“I’m guessing he needs us to collect the wolf right away?” Klaus asks him.
“Of course. But that’s the easy part of the job he’s sending us on. There’s also a bear shifter who popped up. She shifted after a threat was made to her child, and unfortunately, it was caught on camera. Alex, he’s sending you all the links he already has. We need you to scrub it from the internet before it becomes viral. The good news is they’re in the same state. First priority is the wolf, since he’s losing control over his mind and is attacking those in his pack.” Marcus must be joking. How can this be happening to my people?
Alex speaks up, “I just got the email with all the links and locations. I’ll get to work right away on getting all the videos, chats, pictures, and anything else I can find pertaining to the bear shifter down. It may take me a bit, but as soon as I’m done, we can leave. I’ll be at my computer if anyone needs me.” By the time he finishes talking, his words are spoken with a distracted tone, like his mind is already preoccupied with what steps he needs to take.
“What about the Summit? They do know we won’t be able to complete this in time, right?” Derrick asks. His words cause small wisps of my hair to blow in my face. He must’ve noticed, because he sweeps them up and tucks them behind my ear, then gives a soft caress to my cheek. The action makes me melt, but isn’t enough to alleviate my concern over what is happening to my people.
Marcus is quick to answer. “They decided to postpone the Summit until we take care of the situation. Let’s get packed up with what we’ll need and get ready to leave. You all know Alex works quickly.” With that, he walks out of the room with determination. Darn. I was hoping to get more answers.
Klaus shifts to face me. “Marcus isn’t used to having someone around who doesn’t understand everything he was talking about. I bet that sounded a little crazy to you. Would you like me to explain any of it?” So far, Klaus has been very careful to make sure I’m comfortable around them, and I can’t begin to process how much I appreciate that.
Ugh! Can they just pretend I’m not here for a little while, so I can get my feet under me, and make some decisions about what I do and don’t want them to know? I hate being put on the spot like this, I’m so not used to it. Crazy... give him an expression that shows you think he’s crazy. That should work. I raise one eyebrow, and kind of roll my eyes away from him.
Klaus laughs. “Yeah, I can’t argue with that look.” Nailed it! “Well, we need to get ready for a work trip, and we would really like it if you would come with us. Think you could be up for a little camping?” I nod in response. I wouldn’t miss out on seeing first-hand what they’ve been talking about. It sounds like my people are in dire need of my help.
His face lights up with my eager response. I’m starting to enjoy making him smile like that, and it has nothing to do with how it makes my heart speed up. I’m like a moth and he’s my light. “Would you like to take a shower? Might be the last opportunity to use indoor plumbing for the next several days.”Oooo, indoor plumbing?! I’ve never had a shower... That sounds pretty nice.
A huge smile spreads across my face at the thought. Klaus takes this as my answer and holds out a hand for me to take. Placing my hand in his, I notice the familiar buzz under my skin that I thought was special for my connection with my mate. Guess I’m being proven wrong on everything I ever thought I knew regarding a mate.
I swing my legs around so both Klaus and I can stand. He gets up first and helps to pull me to my feet. The moment I put some weight on my legs, they wobble, causing me to fall into Klaus. I catch myself with both hands on his chest, and his hands go around my waist, helping to steady me. Damn, his chest feels good. I try not to be obvious about my touching, but the smirk that appears on his face tells me I’m not successful. Oops.
My legs gain their balance and I quickly step away before I cause myself further embarrassment. Klaus puts his arm around me to make sure I don’t immediately fall on my face, and leads me to the bathroom. My steps are still shaky but at least I can walk with just Klaus’ arm around me.
Each step gains confidence, and by the time Klaus leads me to the door of the bathroom, I can walk perfectly. “Let me grab you some clean clothes to put on after your shower, and I can wash the ones you’re wearing real quick before we leave.” He makes swift work of getting the clothes for me and returns to hand them off.
Leading me into the bathroom, he pulls out a fresh towel for me to use and then turns on the water in the walk-in shower, setting the temperature for me. Klaus is definitely thoughtful of all of my needs. “Shampoo and conditioner are in the shower. I hope they don’t smell too manly for you. We can get something you like as soon as we get back. If you want to toss your clothes out the door, I can get them in the wash right away. Do you need anything else?” I shake my head; he covered it all.
After he closes the door behind him, I make brisk work of taking my clothes off as steam billows out of the shower area. Man, is it calling my name! I could use my magic to clean myself, but showers have always looked so relaxing. I open the door just wide enough to dump my clothes out, and close the door again, before making a mad dash for the shower.
I step in and reach my hand out to feel the water flowing down. The temperature is warm, like the water in the streams we had to cross while traveling in summer on the hottest days. The texture is like a heavy rain, but softer. I step under the water and let it flow over me, the warmth working to loosen my muscles right away.
I hadn’t even realized I was holding on to so much tension, but it makes sense. Everything has been stressful since the moment I came back into my body. I close my eyes and bring my arms up to massage some of the remaining tension out of my shoulders and neck. Man, I could stand under this water for hours.
When my fingers get too pruney, I find the shampoo and use it to wash my hair, and follow up the process with the conditioner. The body soap I find smells like Klaus, a light pine scent that adds to the relaxed state my body is in right now. I rinse the soap off and step out of the shower, after spending way too long trying to figure out how to turn the water off.
The towel I use to dry off is one of the softest fabrics I’ve ever felt and is so fluffy, I feel like I’m wrapping a cloud around my body. I’m in the middle of using my magic to shave my legs, when I notice something is different about my mark. I drop the towel and hold my arm out in front of me so I can inspect it.
The mark is mostly the same, except where I used to think it appeared unfinished, it now looks complete. The top line of the hexagon is now made up of what I now know is Queen’s Thistle. It’s hard for me to believe I never heard of it before hearing Derrick share the story while I was in soul form. Shock takes a hold of me, and I sink to the floor.
Drawing my knees up, I brace my left arm on my knee so I can inspect it without my arm shaking. I trace the mark with my finger and feel a twisting pain in my heart. I’m so conflicted on how to feel right now. Seeing my mark finally complete brings a prideful joy. Then I remember what the mark actually represents and I’m torn in two.
Why did the man I had fallen in love with, the man who the Fates determined was the perfect match to my soul, betray me? After all this time, I still can’t get over how I was fooled into believing his affections for me were the same as mine were for him. The sad part is I still love him, and I want him to love me back, unconditionally.How pathetic can I get?
A single tear falls down my cheek, and I can feel the path it draws as it drips down, finally falling off my chin. I sniffle to hold back the other tears that fill my vision and hold my right hand against my chest, trying to relieve some of the pressure threatening to suffocate me. It’s like a dark hole has opened up, and I’ve fallen into it. I lack the desire to pull myself out. I’m numb in the darkness.
This darkness is my new home.
I don’t question it when Klaus barges into the bathroom; truth be told, I barely register the fact he’s here. He rushes to my side, sliding to me on his knees across the tile floor the last several feet to reach me. Before I know it, he’s scooped me up in his arms, and has the towel wrapped around me again, rubbing my arms to warm me up. When did I get so cold?
“Shhh, Sunshine, I got you. Everything is going to be okay. Shhh…” The darkness around me fades, and I’m able to focus on his face. His hands move to cup my cheeks, and his thumbs wipe away my tears. I thought I held those back.
I stare into his green eyes and almost believe he can see the pain shining from mine. I latch onto his gaze, feeling a connection with him that I’ve never felt before, not even with Marcellus. His eyes… they reflect my pain, as if he knows what I’m feeling. They promise me protection and that I have nothing to fear when he’s by my side.
I’m unable to look away from his eyes. I swear it’s like his soul is reaching out to mine, trying to soothe it, and pick up all of the broken pieces and stitch them back together again. This place we share, while our souls mingle, is the exact opposite of the dark hole I was in. This place is warmth and love. It feels like happiness and hope. I like it here a lot more than where I was before.
“It hurts,” I tell him. I don’t need to say it, I know I don’t because there’s no doubt he already knows. But saying the words out loud somehow made the pain ease up a fraction.
“I know, sweetheart. I can feel it, right here.” He lets go of my cheek with one hand to place it over his heart. I don’t know how, but I unequivocally knowthat my soul screamed out its pain, and his soul heard it, sending him running to soothe mine in response.
