Chapter 6: Acting Strange
-Brendon-
My mate had had an upsetting night. She seemed so confused, but the doctor claimed she was completely fine. I feared there was a drug we didn’t know about that somehow passed through the system untraceable or perhaps disappeared so fast that he couldn’t detect it. No matter what, I knew she simply needed rest, and she would be all right again. Then, when she felt perfectly fine, I would show my little disobedient mate why sneaking out and keeping secrets from me was not a good decision.
“What are you thinking?” she whispered as we lay in the dark.
“Why aren’t you resting?” I countered.
“I asked first.”
I chuckled before kissing her on top of her head again and hearing her sigh so contently.
“Just thinking about when you feel better, and if I ever learn who might have drugged you, I’m going to rip them limb from limb.”
Celeste lifted her head, but I pulled her close to me so she couldn’t move. She wiggled a little around, but I wouldn’t let go.
“You’re crushing me! And I don’t condone brutal murder!” she snarled.
I smiled, but I wouldn’t take my words back or let her go. I knew what a mate’s touch could do. We healed each other simply by being close, she needed me.
“Lie still.”
“No, I don’t know why we are cuddling,” she told me.
“Why wouldn’t we be?”
“It’s strange,” she replied, turning to give me her back so she could create a little distance.
“Strange? Why would it be strange?”
She sighed, and I felt her turmoil through the bond, but she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. I leaned on my arm as I began stroking her back and arm, and she once again calmed down simply from me touching her.
“Celeste?”
“This is so weird,” she whispered.
“What is?”
She shook her head, not wanting to tell me what was going on.
“Did something happen?”
“What didn’t happen?” she groaned.
“I don’t understand.”
Celeste placed her hands over her face, confusing me further.
“Talk to me, beautiful,” I murmured before kissing her shoulder.
“This isn’t you!” she exclaimed, turning to look at me.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re mean! You tease me! You taunt me. You practically bullied me all my life!” she snarled.
I sighed, knowing I had given her a hard time, but it wasn’t until I grew older that I truly understood what I wanted from her and why I had always targeted her. We didn’t find our mates until we turned 18, and Celeste was a few years younger than me, so I turned 18 first. The moment I did, I knew Celeste belonged to me, but I had no right to claim her when she was not at all mature enough. I had to be patient, and so I waited, and that wait made me restless and frustrated. She became mine in the end, but I knew I could have handled it better.
“We talked about this. I know you fought our connection a little in the beginning because of what I did, but you accepted me in the end,” I reminded her.
“Why?”
“What do you mean ‘why’? Because we are true mates, and we can’t stay away from each other,” I told her.
“It’s confusing.”
“We have been together for a while now. Why is it suddenly confusing?”
She groaned again, looking like she couldn’t figure out what was up or down. Had the drug given her amnesia or something like it? Why was she behaving this way?
“Celeste?”
“It just doesn’t make sense.”
“What doesn’t?”
“Us!” she yelled.
“It doesn’t always make sense, but we shouldn’t question the Moon Goddess, should we?”
“But why us?”
“You just questioned her,” I teased, but Celeste didn’t look like she was in the mood for jokes, so I reached out and stroked some of her hair away from her sweaty face. It was clear she was very upset. “Celeste, did something else happen tonight? Did you hit your head?”
“No… I don’t think so,” she replied.
“You’re acting as if you can’t remember our time together. We already had this discussion when you learned I was your mate, and you fought it for months.”
“I did?”
“See? This is what I mean. Why are you asking me this when you can remember it yourself?” I asked.
“I…”
“Celeste, if you are experiencing memory loss, tell me. Tell me what you’re feeling,” I insisted, feeling so scared about what was suddenly going on with her.
“No, I…”
She seemed unsure what to tell me, but to my surprise, she turned toward me again, scooting closer and burying her face in my chest, seeking my warmth. That felt better. That felt more like my Celeste.
“Just hold me,” she whispered.
I would gladly comply with that command and wrap my arm tightly around her.
“I feel strange,” she admitted after a small pause.
“Strange how? Should I get it, doc?”
“No,” she said, pressing her nose to my shirt, inhaling my scent and shuddering a little in pleasure. “I just feel confused.”
“Well, you had a very strange night, that is not so weird.”
“But it feels weird. I feel weird.”
“Do you feel sick?”
“No, my head hurts a little, but I just feel dizzy and like things are not adding up.”
“Adding up, how?” I asked, but she shook her head, not wanting to answer that. “Celeste, I can’t help you if you don’t explain what you’re feeling properly. Let me help you.”
“The thing is, I don’t know what I need help with.”
I sighed, understanding what a frustrating feeling that had to be. She turned her head a little, and I placed my hand on her cheek, stroking it.
“Maybe you just need some rest,” I suggested.
“Maybe,” she whispered, but her eyes began filling with tears.
“Don’t cry, beautiful. You will be okay once you have slept a little. You just had a frightening night,” I reminded her.
“It feels like more than that,” she confessed. “It feels like I’m not supposed to be here.”
“You’re not supposed to be. This is a hospital bed,” I chuckled, but she shook her head, not wanting me to tease her. “Okay, explain the feeling to me.”
“It just feels out of place.”
“Me and you?”
“Just me. I just have this strange feeling that it’s wrong.”
“What exactly is?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted, and she sniffled a little.
I wiped her cheeks clean of her tears before I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers. She gasped as if the kiss took her by surprise, but then a moment later she reciprocated with the same vigor as always. I wanted to get lost in her as always, but I pulled back before it went too far and gave her a small smile.
“Sleep a little. You will feel better,” I assured her.
She sighed and nodded before closing her eyes, and I made sure to hold her tightly throughout the night.