Chapter 278: Warmth From Home
Sleep evaded me for the entire night. Despite the plush bed and the comfortable room Darach had kindly provided me, I wasn’t able to drift off easily.
The trip from Fangborne to Thunderstrike had left my body exhausted and sore. However, even that wasn’t enough to knock out my active mind. Now that the morning sunlight had crept through the shields of dawn, I was left even more tired than when I had crawled into bed last night.
My arms reached across the bed, only to find it cold and empty, and instantly, I felt my heart drop to my stomach. Blaise would usually always be there to greet me first thing in the morning, and yet, we were now miles apart.
I couldn’t even feel him through our bond when it was something as easy as breathing just one day ago. The sensation was foreign, to say the least.
A small buzz came from beside my pillow and I instinctively reached for my phone. I had kept it on silent mode instead of do-not-disturb after realizing that it was way too unhealthy for me to keep checking my phone every ten minutes just to see if I had received further texts from the twins. It was better to check only when the phone rang.
It did not. Not until now.
However, when my eyes met the glaring light of the phone screen, they quickly widened. All exhaustion and sleepiness fled from my body at the sight of Blaise’s contact name.
’Good morning, my love,’ the message read. ’How was your first night at Thunderstrike?’
I smiled at his message, and I was suddenly overcome with the strangest urge to stroke the pixels of the screen as though doing so would allow me to reach Blaise’s face. It was silly how a couple of letters from the English alphabet could get me giddy with joy.
Instead, I calmed myself down and typed a reply.
’Horrible,’ I wrote. ’I can’t sleep without you here.’
The gray bubble on the left side of the screen showed three dots that faded in and out. I stared fixedly at it, chewing on my bottom lip as I waited for Blaise’s reply. After what felt like an eternity, his message came in.
’I miss you too,’ he said. ’I can’t wait for you to come back home. Maybe I should just convince Damon and move into Thunderstrike while you’re there.’
Another message soon followed. ’I know Darach and Milo are perfectly capable adults, but frankly, I don’t trust them enough to protect you.’
A warm buzz filled my heart as I read Blaise’s message. My eyes pored over the digital screen again and again, desperate to sear the message into my mind’s eye. There was no mention of love, and yet, every word seemed to scream to the high heavens.
And just as I thought that, he triple-texted.
’I love you.’
My heart was beating so loudly that it sounded as though thunder was rumbling right next to my ears. Even my head felt light and giddy as I grinned sleazily at my phone, twisting back and forth in the sheets in joy.
Goodness. I hadn’t actually been to a public school, but this was what I imagined human teenagers would act when they finally received even a sliver of attention from their campus crush.
’I love you too,’ I replied, using all my self-control just so I wouldn’t immediately video call him. ’But don’t be ridiculous. Thunderstrike is one of the richest packs in America. The security here is insane.’
I added, ’The only threat here is Darach’s father and sister.’
’Alright, that’s it,’ came Blaise’s reply. ’I’m sure Damon would be amenable to me coming over.’
I could already imagine Blaise’s expression, with his raised eyebrows and look of disbelief. It was all too easy to picture his behavior when I’ve been with him enough to make accurate predictions. For some odd reason, that made me feel just a tad bit better― it felt as though he was actually here in person.
’Damon needs your help back in Fangborne,’ I wrote. ’I’ll be fine. Kyle’s here.’
Just as I was hesitating to video call, Blaise did it straight away. My phone began to buzz rhythmically as Blaise’s contact name and picture filled up the entire screen. I quickly jabbed the green button to accept, unable to resist the smile when he greeted me with a playful roll of his eyes.
"It seems like you’ve already forgotten me after just one night apart," Blaise teasingly said. His voice was laden with sleep, low and gravelly.
"How can I ever forget you?" I mused, grinning as I turned around in bed to get into a more comfortable position. "You’re all I think about day and night."
"Smooth," Blaise said with a grin. "I’ll make sure to brag about this during the meeting later."
"Must everything be a competition between you two?" I laughed.
"Of course not," Blaise said, seemingly appalled. "But I do enjoy your attention very much." He paused and his expression softened. So did his voice. "You just left, but I already can’t wait to see you again."
"Me too," I murmured wistfully, staring fondly at his face. I couldn’t feel him with such a distance between us, but I had heard of wolves being able to. I wonder if he could feel me through the bond still, with the help of his wolf.
As if he could read my thoughts, Blaise quickly grinned. "I know," he said. "I feel you always." He placed a hand over his heart, showing me his broad, muscular chest. "Right here."
My eyes widened as I sat up a little straighter. "You can still feel our bond?"
He nodded. "It’s a lot weaker than usual, but you’re there," he said, confirming it. "You don’t?"
"No," I said, shaking my head in disappointment. "I don’t feel you. It just feels... empty and quiet, but not in a good way."
"It might be weaker for you since you don’t have a wolf," Blaise deduced.
"That’s what I thought too." But soon, I forced a smile on my face, shaking the dismay away. If Blaise could feel me there, I wouldn’t want to impose a negative emotion on him. "But I’ll message you still. We can even call at night whenever you’re free. It won’t be that bad."
"Yes," Blaise said. "We’ll see each other again soon. I’ll make sure of it."
I nodded, eager.
A nagging thought kept reverberating at the back of my mind, however. If Blaise could still feel our mind, wouldn’t Damon be able to do so too? My smile grew a little wider, warmth blossoming in my chest.
If Damon felt it, he must’ve checked in because he felt something was off. It gave me peace of mind knowing that even though I couldn’t feel it, the bond I had with them could never be severed.
"Harper?"
I jolted up from bed and looked at the door, startled by the knocking. "Who is it?" I called out.
"It’s me, Kyle." Now that he mentioned it, it became glaringly obvious that it was Kyle’s voice. I had been so distracted by the video call that I had completely disconnected from reality.
"Oh, right. Give me a minute!" I yelled back, scrambling out of bed.
"Do you have to go already?" Blaise asked, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
I hovered my face back into the view of the camera, smiling sadly.
"Unfortunately," I said. "I doubt he would disturb me for no good reason."
"I should get to work as well," Blaise said. "Stay safe, Harper. Love you."
The bit of affection instantly stretched my lips into a bright smile. "Love you too."
The second the call disconnected, my chest felt hollow and empty once more. Even through a video call, hearing Blaise’s voice felt like a short reprieve I never knew I needed. Truly, absence makes the heart fonder― I don’t think I’d ever missed him this much before.
"What is it?" I asked Kyle, stepping out of the room once I had changed into something more presentable. Kyle stood patiently at one side, leaning his back against the wall next to my bedroom door.
"Alpha Darach is offering a tour of Thunderstrike," Kyle said. He used his feet to push himself off the wall so that he stood upright again, his hands still tucked in his pockets. "Apparently, it’s to get us familiar with the terrain. He explained that the last time you were here, his father and sister weren’t exactly great hosts."
I snorted. "That is an understatement," I said. "I think I’ve seen more of Hornstead than Thunderstrike, despite staying here for longer."
Not to mention the last time I was here, I was busy running errands for the bridezilla. There definitely wasn’t any available time for sightseeing.
"When do we leave, then?" I asked.
"Now, if you don’t plan on having a heavy breakfast," Kyle said. He tossed me a fruit, noticeably, an orange. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of his trauma of apples that he picked the citrus, despite the apple being an easier fruit to eat while traveling.
"In that case, let’s go now," I said. My fingers dug into the fruit, peeling the skin open. "I doubt we would be welcomed guests in the dining hall anyway. It might be better to give them some time to get used to it."
"Frankly, Harper," Kyle said with a solemn sigh, "I doubt they will ever get used to it."
