I cupped my hand over my mouth. “Oh no, was he hurt?” My eyes watered as I remembered the fight from the night before with the wolves.
“He’s safe. I’ll take you to him, but please, you need to eat something.” He sounded like he cared, like he was desperate for me to feed myself.
I nodded and followed him out of the room. We passed through an archway that separated the bedroom from the hallway to the various other rooms. My mouth flapped open at the walls of the living room area that were bespectacled in intricate honeycomb designs of stained glass.
High up on the wall ran windows the length of the living room, which allowed the sun’s rays to glisten against the glass, throwing off a colorful, beautiful array of shapes and dancing lights on the far wall.
It felt like every other step I took, I encountered a new plant either embedded in the floor or hanging from one of the wooden columns that ran across the ceiling.
This didn’t feel like a lair, more like an actual home. Where real people lived, but nature was the focal point of the house.
“Shit,” I exclaimed when I bumped into Chael’s back when he came to a stop. I was so enamored with everything around me that I hadn’t noticed.
A low purring sound caught my attention, and I glanced at the kitchen’s far corner to see yet another wolf lying underneath the long wooden table.
“Eek!” I clasped onto Chael’s arm, moving behind him.
“Bracka, outside,” Chael commanded.
The wolf crawled from underneath the table and stretched into a downward dog before yawning and strolling out of the kitchen.
“He’s still a pup and enjoys sleeping in late,” Chael said calmly.
“I can’t believe this,” I whispered.
Chael turned to face me, taking my hands in his. He brought my fingers to his lips. “You will get used to it, in time.”
“You say that as if I’m going to be here long,” I replied.
He frowned, his eyes darkened slightly. “Breakfast.” He took me by the arm toward the table and pulled out one of the chairs for me.
“The others have eaten. I had to force them to leave to do their morning chores and work.” He looked at me from the stove. “They couldn’t wait to meet you. I only let Elsie stay to watch over you while you slept.”
“A—” I paused to clear my throat. “Are they always…”
“In wolf form?”
I nodded.
“No.” A dark look crossed his eyes. “They sensed the danger around you last night when we arrived and went into protective mode.” A small smile touched his lips, but a second later, it was gone.
“Coffee or hot cocoa?” he asked, holding up an unfamiliar brand of coffee in one hand and a box of my favorite cocoa mix in the other.
“Both.”
His forehead wrinkled.
“I usually put a scoop of cocoa in my coffee.” I needed both coffee and chocolate at that moment.
He nodded and commenced to make my morning beverage. I surveyed my surroundings while Chael prepared my breakfast. The kitchen, like the bedroom, was huge, and the glazed wood table could easily fit twenty people on either side of it. Chael had pulled out the chair at the head of the table for me, which was where I sat.
From my vantage point, I could see into the second kitchen entryway that led to a hallway that passed the living room and split off into other rooms I couldn’t quite make out from where I sat. The kitchen walls were a light green with wooden accents along the perimeters.
I noted the same stained glass designs as in the living room and hallway, high along the kitchen’s top part of the walls.
“Here you go.” Chael placed a bountiful plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast in front of me.
I reached first for the mug of piping hot coffee that he handed me. The delicious aroma of chocolate mixed with ground coffee beans hit my nose, and it felt like the only normal experience I’d had since waking up.
