The River (Book 3 of The Claiming Series)

Chapter Four

I wake with a start, sitting upright and my heart racing, but a gentle hand pushes me back onto the soft mattress.

"Calm down, Mave. You're okay. You're home."

Mom.

I blink at her with strained eyes. Her wavy brown hair is up in a messy ponytail, and she appears to have been sleeping restlessly. She sits on the edge of my bed and dabs the sweat from my forehead with a cool washcloth. "Oh, sweetheart," she whispers. "What is it with these blackouts? This one gave you a fever and everything."

"How?" I croak. "It's not like I have an infection."

"Your temperature should go down once you've relaxed and your body knows you're not about to die."

I glance at the clock on my bedside table. It's two in the morning.

"Mom, how'd I even get back here?"

She smirks and dabs at my cheeks with the cloth. It makes me feel a little better. "Eli drove you and Charlie back here. Charlie called us on your way, and your dad and I met you guys outside. Your dad carried you up here, and the boys came inside to make sure you'd be okay. You were passed out for so long... They refused to leave until you woke up, but Charlie's mom told him to come home around one." Mom laughs. "She insisted that you'd be fine."

I grin. "She knows he worries too much."

"He worries too much about you."

I blush but try to ignore her hint. "What about Eli?"

Mom sighs with a slight upward curve in her lips. "He's still here, downstairs talking to your dad. He's been coming up about every ten minutes or so to check on you."

I feel my cheeks burn even more.

"I don't know what you've done to these boys, Mave. You've got them wrapped around your little finger."

I shake my head. "They're just good friends." Even I don't believe myself. At least not about Eli.

Mom rolls her eyes at me. "Honey, Charlie's been pining after you since you were kids. And Eli—he just reappeared out of nowhere after all these years—he looks at you like you're the only person in the world."

"I feel like I barely know him," I whisper.

"But..?" she urges, mischief alighting her bright brown eyes.

I shrug. "I've never felt this way about anyone before."

She tilts her head. "Not even Charlie?"

I shake my head. "Charlie's like a brother to me. Gosh, no. That'd be gross."

Mom looks slightly disappointed at that.

Well, I'm sorry my heart feels differently.

I've never really admitted out loud that I have growing feelings for Eli. But I'm glad my mom is the one to hear it.

Just then, Eli appears in the doorway of my room, his eyes lighting up at the sight of me awake.

Mom stands up and takes the cold rag with her. "I'm going to go to bed," she says to me. "If you need anything, you can always wake us up." She nods to Eli on her way out. "Good to see you again, and thank you for your help. You may want to get going soon, though. Your mom will be worried."

"I will. Thank you."

When Mom is gone, Eli crosses the room and sits down beside me on the bed. "How do you feel?"