Chapter 20 Elodie
ELODIE
The door clicks shut behind me, the sound ringing in my ears as my heart races, but I don’t make it a single step before I find myself face to face with a concerned wolf. An unwavering soft smile is fixed across his face, easing a little of the frantic air that drowns me.
“Petal,” he rasps, lifting one hand toward me while his other stays close to his chest, balancing a plate of food. “Come on,” he murmurs, curling his finger for me to move closer, and my feet carry me to him of their own accord.
I take two steps before my fingers are laced with his and my world stills as he presses a gentle kiss to my forehead, but I don’t have long to sink into it before we’re moving again.
In a haze, I go willingly as he guides me into his room and encourages me to take a seat on his bed. I’m overcome with… everything, but that calm look in his eyes and the scent of melted cheese in the air as he places the plate down beside me keeps me grounded.
“You need to eat, Elodie,” he says softly, pointing at the plate, and it’s only then that I realize it’s filled with a margherita pizza.
It smells divine and my stomach grumbles, but I can’t bring myself to reach for the first slice.
Instead, my gaze finds Rion’s as I shake my head.
“What the hell is going on, Rion?” I blurt, my mind still reeling as I recall today as a whole.
Is it even still the same day? It feels like an eternity has passed.
His smile doesn’t dip, but the disbelief in his eyes is prominent. “I think we’ve realized tonight that the extent some people are willing to go to is more than we would ever have guessed.”
I scoff. “Who?”
“Isn’t that the question of the day? I never would have imagined Kael’s brother being so insane, but that’s my fault for thinking I’ve already seen the worst in life.
Kael, however…” His gaze softens as he refers to his friend.
“I’m stunned that we’re only just realizing the extent of all this because he actually didn’t want to cause you harm. ”
My pulse quickens as my chest tightens, and I nod.
“It’s my fault,” I murmur, my blood running cold as I acknowledge the pain someone felt because of me. I might not have been the source, but I was definitely the reason, and that doesn’t seem to make it any better.
Rion moves in a flash, gripping my chin as he tilts my head back, staring deep into my eyes with a pointed stare.
“It’s not your fault, Petal.” My eyebrows lift and his eyes narrow.
“Don’t give me that look,” he grumbles, tilting my head an inch higher.
“This is Jude’s fault. The ability to do something like this doesn’t just happen, definitely not from a vampire.
It will have taken time, practice, and another energy source.
I think Kael understood he used others for their magical abilities, but to this extent?
That’s a deranged man who should carry the weight of this alone. ”
The tightness in my chest eases as I blink at him, understanding slowly washing over me as I nod again. His grip on my chin loosens as I take a deep breath.
“I should go,” I mumble, unsure why when I don’t really want to be alone right now, but today has been another mind fuck and I don’t want that to project onto everyone else as well.
“Stay, please. I need to know you’re safe,” Rion whispers, crowding my space.
“But I need you to eat too, Petal. You need to be stronger than ever, and that’s not going to happen if you’re skipping meals.
” His eyebrow rises in challenge and my lips part, ready to defend myself, but no words come out as my stomach cramps and gurgles with hunger.
The smug look that breezes across his face makes my lips twist in irritation, but instead of speaking a word and admitting out loud that he’s right, I grab a piece of the cheesy pizza from the plate beside me and take a huge bite.
His eyes don’t leave me, watching my every move as I devour the first slice. Only then does he take a step back.
My heart rate finally starts to ease as he slips into his walk-in closet while I move on to my next slice. I’m three pieces down by the time he returns with a t-shirt and a pair of boxers in his hands, a satisfied grin on his face.
“You can sleep in these tonight,” he offers, laying them on the bed beside me.
I rake my teeth over my bottom lip, emotions churning in my gut, and it takes me a second to differentiate between nerves and excitement; it’s definitely the latter.
“I don’t mind running to my room to get something,” I reply, and he scoffs, slipping his finger under my chin as he tilts my head back a little.
“You’re not going anywhere, Petal. Now eat up so I can snuggle with my girl,” he insists, and for the first time in my life, I do as I’m told without causing a fuss first.
The moment the pizza is gone, with his help in demolishing the final two slices, I step into his bathroom and get ready for bed. There’s a freshly packaged toothbrush waiting for me beside the sink, which I make quick use of once I’m settled into his t-shirt and boxers.
Today has been insane. Between Thorne and Kael, I’m lost in every sense of the word, but with Rion, I never feel lost in his proximity. It’s the one place I don’t question things as much. His presence is almost calming.
Acknowledging his effect on me has me quickly hurrying back into his room to find him sprawled out on his bed with the duvet stopping at his waist. Raking my gaze over his body, I take a second to appreciate the muscles that tighten his core and the cords that protrude from his forearms, which make me shiver.
“I know you like what you see, Petal, but tonight I’m being an honorable man. Don’t make me break the vow I made to myself,” he breathes, and my gaze finally reaches his face, and I gulp.
Damn this man.
Wordlessly, I climb into bed beside him, slipping beneath the sheets, and he instantly pulls me into his arms. With my head nestled on his chest, my leg hiked over his thigh and his hand drawing circles on my back, I settle against him like this is the only way I’ve ever managed to get comfortable in my life.
The rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my chest, combined with the show playing on the television, draws me into a sense of calmness.
Sleep claims me over and over as the night passes around me. I feel myself toss and turn, but every time, he finds me in the darkness, bringing me back against his chest, where I snuggle in and pass out once again.
Until morning comes.
I’m not ready for it.
Dazed, I bask in the warmth of my wolf and freeze.
My wolf?
I don’t mean that, do I?
Prying my eyes open, I startle when I find him already looking right at me, a soft smile on his face as he strokes his finger down the side of my face.
“Good morning, Petal,” he rasps, sleep scratching his voice, and I smile at him.
“Good morning.”
“You’re so fucking pretty when you’re sleeping,” he murmurs, leaning in close to nuzzle his face into the crook of my neck, and I shiver at the contact as his words make butterflies swarm in my stomach.
Pretty.
Such a simple word, but the effect of it isn’t lost on me.
I feel like I’m living in a fantasy, all whimsical and soft, and I don’t want anything to get in the way of it, but reality waits for no one.
“What time is it?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“Some time after nine,” he offers, and my breath lurches in my throat as panic kicks in.
“Nine? We’re late. What were you thinking?” I say with a gasp, pushing to sit up, but I don’t make it far before he knocks my arm from under me and pulls me back against his chest.
“Relax, Petal, it’s the weekend,” he explains, and I blink at him, disbelief slowly morphing into relief as he smiles at me.
“It is?” I finally manage when my tongue can move again, and he nods. “I really haven’t had a clue what day it’s been since Jude showed himself and his true intent,” I admit, leaning into his embrace, and he wraps his arms around me tighter.
Safe.
Another simple word this man is capable of making me feel deep in my soul, and I can’t take it for granted.
“That’s understandable, Elodie. You’ve been through a lot since the second you got here. How your head is still screwed on straight, I’ll never know.” There’s a hint of awe in his voice, but I brush it off, sure it’s not meant for me.
“I should probably find my cell phone and text Ocean to let her know I’m okay,” I mumble, recalling the fact that I agreed to text when I was done researching last night, and I haven’t even looked at my cell phone, never mind actually used it.
“Okay. You do that, I’ll figure out breakfast,” he states, and I don’t argue until he slips from the bed, taking his warmth with him.
With an internal pout over the sudden loss, I shuffle up to lean against the headboard and Rion places my backpack on the bed beside me. He doesn’t say a word; he simply winks as he saunters out of the room, giving me the perfect show of his ass in only his boxers.
Damn.
Wiping a hand over my face, I attempt to push away the lust that clouds my vision, but it’s useless.
In an attempt to distract myself, I reach for my backpack and search out my cell phone, but not before the books inside remind me of the things I’ve also learned in the past twenty-four hours.
My mind could wander in one hundred different directions at this point, and keeping myself on track is more complex than ever.
The hidden history of the scythes and my apparent heritage.
The Institute Games.
Jude, and all of his mess, which also includes the lingering pain of Walker.
The Sanctum, who are hellbent on forcing me into a mold I can’t fit.
Kael as a whole, because that goddamn vampire needs his own damn spreadsheet.
Thorne and the weight that lingers between us because of my ancestors’ actions and his pain.
I’m still waiting for further backlash from Professor Drayker because lord fucking knows you don’t lose a man like Rion and get over it.