by Rachel Jonas
“Everything okay?”
It didn’t surprise me when Levi asked, seeing as how I hadn’t said a word since opening my eyes.
“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing out thoughts of Aaric as best as I could. He didn’t get to do this—overtake my thoughts.
I nestled against Levi beneath the comforter, fitting my hips snuggly to his pelvis, until our bodies fit together like pieces of a puzzle. He welcomed the closeness, engulfing me in his arms.
“Unfortunately, I have to step out for a moment to check in with the old man,” he announced, placing a lazy kiss to my shoulder. The feel of it made me smile, reminding me of a couple who’d been at this for years.
“Do you think he was able to get through? Do you think Julian took his call?” I heard the anxious tone of my own voice.
When Levi nodded, stubble from his chin tickled the crook of my neck, inducing a broader grin than before.
“My guess would be that he answered on the first ring,” he laughed. “If his feelings for you are anywhere near as severe as my own, he’s gone mad with worry.”
My lids drifted closed, and I didn’t reject how his admission made my heart flutter, how it made me embrace the depth of our closeness even more than I already had. And I missed Julian too. With any luck, Levi was right, and Julian’s concern for me had overshadowed his anger, his hurt. I imagined often what it would feel like to be swept up in his arms.
Since being away, I’d embraced a new truth, one that would likely take him by surprise. My notions about their people as a whole hadn’t changed much, but I now knew there was kindness among them, and I managed to land among three of the kindest—Roman excluded, of course.
“Rest while I go speak with Glenn.”
The feel of Levi pulling away, and then climbing out of bed, made me suppress a whiny protest. Turning, I stared at him unashamedly, in all his naked glory. Catching me, he smiled, confident as usual as he slipped into the pants that had been removed so hastily the night before.
While the workings of the Claiming we engaged in were still somewhat of a mystery to me, there was the unmistakable sense of belonging to him. As in, I knew beyond the shadow of the doubt that I was his, and he was mine—mated for life.
His eyes drifted to my bare chest I hadn’t bothered to hide beneath the blanket. On second thought, I may have done it purposely, a means of ensuring he’d hurry back.
Hunger filled his eyes and the sight of it made me smile.
“You’re killing me,” he groaned, never tearing his eyes away.
A quiet laugh slipped from my lips. “Then do us both a favor and don’t be gone all day.”
The bed shook violently when he hopped back on, raining feverish kisses on every inch of me he could reach, pulling more bubbly laughter from within me.
“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled against my neck, pressing his lips there right after. He hopped off again, stealing one last glance before he was off to find Glenn.
Despite being in the room alone, the smile still hadn’t faded from my lips, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done so this freely. He just brought something out of me I hadn’t realized was there. Something that felt so normal.
Daydreaming, I wondered if this was what love felt like, before the fall of humanity. It was strange to think there had been a time where survival hadn’t overshadowed everything else. This—the warmth he caused to spread within my chest—had to be close.
A familiar scent was breathed in when I turned onto my side. I recognized it, but just barely. Inhaling it again confirmed that it held significance, and the acknowledgment of it made me uncomfortable, as if the memory attached held darkness, dread. The effervescence Levi brought to my spirit had now begun to dissipate, and I inhaled for a third time.
Leather and mint.
Aaric.
I bolted upright, pulling the comforter up to cover myself. My eyes darted from one side of the room to the next, scanning it as if I expected to see him standing here in the flesh. I saw nothing, but, as crazy as it sounded … I felt him.
Reaching beside the bed, I scrambled to find the shirt I carelessly tossed to the floor, pulling it on because I was suddenly no longer in the mood to recreate the scene between Levi and me. More than anything, I wanted to figure out why that smell was so heavy in the room where we slept.
My senses were on overdrive. With each movement, I felt my heart thrumming inside my chest. Slowly, I stepped out of bed, taking small steps toward the few places within this space where someone might be able to hide—inside the closet, behind the large mirror propped in the corner. A quick scan provided me a list of objects that could be used as weapons. The handiest—in terms of weight and its proximity to where I stood—was the large candleholder on the nightstand.
Within a second, it was in my hand, and I gripped it tightly, prepared to wield it if necessary. At the sound of the floor creaking when I took another step, I thought to check beneath the bed first. Quickly, I got to my hands and knees, peering beneath the frame, letting my eyes dart from one post to the next.
Nothing.
My sights immediately shifted to the closet and mirror again. I moved quietly, but with intent, crossing the wood slats until reaching my reflection. Holding my breath, I swung my head left only to find this space empty just like the first time.
This wasn’t my imagination. The aroma I detected, the eerie sense of that bastard having been here. I wasn’t wrong about this.
A quivering breath passed between my lips as I glanced toward the closet again. While I was certain Levi would have been much better equipped to handling a one-on-one brawl with Aaric, it never even crossed my mind to call out for his help. Until now, of course, as my hand grazed the door knob, as I imagined Aaric lurching from the closet the second I opened it.
Deep breath, Cori.
The makeshift weapon felt heavier in my hand now, and I gripped it. If my senses were right, if he was inside, I was about to be in for the fight of my life. Deciding there was no sense in waiting, I turned the cool metal I squeezed, and pulled fast.
Even the haunting squeak of the door nearly made my heart leap from my chest. However, the only thing awaiting me when I opened it was a rack of old clothes, boxes marked as memorabilia, and the smell of about a million mothballs.
You’re losing it.
From what I could tell, there was no other trace of the one I dreamed of, but my mind still hadn’t changed.
“Find anything interesting?”
The heavily accented voice that rang into my ears as I sealed the closet activated something within me. It was that broken fight or flight thingamajig I still hadn’t gotten fixed. The one that should have told me to run on several occasions, but instead told me to swing whatever I had in my hands with all my might, at the first target I laid eyes on.
Like now.
“Whoa! Hey!”
The candleholder was swiftly, and skillfully, snatched away as I was disarmed. My heart hammered against my ribs, and finally, the image before me caught up with the rest of my senses.
“Holy … Levi!” Gripping my chest, I staggered back a few steps.
Seeing how he startled me, and how I was practically sweating bullets while I panted, the smile he’d worn when sneaking up on me left him quickly.
“Sorry, Love. I didn’t mean—"
“I—I think he’s been here,” I blurted, knowing I wasn’t making much sense. “He must’ve snuck in while we were sleeping.”
“Who?”
Peering up into Levi’s eyes, I sighed. “Aaric.”
There was no missing the tension in his posture or expression now. The room was completely empty. I was certain because I checked, but I knew what I felt.
Unless … this was just paranoia getting the best of me. As much as I believed, with there being no trace of intrusion, the likelihood of anyone having been here were slim to none.
Something my father taught me came to mind. He said it the night after I’d first c
ome face-to-face with an Ianite, one I nearly lost my life to back then. He said that if I continued to let fear rule my thoughts, making me afraid of my own safe space, then it had done its job.
It won.
Levi brought me to him and held me tight. “It’s just us here,” he declared with certainty.
It was true. We were alone, but for some reason, despite having searched and seen for myself, the truth was so hard to accept.
Chapter Nine
Corina
Glenn had gone out of his way to prepare breakfast for me, including more vegetables from his garden, and a homemade dressing consisting of honey, vinegar, and a few spices. There were even a couple of boiled eggs on the side—something he purchased during his late-night run into town.
While he was out, he put in the call to Julian—a favor for Levi and me. If all went according to plan, they’d be here soon to retrieve us—taking the eight-hour drive into account, that is—and whatever prep went into the journey. It could be hours from now, could be minutes. There was no way to know.
Whatever the case, despite my apprehension, I just wanted to finally lay eyes on Julian. It was my hope that Levi was right, that his brother’s concern for me outweighed all else. While I believed I owed him an apology, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around that—mostly because I didn’t regret the effort I made to return to my team. However, I did want to make amends for breaking his trust, for whatever hurt and damage I caused. It was likely that, once I was gone and had left such a disaster in my wake, the blame fell on him.
And he deserved better.
My interaction with him before my departure had been strained, steeped in the belief that I had a choice to fight what I felt brewing between us. Only, now, I knew better. I’d been fighting the impossible, hence the reason I no longer struggled with the pull toward Levi. The simple fact was, these two mattered to me.
A lot.
My empty plate was taken to the sink where Glenn washed it immediately.
“You two never did get around to saying what hole you crawled out of last night.” The words left his mouth teasingly, but he had no clue what the past two and a half weeks had been like.
When he turned and took in our blank expressions, his became serious as well. The faucet turned off and he rejoined us at the table.
“Heck, I was just poking fun because the two of you showed up looking like ten miles of bad road. Are you in some sort of trouble?”
Levi glanced at me thoughtfully, and I remembered how he handled things the night before, not bothering Glenn with the details.
“No trouble,” Levi lied. “Just a camping trip gone awry.” When he offered an easy smile after, I did the same, hoping to downplay the trauma of the ordeal.
Glenn didn’t budge at first, narrowing his eyes as he glared at Levi. He’d been in the princes’ lives since they were young boys, so maybe he knew when they fabricated a story.
“I suppose we lucked out not being too far out from your property,” Levi added
Glenn continued to stare without blinking. “Suppose so.”
The tension in the room was thick, shredding my nerves even more than they already were. With what I experienced in the bedroom, I was desperate to lighten the mood.
Desperate to think about anything but Aaric.
“It must have been nice to speak with Julian,” I piped, gushing with false enthusiasm.
Glenn’s stoic gaze shifted to me. “I’m still tickled pink. Can’t you tell?” His tone was hard and dry, wiping the smile off my face rather quickly. “Kid’s the spitting image of his father—inside and out. You’d think he would’ve at least inherited my daughter’s humility, but no such luck.”
His voice trailed off, and I lowered my gaze to the worn tabletop. The opinion he held of Julian was almost identical to what mine had been prior to being taken into his home. Perhaps, if he’d give Julian a chance, he would see he’d grown into an honorable man. I knew this to be true firsthand.
“Well, either way, I appreciate you making the call for us,” was all I could think to say without overstepping.
“Not a problem. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have a few errands to run,” he informed. “I’m not likely to return before the two of you are on your way, so I’ll bid you farewell before I go.”
Was it his intention to be away from the house when Julian arrived?
When Levi’s brow quirked before standing from his seat, I guessed the announcement surprised him as well.
“We appreciate you putting us up for the night,” he mumbled, probably still confused by Glenn’s aloofness toward Julian.
“Anytime,” Glenn insisted, returning the embrace Levi met him with when rounding the table.
Standing, I intended to greet him as well, but didn’t expect the hug that came first.
“Very nice meeting you, young lady. I’ve left a special gift in your bag to remember me by. A book,” he shared. We separated and a vague smile stretched his lips. “It starts getting really interesting around chapter three.”
Receiving a gift was another unexpected surprise. Mostly because putting up with us barging in on him was more than he owed us already.
“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it,” I replied, smiling.
“Just close everything up real tight on your way out,” he called out from the foyer, having moved there to pull on a pair of old, ratty boots.
“Will do, Sir,” Levi answered.
And just like that, our time with Glenn had come to an end.
A heavy, awkward silence filled the space as Levi and I stood there. It may have been that family was something humans—those blessed to have any—held near and dear, but it didn’t seem Glenn held the same sentiment. Not outside of speaking somewhat fondly of his daughter as he recalled her most recent visit. I guessed this was just one more example of how Ianite life was vastly different from that of humans.
Peering up at Levi, I tried not to overthink things that weren’t my business. “So, what now?”
My heart leapt at the sight of the warm smile he offered. Always did if I was honest.
“It’s a little stuffy in here. We could sit outside for a bit if you’d like.” My fingers were lightly taken when he finished, and like a moth to a flame, I gravitated toward him.
Once I nodded, he grabbed our bags and led the way across the aged floor that creaked with every step.
We hadn’t talked about last night, but the changes were so obvious. Like now, as we stepped out and sat side-by-side on a porch swing covered in splotchy green paint, there was no thought of being too close. Actually, I didn’t think there was even such a thing as ‘too close’ anymore.
“Should we discuss what happened before breakfast?” Levi inquired, shifting my thoughts back to Aaric.
I felt the faint smile leave my face right away. This wasn’t quite the conversation I imagined we’d be having.
“The night I spent with him, when he came close, he had a very distinct scent. Then, after you left to speak with Glenn, I thought I detected hints of it in our room,” I admitted.
For all I knew, it sounded crazy to him that I freaked out over what may have seemed trivial. However, few things were more dangerous than sensing your enemy had access to you; meanwhile, you had absolutely no idea where they were or what harm they were capable of causing.
“You’ll be transitioning in a month.” Levi spoke sweetly, reminding me of what I could never possibly forget. I practically saw the days winding down every time I closed my eyes, was aware of the physiological changes happening within me already, even if they were only subtle. “It’s likely you’re just beginning to feel slight changes, the heightening of your senses as your humanity fades.”
The way he worded that—'as your humanity fades’—was like a punch in the gut.
I swallowed hard, because the statement had stolen my breath away.
“Do you think it’s possible you detected something else? A different scent that maybe confused
you a bit?” he suggested. “I mean, I was born this way, and have no idea what a transition entails, but I imagine it will be overwhelming.”
Overwhelming was one way of putting it.
“But something just felt … off,” I explained. “I would’ve sworn he’d been there.”
The grip Levi had on my hand tightened and his gaze lowered, meeting mine. “You’ve got powerful instincts, Corina. I saw that for myself when you hurled yourself over that cliff,” he recalled. “So, if you believe he was there, then it’s worth considering.”
A deep breath swept into my lungs as I stared.
“So, where does that leave us?” I asked. “Is it possible he could have slipped past Glenn? Past his security system?”
The man ran a tight ship around here. Almost losing a limb on the way in was confirmation.
Levi shrugged. “We nearly got past it unnoticed,” he pointed out then. “But I’m not sure if someone who didn’t expect Glenn’s particular brand of jerry-rigging would know what to look out for like I did. Still, this all just means I need to be more vigilant about keeping you safe.”
I smiled a bit, which got his attention because I was positive it seemed out of place at first.
“Is that funny?” he asked. “The idea of me protecting you?”
My smile grew. “No, not at all. It’s just that, before … I’d gotten used to being the one who did the protecting,” I confessed.
I was always careful not to make comments that hinted at my past, but I figured this slip-up was on account of the newfound closeness between us.
“You keep your prior life pretty closed off, but I know you’ve seen and done things you may never share with me,” he observed. “I just need you to know that you could share it with me. Without fear of how I’ll react, without fear of any repercussions.”
The statement was a reminder of how he paused when touching the disfigured flesh of my thigh last night. I sensed the questions the scar brought to his mind, but then and now he respected that I didn’t want to discuss it.
“I’ve accepted that I simply want you.” My eyes were wild when they met his. “All of you,” he added. “Whatever comes with that deal, I’d accept it if it means you’ll stay.”
