*Alex was astounded to see a much younger version of himself sitting in a chair in a strangely familiar space. As he surveyed his surroundings and contemplated where he was for a moment, he realized he had never been to this room before.
Was it a library? An office? A living room?
He looked up to see another young man standing, looking down at him. He recognized the man's face and felt a sense of familiarity with him, and he had the impression he cared for him.
“Come on, bro, we're sexual creatures who are known to be very animalistic in bed. Not only do we fuck, but we also leave bite marks and bruises. It's fairly normal,” Alex said.
“But mating marks are supposed to be sacred, Alex. They are meant to represent our claim on our mates,” the other younger man, who was leaning against a large wooden table, said. "A reminder of the life bond we have with our mate the moon goddess has chosen for us."
“Look, I learned from a credible source that permanent mating marks can only be made during the full moon. The impact is only temporary if the mark isn't deep enough to leave a scar. And we need the full moon for some reason in order for it to be permanent.”
“You’re just making that up.”
“Hey, it's a secret that Aleister revealed to me. I'm not making it up.”*
Lord Aleister? But that man was evil. How could he have been casually talking about him before?
Suddenly, Alex’s thoughts were cut off.
He tried to hold onto the memory, for somehow, it gave him comfort and ease; despite how strange and distant it seemed, as though it belonged to someone else.
But who was the other young man?
Alex’s mind drifted into a sea of nothingness as he gently backed away, until another memory of himself chained up against a wall shot through his mind. His head throbbed with pain, causing him to flinch for a brief moment.
“Alex?” Harper asked worriedly, her brown hair tumbling over her bare shoulder. A curious look on her face. “Are you okay?”
He shook his head, words failing him. "I-I…"
“What’s wrong?” She helped him to sit up next to her. "You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
"I'm fine now," he replied. When he looked at her, he saw her observing him.
"Are you sure?"
He gave a slight nod. He looked as though he had been kicked in the head, but he was otherwise fine.
"Then perhaps you could explain why you suddenly went beast mode on me and bit me?" Harper's voice was soft, but her serious expression was conveyed by her close lips and pointed look.
Alex paused for a moment, thinking about her question before slowly fading into her brown eyes. When he looked down at the shallow bite mark, he drew Harper in close and kissed the tender skin around the mark.
“I guess I just got carried away. I’m sorry.”
When he started to sprinkle soft kisses on her back, Harper's protest quickly turned into a moan. “Alex…”
“Now you’re making me hard again with that moan of yours,” he muttered, playfully grazing his teeth against her soft skin. When his tongue licked the slight blood left on the mark he made, his teasing was cut short as air rushed into his lungs and his blue eyes opened wide.
He exclaimed when he felt a sudden, searing pain in his head. As a spasm struck him, he collapsed and his back arched. Pain flooded his muscles, skin, bones, and whole being. His head felt like it was going to burst, a deep agonizing sensation spread through him, and his chest constricted. The burning feeling was unbearable. He screamed in agony once again, writhed on the rug and clutched his head, clawing the pain away.
“Alex?!” As he continued to scream in pain and thrashed about in front of her, Harper was quickly reminded of the first week he regained consciousness. She soon snapped out of her trance and slipped her hand under his head, trying to keep him from injuring himself.
After a few more seconds of struggle, Alex collapsed in her embrace, his head falling onto her lap. Her heart hammered against her rib cage.
"Alex?" she called nervously.
Alex’s eyelids slowly peeled open, gazing up at the sky through the opening in the cave ceiling, breathing heavily.
"Alex? What’s going on?" Harper asked, attempting not to appear frightened. “What’s wrong?”
“Harper,” he croaked. He licked his lips and coughed, unable to think. His muscles were still tight and throbbing even though the rest of his body was no longer in pain. When he blinked, his surroundings were foggy and fuzzy. He looked around. Suddenly, he fell into unconsciousness.
* * *
Harper was so relieved when Alex regained consciousness later that night that she kissed him on the lips without hesitation. The kiss just led to another steamy moment – multiple times.
Then came the morning. The golden rays of sunlight crept into the cave's recesses, luring Harper out of her slumber to enjoy the peace of the morning. She hadn't gotten much sleep, but she was completely awake now, conscious of Alex's warm body all over her.
She nudged him, but the strong arms that encircled her nude form against him indicated that Alex was still sleeping. Her body was delightfully tired, and the air still smelled of the early morning drizzle and of *them*, reminding her of the line they had crossed the night before.
She still couldn't believe what had happened. She despised Alex from the moment she met him – his arrogant demeanor, the way he easily got on her nerves, the amount of time he made her want to strangle him, the frustrations of having to work her ass off to help Lucas pick up his slack. He was the bane of her existence, the thorn in her flesh, the pain in her ass. He annoyed her and made her life difficult without even realizing it. When she had wanted to stay for Lucas, Alex gave him all the more reason to leave.
But now…
She was cuddled in his arms, and her damn mind couldn’t seem to stop thinking how good of a kisser he was. She wanted to kick herself for giving in to him, but over the months they had been together, all of her hatred for him had diminished. It was as if a new Alex emerged from his coma the moment he opened his eyes that day.
And she was really actually beginning to *like* him.
“Shit,” she sighed softly. Since she was used to resenting Alex and ignoring anything pleasant about him, the thought both calmed and frightened her. She couldn't imagine the moment they would find Lucas. And the fact that Alex seemed unconcerned about her apparent bond with Lucas was the most stressful part for her. This could only mean he would act on his feelings for her right in front of him.
What should she do the second they would find Lucas?
She took a deep breath and considered the question for a moment, listening to the silence around them and Alex's soft snoring. His arms wrapped around her and his head dipped so that his nose rested on her forehead as she slowly turned to see his face.
“Mm…Harper…” Alex mumbled, clearly dreaming, the corners of his mouth tugging up into a silly grin.
With a smile on her face, she let her eyes wander over Alex’s features, staring at him in a way she'd never been able to do when he was awake. She reached out and swept a strand of his hair away from his face. She couldn’t deny that she found him attractive.
She studied his profile, reaching up a hand to trace the curve of his lips, the slope of his nose, and the slightly rough stubble of his jaw with her fingertips. She stared at his calm, sleeping face for a few more seconds, but as soon as her stomach grumbled, she realized she needed to stop staring and find something to eat.
But would it be safe and wise to go out without Alex?
She had no idea where she was. But if there was some real danger in the area, she and Alex would have been in serious trouble by now. Perhaps they had gotten too far away from those rogues.
Harper untangled herself from Alex’s body with caution, pausing only when he grumbled in protest. She slid off him slowly and with extra caution this time, and she was able to get to her feet without him objecting. She reached out to her clothes. Thankfully, they had already dried.
Fully dressed, Harper emerged from their hideaway, which happened to be a river cave. Giant trees were strewn about, their vines and leaves entwining to form a canopy that encircled the clearing in the center. Its high, arched ceiling would have sentenced the cavern to eternal darkness if it weren't for the large hole set in the center. Chapter 68: Unexpected Find
After they plunged into the massive waterfall and drifted away, it was a miracle Alex had discovered the cavern. She was perplexed as to why the rogues had not yet come after them. This only piqued her curiosity about this wild land which was both breathtaking and eerie.
She breathed in, admiring the sun's golden rays as it shone through the forest's bright green leaves, coloring it. The field was adorned with plants and weeds.
Then her attention was drawn across a huge, sturdy tree. It had a thick trunk that was covered in leaves, as well as low but robust branches that grew up towards the light, intertwining with other branches. It was the perfect landmark for her to find her way back to the cave.
When her stomach grumbled again, she began to set foot on damp the grass and skirted around small puddles that littered the forest floor, wrapping her arms around her. She inhaled deeply the crisp air, savoring the scents of soil, and season grass. Being a stranger in a foreign and strange land, she knew better than to explore the woods all by herself. But she was starving, and her pride dictated her to find something to eat, like fruits, rather than waking Alex up to look for food for them.
No, she wouldn’t do that. She was a grown woman, and she was fully capable of finding food on her own.
She walked further ahead, taking her time to familiarize herself with her surroundings so she could find her way back. She took note of the ground she was walking on that was padded by a carpet of lichen. She progressed on through the forest and she came to a halt to collect a few ripe berries on the way that had sprouted from the ground and popped one into her mouth, thoroughly enjoying the sweet flavor and creamy texture.
After a while, she entered a clearing in which a small circular pattern had been cleared of trees. A big rock protruding from the floor sat in the middle. She climbed to the very top. Her eyes searched the surroundings when she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye.
She had nothing but the sweet berries in her hand and nothing to protect herself. Her heart raced wildly in her chest and her eyes widened at the thought of the rogues. When she felt the movement getting closer to the clearing, she straightened up and prepared herself to leap off the boulder.
“Alex,” she wanted to scream his name, but instead, it came out as a shaky breath.
When the disturbing noise became louder, she took a deep breath and slowly snapped out of her frightened stupor. She rushed down the rock. A loud shriek reverberated across the forest as she reached the bottom.
Harper trembled. With unsteady breath and tears in the corners of her eyes, she crawled through the tall grass, facedown. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, resisting the intense desire to scream so as not to attract the shrieking creature's attention to her as it thrashed its way through the clearing.
When a hand unexpectedly grabbed her arm, her vision started to flutter. Her mouth spat out a frightened cry.
“Harper, it’s me.”
That voice. That warm and familiar voice.
Squinting in terror, Harper looked up. Her breath caught up when he appeared beside her.
“Lucas?”