Once the mattress was pumped he covered it with the sleeping bags and lay down. He motioned for me to join him. I did and he pulled the down comforter against us. He spooned me against him and kissed my neck.
"Sleep now," he whispered as his hands gently caressed my cheek and then stroked my hair. I felt his soft lips press against my cheek.
I felt my eyes grow heavy. "I love you, Caeden," I said with a sleep heavy voice. "I"m glad you were here."
"Me too," he said but it sounded like he was in a tunnel. Sleep overcame me and I dreamed of full moons, wolves, and tattoos.
nineteen.
"Hey, sleeping beauty," said Caeden when I finally cracked my eyes open. Light flooded the cave and for a moment I was shocked. I was surprised any light could penetrate in here. But then I remembered the natural opening in the ceiling which explained the light.
"What time is it?" I asked sitting up and yawning. I knew my hair must be a mess but it wasn"t like he hadn"t seen it.
"It"s almost ten," he said.
"Really?" I asked shocked. I normally never slept pa.s.sed eight.
"Yeah," he said. "It"s normal to sleep a lot after you shift for the first time. I slept until almost two after my first shift. My dad was ready to send out a search party."
I saw that he was dressed in the clothes he had worn yesterday. He tossed me the plastic bag that my clothes were in.
"Change over there," he motioned to a dark alcove, "and I"ll get this stuff packed up and then we can head home," he said.
I nodded my head and moved into the shadows to dress. Despite the pain of my transformation I had enjoyed the time just the two of us out here in the wilderness. No one was here to watch us or scold us or judge us. It had been wonderful. Despite my claustrophobia I was finding the cave to be a sort of sanctuary.
I pulled on my jeans and zipped the zipper. I slid the elastic band off my wrist and pulled my hair back out of my face. I eased out of the shadows to find Caeden folding the blankets neatly and adding them to the bin. He had let the air out of the mattress and it laid feebly on the floor. I came over to help him. I rolled the mattress up and handed it to him. He smiled graciously.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah, I guess so," I said and I knew he heard my reluctance.
He pulled me against him. My palms rested on his chest and he pressed his lips forcefully against mine. It was a demanding, take-all, kiss and I loved it. My mouth opened underneath his and he took advantage. His fingers twined in my hair. I swore sparks were flying with the heat we were producing.
"Ready now?" he asked pulling his mouth away from mine. His hand was still twined in my hair and his breathing was as labored as mine.
"Definitely not," I said.
He chuckled. "Well, unfortunately we do have to go."
"Darn," I said and he laughed. He pressed his lips against mine again but this time the kiss was tender. His thumb gently stroked the side of my face. He tugged me towards the entrance and climbed out first. I climbed out after him.
The temperature had changed overnight. Fifty degrees had turned into thirty degrees. I didn"t know how I knew but I did. But amazingly enough I didn"t feel it. It could have been seventy degrees for all I knew. The cold no longer seemed to penetrate me. I wondered what the hot summers would feel like.
Caeden looked back at me and smiled. "I wish we could run as wolves to the Jeep but I didn"t think to bring a stash of clothes. Now that you"re a wolf we"ll have to leave some of your clothes around at various locations. It"s no fun shifting without clothes. But your stamina should be better now so it shouldn"t take very long."
"Lead the way," I said even though it wasn"t necessary. With my new senses I could clearly see the patch from which we had come.
Caeden was right. The mile long trek didn"t take nearly as long this time around. I didn"t even fall. Maybe being a shifter wouldn"t be so bad.
However, the ride back was just as b.u.mpy and I still found myself getting queasy.
"Are you okay?" asked Caeden at one point.
I nodded my head scared of what might come out of my mouth if I opened it up. Caeden seemed to realize this and resumed his silence. When he finally drove out of the woods and parked in the garage I immediately hopped out, sat on a spare tire, and stuck my head between my knees taking deep breaths.
"I"m sorry," said Caeden.
"Just give me a minute," I huffed. I worked the cold air through my lungs getting rid of the lingering feelings of nausea. He waited patiently for it to pa.s.s.
"I"m going to have to remember to get you some motion sickness pills," he said with a chuckle.
I looked up and glared at him. "I"m not exactly used to off-roading in the woods for your information."
"Touche," he said.
I stood up slowly making sure the movement didn"t spin my head. When it didn"t Caeden took my head and lead me into the house. The door had hardly clicked behind us when his mom came running towards us.
Amy jumped up and down on the b.a.l.l.s of her feet as she clapped her hands. Her smile was huge and infectious. "How"d it go?" she asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess the way it does for everybody," I said. I had no experience in this matter so how was I supposed to know whether it was good or bad?
Caeden grinned at his mom. "She"s a natural. She was amazing." He nuzzled my neck. "I"m so happy I got to experience that with her, mom. It was incredible. I think she"s beautiful now but when she shifted? Wow," he said. "She took to the transformation with ease. I couldn"t have hoped for more."
"Did you have any problem shifting back to your human form?" she addressed me.
"No, not at all," I said. "Caeden"s a great teacher."
"Did you..." she hesitated.
"Did we what?" I prompted.
"Did you bond?" she asked.
"Yes," I said, "and that was as far as it went," I a.s.sured her.
And it was amazing.
I looked at Caeden. "Did you say that out loud?" I asked.
He looked at me puzzled, a wrinkle in his brow, "No," he said, "I didn"t say anything."
"Yes, you did. You said, "and it was amazing," I heard you," I said getting hysterical.
"I didn"t say anything out loud," he repeated.
"He didn"t," added Amy.
My mouth popped open in a little O of surprise. "You mean, I heard your thoughts in human form? Think something towards me," I said.
Like what?
"Oh my G.o.d," I gasped. "This must be part of the bond!" I exclaimed.
"You think something," he said. "I want to try and hear your thoughts."
Uh, you"re hot. I thought directing my thoughts towards him.
His laugh filled the mud room. I think you"re hot too.
This is crazy. I thought.
More like amazing. Now we can hear each other"s thoughts when we"re human too. This is great. I wonder if your parents can do this.
I don"t know, maybe. I guess we"ll find out over Spring Break.
Oh right. He thought.
His mom was staring blankly at us and Bryce had joined her. He leaned down in his mom"s ear and said. "Those two are weird." Amy swatted at her son.
"Are you guys... communicating telepathically?"
"Uh... yeah," I said nervously.
"Wow," she said.
"Mom, I need to tell you something," said Caeden.
"Oh dear lord what is it now?" asked Amy shaking her head.
Caeden looked at me and then at his mother. "Sophie and I think it would be a good idea to go and see her parents over Spring Break to learn more about being mates and the bond and what it all means."
Amy sighed. "I should"ve known it wouldn"t be that bad since it was coming from you and not your brother but we always go camping over Spring Break, Caeden."
"I know, Mom. You and Bryce can still go but I think this is important. Sophie and I need to understand what all this means. They"re the only other mates. We don"t have much choice."
She shook her head and sighed. "Alright, I guess I don"t have much choice. You are a man now and I can respect your need for answers. We"ll get your tickets tonight. Sophie, does your grandma know about this?"
"No," I said. "Caeden and I just talked about this... yesterday." Had it only been yesterday? It seemed so much longer. So much had taken place in the last twenty-four hours that it didn"t seem possible.
Amy ran her hand through her short, brown, curly hair. "Well, call Lucinda and let me know if she"s okay with it and if she is I"ll go ahead and purchase your ticket as well."
"Oh, that"s not necessary," I said. "My parents gave me a credit card and I"m sure they wouldn"t care if I purchased a plane ticket to come see them." I gulped at the thoughts of planes. And flying. Turbulence. Shaking. My stomach was getting queasy at just the thought of it. I really hoped Caeden could indeed distract me.
"No, no," she said and patted my hand. "Let me do this. I didn"t get you anything for your birthday and this would be a great gift. A chance to see your parents. Please, let me do this."
"It"s really not necessary," I said. "But thanks it means a lot to me."
"Oh, you"re welcome dear," she said and pulled Caeden and me into a group hug.
"I need some lovin" too," said Bryce and he joined us.
"I"m going to make some lunch," said Amy already heading towards the kitchen. "Call your grandma and your parents."
"I will," I said already pulling out my cell phone.
"h.e.l.lo?" said my dad. "Sophie? How"d your shift go?"
"It was great dad. Once the pain was gone it was amazing," I said.
"I knew you"d be a natural. You"re a Beaumont after all," he said.
"I was calling for a reason," I said. "I have a question."
"Okay shoot," he said and I could picture him reclining back in whatever chair it was he was sitting in.
"Caeden and I would like to come see you and mom over Spring Break? We have a ton of questions about this whole situation," I said nervously twisting a strand of hair around my finger.
I could hear his smile over the phone. "Sure, sure, that"s great. I miss my baby girl and I want to meet your young lad. Especially if we"re going to be stuck with him."
"Daddy," I scolded.
He chuckled. "I"m sure he"s a great boy but you"re my little girl so I"ve gotta make sure he measures up." I could picture him rolling up his sleeves like he was preparing for a fight.
"No one will ever measure up to your standards. If you had your way I"d be a nun," I said with a laugh.
"That"s not a bad idea," he said and I could hear his guffaw. He sobered up and said, "But I"m not nave, Sophie. This boy is your mate and I know he"s not going anywhere. I would enjoy getting to know him better. Man to man," he said.
I looked over at Caeden who was leaning against the door jamb with a quirked brow. "Daddy, don"t hurt him," I gulped.
My dad"s laugh filled the phone. "I won"t hurt him," he promised.
I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," I said.
"We"ll send you ticket," he said.
"Don"t worry about it," I said. "Amy wants to get it for me as a birthday present."
"Well, that"s nice of her. Extend my thanks to her," he said.
"Will do," I said "Your mom will be so pleased to hear your coming for a visit. Hang on a second!" he said. "You do realize you have to get on a plane."
I chuckled. "Yes, daddy I am aware of the plane situation. Caeden has promised to keep me sufficiently distracted."
My dad choked into the phone. "Tell that boy to keep his hands to himself!"
"Daddy!" I scolded again.
"I was an eighteen year old boy once too, you know? How do you think you ended up in this world?"