Riley's POV
I blink and awaken, feeling like I've been asleep for months, my body feeling like it's been hit by a truck. The last thing I remember is going for a run with Bailey's lycan and then nothing. Had I passed out before we made it back to the packhouse? I'm confused as I turn my head to peer at the spot next to me, the empty one that's clearly had Bailey in it, judging by the smell of his scent which is still there, even as faint as it is.
Between the shift and the run, we used up a lot of our energy. Bailey had to bring us back to the pack house.
Snow's voice is sheepish. I fight back the urge to laugh at how apologetic she sounds.
Where is he now then?
He's on the other side of that door about to walk in....she trails off as the door opens with a creak and Bailey wanders in, yawning, a tray in his hands.
Had he just brought me breakfast in bed? I stare at him stunned as he crosses the room and puts it in front of me. I gape.
"I thought you might be hungry when you woke up. I was starving after my first run" he says nonchalantly as I stare down at the massive plate of bacon, eggs, toast, sausages and hashbrowns in shock.
I was hungry, I had to admit as I tentatively put a piece of bacon in my mouth, almost moaning as it reached my tastebuds, my mouth beginning to water. It tasted so good. Bailey chuckles as he sits and watches me indulgently.
"It's good" I mumble between bites.
"You need to eat more after a run to bring your energy back up and considering that you're half wolf and half siren" he says delicately "I'm guessing that you're going to burn up a lot more energy than most."
"Water" I say out loud as he look sat me confused, my eyes on the water in the glass "Snow said that I would be able to control the element of water. But I didn't get a chance to ask what she meant."
Bailey's eyes widen. "Well can you do anything with the water in the glass?" he asks, pointing to it.
Snow, is there anything I can do to it? Do I have to be in wolf form?
Not necessarily. Because you're siren as well, I suspect you could control the element regardless of what form you're in. Why don't you try making the water bubble or something easy like that she suggests.
How do I do that?
Just stare at the water and concentrate in your mind. Picture it bubbling and see what happens. I'm new to this as well. But you have to focus.
\
I stare at the water. Hard. I squint. My head begins to throb. I feel like a moron. I can see Bailey glancing eagerly at me. Nothing. Not a single bubble begins to burst from the water. Maybe I wasn't going to be as good at this as Snow wanted to believe, I thought a bit forlornly.
You're thinking too hard. You keep letting doubts plague you and it's ruining your concentration. You have to believe you can do it, or this won't work. Stop feeling so damn self conscious.
I swallow hard and try again, with Snow's voice echoing in my mind. I was letting doubts plague me. I force myself to push them away and focus on the task at hand. I stare at the glass, narrow my eyes and concentrate as hard as I can. Something shifts in my mind. Suddenly my eyes are like slits and I feel my head clear. The water begins to slowly bubble and froth on top. My eyes widen in surprise. Bailey exhales sharply. The water becomes more violent, some of the bubbles bursting out of the glass as I continue to stare at it. It seems easier to control it now. Bailey looks astonished.
"I never thought I would see anything like this" he murmurs, putting a hand on my shoulder "does it hurt?"
"No" I answer, watching the bubbles go frothy and begin to spit and jump "it's, I don't know how to describe it. It's almost like it's a part of me" I said, mulling it over, "does that sound strange?"
"Not really. Water is part of your siren lineage after all isn't it?" he shrugs "I mean you crave swimming in the water and this is just another part of it."
Time to stop before you waste precious energy again. As you grow stronger so will your ability to control it but now it's time to stop. Focus on the water and make it calm so that it stills.
I stare at the water and will it to calm. The bubbles and the frothing slow down and then halt altogether, causing the water to look the same as before, only, I realize with a slight giggle, there's less in the glass as there are now spots of water on the bedspread where the bubbles have jumped out to. Bailey doesn't seem to mind.
"That was cool" he said enthusiastically as I begin to nibble on a hashbrowns, feeling ravenous "I can't wait to see what else you can do" he added, kissing me on the forehead as I lean against him.
I yawn. "I just slept and I feel tired" I complain as he chuckles "what are we doing today?" I ask.
He looks thoughtful "I wasn't planning on doing much. Is there something you would like to do?" he asks "we could go out to the nearby town and grab a nice lunch together" he added coaxingly.
I stifle a smile "Can you afford to take a day off for that? You are the Lycan king. Don't you have responsibilities?"
He smirks "Don't you think that's why I have a Beta" he drawls leaning closer so that I can see his gorgeous eyes looking right into mine as I try not to blush "so that I can take my stunning mate out for a lunch date? I would do the same for him" he added with a shrug "and he knows it. There's this really nice pub that I think you might like" he adds trying to twist my arm.
"Fine" I grumble "but I don't have much in the way of clothes" I add glancing down.
His eyes brighten "You haven't had a chance to check out the closet or those drawers have you" he points to them while I continue to devour food.
I shake my head "No, why?"
His eyes are twinkling "I had to guess your size, but I'm pretty good at it" he said quickly as I stare at him incredulously, not sure whether to feel violated or not by that statement.
"You got me clothes?" I gasp.
"I got my mate clothes that she needs in order to live in my pack with me" he corrects smugly "so please don't take offense."
I gape at him and put a piece of bacon in my mouth, chewing slowly. He grins "besides now there's no reason to refuse to go on that date with me" he adds with a smug expression.
"I wasn't going to anyway" I mumble, shooting him a look "still what if you guessed wrong?" I complain.
"Trust me, I didn't, not with how I memorized your body" he stares pointedly at me.
The tips of my ears turn pink and my cheeks turn bright red. I swallow and try not to choke on my food.
"Okay, okay, leave me to go get ready" I wave my hand at him, feeling excited despite myself.
He grins "Take your time. I'll go and set up with my Beta Thomas and we can leave just before lunch. Pack your swimsuit" he advises.
I stare "swimsuit? I thought we were going to a pub?"
He grins "we are, but there's nothing stopping us from going somewhere afterwards."
A smile spreads across my face. He pauses and looks at me closely. "Strange" he says slowly as he peers into my eyes "I could swear your eyes are brighter and more ocean blue than what they were before. Your hair" he also adds, with a shake of his hair "it seems different but I can't put my finger on it."
I glance down at it nervously, but it appears the same to me. I shrug. He playfully teases my hair with his fingers and then kisses me on the lips.
"I'll leave you to it then" he whispers "but don't leave me waiting too long" he warns, while I stare at him, my heart pounding "I want to be able to show off my mate in town. It's a shifter only town so you don't have to worry about humans ruining it" he said and my mood brightened.
A shifter only town sounded like fun. I immediately began to rush to the bathroom, humming under my breath. How did a shifter town differ from a human one? I was about to find out.