Chapter 4
Effie Harlow
Hours later, I woke up burning.
Sweat covered my body as I pushed the blankets, which had been pulled up to my chin, away from me. I felt like I was caught up against something that wouldn’t let me go, and the restricting feeling had me feeling panicked.
Where was I? It took me a minute to remember, and I felt concern slam into me, seeing the cold, frosted window and storm that was rattling against it.
What if it broke the windows? My mates would be freezing then.
I tried to sit up, but a muscular arm tightened around me.
I inhaled sharply, realizing that it was Caedmon’s scent surrounding me.
Oh. Oh, right… I was in bed with Caedmon.
When did that happen? I frowned, trying to remember falling asleep.
Had he brought me in here? I turned towards him and instantly found myself buried against his warm chest. Unlike the last time, he was shirtless except for a hoodie that was unzipped, and in a pair of comfortable sweatpants, the blanket that had been over us both heavy and clearly expensive.
When he didn’t say anything, I realized he was still very much asleep and practically clinging onto me, his grip hard and his leg over mine as if trying to make sure I couldn’t get up.
I loved it.
Rubbing my eyes, I looked around the room, realizing that it was far more put together than before.
Not only put together, but filled with expensive pieces of technology and linens that seemed far above anything I’d ever come into contact with.
I felt a stab of self-consciousness, wondering why he was letting me into his bed, especially dressed in my worn PJ pants. Surely he found that a bit annoying.
I examined the dark green velvet comforter under my fingers and the rich, high-piled rug on the dorm floor.
Leather accented different elements of the room, and the entire space smelled not only of him but of rich cologne.
Honestly, it barely looked like a dorm room anymore. The transformation was impressive.
It also highlighted just how different Caedmon’s life was from my own. It highlighted that I didn’t belong in it.
Sadness permeated everything in that moment. He deserved a better mate, and I hated knowing that. I hated that so much.
When my overthinking became too much, I slipped from bed, easing myself out of his arms as I walked towards the window. My eyes widened, realizing just how bad the storm was, the scene outside a completely frozen landscape.
My wolf whined in excitement as I tried to hold her back from forcing my shift. I knew she liked cold weather, but this was something else. If I went outside alone, that had the potential to be actually dangerous. Plus, I wanted to be back in bed with Caedmon.
I did give into her urge to check on my other mates as I slipped from his room and entered back into the living room, finding Ryder passed out on the couch, a laptop on the floor near him.
I swallowed nervously, wanting to wake him up so he could get more comfortable.
Or to curl up with him… I wasn’t positive why the urge to do either was so present when I knew it wouldn’t be well received.
Instead went to peek into Julian’s room.
I was happy to find that both Tore and him, their doors each cracked slightly, were passed out completely and unaffected by the storm.
The relief was palpable…until I came to Dakota’s room and found him awake, going through something on his laptop.
Looking up when I leaned against the door, he smiled, his eyes warming and filled with no surprise, as if he had known I was coming.
He motioned me forward and I sat on his knee, wanting to see what he was working on.
I sighed happily as he brushed my hair off my shoulder and gently placed a kiss beneath my jaw.
“What are you doing up, little wolf?”
“Checking on everyone,” I admitted. “The storm makes me nervous.”
Dakota hummed. “You know it’s our job to keep you safe, right?”
“I don’t want to be a job.” I frowned.
He shook his head. “‘Job’ is the wrong word. ‘Honor’ is far better.”
“We protect each other.” I turned into him, laying my head against his neck and nuzzling it slightly.
It was a bold move, but the way Dakota touched me was so…
claiming. Maybe that was the right word.
He never seemed to second-guess himself and always seemed confident in how he interacted with me. It was so insanely hot.
“What’s that?” I nodded towards the screen after a moment.
He sighed. “A report that is due tomorrow.” Then, with a smile, he added, “I got a little distracted on Sunday when I was supposed to work on it.”
I sat back, realizing he was talking about the day I arrived. “Dakota, I don’t want to take away from your school work.”
“I would take meeting you over anything, Effie,” he responded sincerely before smirking. “Plus, I hate this topic.”
“What is it?”
“Second world war,” he groaned. “Honestly, I find most of American history tedious. It’s one of the reasons I have a focus on Greco-Roman history.”
“Is that your major?” I asked curiously.
“Yes.” He nodded before his eyes darted to the door, his brow furrowing. “Effie, you may want to get back to the room. I think Caedmon is up.”
Instantly I was up, not wanting him to think I’d left him, especially with what I’d been through when he left me our first morning together. As I neared the door, Dakota added in concern, “Just be careful if he is in the middle of a nightmare.”
The concept of him having a nightmare made me want to hurry back even more. I did grab a throw blanket and place it over Ryder as I passed the couch on my way back to Caedmon’s room.
When I walked into the room, my brow dipped in confusion because everything seemed to be fine and Caedmon was fast asleep. I closed the door and walked towards the bed, crawling up onto it and reaching out for him…or at least trying to.
“Caedmon?”
My voice was breathless and shaky as I found myself pinned against the bed, flat on my back, with Caedmon over me.
I could feel his heartbeat from where his chest was resting on mine, and his breathing was rough and uneven.
His green eyes were black with shadows, and he was staring at me as if he had no idea who I was.
Nightmares. Was he in one? Or waking from one?
I exhaled slowly and tried to figure out what to say to make him realize that he was safe and not dreaming.
“You have to wake up,” I murmured softly, my hand reaching up to touch him.
He gripped my wrist harder than I expected, intercepting the soothing gesture, the previous injury there causing me to wince.
I let out a sound of distress as my own panic started to take over, feeling a flash of terror go through me at realizing what a dangerous position I was in.
I was trying so hard to keep calm, but I felt myself start to hyperventilate as my eyes closed and I tried to summon some level of bravery.
“Caedmon, I really need you to wake up…” I exhaled, trying to regulate my heartbeat as a cold chill broke out along the back of my neck. “Please?”
Flashes of times when I’d been pressed into walls or kicked on the ground, unable to do anything but wait out the attack as I served as the punching bag for members of my pack, threatened to take over, but I pushed past it, knowing he needed me.
I forced my magic out, keeping his gaze, and when my magic brushed against his in a soothing gesture, I felt the change in the energy around him.
Almost immediately Caedmon snapped out of it and cursed in a language I didn’t recognize, removing himself from me as I remained flat on my back, trying to take slow and even breaths.
I didn’t know where he was in the room, but I couldn’t get up until my body unlocked itself from its tense, rigid posture.
My eyes welled with tears as I swallowed down my anxiety, not wanting him to feel bad.
It was clear Caedmon and I both had pasts that brought us to act differently, and I knew he hadn’t meant to act that aggressively towards me. It was clear in the regret and self-hatred I could feel radiating from his magic.
After a moment, I slowly pushed myself up on my hands and found Caedmon pacing the room, running his hands through his hair, looking out the window before finally meeting my gaze.
He looked manic, and I tried to figure out what would be the best way to calm him down, because I was worried I would only make this worse.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly.
“Am I okay?” Caedmon demanded harshly in a tone that made me flinch. “I almost just hurt you, Effie, and you are asking if I am okay? If you had known what I was dreaming, you would be goddamn terrified of me.”
“You didn’t hurt me though,” I pointed out, my eyes beginning to burn.
“You look like you’re about to pass out,” he snarled, “so clearly that isn’t true.”
“You scared me, you didn’t hurt me.”
“Same shit,” he bit out.
“Not the same.” I sat forward more and took a deep breath. “I just got scared when you grabbed my wrist and squeezed, partly because it was still injured. But caging me to the bed didn’t scare me at first… I knew you were dreaming.”
“I should go,” Caedmon grunted, looking around and refusing to meet my gaze.
“Please don’t,” I whispered, reaching out to grasp his arm and pulling him to a stop. “Please don’t leave me.”
That didn’t sound weird at all, Effie.
Caedmon let out a snarl and moved closer to the bed, bending down to put his head against the sheets while crossing his arms. “I have no idea what the fuck to do.”
“Why don’t you answer my question first?”
“Am I okay?”
“Yes.”