“I’m fine, Obsidian.” She cupped his face, forced him to look at her.
His eyes glowed, breaths racing in and out of his lungs.
Not knowing what else to do, Penelope embraced him, bringing his mouth to hers.
His arms banded around her as he eased her down to the mattress.
“Don’t do that ever again,” he mumbled against her neck.
His torment was so powerful she felt the ache inside her.
“I won’t.” It was the least she could do.
They remained just like that as they both succumbed to sleep, his arms securely around her.
Chapter Nineteen
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
ECLIPSEWOKETOTHESOUNDOFTHEshutters rising for the night. He’d spent a restless day in bed, attempting to sleep though it didn’t come easy.
It wasn’t his body that plagued his efforts. No, the wound in his shoulder had healed completely, only a couple of hours after Obsidian had retrieved the bullet from his flesh.
As he lay in bed, he stared up at the ceiling, the events of that morning replaying in his head. The humans in the alley, their argument, Eclipse getting shot, killing the human male. While all of that was fresh in his mind, it was the female he was fixated on. How wide her eyes had been when she stared at the crumpled body of the male whose life Eclipse had ended. He figured he’d been found already. Probably by some unsuspecting human who’d stumbled upon it. Leaving it there had been his only option. Disappearing the body only caused more issues. Missing persons became investigations the same as murder did.
Eclipse could still see the female running out of the alley, glancing back only once before disappearing from view.
Even now he could smell her, that sweet lavender scent. It overwhelmed his senses, an unfamiliar heat coursing in his veins. He stared at the ceiling, pictured her in his mind, and though he could no longer see her, he could feel her.
Shaking off the weird sensation, he glanced around the room. Everything was as it should be, but it felt different, as though he was somewhere else other than the mansion.
A knock sounded on his bedroom door moments before it opened.
Ziana stepped into the room, a smile on her beautiful face. Dressed in her white robes, the Fae moved toward him, so graceful it was like she was gliding over the floors.
“I heard about what happened last night. When I came to your room, you were asleep. Thought I’d come back,” she said, as though reminding him of her reason for being here.
Eclipse didn’t need a reminder. He’d been feeding from Ziana for quite some time now. And yes, he knew he needed to feed because his strength was waning, especially after the bullet he’d taken. He should’ve been able to remove the bullet himself, but he’d waited too long, gotten too weak to do any good. Because of that, he’d caused Penelope pain which was another notch on his conscience.
Pushing upright, Eclipse leaned against the headboard. Perhaps he could try.
As Ziana moved closer, an unsettling feeling came over him. As though she shouldn’t be there.
The instant her hand touched his arm, Eclipse hissed, the pain from that brief touch excruciating.
“Out!” he ordered, willing the door open with his mind.
The Fae stared at him in shock, much the same way the female in the alley had.
“Go,” he growled, his voice lower. “Now.”
“Of course.”
Without a backward glance, Ziana ran from the room. He willed the door closed behind her.
Once again, Eclipse couldn’t seem to move, staring into space as he sensed the female from the alley, her scent surrounding him as though she was right there with him.
“Hey, it’s me,” came the soft voice in his mind.
