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My stomach churned as I tried to take another bite of my donut, so I dropped it back in the bag, shoving it away. For some reason, sweets were making me sick lately. The thought alone was enough to make me lose my appetite. Molly would kick my ass if she saw it, but this was nothing to do with my body image.
“You okay?” Avi asked as he watched me push the coffee away with it.
“Yeah, just not super hungry anymore.” I shrugged. “Maybe it’s all this work we’re putting in.” I glanced at the suite around us. They’d already knocked down the wall to make a studio.
“That could be,” he said. He dropped his leg next to mine, the contact soothing my edges a bit. Breathing in, I felt his scent settle me further, but something was definitely off.
“I don’t know if dragons get sick, but I surely feel off,” I admitted. “I’ve never been sick a day in my life.”
“We should go stay in the cabin tonight,” he offered. “Maybe your heat is coming on. It would explain the lack of hunger and feeling strange.”
“I didn’t think of that,” I muttered. I pulled out my phone, my jaw dropping at how close I was. The fact that so much time had passed without me realizing it was crazy, but then again, things were hectic these days. “You’re right.” Turning my phone to face him, I showed him that I was only a few days away.
“Okay, new plan then,” he chuckled. “We warn the others, tell West, gather supplies, and head over.”
“It’s so weird, but I’m exhausted. I should be energized and ready to fuck for days, but all I want is to sleep,” I admitted, yawning to prove my point.
“You rest in your room,” he said with a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I’ll handle this.” After he walked me to my room, he disappeared. It took every ounce of my energy to convince myself to pack up a week’s worth of comfortable clothes, not that we’d be wearing them much.
After I had a bag packed, I grabbed a shirt off the ground, inhaling Niko’s scent. The vanilla, bitter chocolate, and tobacco filled me with a sense of safety. Pulling it over my tank top, I settled into my comfortable chair and waited, eyes slipping closed at some point.
Avi
Worry etched itself into my psyche as I searched out the others. Something about Farren felt off, and even her scent was… weird. Pre-heat was a strong sweetness we couldn’t ignore, but that wasn’t happening yet—in fact, hers had dulled a bit.
Kane and Levi were in the kitchen, fixing one of the ovens. Seeing them had me hurrying my footsteps, urgency pulling me forward.
“Guys, something’s up with Farren.” That had Kane pulling his head out of the back of the oven and Levi shifting. “She thinks it’s her heat, but I’m not convinced. Either way, we need to get her out of here for a few days. We need someone to run and grab supplies, preferably Levi and someone, because a storm is coming. The others will take Farren out there. She’s exhausted and feeling off, so I don’t want her working for a few days.”
“Look at the beta taking charge,” Kane teased, deflecting the worry in true Kane fashion.
“I’ll grab Niko, and we’ll get supplies. I’d rather prepare for her heat than be caught off guard,” Levi said, dropping everything and rushing off.
“Is she alright?” Kane asked me seriously.
“I’m worried,” I admitted. He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed.
“Just remember it might not be bad. We may be supes, but we’re not immune to stress, and her life has been full of it. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” he reassured me.
“That’s oddly helpful,” I said, teasing the usual grumpy alpha. “Having a mate has softened you.”
He laughed. “Nope, just channeling my inner nice guy. It happens once in a while.” He cleaned up the tools and slapped an ‘out of order’ sign on the oven before following me back to our girl. When we pushed open the door, she was sleeping. Even unconscious, she had a small worried frown on her face. “We need to go. Can you grab clothes for us? Just a few things shoved in a bag. I’ll get her up.”
Rushing, I packed in record time. I grabbed a duffel and threw a few things in it, hoping we could figure out whose was whose later. By the time I got back to them, Farren was up—though saying that was being generous. She was standing there with all the awareness of a zombie, practically swaying where she stood.
Kane eventually scooped her into his arms, bulky winter coat and all. I grabbed her bag and ours and followed him out. Locking the door, we quickly went outside, heading out into the snow. The walk was grueling, and the cold still biting to me, though Kane seemed unaffected. I’d never been so glad to see the cabin before, but once it came into view, I dashed around them to use the keys Farren had set out. Kane followed me in, gently placing her on the couch before throwing a fireball into the fireplace. I added in logs to keep it going before turning back to our mate. She was barely awake, eyes slipping closed as soon as the fire heated the room.
“Yeah, this isn’t like her,” Kane said, his hand lazily stroking along her back as she rested her head on his lap.
My phone dinged with a message from Levi. “Looks like we’re on our own for the night. The stores were already closed, and they don’t want to leave once they get here. They’re heading out for the store again first thing in the morning then coming our way.”
“Smart. If she does go into heat, no one will be able to leave easily,” he agreed. “But you’re right. Something’s off about this one.”
“Could it just be that it’s her first heat after opening our bonded connection? Or that we haven’t claimed her yet?” I asked. We wanted the moment we claimed her to be perfect, well planned and special. A moment that would stand out in her memory, and ours, forever. She deserved nothing less.
“Now, we just wait,” he said, resting his head on the back of the couch. I turned to the fire, adding a few more logs before adjusting a cushion on the ground and getting comfortable. I had a feeling it was going to be a long night.
Farren
