Chapter 16 Breath On My Skin
Breath On My Skin
Jas
“The little faerie spun her magic with the dance of her fingers,” I whisper, closing the book softly.
My eyes peek above it and see Seren sound asleep.
Her eyelashes rest upon her cheeks, chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm.
One small arm dangles off the bed while the other clutches her stuffed octopus.
Its peach-colored head nestles beside hers on the pillow, tentacles curling beneath her arm.
I set the book on her nightstand, turn off her lamp, and press a kiss to her forehead. Mellie leaps to the floor with a yip and stretches into downward dog. I click my tongue, and she follows—darting past my feet as I close the door behind us.
Candlelight dances through the bathroom’s dimness, illuminating the bubbles. One of my favorite songs murmurs from my phone. I twist my hair into a top bun and melt into the heat. The water soothes my aching muscles.
My mind keeps circling back to dinner—the electric intensity between us. I felt different and his mind was wandering somewhere I couldn’t follow.
I wanted to reach out to him, but sometimes we need silence. It can be its own form of self-care. My thumb hovered over his contact on my phone two separate times tonight. I can’t describe the feeling, this pull I had when he was here for dinner.
I’ve always felt safe around Dom, cared for. But this—this was like my body settling into itself. And watching them dance, seeing Seren’s face glow, is worth everything.
I sink myself to my shoulders, letting my eyes rest a moment—
My chin splashes in the water, jolting me awake.
The next song in the playlist is on. I quickly scrub and rinse, towel off, and go through my nighttime routine of skin, teeth, and face.
I’m suddenly exhausted. I throw on a t-shirt and undies and crawl into bed.
The coolness of the sheets feels amazing on my skin.
“Must be nice having a brain the size of an apricot,” I whisper to Mellie, rubbing behind her furry ear. “You literally have zero stress.”
She turns her nose into my wrist, licking my pulse before curling into my side. I lightly brush my knuckles over her head, a gesture that reminds me of Dominik at dinner when he held my hand.
Why did it suddenly feel like my world was spinning because his fingers brushed mine? The way he kept looking at me, the way I would glance at him. Where is this coming from?
I yawn, sinking my body deeper into the bed. Maybe it's all in my head. The gentle pull in my chest returns, along with a hollow ache, as my body sinks into sleep.
I burst into a clearing, gasping for breath. My lungs are burning for air; each exhale blooms clouds in the cold night air. Moonlight floods the space, illuminating the grass and moss, with a soft red glow.
I don’t know where to turn. Which way do I go? I’m lost.
CRACK.
A twig snaps. I whip my head toward the direction of the sound, eyes straining against the wall of darkness between the trees. Nothing is visible, but something is there. Someone is there. Watching me.
I stumble back. Glowing eyes pierce through the brush like flames.
A growl—deep and primal—vibrates the air as a massive werewolf emerges from darkness into the light of a red moon.
Fur black as midnight ripples over lethal muscles, fangs gleaming, ears cocked forward.
A seven-foot predator towering before me.
Scrambling backward, my heel snags on a root.
I crash hard, ass slamming against the earth.
I crawl away, my breasts bobbing up and down with each breath.
My dress is soaked with lake water. Soil digs into my nails as the beast stalks closer on all fours, each growl slams into me.
Everything else falls away. It’s only us.
The heat of his breath rolls over me, warm against my face. He smells like the forest, the soil in my hands, the trees around us, and the whisper of petals.
I should be terrified. I should be so deathly afraid. Instead, all I can do is stare.
His head lowers, eyes leveling with mine, and my body trembles. It’s not with fear. There’s recognition there, blooming deep in my chest and spreading like heat through my veins and to my core.
A whisper trembles on my tongue. “I see you.”
The wolf doesn’t answer, but its gaze softens. The glow around him flickers, pulsing to the beat of my heart. I reach out, wanting to touch the power seeping into my pores. His eyes close the moment his muzzle meets the palm of my hand.
Dominik.
His eyes open, and light explodes. The clearing shatters into a thousand silver shards, wind roaring in my ears. I gasp, reaching out into nothing. I’m falling—
I jolt upright in bed. My heart is slamming against my chest, and a warmth coils low in my belly. Sheets are tangled around my legs, and the sound of my ragged breathing fills the silence.
What the hell was that? For a moment, I can feel the heat of his breath on my skin, his golden eyes on mine.
“It was a dream.” But how could a dream be so real, leaving me shaking and gasping for breath? Why am I convinced every second of it was a message?
What the…
I look down at my bedding, and a reddish tint has caught my eye, filtering in through my curtains.
I freeze, then quickly wrestle free from the sheets before tumbling out of bed, frightening Mellie in the process, and running to the window. I throw open the curtains, revealing what waits.
There it hangs, a moon like nothing I’ve seen before.
A black pearl rimmed with a thin crimson crescent.
The surface glows with an otherworldly blush I’ve never witnessed before, even with a lunar eclipse.
I stand transfixed, my fingers still clutching the fabric of the curtains, unable to pull myself away from the window.
Something is mesmerizing about it. It's calling… to me.