Chapter 37: Awake
Chapter 37: Awake
Myla
Vanilla, but not the essence Mom used when she baked those chocolate chip cookies I liked. It was sharp, fresh, like the long strings of vanilla beans sometimes sold in the market. I sniffed. There was something else with it, floral, like the heavy scent of the magnolia trees when they were full of mature blooms that had been soaked with rain.
I blinked into the yellow light, sniffing deeply again, then went rigid as I realized what was happening.
I felt electric, my chest tightening with sudden anticipation. This was it. This is what I had been waiting for; it had to be! My mate was near. Very near
But where the hell was I? My head ached painfully, the skin on the back of my neck tight as I tried to move my head to the side, my vision blurred. I was not at home. The floor beneath the bed where I laid was pitching back and forth in slow, rolling motion. But that smell was dominating all of my senses at once.
Where was he? Nearby, for certain.
I reached up to rub sleep from my eyes, groaning softly as my arms ached and tingled from lack of use. Blinking into the light again, I saw a wiry old man, his face drawn in deep concern and heavily lined with age..
“Oh,” I said quietly, only slightly disappointed. I would love him regardless, right? He was my mate, after all. Everyone said the Moon Goddess worked in mysterious ways.
“Cleo, she’s awake! Look!” A deep, honeyed male voice rang out in the stuffy room. I turned my head, seeing my mom step forward with a wide, grateful smile stretched across her face and tears rolling down her lashes.
“Mom?”
“I’m here, sweetheart. Oh, thank you, Goddess!”
“What-”
Suddenly, my vision was filled with gold. I blinked again, surprised, pushing my head back against the pillow to get a better angle of whatever, whoever, was blocking my field of sight.
“Nice to finally meet you, darlin’,” he said, his golden-green eyes sparkling with pleasure. His golden hair was falling around his face, which was deeply tanned, and his wide mouth was stretched into a beautiful smile, showcasing his straight, white teeth. He was gorgeous, the most delicious thing I had ever seen. And he smelled good, like really REALLY good.
Then he touched me, his fingers gently running down the length of my forearm. Electricity. Fire. Pure, unaltered desire.
Oh, take that Natasha Blaine, I thought with mirth. She had found her mate at the last social while I had gone home empty-handed and desperately hungover. Natasha’s mate was balding and had smelled strongly of ale and onions when she showed him off during the market, stopping at my booth to gloat.
But mine?
“Holy
shit…” I breathed, looking up at him.
“Myla!” Mom hissed, her voice twisted in shock and embarrassment. But I only had eyes for the beautiful man hovering over me, his eyes alight with something I could only describe as joy.
Take that, Natasha!I thought, my mind going over how I was going to tell her, how I was going to flaunt my perfect, divinely beautiful match.
But then reality came crashing down around me, the pitch of the room and the dull ache on the back of my head suddenly became too much. I felt a little sick, wondering why all of these people were in my room.
My gaze lingered on the golden man for a second longer before I broke away, turning to the side to see the wiry old man, whose own eyes had narrowed as he tilted his head, looking over my expression.
some space now-” he said, but his voice was drowned out by the scream
“Where-where–”
was clutching my hands together, stopping me from flailing as I turned my head from side to side. The golden man had my legs and was holding me down against the bed, his
15:28 D
Chapter 37: Awake
needle gleaming the light of a single oil lantern swinging over our heads. The
to me- Mom began, her eyes round and full of tears, “you’ve been asleep for a few days honey. You’re
“Remember-remember what?”
sat on the side of the bed, reaching out to take my cheek in
.
the old man before turning away and sprinting out of
straight, my vision blurring as
sweetheart. That’s it. In through your
smelled like salt. The room was clammy and cold. Hooked around, watching as the old man
we? The
a boat, Myla. But it’s
hurts
know it does. I know. What do you
closed my eyes, swallowing against the bile threatening to rise in my throat. What did I
kicked the covers down with my feet and then
at Mom as she stroked my hair away from my face. “There was a fire. I
right. That’s exactly what
on the street
arms around me in a tight squeeze. She took the breath out of me, literally, and I wheezed
breathing heavily and ran his fingers through his
Maeve groaned as she watched the exchange, shaking her head at me. “Seriously, Myla? You feel it,
nodded briskly, not taking my eyes off of Keaton.
behind her eyes, something I had
the doorway, his figure shadowed by the crowd. He was watching us,
so many people. I felt queasy again as I watched them all look at each other, willing one another
on Maeve. She was on the edge of tears, and the man behind her moved out of the doorway suddenly, resting his hand
Myla,” Mom said, her
doesn’t answer
Maeve said, her voice silencing the room. I felt the floor drop from
nervous laugh tickling the back of my
as the man I found with Maeve in the market weeks ago, the one
boat with Maeve’s breeder?
Troy,” he said, standing
he told
actually been Aaron of Red Lakes at all. His name was Troy. He was someone named Romero’s grandson. Gemma was dead, and it was likely Alpha Ernest was
over at Maeve, taking her appearance in for the first time. She had her hair piled on the top of her head, and she was wearing a loose linen
touch the wound on the back of my head, my fingers
was
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