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Back in my room, I grabbed the duffel bag by the strap and carried it to the mattress, setting it down kind of carefully since I didn’t know what was in it or if anything was breakable.
The zipper looked a bit different than the ones I was used to, but it was easy to work, so I had the bag open a moment later.
On top, there was a pile of fabric, so I pulled it out of the bag. When I quickly realized that it was a thick and ridiculously-soft blanket, I hugged it to my chest, inhaling the fabric deeply. It smelled fresh and light, like the forest had when I’d run through it, and I fucking loved it.
I was never letting that thing go if I could help it.
The blanket was placed carefully on the bed, and I pulled out the next thing—a thin, smooth bundle of fabric that reminded me of a sheet. The texture was slightly different than what I was used to, and it was shaped like a big pillowcase instead of elastic-lined, but I didn’t hesitate to wrestle it onto my mattress. When it was on securely, I draped my blanket over it, and then let my gaze sweep up and down the bed.
It was already more welcoming than any other one I’d ever used.
I fucking loved it.
Returning to the duffel bag, I pulled out a pillow. It was squishier than any I’d used before, the texture softer but also thicker somehow. I put that at the head of my bed and fought to ignore the happiness swelling in my chest again.
No acknowledging happiness.
Happiness only ever led to shit falling apart.
Back at the duffel bag, I found bottles of shampoo and conditioner. They smelled more manly than Mare’s, but not in a way I disliked. The scent actually kind of reminded me of the way the blanket and pillow smelled.
There were a few other simple toiletries in the duffel, and when I had them all put away in the bathroom, I returned to the bag.
And then stared down inside it.
I blinked once at the final thing inside, and then again.
When I reached inside, I had to bite my lip hard.
My fingers slid over the large, glittering, dark gray scale.
I should’ve left it in the bag, but something within me wouldn’t allow it. Honestly, I was fascinated by it. By the magic of this world I’d been dragged into, by the fact that a man—even if he was technically a fae man—could transform into an actual dragon.
I had seen him flying over me; I knew he was real.
And that meant the world was real too, as insane as everything was.
Despite its insanity, I wanted it all to be real so fucking badly that it hurt.
I tucked the scale into the fabric case that my pillow had come wrapped in, then stripped off my borrowed clothing and tucked myself under the insanely-soft blanket. I wasn’t going to sleep in Mare’s clothes—they were hers, and I didn’t want to wreck them in any way since I’d be returning them as soon as I had some of my own.
Theoretically, I would have some of my own in the very near future. Calian had said he’d be back in the morning.
So, I tugged the blanket up to my chin, not expecting to fall asleep quickly. But with the delicious scent in my nose and the gentle pressure of the heavy, soft blanket on my bare skin, I was out almost instantly.
Seven
A soft knockat my new bedroom door woke me up the next morning. A semi-familiar voice called out, “January, there’s a fae here for you.”
It took me a minute to stumble out of bed, remember where I was, and why there was a fae there for me. I threw on the clothes I’d borrowed from Mare the day before while I struggled through my exhausted thoughts.
When I opened the door, a cheerful-looking Mare stood outside my room, fully dressed. Her curls were down and gorgeous, and I blinked at her a couple of times until she pointed me toward the front door.
I quickly made it to the door and struggled through all twenty locks before tugging the door open.
Calian’s expression was hard as I opened it, but it softened as his gaze trailed up and down my figure.
That was weird, but whatever.
