Page 19 of The Fall Before the Heat

Del.

His name danced through my thoughts.

Delius.

He was mine. We’d spend the rest of our lives together.

I took a deep breath and glanced down at my phone. I was killing time until Del finished his nap. Heat was a cycle of need, fulfillment, and sleep. The more sleep the better, in fact. I didn’t want him more worn out than he had to be.

I headed back into the kitchen and made sandwiches while I waited for him to wake up. I usually did something a bit more than slapping some meat, cheese, and veggies onto bread, but didn’t want to be in the middle of cooking if Del woke up and needed me.

His scent was still all over me and just thinking about how he might need me was almost enough to send me sprinting back into the bedroom.

“Down boy,” I teased my wolf.

“It’s not my fault the whole apartment smells like him. It’s like his pheromones have seeped into your pores.”

My phone chimed on the table, with a text from Doctor Knight-Hemlock.

DOCTOR KNIGHT-HEMLOCK: Congratulations! No need to be so formal. I’ve informed the nurse’s hotline that Del is in the midst of his first heat and that you’d likely miss some classes next week as well due to your true-mate response. Seriously, if you show up to class on Monday, I’m going to kick you. Even if it’s not my class, I’m going to kick you. You work too hard as is. Take time and enjoy this. Let me know if you need anything, because I know you won’t call student services for assistance. You say Del is bad at taking help, but so are you. Congratulations again! I hope you aren’t reading this right now! Go have fun! That’s your homework!

I laughed despite myself. I wanted to attend Hemlock Academy because everyone said they were more laid back than Moonscale Academy. Despite all that, I still managed to retain my London upbringing. I probably shouldn’t have blamed London. My parents hammered honorifics and titles into me and my brother, because they were afraid we’d offend the ruling family. If only they heard some of the stuff teenage Cade Moonscale called his sire.

With the practical stuff handled, I covered the plate of sandwiches with wax paper and tucked them inside the fridge before heading back to bed with Del.

Chapter Thirteen

Del

Time flow didn’t exist in Rex’s bedroom. It came and went in waves – fast and slow, pull and push. The minutes and seconds thrummed not by the ticking of the clock, but by the kisses and thrusts between our needy bodies. Each second passed unnoticed as we consummated our true-mate response over and over. After every orgasm, I still needed more. My skin burnt scorching and sweat dripped down my body between showers. Though our showers were steamy too despite the lukewarm water.

When our human bodies grew too tired to mate and sleep didn’t come, we gave into our wolves. Rex was the sandy color of a lion’s mane. His eyes were the same amber color in wolf and human form. They knew even less about time than we did.

The days passed. It could’ve been years for all I knew. The academy could’ve turned to dust around us and only the cooling snow melting against my burning skin would’ve informed me. Somewhere in between not being able to get enough of Rex and sleeping, I had sent my family a short message about what happened. I didn’t want them to worry about me. They had enough on their plates. Everyone in London did.

When I woke to a chilly bedroom and clock that worked again, reading one 1:26 AM I vaguely remembered their replies of congratulations and celebration. Guilt gnawed at me. They’d taken time out to congratulate me while their lives were falling apart.

“Don’t,” Rex whispered in my ear. “If it were your brother, you’d be happy for him too, if things were switched around.”

“I would,” I nodded. “It’s chilly, but I’m not brave enough to pull up the blanket. I’m afraid if I warm up too much the heat will come back.”

“Want me to click the thermostat up a few degrees?” Rex offered and I nodded.

A little distance from his scent might ensure the heat didn’t rev back up too. Not that I wanted him out of reach. Part of me never wanted him to get out of bed again. Heat played with my mind for days – at least I figured it was days, but it had to end sometime. I ached everywhere.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. I had a few minutes to kill, because Rex had headed into the kitchen. I had plenty of new texts from my family. I scrolled until I found my brother’s name.

TILIUS: We’re in fucking Spain, Del! Fucking Spain. Wish I would’ve paid more attention to my high school Spanish classes now. Don’t worry. Everyone we’ve encountered so far speaks English too. So I’m not lost, but we’re in fucking Spain.

I almost texted back to ask why they were in Spain. We didn’t know anyone there. We didn’t know anyone anywhere really. Was Clarence Moonscale now relocating people to Spain? What the heck? Only there were more messages to read. So, I held off on texting back right away.

TILIUS: Your mate’s brother is a fucking hoot!

My what’s what? I blinked wondering what the hell I had just read. The bedroom door opened revealing Rex with a plate of sandwiches topped with apples and enough water bottles to put out a fire tucked under either arm.

“Does your brother know my brother?” I blinked.

“Oh! Yeah,” he said, dropping water bottles on the empty side of the bed, before pushing them toward me and crawling in behind them. “They should be there by now. I don’t remember when ---” He sighed and then he laughed. “I’ve lost time, mate.”

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