Page 25 of The Calling of Caellaias
I decided to follow the footprints into the woods to allow my olfactory system time to release the odor of the demon's blood. Trying to stay vigilant, I listened intently to the sounds around me. I could hear crickets chirping, a lone wolf howling, and snapping twigs. While I knew the twigs snapping could have been an animal, I still went on the defense. I refused to be ambushed.
As I crept through the woods, my nose reset, and an unfamiliar scent—leather and tarragon—invaded my senses. Stopping in my tracks, I deeply inhaled the intriguing aroma. Someone was nearby.
The prints I had been following headed in the same direction as the scent. Looking around, I recognized the area. Straight ahead of me was the portal into Caellaias. It was deep inside a steep mountainside cave several miles from our cabins. Mortals rarely found the cave. It wasn't nearly as challenging to find the portal entrance in Caellaias as it was in the mortal realm.
As I drew closer to the cave entrance, the scent grew stronger. Preparing for a confrontation, I tip-toed into the cave, carefully traversing the rocky floor and being mindful of where I placed mypaws. The last thing I wanted was to cut one of them on the sharp rocks littering the cave's floor.
Just as I came around the last bend in the cave, a male figure disappeared into the shimmering portal. A frustrated growl erupted from my chest. I refused to follow him into Caellaias. Before leaving, I watched the portal for several minutes to ensure the mysterious being didn't return.
Once I was confident he wouldn't return, I headed back to my cabin. I needed to get dressed so I could check on Anevae. The sun was rising over the trees as I exited the cave.How long has it been since I was roused from my sleep?
When I returned home, I rushed into my bedroom and grabbed my phone. I texted Anevae, hoping she'd answer me, and then pulled on some clothes. After sending several texts with no response, I called her instead. When she didn't answer, I rushed out of the house, jumped in my car, and sped over to her cabin, praying she was okay.
Chapter sixteen
Anevae
Heavy pounding woke me from a deep sleep, and confusion rolled over me as I tried to figure out where it was coming from. I rolled over and opened my eyes just as a wave of nausea overcame me. My head spun, and I felt disoriented and groggy. Closing my eyes again, I lay there for a couple more minutes, willing my stomach to calm, but the pounding continued. Once I felt a little better, I sat up. Looking toward the stairs, I heard the pounding continue again and realized where it was coming from. Someone was pounding on my front door. Why? Who could it be? Throwing the covers off, I stomped downstairs to check things out. To my surprise, Maeyve stood on the other side of the door, eyes wide, breathing heavily, and hair a mess.
“Oh, thank goodness. I was so worried about you!” she said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Still feeling quite groggy, I rubbed my eyes and glared at her. “Why on earth are you pounding on my door?” Peering around her, I noticed the sun was already pretty high in the sky. “Wait… What time is it?”
She cocked her head slightly as she answered, “It's just after 9 a.m. I've been knocking on the door for over half an hour. I was half tempted to break it down if you didn't answer in the next few minutes. Are you okay? Did you just wake up?”
As I listened to her talk, my head began spinning again. Closing my eyes, I covered them with one hand and held onto the door frame with the other. As I tried to breathe through it, I responded harsher than intended, “Yes, I just woke up. And I really don't feel that well right now. You still didn't answer my question as to why you've been pounding on my door.”
“I tried texting you several times to see if you had plans for the day, and when you didn't answer, I tried calling you. After calling you multiple times with no answer, I had this horrible feeling, so I rushed to check on you. Seeing your car in the driveway scared me even more because it meant you were home. Did you not hear your phone?”
“I haven't heard my phone ring at all this morning!”
She shook her head and pointed at the stairs, “If you don't believe me, go get it.” When I didn't move, she huffed and looked behind me. “Did you go to the store yesterday?”
“Um, yeah. I met my sister in town, and we went together. Why?”
Without a response, she strode into the house, heading straight for the kitchen. Slamming the door, I trailed her. “Where on earth are you going?”
As she turned to face me, her eyes glowed bright orange again. “You just woke up, so I know you haven't eaten yet. I want to make you something to eat. Is that okay?” she asked, her tone agitated.
My mouth fell open. “Um, you don't have to do that. I can make my own breakfast. I just need to get my phone to make sure I didn't miss anything else.”
Maeyve's lips pursed as she clenched and unclenched her jaw.
Gesturing toward the kitchen,I said, “Okay. If you really want to make me breakfast, have at it. I'll be back in a few minutes.” I turned around and wandered up the stairs to use the bathroom and grab my phone.This has been a bizarre morning. Did she really call and text me multiple times? I don't think I've ever slept that heavily in my life.
Sitting on my bed, I unlocked my phone. Sure enough, there were dozens of texts and missed calls from Maeyve.Oh shit. She really was telling the truth… I need to apologize.
While descending the stairs, I smelled one of my favorite breakfast foods: pancakes. Confused, I tried to remember what I'd bought at the store the day prior. I was confident I hadn't picked up any pancake or waffle mix, which meant she made the pancakes from scratch. My parents were the only ones who had ever made me homemade pancakes.
Coming up behind Maeyve, I wrapped my hands around her midsection. It had been a long time since someone other than my family and best friend had shown me such kindness, and I appreciated it more than I could express to her. Against her back, I whispered, “Thank you. I'm sorry I've acted like a raging bitch this morning. I'm not really a morning person, and I don't like to be woken up so abruptly.”
She giggled when I planted a quick kiss on the back of her neck. Then she turned her head toward me. “I appreciate your apology, and you don't need to thank me. This is nothing.”
Moving beside her, I twirled my thumbs and bit my lip piercing. “I just haven't had many people treat me so kindly—especially someone who's only known me for such a short amount of time. Even my ex-fiancé wouldn't have done something like this for me. Not to mention that I was a complete asshole to you this morning,” I replied quietly.
Grasping my chin, she forced me to look up at her. “You deserve the world and more. Never let anyone make you feel like you don't.” Before she returned to the food, she planted a firm kiss on my lips.
Grinningfrom ear to ear, I turned to brew some coffee for us. When it was done, I fixed my cup and left one for Maeyve on the counter with the fixings. I tried to ask if I could help her, but she refused, so I sat at the island, admiring the woman floating around my kitchen.
