Crimson Summer || Book Two

39| The Breaking Point

"I'm still transitioning into this role, there's more work involved in it for me than there is for Casper and Micah. I know I'm not home often, but this is only temporary," Galen promises and there's more I could say, but I keep to myself instead. Not even knowing where we were going, just aimlessly following my distant mate.

Should I apologize?

I probably should since I'm always in the wrong somehow.

"Galen, I just want you home. I feel like I never see you anymore and I'm worried about you all the time. I miss you," I confess and Galen's hand gently presses against my lower back.

"What if I come home early tomorrow? I'll just take my work stuff back with me," He offers and I allow myself to lean into him.

"I think I'd like that," I reply, taking in his strong dominant scent as we walk into our large dimly lit kitchen together. He pulls out a chair for me at the island and gently kisses my cheek as I sit. His strong arms fall around my shoulders, giving me a tight squeeze before letting me go.

"What are you doing?" I ask as he turns on the gas stove before rolling up his crisp black dress sleeves to his elbows and filling a kettle with water from the sink.

"Didn't you have a nightmare?" Galen asks, his eye color muted in this light but his gaze had softened since we left the bedroom. The light even cast a handsome glow on his dark skin with his trimmed stubble a lot longer than I remember, accentuating his handsome cheekbones.

"Yeah," I confess and he places the pot on the stove before opening one of the white cabinets. Thinking of the dream, him on the floor, Micah's screaming, the blood on Casper's body.

All of it combined makes me sick to my stomach.

"When I was younger, I used to have the worst night terrors. I can't remember what they were about but I do remember going to Mama. Every time I did, even if it was three in the morning, he always greeted me with the warmest smiles, and sometimes when I was in tears he would bring me to the kitchen. I'd sit on the counter and we'd talk while the water boiled. Well mostly he talked and I listened. Anyway, he would make me this tea and I always slept peacefully afterward,"

Galen explains and I forget just how much I missed his deep rumbling voice until he spoke for a longer period of time than usual. Goddess, he's so naturally sexy and he doesn't even know it. Doesn't even think twice about it. Something about that just sets off a heated tickle in my stomach but I ignore it.

"So you're making me tea? You're so cute honey," I say as I lean forward on my palms with my elbows rested on the counter.

"That's all? Because your mind seems to be headed elsewhere," Galen smirks as he faces me, our island stove on high as the kettle bubbled and I tried to catch the breath I lost when we made eye contact.

"My mind is always headed elsewhere," I groan, rubbing my eyes and he chuckles at my suffering.

"So I've noticed. What was your nightmare about?" He asks, saving me the embarrassment and changing the subject for me.

"I'd rather not go into details, but you and Casper got into a bad fight," I tell him and Galen scratches his chin in thought.

"Were you involved?" He asks and I can only shrug because I wasn't really there.

"I don't know, Casper was really mad at you about something you did," I explain, but he doesn't seem thrown off by it like I was. Probably because I'm leaving out the minor detail of him being near death on our living room floor.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. If Casper wasn't mad at me over something I'd be concerned at this point," Galen tries to alleviate my worry, but it doesn't help much as he grabs two mugs from the kitchen island mug drawer and sets them down with a little clink.