I blushed and focused on the baby.
“Yes,” Thomas said. “Last night.”
The urge to hide myself somewhere grew stronger as they continued to speak of the event as if it wasn’t private. Thomas stepped close to me and laid a comforting hand on my back.
“Ann thought she heard you two arguing,” Leif said with a laugh.
The main door flew open, and Mary rushed in.
“What? Claimed?” She threw her arms around me and hugged me tight, squealing. “I’m so happy for you.” The baby started to squall, and Mary pulled away from me. “I’m so sorry, Leif.”
“I understand your enthusiasm. Ann feels it, too. She will be out in a moment to share her congratulations,” Leif said, lifting his daughter from the basket.
Mary continued to grin at me but the grin faded as she eyed my neck.
“Where’s the bite?”
“She bit me, Mary,” Thomas said, his thumb rubbing a soothing circle on my lower back.
Mary’s eyes rounded, and a snort escaped her. She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing outright. Gregory walked into the room, eyed Mary, and came to stand behind her. I didn’t fail to notice he positioned himself just as Thomas had with me.
“Congratulations,” he said, meeting my eyes.
“Thank you,” I said, quietly. The heat refused to leave my face. “Mary, let’s make breakfast.”
I walked away from everyone and immediately missed Thomas’ touch. A gentle wave of reassurance washed over me. Feeling these emotions that weren’t my own was disorienting and scary. What was he feeling from me? He already knew when I lied and that I kept secrets. Would he feel when I used my ability? Would he know, then?
Would he tell Winifred? And would Winifred then see me as a threat as she’d hinted?
Fifteen
When the rest of Thomas’ pack returned for dinner that evening, a few gave me long looks and nods of acknowledgement but no one acted any differently. Except Anton. As I scooped a portion of the food onto his plate, his nostrils flared.
“Claimed?”
“So I’ve been told,” I said, handing him his plate.
He glanced around and saw Thomas watching us. “Normally, I’d say congratulations. But I think you’ll need luck instead.”
A trickle of annoyance reached me, and I knew it was Thomas. Anton stepped away and took his seat as Thomas started toward me. When he reached me, he moved to stand behind me and rested his hands lightly on my shoulders. It was comforting. He stayed with me until everyone was fed. Then he left the main room with the rest.
After cleaning up, I went to play with Ann’s baby for a while before going upstairs. I was nervous. What would he expect now that I’d Claimed him? Yes, he’d said he wouldn’t take more than I was ready to give, but could I trust that? Not only did the physical expectations concern me, but our apparent mental connection did, too.
I opened the door and found him standing in front of the window. The last light was fading, and he’d already lit the lamp I kept in the bedroom.
“Excitement was the best thing I felt from you today,” Thomas said without turning. “Your fear and constant worry...” He sighed and turned to look at me. “I will do everything in my power to turn this place into a safe home for you.”
He moved toward me, wrapped me in his arms, and kissed the top of my head. I set my cheek against his chest and listened to his heart. For a moment, I let all my fear and worry go. Underneath, I found what he felt for me. Adoration and respect flowed from him.
I wrapped my arms around him in turn. A wisp of desire brushed against me, and my fear returned. I dropped my arms to my side, and he exhaled his frustration.
“Your fear is torture.” His hand smoothed down my back. “Will you tell me, is it me? The thought of losing this place? I can’t fix what I don’t know,” he said, pulling back to study me.
“All of it and more,” I said honestly. “If you think my fear is torture, the things you feel when you look at me...I’m struggling with my own feelings, I can’t deal with yours, too. Everything is more confusing now than it was before. I don’t know what to do. What’s safe? Will you keep your word and leave me be? When the other’s return, will they agree with the Claim I unintentionally made?” Will you discover my secrets?
“I can’t help what I feel for you, and I won’t apologize for it,” he said softly. “My hope is that someday you’ll feel the same for me. Until that happens, I’ll wait. I’d like to continue sleeping in your room beside you, but nothing more. Will you allow me that much?”
I wanted to say no. I wanted to tell him to leave. But since he’d pulled away from me, I felt empty and abandoned. I didn’t understand why or if those were even my own emotions. All I knew was that having him near made me feel safer and not so alone.
“Yes, you can sleep by me.”
He smiled, reached out to touch my cheek, then flooded me with comfort. Before I could react, he left the room. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew he waited right out in the hallway. He wasn’t being impatient or aggressive. Just protective.
I changed into the light shirt and cotton shorts I’d been using for sleeping and then climbed into bed. I lay there tensely for a moment before I called him in.
My stomach churned nervously as he entered. He didn’t look at me as he walked to the dresser and blew out the lamp. I blinked in the sudden darkness, unable to see him. The mattress dipped as he sat, and my heart stuttered. His fingers touched my hair.
“So much fear because of so little trust.”
I stared in the direction of his voice and saw his vague shape.
“Trust has to be earned,” I said softly. “If you recall, you bit me.”
“Only because you allowed it.”
I snorted. “As if I had a choice. I knew you wouldn’t leave it alone.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you, but I’m glad I didn’t leave it alone.” He eased down next to me. Lying on his side, he rested an arm over my middle. The weight felt comforting rather than confining.
“Go to sleep, Charlene.”
Despite my racing heart, I somehow managed.
* * * *
I woke with a weight on my chest, and for a disoriented moment, I panicked. I pushed at the weight at the same time I struggled to kick off the covers.
“Shh. It’s all right,” Thomas said as the weight disappeared. I saw the vague outline of his head.
“What were you doing?” I asked, no longer trying to escape the covers.
He touched my hair and the weight settled back onto my chest.
“Listening to your heart.”
For a moment, I said nothing. Would I ever understand Thomas?
“Why?”
“Sometimes, when you dream, your pulse races; and it sounds so fragile. I don’t like it. I whisper to you until it calms.”
His admission caught me off guard. How often had he listened to my heart like this? “Don’t you sleep?”
“I do. Not very much, though.”
The idea that he stayed awake next to me should have been troubling. So why wasn’t I troubled? His fingers drifted from my hair to trace the curve of my jaw. I closed my eyes and tried to relax.
“Am I allowed to kiss you?”
“No.”
I could picture him grinning at my abrupt answer.
“Sleep well, Charlene.”
“Stop staring at me, and I will.”
His chest vibrated with his laughter. I couldn’t help grinning in return.
For the remainder of the night, I slept comfortably. When I woke, I had the vague recollection of wanting to roll over at some point but being unable to do so because of a weight on me. However, Thomas was already gone so I couldn’t ask him about it.
I dressed and went downstairs. Before I entered the main room, I smelled breakfast, and my stomach rumbled. Thomas stood before the stove, stirring something. Mary and Gregory were at the table, glumly eyeing their bowls of oatmeal.