Rose's POVAgainst my wishes, the day dragged on for long.I breathed out within the plain mattress, shutting my eyes so tightly I swore I could see stars underneath.Shortly after I gathered myself following Rael's exit, I didn't have the strength to move anymore, lounging on the bed.I had hoped that just like the day before, time would go fast and it would soon be evening. It was the reason for the core bitter feeling of disappointment when I looked at my phone to find that it was barely afternoon. I sighed, dropping it back down.I still hadn't called or informed Kayla and Lily. Scrolling through endless pages was meaningless and exhausting to do. I couldn't bear looking at my phone. The constant reminder of the attack and the memory of my destroyed belongings sparked without fail, constantly sending waves of dread down my belly.The only thing I could do sparingly was watching the window to see the expanse of green of the forest.Even when the tempting draw of sleep came, my fea
Rael's POVNo matter what I did, I couldn't get the look on her face off my mind.It wasn't just about the nightmare. Even though that was tempting enough. Adian and his mention of my faltering stability had impacted me, but the feeling of her sobbing in my arms, crying from being chased by someone who was far from present, made me want to go back and obliterate the dankeh that had invaded her home.‘Not her home' the primal part of me echoed, unstoppable in spite of my attempts to restrain it.Even now, in the plain sheets that didn't reflect the colors and contradictions that was Rose Bentley, she still fit in. She belonged and most of all, she was safe.‘Safe’ I swallowed inwardly, hot bitterness welling up in me. It was guilt, yet I pushed it away.Seeing her appetite come back relieved me, and I couldn't help but watch her, reminding myself that she was present and not cold with her throat torn apart by the danekhs. It was not like the last time.The memory of her back in the for
Rael's POVShortly after she left, I delved deep into my work, uncaring of anything and everything. Her words had made me restless, reminding me of everything that was at stake. Things I had almost ignored.How foolish of me. Aside from major decisions, there was little to nothing left for me to deal with in the office. I sat there, thumping my feet in staccato as I gazed at the glass windows that showed everything. The skyscrapers and houses that looked smaller than ever from my view and all the people that resided in it, ignorant and otherwise oblivious to the others that lived among them. And to the dangers that they faced.A snap brought my attention, prompting me to shift my eyes to my hands. The pen I held was broken in two.‘To hell with this.’I stood up, moving toward the elevator down to the ground floor where the real matters were at.Although I had told myself to wait for Kayden's prompting, my impatience had risen to the rim of my sanity.They were surprised as they saw
Rose's POV I opened my eyes to look at him, all hints of my facade gone as he turned to meet my gaze. His expression clearly held surprise, meaning that he actually fell for it.I couldn't deny that I had turned drowsy under the continuous droning. The strange warmth of companionship and safety I hadn't felt whilst alone was what drove me to close my eyes and slip under.Unlike the deep chasm of slumber I was used to, it wasn't anything like that. My eyes were closed shut, darkness swimming around me but with enough grasp on reality to feel everything. It was a strange sort of limbo between drifting and awareness, the kind of 'sleep' I could take during a nap after a study session back in college.I felt when Adrian had carried me up from the couch even though I didn't have the will to move at the moment. I let him slide my body under the covers, and heard his voice stating “Sleep tight" right before he left. I didn't do anything about it, vaguely hearing the click of the door.There
Rose's POVI waited with bated breath, unable to take my eyes off him.Now that my head was even clearer and he was here, the past of where we left off sat clearly in my mind.Only two days before, without speaking, he had left me to wake up alone. Even though I was given the assurance of our continued 'relationship' of sorts, and many days and nights in his embrace, I couldn't help the slight strand of doubt that had entered me. Doubt which followed until the attack.And then, he was there and according to him, he was coming to see me that night. Had the dankeh not attacked, he would have seen me.It may have been somewhat foolish, but I needed to know where we clearly stood at the moment. Even though he wasn't planning on discarding me with our mate bond, I still needed some sort of assurance.“What about us?" He was throwing the question back at me. A familiar spark of annoyance I associated with him sparked up but I quelled it down.“I mean, are we… can we…" I trailed off, unable
Rose's POVThe day passed by with me still within my room in spite of the lighter feeling I had. I ate dinner which was brought up to me and fell asleep quickly after that. And as the world turned, the next day came.I woke up from another nightmare panting in the daylight, only to remind myself that it wasn't real.Still recovering from the scare, my jittery gaze wavered till it stopped at my phone.My breaths slowed down, acclimating to reality.That was right. It was afternoon. I had stayed in the room for so long, I had fallen asleep. A deep sleep considering the nightmare that came back for the third time since I arrived.Relief washed over me, yet my gaze never left the phone. Although fully charged, I realized how little I had used it.Especially after the day before. I was missing something. What was I missing?My heart skipped a beat once.Kayla. Jade’ I remembered.I moved quickly, grasping the phone and turning it on.I had switched my phone to airplane mode once I was tir
Rose's POVAdian came knocking half an hour after that call. I let him in without a sound, my mind still jumping hoops through the perturbed matter that still struck through my mind.“Rose?" I jerked up at my name, seeing him with furrowed brows.“Can I call you Rose?” His voice seemed tentative this time.Why was he asking that? It never stopped him before.I nodded.“Why do you look like you're in some mental gymnastics contest and you're running for first place?"The strange comparison made me blink in surprise, my mind going blank as I processed what he said.I shook it off, shaking my head. “It's nothing."He didn't seem to be convinced, making me slightly miffed. I was good at pretending - being a drama minor - but now everything felt incredibly difficult. I was still drained for most of the day after all.Thankfully, he looked away, saving me from my slight embarrassment. “So what movie are we watching today?" He settled on my couch.Gratefulness filled me as my gaze followed h
Rose's POVBy the time evening hit, I was more than ready to see Rael's face once again.Once I had enough of the library, Adian had led me all the way back to my room before exiting. Hours had passed already and so I spent most of my time mindlessly scrolling through images and words I couldn't care for.Now in spite of my doubts, I was eager to see Rael again. With that, I was determined to leave the room.I slowly peeked out of my room - tentatively at first, before my confidence rose.I did so easily, stepping out into the hallway to take a deep breath. I was alone. Unlike earlier today, Adian wasn't there to stay with me. Yet as I looked around, my anxiety on moving out on my own slowly eased.There was no dankeh to attack me. I was safe.Tension bleeding away from my shoulders, I moved toward the dining area, where I expected that he was already there.I couldn't forget the slight reaction when I told him that I didn't want to go outside the day before. Thinking about it made m