Read Online MARKED (Hunter Awakened) by Rascal Hearts - Free Book Online Page A

electricity was growing
between us, I could feel it. I'd played characters who were
supposed to have this type of connection with someone, and I could
portray it perfectly, but I didn't know what to do now that it was
real.
    Then Elias was taking a step back and the
spell was broken. “Where shall we put this?” He picked up a
wreath.
    If I wasn't so disappointed at the lost
opportunity, I would've loved the way his voice was a little shaky.
It was good to know that I wasn't the only one being affected. I
somehow managed to miraculously keep my own voice steady as I
answered him. “Let's put that one up there.” I pointed without
really thinking. I could always move it later if I didn't like how
it looked, though I knew I wouldn't. This wasn't about the house
being perfectly decorated with everything balanced and exactly
where it would illuminate whatever theme I was trying to convey.
This was about the time spent together, even if we never became
anything more than friends.
    For nearly two hours, Elias and I strung up
all of the decorations I'd kept. Every so often, I'd comment about
one of the decorations, but for the most part, the only sound was
the music playing in the background, though, more than once, I
thought I heard Elias humming along. It was nice, seeing him
relaxed, his demeanor natural and fluid rather than stiff and
stand-offish. There were a few times I thought I'd caught him
looking at me, only to turn and find that he wasn't where I'd
thought I'd sensed him. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that he
was watching me the entire time.
    By the time we finished, I was exhausted. I'd
barely slept the night before and it was nearly midnight. I'd been
running on fumes way too often over the past month, and recent
incidents hadn't helped matters much. I knew I should tell Elias
that I was ready to call it a night, but I wasn't ready to let him
go. I felt safer with him here, even if he wasn't in full bodyguard
mode.
    I plopped down on the couch in front of my
big screen television and stared at the little designs that swirled
as the music played. For the first time in a while, my brain was
blissfully blank. I gave a contended sigh. Things were nearly
perfect.
    Elias sat next to me, mere inches between us.
My brain perked up, though a fully coherent thought was still not
happening. I could feel the heat radiating between us, and I knew
that if I turned now, touched him, drew him towards me, that would
be it. His resolve was strong, but I knew I could break it if I
really wanted to. And I did want to. Very much so. It had been a
while since I'd had anyone in my bed, and the fact that I felt this
strong attraction to him on so many levels just made it harder for
me not to make the first move. There was something holding him
back.
    “'Under the moonlit sky / I wait, I watch, I
lie.”
    I turned my head towards Elias as he spoke in
a soft, sing-song voice, the rhythm telling me that he was quoting
something I didn't recognize. He didn't look at me, keeping his
eyes fixed at some invisible point ahead of him.
    “'The grass soft beneath me / The stars
bright above / Time has stilled / The future unrevealed / All is
right with me.'” He turned his head so that we were looking into
each other's eyes. “'Then I see you / Under the moonlit sky / I
wait, I watch, I lie / You are the moon / The stars / All the
future holds / If you are here then / All is right with me.'”
    “That's beautiful,” I smiled at him, but I
could feel that it was a sleepy sort of smile. I was having a hard
time keeping my eyes open.
    “A man I once knew wrote it for the woman he
loved,” Elias said.
    “That's nice,” I murmured. My blinks were
getting longer and longer as I fought against sleep.
    “You need to go to bed.” He sounded
amused.
    “Nope.” I tried to shake my head but it only
bobbled. “Don't wanna.”
    I didn't see him get up because my eyes were
refusing to cooperate with the commands I was giving them. Stupid
eyes.