When I wake up, I almost expect everything to have been a dream. I’ve watched Amelie from afar for so long and now she’s finally mine; it doesn’t seem real. So much has changed in so little time. I thought for sure the mating signs would happen with her last night, but it never did. I’m trying not to get angry over it, but I don’t know what the Great Luna’s waiting on. Why would she deny me my mate when all I’ve done is be loyal to my people and protect them? I don’t think I’ll ever understand.
Looking over at the clock, it’s almost nine in the morning. I can’t remember the last time I’ve laid around in bed that long. Amelie’s hand rests on my chest and I lightly trace my fingers over her bare shoulder. She moans and it makes my cock twitch. I want to make love to her again.
My phone vibrates on the dresser, but Amelie doesn’t wake. Carefully, I slide away from her and out of the bed, not even waking her. But then, the phone stops before I can reach it in time. As I look to see who it was, a text comes in.
Colin: Call me asap!
Grabbing my clothes off the floor, I slip them on and hurry outside to call him back. When he answers, I can tell something’s wrong.
“Zayne, thank fucking God. Where are you?” he says quickly.
“Amelie’s, why?”
He sighs. “You need to get away from there. One of the Channons is in Wyoming.”
Anger ignites in my chest. I had a feeling they’d be coming soon. And, of all nights, it had to be on a full moon. “Fuck,” I hiss.
“You have to get away from Amelie before they trace you there.”
I jerk my attention to the house. Amelie is still inside, sleeping peacefully by the sound of her breathing. “What about Amelie? I haven’t told her anything about this.” The rage within me is quelled for the moment but staying away from her with danger close by is going to make it worse.
“We’ll explain it to her. But right now, you have to go. We need to figure out the game plan.”
I wish there was time to explain everything to Amelie, so she’d know why I had to leave. I should’ve told her everything from the beginning, but I didn’t want to involve her if I didn’t have to. As quietly as I can, I hurry inside and peek into Amelie’s bedroom one more time. I want to bring her with me, but it’ll put a target on her back. I just have to hope that keeping my distance will be enough to keep her safe until I can get rid of the Channons once and for all.
Time ticks by but I can’t leave without giving Amelie some kind of explanation. I remember seeing a notepad and pen on her kitchen counter, so I go in there and rip off a piece of paper.
Amelie,
I’m sorry I had to leave, but there’s no time to explain. All I’m asking is that you trust me. I told you before that everything I do is to keep you safe. This is one of those times. I’ll come back to you when all is well.
Zayne
I set it on the nightstand beside her bed and close the bedroom door behind me. At least, this way, I’m not leaving without an explanation. I did it before and I can’t do it again. My plan is to hunt the Channons down and finish this. I’m not going to let them fuck up my life.
===
Amelie
Glancing over at the clock, I groan when I see it’s ten in the morning. I stretch my arms over my head and look over to see the other side of the bed empty. The sheets are cold, and I can’t even smell Zayne’s scent; it’s as if he was never there.
Sitting up, I glance around the room and concentrate on the rest of the house. Zayne is gone. If I wasn’t naked and sore between my legs, I’d think last night never happened, that it was all a dream.
I look around for my phone and then realize I left it in the living room. Tossing off the sheets, I grab a T-shirt and pajama pants out of my dresser and throw them on. The house is eerily quiet when I walk past the kitchen to the living room. The Christmas tree is lit which makes me smile, but I have a feeling something isn’t right.
My phone is on the coffee table so I snag it up, thinking there will be something from Zayne. Nothing. I try to call him but every time it goes straight to voicemail. I even text him to make sure he’s okay, but I get no replies.
After the night we had, why would he leave? Then again, he could be out running an errand, thinking he’ll make it back before I woke up. It’s Christmas morning so if he were to go somewhere they’d most likely be closed. I don’t like the sinking feeling in my gut, but I push past it and busy myself in the kitchen. Maybe once breakfast is done, Zayne will be back.
I cook enough eggs, bacon, and pancakes for two people and end up eating alone. With each passing second and not even a return phone call, my mind races with scenarios. Zayne is my mate so I know he wouldn’t deliberately hurt me by disappearing. But then again, he did ignore me before when I tried reaching out to him. Did our night together scare him?
Groaning, I storm down the hall to my bedroom and strip off my clothes. It’s already lunch time and still no word from Zayne. I want to call Laila to see if he could be there, spending some Christmas time with her and Sera, but I stop before I can press her number. It’s her first Christmas with the baby and I want today to be special for them. The last thing I want is for her to listen to my concerns.
I walk into the bathroom and turn on the hot water. If I’m going to spend Christmas alone, I need to make the best of it. Once I’m freshly showered and dressed, I go back to the living room, and instead of reaching for the new romance novel on my bookshelf, I grab the first book in the Game of Thrones series. Hopefully, it’ll get my mind off of things.