Page 25 of Curvy Alpha Bride
I stand at the kitchen counter as I drink my coffee, purposefully standing where I feel the most exposed and uncomfortable.
If something is watching me, let it have a nice, long look. I’m not fucking going anywhere, and I’m ready to throw down if that’s what it takes.
“Coward,” I accuse the presence. “Perving on me from a distance where I can’t see you. Come out and fight if you’re so tough.”
Again, I hear a faint trickle of laughter, but so far away on the edge of the wind, it could be my imagination.
When Mabel comes down the hall, she startles me so badly, I almost drop my coffee.
She frowns. “You okay, Xavier?”
“Sure, yeah,” I say quickly. “I was just in my own little world. Let me get changed, and we’ll head off.”
Mabel walks towards me, and for a moment, all my fears and worries fade away. She’s wearing a long green dress that wraps around her big, round shape in flowing drapes, designed to keep her warm and show off her generous curves. The gown flows around her as she walks, and with her long, curly hair flowing over her shoulders, she looks truly regal.
“Ahem,” Mabel clears her throat, and I realize I’m standing between her and the coffee. Excusing myself, I shuffle around her and down the hall.
I get dressed quickly, still feeling watched, but also not wanting to leave Mabel alone for very long. Every second she’s out of my sight, a terrible fear rises in me that I can’t explain.
“Your soul, I’ll take. But it’s her blood I need.”
The words from my dream return, and with them, a new wave of icy terror. Threats to myself, I can handle, even if they do freak me out. But threats to Mabel hit me straight in the heart.
I brought her here. If she gets hurt, it will all be my fault.
When I return to the kitchen, she’s standing at the counter in the same place I was, staring out across the plain and occasionally turning to look up the rough slope of the mountain. Her eyes are wide, but she seems more curious than afraid.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
Mabel shakes her head slightly, still looking up the mountain.
“I don’t know,” she mutters. “Something singing?”
“Did you see anything?” I ask, a bit too urgently. My approach seems to jolt her out of her trance, and she turns to me with just a slight scowl.
“No, there’s nothing there,” she answers. “Just some birds in the garden.”
I look out the window to see a few small wrens flitting around in the trees. Even though I’m pretty sure that’s not what Mabel was listening to, I can’t find the words to ask if she felt anything like I did.
If I’m just being paranoid, then I’ll end up scaring her for no reason. Even if there is something out there, I don’t even know how to describe it at this point.
“Are we going?” Mabel asks, standing by the door with her coat. “Are you really okay? You seem a bit out of it.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Just a bit of disturbed sleep.”
“I know what you mean,” she mutters.
I open the door for Mabel and walk her out to the car, willing myself not to look up at the mountain. Even though I manage not to turn around, I can still feel an intense gaze fixed on me and my mate. An enduring, hateful presence that yearns for our destruction.
Chapter 9 - Mabel
The moment I walk out of the cabin with Xavier, I feel exposed. Since waking up, I’ve felt an icy trickle on my spine, and the second we leave the cover of the house, I feel like I’m caught in the crosshairs of a sniper rifle.
I shove the feelings down, which doesn’t help the raging nausea in my belly. I don’t know if I have a real reason to be nervous, or if a cup of strong coffee poured into an empty stomach is responsible for the angry butterflies fluttering in my guts.
Xavier seems a little tense as well, and when his eyes scan the skyline, I see a hard edge to his jaw as he sets his teeth together. It worries me, because he only does it when he’s really stressed.
So many little things about him that I’m remembering now. It’s almost like we were never apart.
