Chapter 16

I can hardly see Sebastian’s figure, though the moonlight eerily shines on half of his face, making him look unearthly.

“You fear that the man, the alpha, is going to come for you.”

“I don’t know. I have been thinking about it a lot,” I mutter and lie down on my side of the bed, or that is at least what I call it.

“I don’t want you to worry.”

“Then I won’t.”

“If only it were that easy.” I hear him sigh. “I hope you know that

I’m going to handle all of this.”

“You are the alpha.” I yawn again.

“All I want is for you to feel safe.”

“You think that I don’t? If any and everyone else were in my position, they would feel safe. It is almost impossible not to. I mean, you go to such drastic measures. I have never felt so protected.” I assure him.

A short moment of silence comes between us.

“You never face me.” His voice is smooth and deep.

I can listen to him talk all day without a complaint. “You are always facing the other way when you sleep.” I bite the inside of my cheek.

“You know, you speak your mind when you’re tired. It’s refreshing. You always have this intimidating aura about you, but like this, when all the lights are off, I see past it. I was intimidated by you when we were first introduced. All I knew was that you were an alpha and that you were making me nervous. That, and the fact that we are mates.”

Somewhat dizzy with exhaustion, I turn over and suck in a short breath when I notice Sebastian’s handsome face and piercing eyes gazing back at me.

“You see,” I mumble, “facing each other is so intimate.”

“I am no longer the only one who speaks their mind when they are tired,” he tells me, “though I am hindered by our closeness.”

Sleeping in the same bed together has become much more real. If I had no control over myself, if my mind was taken over by my animalistic side, I am sure my lips would be on his. The idea of it excites me.

“Thank you for protecting me,” I whisper.

Part of me wants the wandering thoughts to stop, but the other half, the other half wants to bathe in it. Thoughts of it begin to cloud my mind, taking over and pushing everything else out, as I can no longer remember any of them. The ideas of us together make my toes scrunch up and my body hot, as if the thermostat has been turned up all the way. Where are these thoughts coming from? Why am I feeling this way so suddenly?

Sebastian’s eyes seem to turn shades darker. Is he feeling the same?

Immediately, I turn back to my other side, facing away from him. The covers are suffocating me, so I push them off, feeling the cold night air stick to my skin. I cannot help but want to be closer to him, as close as we can be.

“Evangeline,” he calls out, only fueling my fire even more.

“I have to go to the spare room.” I rush out of bed. “I’m sorry.”

My head spins as I stumble down the hallway and track down my guest room. Once I push past the door, I hurry to the windows and slide them all open, letting the night air once again caress me. The drop in temperature cools me down instantaneously, and I fall back onto the bed, letting my body sprawl out over the duvet.

My breaths are heavy as I calm myself down. One more second in that bedroom and I would have jumped on top of him, which is something I would never have planned for a million years.

As the frigid air takes over the room, I begin to see my breath in front of me, and my eyes drift close.

***

Arms yank me upright and keep me in place. My mind slowly begins to wake as I am lifted off the bed. Warmth comes to me in the arms of my mate. The lovely feeling of his skin against mine causes my eyes to open and close, seeing the blurs of light. My memory is foggy.

I try to push myself more against him, soaking up the heat from his body. He carries me down the hall, yet I am focused primarily on the sensations that being in his arms is giving me.

“Evangeline,” he mumbles my name. “You are so cold.”

I open my eyes, and this time, they stay open, adjusting to the light. I lean my head against his chest as he lightly kicks open the other door to his bedroom and brings me inside. Sunlight seeps through the windows and casts beams of light onto the floor. My eyes study my pale arms as they rest on my body. I can see hints of purple and blue in the undertones.

Sebastian places me on the bed and throws warm blankets over my chilly body.

“What happened?” I mumble and enjoy the heat.

“You fell asleep with all the windows open, Evangeline. It is freezing in there.” He reminds me. “Stay in the bed and warm up.”

My eyes follow him as he moves about the room. “Is it morning?”

“Yes.”