Chapter 71
I jolted upright in my strange bed, my heart pounding, helpless against the panic that was seeping into the depths of my being due to my strange surroundings.
Once more, my mother was menacing my dreams with her foul odor clogging my lungs and her malevolent aura encroaching on my spirit. I moved against the soft mattress, the paranoia clinging to my skin as I pulled the silk covers closer, the taste of death all around me. And while I lay in bed with nothing but a wall dividing me from my partner and gazed around the opulence of the room, I couldn't help but feel as though I was looking inward from the outside, as though I were a vessel brimming with wrongness.
Even though it had only been a nightmare, I felt like every part of me was skeletal and despised, as if she had taken a deep breath and spit me out, striking me like lightning to keep me trapped and afraid in this bed.
As soon as sunshine began to stream into my chamber, the weakness began to seep into my body, and as soon as I regained control over my body, the darkness began to fade. Despite the warmth of the covers, my skin felt freezing cold. Even though none of it would be as comfortable as sleeping with him, the exquisite blankets, the feather-stuffed pillows, the drapes, and the gold thread demonstrated how much he loved me.
I walked to the edge of the bed, my stomach wailing as I let out a small groan as I pushed away from it all. My body was still reacting to what I had done to those outlaws as the soles of my feet scraped the carpet.
I gently flexed my foot around the bandages to make sure it wasn't fractured before getting out of bed. My body hurt to move; the bruises were a bloody canvas covering every spot where I had been struck.
I lingered in my spot for a while, gathering my breath, while I focused on the door that led from my room to his that he had indicated to me yesterday. I crept nearer it, holding my breath as I ran my fingertips over the slick metal and found the golden key in the lock. I knew I wouldn't do anything, even though it would have been so simple for me to turn everything around, to storm into his room and demand that he never again leave me in a bed alone. I leaned in until my toes touched the door and my ear was plastered against the wood, but I was unable to hear the heartbeat on the other side.
I moved toward the bathroom and pushed away from the door, feeling a surge of disappointment. I was still completely nude, save for Derrick's shirt, and the only thing covering my skin were the bandages the pack doctor had wrapped around my wounds, which were now quite itchy.
The bedroom and the bathroom were, if not more, opulent. When I moved toward the sink, I noticed that the entire room was marble, including the ceiling, and that a sizable glass shower took up most of one wall. I nearly felt little in front of the enormous mirror that was in front of me.
I had been nearly dragged through the dirt, so it wasn't shocking that I looked like garbage in comparison to everything else.
After removing Derrick's shirt from me, I gently folded it and placed it on the counter before beginning to tug at the constricting bandages. My skin was still marked with bruises, even though the repaired wounds had been sealed over with blood and caused a dull agony. I yelled in amazement as I drew my fingers closer to them, their tips glimmering with my electric magic.
My abilities sputtered before me, turning purplish. I found it fascinating and wanted to use it, but I wasn't sure how or what to do with it. Even though my magic had shown that it had a will of its own by dealing with those rogues, I still felt helpless and lost despite having so much power inside of me.
I walked over to the shower, and the water started up on its own when it realized I was there. I turned the dial all the way to red as soon as a screen informing me of the temperature appeared on the side. As I cleaned the blood from my skin and the filth from my hair, the water was scorching. When I was finished, I was wrapped in the fluffy towel, out of breath. I stared at myself in the steamy mirror and felt like a whole different person, but my stomach began to growl once more.
I was going to have to leave this room at some point in order to obtain some food.
I turned toward the closet Derrick had indicated to me last night, my hair still dripping wet from the restroom. I was anticipating its contents to be scant, but as I peered at its fullness, my breath stuck in my throat.
Everything had crossed his mind: gowns, shoes, purses, jewelry, and none of them appeared to be of the low-quality kind.
I trembled as I reached for one of the pull-out drawers, and sure enough, it was stuffed full of various types of underwear. As I thumbed through the delicate underwear, my heart skipped a beat. He had truly thought of everything, and I couldn't help but wonder if he had personally chosen each item and whether he had already envisioned me in the items he had arranged in these drawers. I quickly pulled one of the more cozy pairs of underpants onto my body and gave a little shake of my head.
When all he would do was rip it off, what use would it make?
While trying to moderate my thoughts, my wolf was growing thrilled. I took a pair of black pants out of their hiding spot and paired them with a lovely top.
This was the most difficult portion.
My hunger growled at my desire to stay in this place, so I hesitantly made my way to the door. I was starving, having not eaten anything since yesterday. I was willing to take the chance of wandering into my mate's inquisition for food. A man like him had better things to do, and it wasn't like he was waiting for me or something. It was already midmorning.