I pointed at them one at a time. “You all have this smell that’s super comforting to me. Right now, I feel so safe. Like I’m home somehow, and I technically am, since I live here, but likehomehome. You know?” I really hoped they knew.
“No,” they replied in unison.
“Whatever,” I muttered, slumping back into my chair and trying to resume my ‘work’.
I felt like my body was humming with anticipation. Were they feeling this too? It didn’t feel bad, so my dream wasn’t about to turn dark, or I hoped not. It felt like whatever was coming for me would be good. And I really needed something good. Dream or not, I only hoped I wouldn’t wake up before it happened.
Three knocks on the door told me whatever I was feeling was about to happen. I held my breath, not knowing what was about to happen, but feeling like I needed it.Whateverit was.
A tall brown-haired man walked in and his eyes instantly found mine. They were a dark green shade filled with so many emotions I felt like I was getting lost in them.
A soft gasp escaped me and then he made a startled breath before striding over to me, kneeling in front of my chair and taking my breath away. He was gorgeous. I finally knew why people wanted to date. To kiss. To…fuck. It had never interested me. But this stranger had me feeling all sorts of foreign feelings, all very much welcome.
I needed to know his name, needed it like I needed air. “Who?” I began to ask, but his voice interrupted the rest.
“Mate,” he stated.
“Fuck,” Nix muttered. “Horrible timing, man.”
“Please, Nolen,” Juno begged. “You can return to Derek as soon as we’re back home.”
Nolen.
My dream man stood up, and nodded to Juno, even if he kept his eyes locked on mine. What did he see when he saw me? Did he like my blonde hair? My brown eyes? Was my body okay? I’d never bothered much with how I looked, because why would I care. I wore hoodies and comfortable pants. I kept my hair shorter on the sides and longer on top because of my headphones. If I had short hair, it was noticeable that I had been wearing my headphones. It wasn’t about style, more about functionality.
“Please stay here. I’ll be back in three hours,” Nolen said, holding my gaze until I nodded. Like I could even leave with my legs feeling like jelly.
Nolen walked over to Remi, but then seemed to think something over. He rushed out of his black t-shirt and handed it to me without a word. I almost cried as I accepted it and held it close. I had been wrong before, Juno, Nix, and Remi hadn’t smelled like home. This T-shirt right here, that was what home smelled like.
I watched them as they picked up Remi’s bags and carried him outside. Nolen’s chest was the biggest distraction; I wanted to touch him so badly. They walked to the door and I sent a longing gaze Nolen’s way, which he returned. Then I closed the door when they were out of sight, sat back down in front of my computer and decided Amber would have to wait.
Eying the t-shirt I still held close to my chest, one thing was obvious; Thiswasn’ta dream.
Chapter Six
Nolen
With the others dropped off near the portal, I hurried back to the car, running through the forest as fast as I could. I needed to return to my mate.Derek. He was so beautiful. His blonde hair was a perfect match to his brown eyes. Eyes that held so much grief and sorrow. I could feel his emotions now that we’d met. I could feel how much he was hurting, how broken he was. I wanted to mend all of his broken pieces together, one by one. I wanted to lick his scars, even if they were invisible. I wanted to make him smile.
I hoped Nix and Juno would tell the rulers about Derek being my mate, because there was no way I was wasting time calling them now. They would be busy tending to Remi, so I was excused for not calling them myself. Mint had messaged me as we drove towards the forest where the portal was located, but I hadn’t checked it yet. I knew he was likely apologizing for leaving me alone at the restaurant, even if he didn’t have to apologizefor something like that. I would’ve done the same thing. Leaving Derek was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do, but one look at Juno and his unconscious mate was enough to snap me out of it. Derek and I would be fine with waiting for a few hours, but Remi wouldn’t.
I broke the speed limit as I drove back to Derek, not caring one bit that I was breaking the rules. My magic was working on concealing me as much as possible, and since there weren’t many cars now that it was night time, I was able to make an hour’s drive, into a forty minute one instead. I parked and ran back to Derek’s room, knocking three times so he’d know it was me.
A girl answered the door, confusing me for a second. Had I picked the wrong room? She smiled brightly, then stepped aside to let me in, not even saying a word. I could see it was the correct room now that she’d stepped to the side, but who was she? And what was she doing in Derek’s room? I stepped inside, not able to stall for even a second longer. Derek sat on the floor; a few open books littered the ground in front of him and I knew then that they were studying together. I was frowning before I could help it. I wanted alone time with my mate, but it seemed I wasn’t getting it.
Derek’s brown eyes met mine and I saw the hurt in his expression. Did he think I was mad at him? I was mad at the strange girl who was taking away my precious time with him. I could never be mad at my mate. Never.
I sat down next to him on the floor, instantly noticing how big I was compared to him. I was on the bulky side, and he was thin and lean. I pictured how easily he could sit on my lap, and then reached out and placedhim on said lap. He gave a yelp in surprise, but instantly settled when I placed my arms protectively around him.
“So… This is your boyfriend?” the girl asked, her eyes filled with humor as she eyed Derek.
“Um,” Derek began, sounding unsure.
I knew from talking to Juno that people here weren’t used to mates, so I answered instead. “Yes.”
“I’m happy to meet you. My name is Amber. Derek and I are working on an assignment for our computer science class.”
“Nice to meet you,” I replied, stroking Derek’s arms with my fingers. “I’m Nolen.”
