Twilight Embrace (Completed)

Chapter 21

Annjelica came to an abrupt halt outside his French doors, hesitating for a moment, not knowing if she should carry him inside or leave him here outside on the wooden floor. Suddenly she felt him stir in her arms and knew she would have a lot of explaining to do which he would not understand and which might frighten and confuse him and turn him away from her. 

She gently placed him on the floor outside the French doors, lightly kissed his forehead and disappeared into the raging storm.  A safe distance away she turned to see him stirring, sitting up and holding his head, staring out into the storm and looking back at the doors.  He stood up shakily.

She watched, fearful he might fall and hurt himself.  But he seemed to find his balance, opened the doors and went inside.  He hesitated before pulling the doors closed, looking out into the storm.  When she saw him close the doors and pull down the blinds, she moved silently to the side of the cottage under the shelter of the tree from where she usually watched his bedroom window. Tonight she would not leave. She needed to make sure he was going to be alright.

Lyell stirred and shook his head. His vision was a little blurred, his thoughts seemed jumbled and his head hurt terribly.  He was confused as to how he had got from the rocky outcrop to here at the cottage, lying on the floor outside his French doors. He stood up on shaky legs and felt strangely light headed, almost like he wanted to faint, a feeling he was definitely not familiar with.  He shoved open the doors and stumbled inside, staggered up the stairs and fell across the bottom of his bed. His body felt as heavy as lead and sunk like a dead weight into his mattress. Unable to move any further, he relented and closed his eyes and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

The shock of unusual rapid movement had upset his equilibrium completely and he was totally out of his depth, feeling shell shocked and very confused.  His last thought before his body completely shut down on him was, had he really seen her …….?

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She was dreadfully concerned that her urgent removal of him from the dangerous situation might have caused serious ill effects to his human form.  Unable to contain her frustration and anxiety, she moved out of hiding closer to the cottage.  With the stealth of a cat, she climbed the trellis leading up to his bedroom window, ignoring the tendrils of prickly creeper that stuck to her skin.  She stepped over the narrow balcony and peered through the lace curtains to his sleeping body lying at the bottom of the bed.  She noticed how pale he looked and immediately felt concerned.

She was sure he had not locked the French doors and with that thought in mind, she leapt off the balcony and landed noiselessly on the grass below.  She moved silently across the patio and carefully tried the handle on the door.  To her relief it was not locked and she pushed it open.  The door creaked ever so slightly. She held her breath for an instant, praying she had not woken him. Not hearing any movement from upstairs, she tiptoed quietly up the carpeted stairs. The top stair creaked loudly. She stopped, bit her bottom lip and waited for what seemed an eternity. 

Not a sound came from his room, no movement, his breathing still heavy and very deep.  Slowly she edged closer to his bedroom door.  To her relief it was half open, hesitating for a brief moment she listened, hearing no change in his breathing she slipped through the open door into his room.  She stood watching his naked chest heaving deeply as he breathed.  He was still wearing his wet swimming trunks.  Moving silently over towards him, she reached out to touch him, hesitated for a moment, then very softly, ran her fingers through his hair and with the lightest touch, brushed his cheek.  His skin felt unusually warm, she was anxious that he looked so flushed and his breathing so heavy.

Her concern echoed into her Mother’s thoughts, ‘He will be ok Annjelica, do not fear, his body needs to rest and adjust to the rapid motion.’