Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Was Daniel dead?
My heartbeat pounded like a drum in my brain, the pressure so intense that, for a minute, I was afraid I was going to black out.
Would I be one of those mates that lie in bed all day, wasting away because I’d lost the other half of my soul?
Just the idea of Daniel being dead made my skin burn like fire rippling across the surface.
I looked down at my arm dumbly, expecting to see that I’d actually been set alight.
“I need you to calm down,” Pop said, moving closer. “Calm down, Rosemary.”
“I can’t.” I looked to the door again.
My mate was out there somewhere. He should’ve been home already. He should’ve climbed into bed with me so I’d woken up to strong arms wrapped around my waist and the pleasant heat of his body instead of this horrific burning sensation.
He could be hurt. He could be in danger. He could be dead.
Without conscious thought, I was out the door and jogging down the front steps. When I hit the gravel, I picked up speed, ignoring the sound of my father yelling for me to get back in the house. Rocks dug into the soles of my feet, but I found the pain to be a welcome distraction to the way the rest of my body burned.
It took less than a minute before the house disappeared behind me.
It took ten minutes to get to the road.
It would’ve taken nine, but I’d had to stop because I was dry heaving so hard that I’d begun to stumble.
I wasn’t sure where I was going. The route we’d taken when Daniel brought me home that first night was a bit of a blur, but I had to assume that I was at least moving in the right direction. I was ten minutes closer to the highway when a familiar truck came into view and swerved into the opposite lane, stopping on the side of the road less than a foot from where I was.
“Going for a run?” Uncle Dalton asked calmly as he climbed out of the truck.
“Did you get ahold of Daniel’s parents?” I demanded, shaking my arms out at my sides.
It felt like I had bugs crawling all over me.
“I did. They weren’t sure where he was, but said that he and Chance had gone somewhere together.”
I wouldn’t have been more surprised if Uncle Dalton had slapped me across the face.
“What?” I asked hoarsely, swaying on my feet.
“I called Chance because I knew you’d want to know,” Uncle Dalton said, taking a few steps toward me. “He said things are all good. They’re just getting a few things done, and he’d fill me in later.”
“No, he wouldn’t do that,” I argued. “He said he’d be back in three hours. He wouldn’t just not come back. He wouldn’t do that.”
“I didn’t speak to Danny,” Uncle Dalton replied quietly. “But I’ve known Chance a long time. I don’t think he’d lie to me.”
“But he—” I gagged and shook my head. No, that wasn’t right. Daniel didn’t like leaving me behind. He was just in a tight spot. Even my pop said so. He was being pulled in two different directions, so he was doing the best he could. That was all. He wouldn’t leave me longer than was necessary. Three hours. That was the limit he’d set.
“Why don’t you climb in, and I’ll drive you home,” Uncle Dalton said soothingly. “You made it a hell of a lot further than I thought you would before I got here.”
“No,” I replied, shaking my head as I sidestepped closer to the road. “No, something is wrong. I know something’s wrong.”
“It’s the bond,” Uncle Dalton argued. “I know it’s confusing, Flower, but you need to trust me on this. Your body doesn’t like the separation, and it’s making the situation feel like life and death. It isn’t. Danny is fine.”
“No, he’s not,” I barked, lifting my hands to my hair. I wrapped it around my fingers and clenched my hands into fists, trying to make the sting in my scalp focus my thoughts.
“I’ll call him,” Uncle Dalton said, lifting the phone to his ear. “How about that?”
I nodded silently, watching the phone like a hawk.
“Chance,” Uncle Dalton greeted. “Any way I can talk to Danny?” He paused. “I’ve got a very concerned mate on my hands, and I’m not sure she’ll listen to anything I say unless she speaks to him first.” He waited for a moment and then nodded, extending the phone to me.
I felt like my body wasn’t my own as I put the phone to my ear.
“Rosemary?” Daniel called. “What’s going on, baby?”
I felt like I was being strangled.
“You there? I’m sorry it’s taking longer than I thought, but I’ll be back within the hour, okay?” He waited for me to respond. “Rosie? Where are you?”