Page 11 of Rome's Mate: Hunted Omegas

The knock came again, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Come in.”

His assistant stood there. Anastasia was a tall African American woman who wore her hair in different colored braids. He loved how beautiful they were on her and the fact that she held herself like royalty. She could be, for all he knew.

With what he paid his employees, someone of the royal line would willingly work for him.

Anastasia laughed. “I’m still not going to answer your question on the line I descended from.” She always seemed to know what he was thinking. It made her a brilliant assistant. “The board has convened and is waiting for you.”

He laughed. That’s one reason he hired her. Not only did she know what she was doing and could run his office with her eyes closed when he wasn’t here, she was one of the few women willing to say you might be ancient, but I don’t care and for the record, no.

“Let them know I’m coming. It won’t hurt them to wait.”

“Got it.” She’d be more diplomatic when she relayed his words to them. She was worth her weight in gold.

His eyes drifted back to the rivers. There was an ache in his heart and a drumbeat in his soul that said it was time to go home. He’d settle his business with the board quickly. Home was calling. He knew from the long years he’d lived to never ignore that call.

“I’d like a room for a week,” Amelia told the clerk at the desk. She waited while he looked her over, as if judging her ability to pay.

Her server directed her to a nice bed-and-breakfast, but she also discovered there was a motel on the outskirts of town. The bed-and-breakfast was beautiful, but it was going to be a little too personal. She wanted anonymity, not to be in the middle of the hurricane with the townspeople watching her. This would be perfect.

“Will you be here longer than a week?” the clerk asked. He probably had a little group he gossiped with.

“I don’t know. I like the town so far. I might find an apartment or a house. That’s a future me decision. I can pay for the week in advance if you need it.”

“No, I’m just excited to see fresh blood around here. I’m giving you a room on the first floor because it’s one of the best.” He handed her the keys with 111 on them.

Triple ones, she liked it. “Thanks.” She gave him a smile and a wave before going to find her room. The room had a queen-sized bed. The floor was covered in an old green rug with what looked like orange flecks. She stared at it before shaking her head. That didn’t suggest a long-term stay. The bed was covered with a green comforter that looked like it had been bought within the last five years. There was a television, a coffee pot, a mini fridge, and a small table with two small chairs. Considering the room’s size, they did great with getting everything into it. She went to find the bathroom and found a closet first, then the bathroom. It wasn’t anything to write home about, but it wasn’t the disaster she was preparing herself for.

She took a shower, washing the road grime off and then fell onto the bed. Her sleep was far from dreamless. She tossed and turned until she ended up in the forest where she’d talk to the old woman. The moonlight was shining on her as she wandered through the old forest. The trees fascinated her. They were talland felt ancient. She could feel the years they’d been living weighing down on her.

“If you know what you’re looking for, these trees can tell a story. It’s too bad that most humans alive are too busy to sit in the forest and listen. One thing I always loved about The People is they listened to the land. They heard it when Mother Earth said something was sacred and then they honored the earth, water, trees, and especially the moon. Although they never left out the sun or the dark night.”

The woman who was talking seemed young. Maybe she was Amelia’s age. Amelia quickly changed her mind. She was timeless, there was youth, but there was also knowledge older than she could understand.

“You’re very astute for your young age and the sheltered life you’ve lived.” The woman gave her a smile, softening the blow of her words.

“You speak as though you know me.” The woman led her back to the same bench they sat on the first time they met in the forest.

“I watched your birth. I’d say your conception, but some things should remain private.”

“That’s creepy, no matter how you put it.”

“I suppose it would be to one as young as you, sit.” She sat and Amelia sat with her.

It was strange to her that she accepted the woman in this dream and didn’t think it strange even when she woke.

“Who are you?”

“Call me Luna.” She smiled, and the moonlight bathed her in its glow.

“The moon seems to love you.”

“We are one. That’s not why we are here. You’re almost where you need to be.”

Those words seemed to agree with the restlessness that lived with Amelia. She was almost there, but not quite where she needed to be.

“Right here is where you meet your future, but remember, humans spun fairy tales for children. Anything worth achieving is worth fighting for. When you’re ready, you’ll know what to do.”

Amelia sat straight up, her eyes wide as she looked around the room. Her heart pounded as if she’d been running. It was just a dream, but it seemed so real. The oncoming darkness in the room told her the sun was descending over the horizon. She took the meal she placed in the mini fridge out and found there was a hidden microwave. The fries were long gone, but she heated the steak to eat with the coleslaw. She needed to move. Her body felt tense and the hair on the back of her neck was lifting. She grabbed her tennis shoes and then stopped. Her boots were calling to her.

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