Two Halves Equal a Whole

Ch. 8 Kayce

Ch. 8 Kayce:

Arlet slept the entire way back, (I had arranged a car so we didn't have to run after all that had happened) and since we were taking the roads instead of the woods it took us a little longer than normal. We may have marked each other, and, as long as I am touching her I don't feel a hollowness in my chest, but my heart still ached. My heart not only ached for myself, but for her as well. Why was there so much tragedy lately? This isn't Shakespeare. 

I glanced over at her sleeping form as we pulled up to my pack house, wishing that I could make everything okay for her and that I wouldn't have to see tear stains each time I looked at her beautiful face. It was about 9 P.M. so the house was pretty empty when I gently carried her up the stairs to my bedroom. I didn't want to overstep my bounds too much so I just, as quietly as I could, pushed the small couch I had in my bedroom (using my knees and right arm - Arlet was in my left) up next to my bed before putting her in my bed and laying down on the couch, still holding her small hand. It wasn't until that was done that I let myself stare at the ceiling and silently cry away the pains of the day. 

3:56 A.M.

Arlet was screaming. At first I thought that maybe someone had broken in, but I quickly realized that she was still asleep and that my hand was no longer wrapped around hers. 

I jumped up off of the couch and bent over Arlet, taking her hand and trying to whisper soothingly, "Shh, shh, hey it's okay baby I'm right here, wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a little shriek, letting me know that I was definitely too close to her face. I was surprised I didn't get punched... honestly, what would you do if you woke up after a nightmare to a man looming over you? I moved back to give her some room, and the first thing her eyes went to when she got her bearings was the couch which made her frown. 

Her first question should've been, 'where am I,' but instead it was, "You slept on that?"

"Darling, I didn't want to invade your personal space," I said in defense.

"Kayce, get in the bed," she said, "I didn't come all the way here for you to sleep on the couch."

"Yes ma'am," I liked the way my name sounded in her mouth.

It wasn't until I had crawled into bed with her did I realize how small she was - I mean for a girl she was average (she looked about 5'5"), but when compared to my 6'4" frame, she was miniscule. Unbidden and unwanted a thought came into my head: Is this what her sister looked like too? 

I immediately hated myself for that thought.

She snuggled up really close to me and said, "Can you turn on the T.V.? Maybe put on a Disney movie?" her next words were almost imperceptible, "My thoughts are too loud."

I knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Of course," I said, grabbing the remote, "What movie?"

She opened her mouth as if to say something before snapping it shut, her lips pressing into a thin line, and from the light streaming in through the window I could see that her eyes were getting watery again.

"I'll find something," I said stroking her hair.

I ended up putting on Tarzan which she had no comments on. She fell asleep - just before Turk and her friends trashed the camp - with me stroking her hair. I couldn't get back to sleep, though, my thoughts were, as my mate so eloquently put, too loud. I wasn't sure if she had really processed it yet - and I wouldn't blame her if she hadn't - that according to that witch, Selene, our very souls were broken. Whatever that meant. I sighed - just one more thing to add to the pile. We still hadn't even had a funeral for my father yet (we had him cremated). I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling Arlet's scent, trying to work out, in my mind, how to move forward.