Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
I do not mind the heat. It feels good against my scales. I shift to battle-form as she naps and do my best to explore our surroundings by scent. I am looking for something in particular. Something sweet and crumbly that will make my Emma smile. She says this place is a warehouse or a club and that they used to sell foods and vast amounts of goods. The shelves are mostly cleaned out, but there are a few clustered boxes high above the ground, on the tallest of shelves that could hold something. I go down each aisle, using my nose, and when I scent something that has potential, I climb the shelves and use my claws to shred plastic and cardboard until I find the contents within. The sweet scent that wafts to my nose matches Emma’s memories of sugar, and I pry one of the crates free and carefully carry it back down to the floor.
Then I wait for my mate to awaken.
Her thoughts are troubled, even in her sleep, and I worry over her. She dreams of Jack, and of her sibling, and of being left alone. I try to comfort her with my thoughts, but she is so deep inside her own dreams that she does not hear them.
I am relieved when she starts awake and blinks up at the ceiling. I nose her gently. I am here, my mate.
She rubs her eyes and sits up. Her heart is pounding, and there’s a tinge of fear-scent underneath the cloying perfume. Her thoughts are disoriented. “Zohr?”
I rub my snout along her hair to remind her of my presence. You were having bad dreams.
“Oh.” Her expression grows distant and her thoughts flick back to Jack once more. “Yeah, I guess I was.”
While you slept, I have found something for you.
“You did? What?”
It is a surprise. A gift.
“A gift?” I can feel her startled pleasure. “You got me a gift?”
Yes. Come. I will show you. I nudge her, encouraging her to stand. She does, and then I lead her over to the box I have placed—oh so carefully—in the center of the floor.
Her eyes widen and she looks at me in surprise. “Did you bring down the entire pallet?” She runs a hand over the cardboard surface of the box, and her thoughts are humming with pleasure and anticipation. “How did you manage that?”
Very carefully.
She chuckles and then finds the edge of the box and pulls the lid open, peering inside. I hope it is a good present. I know there are many smaller boxes inside, all of them smelling sweet. There is human writing on the surface, like in the books, but I cannot read it.
Her thoughts are startled at the sight of them. “Candy canes?” Emma’s voice is awed as she picks up a small, slim box and then hugs it to her chest. I can feel her enthusiasm rippling through her mind. “Oh my god. Books of Life Savers! Chocolate coins!” She digs further in the box. “And fruitcake! This must all be Christmas merchandise.” She laughs with delight and picks up a small, red little bag that reeks of old sugar. “I think all the chocolate coins melted together. But everything else is awesome. I’m not even sure I like fruitcake, but who cares?” She turns to me, her dark eyes shining. “How did you know this was there?”
I could smell it, and I know you like sweet things. I wanted to bring you something that would make you smile. Her pleasure is mine, after all.
The sweet, happy smile on her face fades. She blinks rapidly and for a moment, it looks as if my brave Emma is about to have water pour from her eyes again. “Oh, Zohr. We need to talk, you and I.” She puts down the box of candy canes, reluctance and sadness radiating from her mind.
I immediately shift to my two-legged form and move forward so I can hold her close in one of the hugs she likes so much—and is always so pleasantly surprised by. She never expects to be touched, and I have made it my goal to ensure that she is touched often. What do you wish to speak of?
She slides out of my grip and clasps her hands in front of her, thinking. “How…gosh, this is hard. Please understand that it’s not you, Zohr. You’re awesome. I don’t want you to think anything is wrong with you.” She pauses, and her thoughts finish what she cannot say aloud.
She is breaking up with me.
I do not understand, I tell her. What is this breaking we will be doing?
Her eyes widen. “Shit. I always forget you can hear everything.” Emma sighs and looks miserable. “We need to break our mental bond.”
Emotion flares through me. Denial. Anger. Frustration. Shock. I can feel the madness edging at my thoughts, can feel it burrowing deep, pulling the mental anchors loose. You are mine.