Arlen

 

Being Fae had its perks, like enhanced hearing.

Arlen was poised outside of his bedroom door, unable to force himself away from the spot. He had to know whether she was okay or not. She was silent, not moving for a long while and then he heard it. The telltale sound of tiny sniffles.

He’d made her cry. Arlen was sure he was shit at being that person for anyone let alone the woman of his dreams. What did that say about him? He was only a week into their cohabitation and already he had her in tears.

With a small thud, he could hear Angie sit roughly on the floor. She needed him and the knotted, nauseous feeling growing in his chest wouldn’t ease until she was okay again.

“Angie?” He waited for her to answer, but the sniffling and ragged inhales didn’t waver. “Are you alright?” 

She stubbornly ignored him, something he couldn’t abide. So, he grabbed ahold of the handle and pushed the door open slowly, in case she was sitting too close.

Angela was a mess. Moisture rimmed her red, puffy eyes and her nose had taken to resembling a cherry tomato. He’d heard her get sick, but none of that bothered him. She looked so damn beautiful even as she was falling apart that it was impossible for him to steel his heart against the siege that was Angela.

He sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap. She didn’t resist as he lent her the comfort only he could give. Knowing that his time was running out only made him want to savor every second he had with her.

“What happened? What did I do wrong?” he asked, afraid that her answer would be more than he could handle. He tried not to care, but being rejected by his mate would be the end of him.

She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be such a fucking mess.”

He could hear the change in her voice as she spoke the lie. Above all else, Arlen couldn’t believe that she was actually apologizing to him. How had such a wonderful being become so twisted and ashamed? He tramped down the flame of revenge for the time being. She needed more than him to kick the shit out of everyone who had hurt her. She needed a shoulder to cry on. His shoulder, to be exact.

“You’ve done nothing wrong and you don’t have to lie to me. What happened?”

She wiped her cheek on her shoulder and brushed away the moisture from her other cheek. “You’ll think I’m crazy.”

He cracked the faintest grin, “I promise I could never think you’re crazy. Trust me, I’ve seen crazy. The real kind. The ugly kind and that’s not you. I want your trust and your honesty, not your fear and tears.” He pushed her chin up so she could look into his eyes and know how serious he was.

“Your eyes are beautiful. Just like amethyst.” She stared at him with eyes full of wonder like it was the first time she’d noticed the strange coloring.

“And you’re changing the subject.”

She sighed and her shoulders slumped slightly. “I had another vision.”

It was well outside of his realm of expertise, but he wanted to ease her mind any way he could.

“What kind of vision?” he asked.

Angela rubbed at her arms as if she were cold. “They’re always different, and somehow, the same.” Her voice was low, just barely above a whisper.

“What do you see when this happens?” Arlen probed.

Maybe he could find a way to help her and ease the toll it was taking on her. She was so visibly shaken by what had occurred that he had to wonder if it was because of what had happened to her in captivity.

“It’s always death and destruction, but its never the same scene twice. Sometimes, the people I see are wearing old clothes like they’re in the past and other times it seems like it’s happening right now.”

Angela had a far off glaze to her eyes and Arlen knew she was replaying the whole thing in her head.

“When did they begin?”

She inhaled a shaky breath and didn’t answer him right away. He would sit and not ask again until she was ready to answer him. Her lip quivered, but she didn’t break down. She was a tough woman and so strong. She had to be to live through everything she had. Her blue eyes turned to his.

“It started after they took me. After they did…things.” She let her voice trail off as she became lost in her thoughts again.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me,” he assured her. He knew how it felt to have demons waiting at his back for signs of weakness.

He’d known pain, the kind most didn’t live through.

Arlen sat there with her while she remained miserable and statuesque. She needed a break from her life, something that would just make her happy.

He began to think of things she’d like. Arlen knew very little about his mate and Maya wasn’t around to ask. He’d done a small amount of research and learned the essentials like where she had lived and worked before she’d been kidnapped.

She’d been listed as a missing person by her boss at Delmonico. Taking her somewhere like that for dinner would be out of the question. It was best for all involved if Angela stayed a missing person. He needed something meaningful and low key.

Her previous place of employment kept nagging at him though. Maybe if he couldn’t take her out on a proper date, he could bring the restaurant to her? The wheels in his head began to turn, pulling a tentative plan together that he sincerely hoped she’d love it. It might have been the only such date they’d ever get.