Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 48567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Tears stream down his cheeks.
“I won’t forget you. I promise. Blood oath?”
I laugh.
“Blood oath? Isn’t that forbidden?”
He turns to me.
“So when I see you again, I’ll be all yours. And you’ll know you’re mine. So when I hold your hand, I’ll remember the forest, and the rain, and remember my family even though they’re gone. Blood oath?”
I can’t say no.
I hold out my palm.
He grabs his dagger and digs into the very center, like the eye of the storm, then does the same to his own.
We press our palms together.
He smiles.
“For when I see you again.”
"For when I see you again.” I repeat.
Our blood mixes as we hold hands.
And that’s it.
The boy I left behind.
The boy that went to a different life.
Is he the one I’m waiting for?
And if so, why do I feel so possessive of Eli? Of his future mate? I kind of want to strangle her and smile while doing it, which is dark, so very dark.
I slowly get up and toss the blanket aside.
“You really are cooking?”
Eli doesn’t look up.
“And you really were snoring.”
I gasp, horrified.
“I was?”
“No, I just wanted to see your face.” He smiles down at the bacon he’s cooking. I have never seen a man or, uh, person more attractive in my entire life. Ever. It’s not even fair.
The bacon sizzles while my heart thumps against my chest.
It’s just us.
"You slept an hour, feel better?” He leaves the bacon and moves to another pan, dumping in butter and garlic, stirring it around, then searing two huge steaks.
"Wow.” I don’t mean to say it out loud.
“I like your meat.”
He hesitates over the pan, and looks up with the most seductive eyes ever, they blaze this blue that looks like the sky and ocean combined.
“Did you just say I like your meat?”
“I meant the steak.”
“Sure you did.”
“I’m still waking up.”
"Sure you are.”
"Can you stop?”
He leans over; I see fangs in his mouth.
“Sweetheart, I haven’t even started.”
I gasp and pull away.
“Funny.”
“I wasn’t joking.” He snaps.
“Open. I can hear your stomach from here.”
“What?”
He says it slower.
“Open.”
"What?”
“Your pretty little mouth.” He grins.
“Open.”
I part my lips, he grabs a piece of bacon and slowly presses it past my lips. It’s maple. So good I could cry.
I chew and open my mouth again.
"Greedy, are you?” he asks. His hair is tousled, his shirt unbuttoned, he looks so handsome I could die.
"Always,” I finally say after a few seconds.
"Mm.” He feeds me again and again, then fixes the steaks as well as the salad, and we sit.
It seems so normal.
I don’t want to ask him, but I know I keep staring at him while we eat at the bar. He pours me a glass of wine.
“You look like you have questions.”
“Do you have answers?” I ask.
He puts the bottle down.
“I don’t know, maybe? I just need to know what you need to ask so I can think of how to answer.”
"Do you have parents?”
"I did, at a time, right now, I have Gabe, my adoptive family who are incredible, that’s what I have.” He smiles at me widely.
“And I have you.”
I hold back tears.
“Do you, um, remember running through a forest when you were around eleven?”
He drops his fork onto the plate.
“What?”
“A forest, when you were eleven.”
He squeezes his eyes shut and exhales.
“And you wonder why I need anger therapy management. Yes. I was in a forest during that time, yes.”
"Do you…” I keep pushing.
“…remember a girl?”
He frowns.
“Of course I do, she was my best friend… at one point I thought she was my mate and….” He frowns and drops his fork.
“How would you even know that? Because it’s not funny.”
“No.” I hold up my hands.
“I’m not trying to be funny, just trying to figure out my dreams.”
He cocks his head.
“Your dreams?”
"Yeah.” I let out a large exhale.
“I keep seeing these two kids, the girl’s me I think, and the boy, well I don’t know who he is, but if you remember it, maybe you will remember him?”
"I chose not to,” he says after a few seconds.
“I chose not to remember the losses we had, or why they happened, I dug into finance and marketing and never looked back. Plus, I was a hybrid, I wasn’t welcome, even with my own brother.”
I touch his arm.
“I’m sorry.”
"No. It’s fine. You don't have to be sorry for my rejection. I wasn’t normal. I was an anomaly. Remember when I told you about how it’s looked down upon to be with a human and werewolf? Nobody says anything, but it’s not celebrated.”
"It should be.” I snap.
He tilts his head toward me.
“Why are you so fierce and cute at the same time?”
“Don’t call me cute.” I laugh, ready to throw bacon at him. He ignores my pout and continues putting the food on the plates.
It tastes amazing.
He truly is good at everything.
I moan and take another bite of the steak.