Falling in Love with the King of Beasts

ELIA

She sat bolt-upright in bed, panting and shaking. It was morning. How was it already morning? She'd only just gone to sleep—and been with Reth no more than a few minutes. She blinked and looked around, but it was definitely the morning light shining behind the curtains of the large room and making triangles on the vaulted ceiling.

Then she remembered what Reth had done and she turned her hand over, sniffing it carefully.

Her heart leapt. She could smell him. And there was a light, but very noticeable scratch down the back of her wrist.

She couldn't have done that to herself in her sleep, surely?

Heart pumping, she leapt out of the bed and hurriedly got dressed, then ran across the suite to Gahrye's room.

"Gahrye! Gahrye! You have to smell my—oh!"

Gahrye rolled over in bed, his eyes puffy with sleep, but Kalle yelped and yanked the sheets up higher to hide herself. Elia whipped around so her back was to them. "Sorry!" she said. "So sorry. I was just… I forgot. I won't… you should really lock the door, Gahrye!" she said, hiding her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry. But I have to show you this, Gahrye. I saw Reth in the dream again and he told me this is real. He said I left scent in his bed. And so he left scent on me, look! Please! You have to tell me I'm not crazy!"

She held her hand up but didn't turn around. She heard the blankets slide back, then quiet feet on the floor coming towards her.

"Gahrye, clothes," Kalle sighed a second later.

"Oh, right. Just a second, Elia," Gahrye said, his voice rough with sleep. Elia blushed to her roots, but she was stifling laughter. The poor guy was surrounded by prudish human women. He wasn't going to catch a break with the nudity thing.

Elia waited impatiently while Gahrye pulled on his leathers, then returned to her side. She turned to face him—keeping her eyes off Kalle and the bed—and offered him the back of her hand.

He looked at it, frowning.

"Sniff it," she said, biting her lip.

He leaned down and inhaled, then his eyebrows popped up. "Did you have something of his in your bag?"

"No! I mean, maybe, but I haven't been in the bag because I've been wearing human clothes. But this… Gahrye, it's real. It wasn't a dream. He left that scratch on me too. How are we doing this?!"

He gaped at her. "I have no idea!"

"Wait, what?" Kalle said, sitting up in bed, clutching the blankets to her chest. "What's going on?"

Elia turned to face her, beaming. "I've been seeing Reth in my dreams. I thought it was in my dreams, anyway. But he said I left scent on his sheets, and last night when I saw him he licked my hand, and left a scratch on the back of my wrist so I'd know it was real!"

"That's… what?! So you guys can see each other and touch each other… in a dream?"

Elia frowned. "I don't think it's a dream. We can't see each other. It's always pitch black. But we can smell and touch each other and… I don't know. I just… have you ever read anything like this, Kalle? In the histories, I mean."

"I don't know," the younger woman said, frowning. "I mean… Maybe?"

"I know you two deserve a day off, but… but would you mind looking for some books for me today, Kalle? Anything about Anima magic, dreams, or… anything supernatural, I guess?"

"Sure," she said. "I can bring you several right now if you want. I know we have some downstairs. And if we go to the big library later, Grandma will have a ton."

"Thank you. I want to see if I can find out how we're doing it, so I can do it by choice."

There was an awkward moment then when she realized Gahrye was still sniffing her wrist while his naked mate talked to her, then Elia blushed again and turned for the door. "Thank you, both of you. I'm so sorry I'm just… I'm going to leave now. And I'll knock next time."

Gahrye waved her off, but she knew Kalle would only be good-natured about this once.

She went back to her room and waited until she heard Kalle head downstairs, then ran back out to find Gahrye.

He sat on the chair that faced the door, watching it, yearning on his face.

Elia felt terrible. When the bond was new—hell, even when it wasn't—the ache to be with your mate was overwhelming. She'd struggled at times being apart from Reth. She shook her head. Thinking about her mate wasn't going to help.

"I'm sorry I sent her out. But as soon as she's back you guys can go do… whatever you want. I just needed something to look at, and I think I shouldn't go out. The beast, you know? I think it would be better for me to stay in here until we get a house," she said softly.

Gahrye looked at her and smiled. "It's fine," he said, though his eyes looked pained. "She won't be a long time. She said she knows exactly where the stuff is that you need."

"I'm glad," she said, then walked to the couch that was next to the chair and sat down. "I think… I think I need to avoid people until I either learn how to get it under control, or the beast stops shifting on its own. But if anything happens, Kalle really helped me yesterday. I'm not sure how, but let's keep her around, okay?"

Gahrye nodded. "I plan to. As much as I can." A shadow passed over his eyes that Elia couldn't pick. Did he think she'd disapprove? Or stop them being together? She leaned forward and put a hand on his arm that rested on the chair.

"I'm really happy for you, Gahrye," she said. "Really."

His eyes lit up. "She's… incredible."

"And she obviously loves you already," Elia said, winking.

He snorted. "I don't know why, but I'm not complaining," he said, and looked at the door again. He reminded Elia of the dog she'd had when she was young, staring at the door when he expected her dad to come home.

Elia sighed. "So happy for you. I can't wait until Kalle sees Anima and meets Reth and all those people who were so hard on you—"

"Elia, she can't…" he said, his voice suddenly dark. He didn't turn away from the door, but those shadows in his eyes got darker. "Kalle can't go to Anima. Ever."

"Wait… what?"