Twin Moon - Chapter 217 - Serenade
Zelena.
Once again, the conversation picked up, filling the room with chatter. Not long later, Roe and a few she-wolves brought out the food. I sat and watched, eating quietly as the rest of the table laughed and joked and talked with each other. Gunner, as per usual, would occasionally brush my cheek with his fingers, or lean over and whisper that he loves me, or squeeze my knee, or rub my belly. He never went more than a few minutes without touching me in some way. It was the little things that he did without realising, the small displays of love and affection, they meant the world to me. The feeling of joy and happiness that Gunner, and everyone else at this table instil in me still feels so foreign. There are times when I wonder if I deserve this. To be this happy, to have these people at my side. They are my family, my world, and I love them all.
The house shook with thunder from the storm outside, meaning no fire and pack stories tonight. Normally we would just brush it off and tough it out, but this storm was a little too rough. Probably for the best, because I'm beat. I ate my fill, as did everyone else. The laughter and conversation flowed effortlessly around the table. It was only when Gunner shook my arm gently, did I realise I had dozed off. I looked up to see multiple sets of eyes gazing back at me with amusement and pity.
“Come on my love, let’s get you to bed” he whispered into my ear as he started to pick me up from my chair. I didn’t fight him on it, I was too tired. A chorus of ‘goodnights’ and ‘sleep tights’ sung out to me as Gunner carried me from the room. We headed upstairs and straight to the ensuite bathroom. Gunner placed me down on the toilet seat and turned on the shower to warm up. He helped me remove my shirt and released my hair from the hair tie. It fell over my face and down my back, I could probably use a haircut, it was getting very long. Something that seemed much easier to accomplish once it was no longer used as a handle to drag me around the house. Funny how quickly your hair can grow when someone isn’t pulling it from your scalp on the daily. I sat quietly and stared blankly at his beautiful face as he brushed my hair, and then continued to undress me. Taking care of me like I was a helpless child. Only he didn’t see me that way. He looked at me with more love and adoration than anyone else ever had. This was just Gunner, doing his best to take care of me. And I love him for it. It was a tender moment, one that didn’t need words.
Once my sandals and shorts were off, he carried us into the shower and slowly sat down on the floor under the stream of hot water. With me in his lap, he lathered his hands in soap and washed my body, then moved onto my hair. I sat with my legs crossed between Gunner’s legs. As he massaged the conditioner into my scalp, he started to sing,
“Can't say how the days will unfold, can't change what the future may hold. But I want you in it. Every hour, every minute. This world can race by far too fast, hard to see while it's all flying past. But it's clear now, when you're standing here now, I am meant to be wherever you are next to me. All I want to do, is come running home to you, come running home to you. And all my life I promise to, keep running home to you, keep running home. To you”. I hadn’t heard Gunner sing before, I wouldn’t have guessed he could sing like that. I sighed and leaned back into his chest.
“That was really beautiful. I didn’t know you could sing” I said with a yawn,
“That’s because I don’t sing, unless I'm in the shower” he answered and chuckled, wrapping his long arms around my waste, resting his hand on my round belly.
“What song was that?”
“It was from Flash, the TV show” he answered. I laughed and rolled my eyes,
“Of course it’s from a superhero show”
“You know me baby, just a big geek at heart”
“A total geek” I cooed and turned around in his lap. I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes as the water ran over my face. Gunner rubbed his hand slowly over my belly as he cradled me against him.
“All I want to do, is come running home to you” Gunner started to sing softly again. With his smooth velvety voice, the warmth of the water and the feel of his heartbeat under my cheek, I was easily lulled into a comfortable sleep. I woke again as Gunner laid me on the bed, wrapped in a towel. I sat up and went to stand to put some clothes on, Gunner pushed gently on my shoulder and kissed the top of my head.
“I’ll do it, you rest” he whispered and held one of his t-shirts out in front of me. I smiled and held my arms up so he could slip it over my head. He then pulled a pair of underpants up my legs, I lifted my hips so that he could pull them into place. I grabbed his pillow and curled myself around it, snuggling into it and breathing in his scent. The bed dipped behind me, and Gunner crawled across the mattress. He pulled me back flush against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I was out in seconds.
A shiver ran down my spine, the room felt cold. I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders and curled myself into a ball. A while later, I was in that very first sage of light sleep. I knew I was sleeping, but I also knew I wasn’t fully asleep. I tried shifting back a little, seeking out Gunners body heat. More time passed and my body started to ache. I tried turning and rolling around, trying to find a more comfortable position. A while later I reached out and snatched Gunner's pillow. If I was too uncomfortable to sleep, then he could be too. I snuggled into it, breathing in his scent. That seemed to do the trick and I drifted off again.
I opened my eyes, they were still sore and achy from exhaustion. That poor excuse of a sleep did nothing to revitalize my energy. I rolled onto my back and took a deep breath. As I did, the realisation hit me. His scent wasn’t as strong as it should be. The room wasn’t as warm as it usually is. The bed felt colder than normal. I didn’t need to look at the empty space beside me to know that he was gone. I could feel it. The hollowness, the emptiness, it was hard to ignore. Pain radiated through my body as a deep set and torturous sorrow smothered my heart. I squeezed my eyes tight and gripped the sides of my head. The pain was too much, it was flowing through me like sharp shards of ice, cutting through my veins. I knew it was coming, I knew he was leaving. But I wasn’t ready for it. My skin prickled and dizziness flooded my head. I can’t hold it. I tossed my head back and cried out into the air. The furniture around the room burst into tiny pieces. The glass of the window shattered, turning to dust. The walls creaked and groaned with the force of my power flying out from within me. The sound from my mouth felt like nothing I had ever heard before. I wasn’t even sure that it came from my body. The high-pitched whistling wail sounded otherworldly, ghostly even. The pain and sorrow rolled out of me in uncontainable waves. My head was spinning, and it was like the air was being sucked from my lungs.
A pair of gigantic brown arms slammed around my tiny frame. It was like he had wrapped me in a protective blanket, shielding me from the outside world, warding off the fear and the pain. The sound pouring from my open mouth stopped, and the air filtered back into my lungs. My body was as heavy as my head was light and floaty. I could no longer recognise the room I was in. It was a mess of dust and debris. Dark spots danced across my vision as I inhaled a sharp full breath. I gave myself over to the feeling of emptiness, letting my body go limp in the arms of my guardian. My head dropped back and I looked up into Tobias’ deep brown orbs. He stared down at me with a look of fear and worry that I had never seen on his face before. That look, that terrified look, it was the last thing I saw before it all went black.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
