Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
MARCUS
“Marcus?”
I opened my eyes, blinking a few times before my vision cleared. Was I lying down? The ceiling looked unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time. Everything felt fuzzy. My memories. My body. My mind.
Turning my head, I looked at the woman next to me. She propped herself up on one arm. Her eyes looked at me worriedly. Reaching out, I brushed my hand against her skin. Real. I could touch her.
“Are you okay?”
My mouth opened, but no words came out. Her black hair was tossed to the side, a thin shirt hanging from her. A hand touched my bare chest, running down my skin. It felt amazing, and I closed my eyes, reveling in the touch.
“Ebony?”
She was smiling when I opened my eyes again. “Yeah, I’m here. You were having a bad nightmare. I tried to wake you up, but you couldn’t break free.”
I tried to remember it. There was pain. So much pain. I couldn’t remember anything else about it though. Still, it stole my breath away. Ebony moved closer, covering my chest and lying on top of me.
“It was terrible. I didn’t know what to do.”
Nodding, I looked back up at the ceiling. “I’m a bit…disoriented right now.”
“It’s okay; take your time.”
Her fingers combed through my beard before she placed a kiss gently against me. My hands came up, one resting on the curve of her back, the other running through her hair. For a moment, we just shared in each other’s touch as I pulled myself back together.
“I’m sorry. I’m a mess right now.”
“Don’t apologize. We have all the time in the world. There were no plans for today.” Ebony looked out the window. “We are on vacation after all.”
I hummed, turning my head to look out the window. The memories felt so hazy. A vacation. Time with my mate. I’d taken some time off from teaching. It was getting to be too much. Night terrors had been getting worse after losing my dragon, and we thought maybe a change of scenery was in order.
Lifting, I kissed my mate. She reciprocated, her lips moving against mine until she dove her tongue into my mouth. Sucking on it, I pushed her tighter against me. I needed her. She was the only thing that pulled me out of the night terrors. The only thing that felt right.
“Did you just want to stay in bed today? I don’t mind.”
“Maybe. I feel weak.”
Ebony laid her head down on my chest, her body now fully weighing me down. “I’ll be here, my mate. We are together for the long haul, always.”
Nodding, I focused back up on the ceiling. “Thank you. I don’t think I could have gotten through this without you.”
She chuckled. “Damn right.”
My hands rubbed her back, slipping under her shirt and reveling in the softness of her skin. We hadn’t really put a time on our vacation. Focused on me getting back on track. Ebony had been next to me the whole time. My wonderful mate. She was my everything.
I couldn’t count the times she had pulled me from the brink. The madness and pain seeping in. It was her touch, her love, and our bond that pulled me back every time. Even though I lost my dragon to it. Never once did her love waver.
“Marcus?”
My head moved so I could look into her beautiful amber eyes. “Yes, my love?”
Her smile made me smile. “I think I need to get up.”
“Never!”
Wrapping my arms around her, I turned to the side with her in my arms. As I did, I sucked in a breath, pain shooting through my entire right side. My body locked, and I froze, trying to breathe through the pain.
“Whoa, hey, it’s okay. Where does it hurt?”
Immediately, she sat up, her fingers pressing into my skin.
When she reached around my ribs, I hissed.
Slowly and methodically, her fingers worked into my side and through my pain.
I pressed my face into the pillow, trying not to cry out as she did it.
Ever since I lost my dragon, I’d felt myself getting older much faster.
My body was not recovering as fast or as fully as it had before.
“I’m okay. Don’t worry about it.”
She snorted. “Never. You’re my mate. I will make sure you are good.”
Letting out a long sigh, I felt the pain ebb away under her touch. “Did you need to go to the bathroom?”
Ebony chortled. “Yeah. I’m also starving. I need to take my medicine too.”
My lips pursed. “Do you want me to help?”
“No. I got it.” She kissed my forehead. “Get up at your own pace. Your muscles always lock after your terrors.”
Nodding, I slowly turned back onto my back as she got up.
I smirked as I watched her get up and walk to the bathroom.
She was in one of my shirts, no pants on.
Just her underwear that peeked out when she walked.
Her hips swayed, and I watched all the way until she winked at me before closing the door.
The past year, we had tried for a hatchling. It wasn’t as easy as we hoped. Worse, the night terrors made us pause for a moment. Now that we were here, hopefully stopping them, we could get back on track. Ebony was taking medicine to help, and I took shots once a month to help as well.
It wasn’t easy to sit up, but I got there. The windows were open, and the wind was now blowing through the room. I’d always wanted to go to Fiji. This was a villa, and we were all alone out here. Pressing my fingers into my eyes, I tried to pull myself together. My mind still felt hazy.
“Marcus?”
Running my hand down my face, I smiled up at her. She had gotten dressed, pulling her hair up. Her hand was on her hip, looking at me as if she were about to give me a lecture.
“I said, take your time.”
“I’m fine, Eb, really. I could eat as well.”
I took a breath before putting weight on my legs. They shook and barely held my weight. Reaching out, I grabbed the bedpost to steady myself. Ebony looked ready to grab me, but I waved her off. Taking one step at a time, I could make it to the bathroom myself, albeit shakily.
I brushed my teeth, relieved myself, and splashed some cold water on my face. My skin felt tingly, but it wasn’t terrible. Not painful, just like tiny shocks from my nerves working overtime. Slowly, I walked down the hall to the kitchen. Ebony was already plating something that smelled delicious.
“Come on, you need to eat.”
I smiled and sat down at the breakfast nook in the corner.
It overlooked the beach, and the breeze felt amazing.
Ebony set up a full spread for us, and we sat, enjoying the view.
We talked about different things we could do while we ate.
Ebony told me we had already been here a week, though it felt like I had lost track of the days.
“How long did you want to stay?” I asked her, wondering if she wanted to plan for anything else.
“I don’t know. I really like it here.” She took a breath. “I could feel the burnout from trying to push through my PhD.”
I reached out, my fingers interlacing with hers. “You have time for that. You have so much more time now with me.”
Her smile continued to brighten my world. “What if we just stayed here? Bought one of these little huts and stayed away from the rest of the world.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Thinking about running away from responsibilities? How dare you, my mate.”
She laughed as well. “Not running. Just…putting the world off for a little while.”
Looking out at the ocean, the peace that I felt, I could understand.
Since meeting Ebony, it felt like a whirlwind.
We were fated. She was everything I needed and more.
The idea of me marking her right away didn’t sit well with my family.
It put a strain on our relationship, and we didn’t talk much anymore.
As much as it hurt, it would have broken me more to be without Ebony.
Even though I couldn’t feel her, scent her, or be able to have that connection after my dragon died, I remembered. Remembering how her touch felt, her scent as we got lost in each other. It was enough for her to stay by my side after all this time. Still dealing with my broken soul.
“We could stay for a year, maybe.” The waves crashed for a moment before I continued. “I need to reach out to my family, though. Just to make sure that they know where I am.”
Ebony let out an exasperated sigh, and I laughed. She wasn’t happy with them either. Not after everything that happened between us and then unwilling to help when my dragon was dying.
“I think we can wait. At least a little while. You know, make them actually care for a bit.”
Shaking my head, I squeezed her hand before letting go and taking a drink of the orange juice. “Maybe. I will need to eventually, though. You need to talk to your parents too.”
“I mean, they know I’m with you.” Ebony looked at me with such adoration. “They know I’m safe as long as I’m with you.”
I leaned in and kissed her. “Don’t worry. You are safe with me. Let your Alpha take care of you.”
Her eyes narrowed for a moment, trying to read something into my words. I cocked my head to the side. Had I said something wrong? Eventually, she just rolled her eyes.
“I’m an Alpha too, Marcus. I don’t need anyone taking care of me.”
“I enjoy taking care of you, though.”
Reaching out, I pulled her chair closer to me. She squeaked, but I picked her up and placed her on my lap. Smiling up at her, I kissed her.
“Will you let me take care of you, my mate?”
She hummed as though she were thinking about it. I grabbed her sides, and she squealed more, thrashing as I tickled her sides. She gasped, begging me to stop.
“Yes! Yes! Fuck! You can!”
I laughed, pulling her close and capturing her lips again. For a moment, it hurt. Our lips touched, and I felt my heart clench. Still, I pulled her close. Her hands ran over my skin, and I melted into her touch.
“Maybe we should start now.”
“Start what?”
Smirking, I wiggled my eyes up and down. “Start a family.”
She slapped my chest and pushed off me. “If you can do that, you can go swimming with me.”
“Alright. Alright. Let me finish my bagel, and we can go. I could use the exercise.” I rubbed my front. “All this food and being lazy is making me fill out more than I need to.”
Ebony laughed and shook her head. “You had room to fill out, my mate. If anything, you need a little more meat on your body. I will not be stopping soon.”
“You better not! I’ll be overweight and you, my love, are going to go to the gym with me as moral support.”
“Never!”
I tried to reach out to grab her, but she was already up and running through the house.
Shaking my head, I grabbed the bagel sandwich and took a bite.
As much as I didn’t want to say, I could imagine the two of us staying here for longer than a year.
Hiding away from everything. We had rented this villa, but I could afford to purchase one.
Maybe we would see after a couple of months if it got old.
“Marcus!”
Leaning back in my chair, I looked down the hall. “Yeah?”
“Red or white bikini.”
I smirked. “Red. Definitely red.”