Ashleigh woke and knew instantly that she was alone. Her eyes shot open, and she sat up in bed, looking around desperately.
"Caleb!" she cried out, pushing away the blankets and quickly getting to her feet.
The door to the bathroom opened, and Caleb rushed out with a towel around his waist.
"What's wrong?" he asked, hurrying to her side. "Are you all right?"
Ashleigh took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and sat back down on the bed.
"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I just… I thought…"
She let out a frustrated breath and then looked at him with a sad smile.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Caleb moved to his knees before her, taking her hands and bringing them to his lips. He kissed them softly and then looked into her eyes.
"There is nothing for you to apologize for," he whispered.
Ashleigh swallowed and then chewed on her bottom lip. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"When I woke up, and you weren't there…."
Her voice cracked, stopping her from finishing the thought as she sniffled.
"It's okay," Caleb said softly, resting beside her on the bed.
He put his arms around her, pulling her close and wiping the tears that fell as he spoke.
"I get it," he said. "But I'm here, I promise."
Ashleigh swallowed and sniffled, letting out a sob.
"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered. "I'm never leaving you again."
Ashleigh let out her tears, crying in his arms as the emotions engulfed her. Caleb held her close, pulling her back into bed and letting her cry as long as needed.
When the tears finally ran dry and the sniffles all but went away, Ashleigh took a deep breath and sat up.
"I'm okay," she whispered. Smiling up at Caleb.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Ashleigh nodded and moved to get up from the bed.
"Where are you running off to?" he asked, grabbing her waist and pulling her back into his arms.
Ashleigh laughed.
"I need a shower," she said.
"We can take one together," Caleb whispered against her ear.
The warm tingle of his breath made her heart race. She took another deep breath.
"You already took one," she replied, slowly pushing out the breath she had taken. "And I don't think you intend to just let me shower."
Caleb growled softly.
"Not just shower…no," he grinned, lightly nipping at her ear.
The heat stirred in her, and Ashleigh had to close her eyes to keep her focus. Finally, she pulled away, and he let her.
"We spent the entire night wrapped up in each other," she said, looking back at him. "And I'm very out of practice."
She stood up from the bed and turned back with a smile.
"I'm sore. I need a little break."
Caleb's expression fell, and he moved toward her.
"Sore?" he asked with concern.
They had always been voracious in their appetite for each other. Every night was a marathon rather than a sprint.
A few times, they had truly exhausted themselves, but not after only one night. Even on their wedding night and during their honeymoon, when he had hardly let her rest at all, Ashleigh had only been left sore after several days.
"Yes," she replied.
She reached her hand to touch his cheek gently.
"When I get out of the shower, we need to have a real talk about everything," she said. "For now, I brought you some clothes yesterday. They are in the nightstand. So, get dressed and wait for me."
Caleb nodded.
Ashleigh turned and headed for the bathroom. She suddenly stopped and turned back to him.
"Don't leave, okay?" she said, a gentle plea in her voice. "Stay in the room. I won't be long."
"Of course," Caleb replied.
The door to the bathroom shut, and he heard the sound of the water falling.
Caleb let out a sigh. For a moment, he had forgotten about the ley line, the war, the five years. Waking with her in his arms, he felt like it were any other day. No time had passed, and nothing had changed. But hearing her cry out for him, feeling the fear and panic through their bond.
The scars on her body, his family, his friends, his pack. What had happened in those five years?
He took a deep breath and got out of bed. There was nothing he could do to change what had happened, and until Ashleigh told him what he had missed, he couldn't even react to it. For now, he just needed to get dressed and wait for her.
Caleb reached the nightstand, opened the drawer, and found a small stack of clothes. He set them on the bed and then quickly dressed.
He looked down at the shirt. It was a flannel button-up shirt. Black lines and dark blue with some green. A common material, likely why it seemed familiar to him.
But as he draped it over his arms and began to button the shirt, he got a strange feeling. A pit in his stomach began to form as he sniffed the shirt collar.
Chewing tobacco and roasted barley. A combination he had known a long time ago.
The space around him felt as though it had slowed. His breaths became a little louder to his ears.
He swallowed and brought the collar closer to his nose, inhaling deeply as the mingled scents separated in his memory. It was primarily covered in the chewing tobacco and barley scent. There were hints of detergents and other things. But he also found Ashleigh's scent intermingled with the others.
Caleb clenched his jaw. A soft growl rumbled in his chest. He looked toward the closed bathroom door, the pit in his stomach growing. He turned and looked at the entrance to the room. He swallowed and walked toward it.
As he got close, he leaned forward and sniffed the air.
Another growl rose in his chest as the scent of chewing tobacco and roasted barley flowed into the room from the door's cracks.
This man's scent was everywhere.
Caleb was already aware that they were not in Summer or Winter, but wherever this place was …it belonged to him.
Caleb tore open the door and began his hunt.