam groaned as I walked past him. “Please don’t think—”

I turned to him, pinning him with a heated gaze. “Why don’t you just do us both a favor and stop treating me like I’m this fragile idiot who can’t do anything on her own.

“I can make my own decisions. I’m not stupid, Liam. Stop treating me like I am.”

Liam blinked. “I know you’re not stu—”

“I have to get back to work,” I interrupted. I didn’t want to hear whatever stupid excuse he was thinking up. “Coffee is on me. Have a great rest of your night.”

I turned and walked away from them.

BELLE

The rest of the evening was a blur. That was one nice thing about working at the diner; it kept you busy enough that time moved quickly.

There wasn’t a single moment when I didn’t have something to do. I was grateful for it, even if I was exhausted by the end of the day. It kept me distracted from my own thoughts.

It was dark now and well past 10 p.m. I groaned as I looked at the clock. I still had two more hours of my shift left.

I wouldn’t mind being the only waitress on the floor if I were with Tommy—hardly anyone comes in after eight anyway—but Bert was a different story.

He always knew just what to say to make me feel uncomfortable.

His favorite thing to talk to me about was my appearance—how I looked in my uniform, that I would look better if I put on some makeup, that I looked just like one of his ex-girlfriends, and so on.

Today it had been, “I wish you would smile at me the way you do with the customers. C’mon, give me a smile, beautiful.”

I ignored him and continued working.

I think it pissed him off because the food was coming out considerably slower after that, leaving me to deal with hungry customers who had been waiting over forty-five minutes for their food.

I was beyond exhausted. Sighing, I sat down in one of the booths I knew Bert couldn’t see from the kitchen and pressed my head down onto the cool table.

I had rejoiced when the only two customers in the diner had left, leaving the place completely empty. I needed a break. I had been on autopilot all day. Had I even stopped to eat lunch?

It didn’t matter. My stomach had been roiling all day, most likely due to my mark, so I doubt I would have been able to keep anything down anyway.

My body ached from being on my feet—in heels nonetheless—for ten straight hours yesterday and then again for running on fourteen today.

Ugh, why did I do this to myself?

Well, actually, I knew why, and it wasn’t only because I needed the money, although that was the main reason for putting myself through this hell.

But, really, I didn’t have much else to do with myself.

If I wasn’t here, I was at my extremely crappy apartment, trying to sleep, and my nightmares never allowed me more than a couple of hours of unconsciousness before I always woke up screaming every night without fail.

At least work kept my mind occupied and gave me something productive to do.

I rested my head on my arms, still leaning on the table in front of me. Guilt was eating away at me. I hated that I had yelled at Liam earlier.

He and Laila had left after our argument and hadn’t said another word to me.

I even checked my phone multiple times, the one Liam had given me, expecting to see at least one text from him, but there was nothing.

After everything he and his sister had done for me, I couldn’t believe I had said that to him. Sure, maybe he deserved it, and it had felt good to say it in the moment, but now I felt awful.

---