Page 102 of The Book Reader
Her eyes flutter open, and she blinks in disorientation. “Gaelan? What—” she croaks.
Her eyes roll back in her head. I can hear her breath rushing in and out of her lungs; her whole body shudders before she sags in my arms and passes out.
“Rose? Ari?” I shake her a little, unable to keep the panic from my voice.
She is out cold. Tucking her close to my body, I shimmer to our bedroom and lay her on the bed, reaching my hand out, I caress her cheek. I always forget how soft her skin feels; it’s like silk. Rex shimmers into the room just as I stand, “Watch her, do not leave her side.” A growl rumbles in his chest as he moves to lie on the bed next to Ari.
I rush into the bathroom, over to one of my drawers, and rip it open. Inside are vials of blue and silver dream serum. I lift one up to the light and watch as the swirls circle around each other, consuming each particle. I don’t usually need this to walkin a dream, but after being unable to find her or manipulate her dream last night, I might need a little extra help. I charge back to the bed, tug her into my arms, slowly lifting her head, and I place the bottle to her lips to drink. As soon as the cold glass touches her skin, the vial vibrates in my hand fiercely before smashing in my fingers, the cool liquid spills all over my hand, none in Ari’s mouth. She almost smirks at me, making me chuckle darkly. “I’m going to punish you so much when you wake up.” Trelor moves under my skin, watching his mate as I do.
Ari gasps, her body bucks and shakes against me like she is possessed by something. I watch in amazement as the skin of her neck starts to cover itself with writing. When we were in Westrey, she already had the markings on her body that I’ve never seen before. Her skin is covering itself with more. I can see the red welts of the writing being scraped into her skin before they fill with liquid gold and imprint on her skin. I can’t read what they say; it’s got to be spells of some kind.
Fuck she is going to be even more stunning with these marks.
Pulling her top open, I watch as the words cover her breasts, stomach, and down under her clothing in seconds. Each letter and symbol glows gold.
I’ve never seen this before.What the fuck is happening?Trelor yowls in my head,“Mate smells new.”
Lowering, I stuck in a massive breath of my mate, letting it fill my nose; she smells of roses and magic, a deep sage mixed with earthy tones of cedar and nutmeg. So, fucking sweet. There is something else underneath, something spicy, a little darker.
I lay next to her; she is being protected that much, Icantell.
Where she is right now, I do not know.
Chapter 37
ARIANNA
My breaths come in rapid bursts, the air rushing in and out of my lungs. It takes a moment to adjust to my surroundings; the lighting is dull, almost hazy. The softness of a bed under my body brings me comfort. I shuffle to the edge of the mattress and scan my surroundings; the old pink wallpaper, the little trinkets, and dancing medals all over the room… I’m in my old bedroom back at Aunt May’s house. Am I dreaming again?
A frown mars my face, confused as to why I am here. I was just at Westrey. I wonder where Gaelan is.
Climbing off the bed, I pull on my bathrobe, the pink fluffy material wraps around like a warm, familiar blanket. Making my way downstairs, voices come from the kitchen. Laughter echoes down the hall, reminding me of what this house was like when it was full of life, when my family was still alive.
What are they doing here?The question rings in my head, pushing my feet toward the kitchen.
I pause when I see my mother and father, Aunt May, and my grandfather. They all turn to me, the smile on their faces makes a sob leave my lips. My heart has been broken for solong; they have no idea how much I’ve missed each one of them. Until I met Gaelan, I’ve felt so alone in this world without them.
Mom is the first to step forward. “Arianna?” Her voice is soft and gentle, just how I remember it when she was alive. Tears roll down my face. I’ve not heard anyone call me that for a long time; my mom was the only one who used my full name. She would always say the name was given to me for a reason, and she would use it as it was intended.
“Mom?” Rushing toward her, I gasp when I can touch her rather than my arms going through her like a ghost. I can’t let her go, so I hold her close, remembering how much I longed for her touch. Her embrace surrounds me with love, healing, and peace.
“Am I dead?” I cry.
“My baby, you are very much alive and kicking some butt,” she answers proudly with a light laugh.
“What do you mean?” I frown at her; everything about this, seeing my family standing as if they are all alive, and the bad stuff that took them from me. Never happened. All feels so surreal, like I’m dead or in some kind of weird dream.
“Don’t mind your mom,” Dad comes over to me and pulls me into his arms. He still smells like orange, reminding me of times we would spend in his workshop. Happy memories I longed to come back to so many times. I bury my face in his shirt, breathing him in deeply as I hug him tighter, not wanting to let go.
“Dad, I miss you so much.” My voice is muffled against him.
“I know, sweetheart, but we have always been right here.” He lifts his hand and places it on his chest, right where my heart sits. His voice is filled with unspoken emotion.
His eyes meet mine; he looks so happy. I’ve missed the way his green eyes crinkle up at the sides when he smiles and the way that no matter what, he always makes me feel safe.
My grandfather comes over next; he looks me up and down before a huge smile spreads across his lips, making his familiar, happy eyes sparkle with joy. “Pudding?” He calls me by the nickname he gave me when I was born. He would always say I was so fat and squishy, I looked like a bowl of dessert.
My heart feels like it’s going to burst open. I rush to him and hug him hard; he was the only father figure I had when my parents died—my lifeboat whenever I was sinking in my grief.
