Chapter 6 #2
Sammy arched one eyebrow as her eyes slowly roamed down my body. Belatedly, I realized I was stark naked. I always slept that way, so it wasn’t any big thing.
Unless my mate was in the room.
My dick hardened just at the thought of her gaze as I yanked the blanket from the foot of the bed and pulled it up around my waist. “What are you doing here?”
She didn’t seem fazed at all at by my state of undress. “Who are you?” she repeated.
Shaking my head, I made sure to stay covered and scooted to the edge of the bed. “What do you mean?”
Tsking, Sammy leaned forward. “There’s something strange about you. But I can’t put my finger on it. I just know that I loathe the unknown.” She narrowed her eyes. “Something hit me last night. About what it is that bugs me about you.”
I narrowed my eyes back at her and flared my nostrils. “Nice you think so highly of me.”
Flopping back in the chair she chuckled. “You are familiar to me.”
“Of course I am. We have a mating bond.”
Waving her hand, she dismissed that notion. “No. It’s more than that. It’s not mystical moon mating ooey-gooey bullshit.” She ground her teeth together for a few seconds as she studied my face. Was she actually nervous about telling me what she meant?
“You feel like home, or a sense of home, or maybe a sense of how home is supposed to feel. I’m not sure.”
“Is it because I’m from Grove Holler?” Maybe I reminded her literally of her home.
She sucked in a deep breath. “I considered that. But I don’t believe so. The Holler hasn’t been my home for many years.”
I hadn’t heard anyone outside of those born and bred in Grove Holler call it The Holler. It was an Appalachian thing.
“No,” she continued. “You feel more like Bluewater to me.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I’d been in Bluewater a matter of hours, really, and it definitely wasn’t my home. We sat in silence as she stared at me for a few more moments, until finally she dragged in another long-suffering breath. “How are you sleeping?”
Well, now she was just trying to make polite conversation. “Not great, since you mentioned it.”
She nodded wisely, as if she could’ve known. “Dreams. They always seem to reveal something we already know, even if we didn’t realize we needed to know it.”
Rolling my eyes, I positioned the blanket more securely around me. “You’re just trying to be mysterious.”
She chuckled and stood. “I’m a witch. I’m supposed to be mysterious. You’re not. There’s a mystery around you, and I’m going to figure out what it is.”
Then she disappeared before I could speak, so my words turned to a growl of frustration. The little witch infuriated me but intrigued me at the same time.
I finally got back to sleep only to be woken the next morning by Anthony. “Come on. Breakfast at Livvie’s place, then I’ll show you around town.”
Half an hour later, we were stuffing our faces in a beautiful dining room not far from Anthony’s clan land.
We’d begun talking about sports and found out we had similar tastes in teams. Before I knew it, Anthony and I were talking like we’d been friends for years, rather than acquaintances for a few days.
When we left the restaurant, Anthony parked on Main Street, in the parking lot for a bar called Jace’s Place.
We walked down the street and Anthony told me little tidbits about the different businesses.
He was obviously proud of the little town, and I couldn’t blame him.
It was picturesque. I slowed in front of an ice cream shop, something about it making me feel nostalgic.
“It’s been around since before I was born,” he said, noticing my attention on the building. “Jace and I used to love coming here after school with our pocket money. Our best friend Knox came with us.”
A sad tinge in his voice drew my gaze. He looked like he was lost in a time long gone. It made my chest ache.
“What happened to your friend?” I asked. “I’ve met Jace.”
Anthony’s sadness sharpened as he looked at me again. “His father was abusive. He ended up being kicked out of the clan because he wouldn’t stop beating his wife and son.”
“That’s horrible,” I muttered, rage boiling low in my gut. Men like that didn’t deserve the honor of being dragon shifters.
“It was. My father was the alpha. He tried to convince Knox’s mom to stay and let his dad leave. He told her the clan would help her stay on her feet.” He shook his head. “But she wouldn’t leave her husband.”
“What happened? Do you know where they went?” Curiosity made my spine tingle.
“Yeah, I heard later that his father murdered his mom. He was seven.” Anthony’s pain pulsed between us as we turned to continue walking down Main Street.
I couldn’t remember much of my life before foster care.
He stopped at the corner of the sidewalk and waited for an old SUV to rumble off of the side street and onto Main. Turning in a circle, something about the location made my ears tingle. I looked around, then went left, as if instinctually.
Behind the buildings that ran down Main, a little park appeared. There were walking paths, jungle gyms, and swings. “The walking trails for this park go all over town. It’s a popular spot.” Anthony stopped and put his hands in his pocket, but still, something bothered me.
I strode forward, aiming for a large, old cedar tree.
“What are you doing?” Anthony whispered.
“I don’t know.” I circled the tree, and as soon as I saw the other side, I knew. Etched on the trunk, about chest high on me, were three sets of initials with the letters BFFL under them.
“How did you know it was here?” Anthony asked in a hushed voice.
Turning, I looked at him and shrugged, feeling like there was something at the tip of my mind I just couldn’t remember. “I have no idea.”