Bound

Chapter 62 - Mysteries

Skylar

It was five days since Dmitri and I had spoken to each other. After the discussion regarding my moving back to Willow Falls and the fact that, according to him, everything between us was meaningless, we had pretty much avoided one another. I didn't want to see him anyway. I was so hurt by his words that every night I cried myself to sleep, the pain of his rejection stinging me to the core. My heart felt like it was breaking. Again. If the first time didn't do the job, this time would finish it off.

I couldn't wait to get out of here. Ally would be checking in on me in a few minutes, hopefully, to give me the go-ahead to leave. I loved this castle, and Andrea was so accommodating and kind, but my life was a mess in dire need of some order. I had a lot to do. I needed to get back to Chris' place, pack up all my things, and then organize a moving van to take everything back to Willow Falls. I also had my products still in his shop that I would get back and then try and start all over once again. My life felt like a repeat. One mess after another.

At least I felt better than I have in months. The bruising hadn't ceased, but the pain was manageable with some herbs Ally gave me. The knock-on effect was that with the pain out of the way, I could keep food down, and being on a strict three-meals-a-day plan, I even managed to put on a little of the weight I lost. I hoped Raina had found some information about the source of the bruising, but I had heard nothing from her yet. She would be coming with Ally today, so I hoped to get some answers.

A knock on the door stirs me from my thoughts, and I get up from my perch on the edge of the bed to see who is there. I am met with one of Andrea's guards, who informs me I'm expected in his office. He would accompany me there so that I didn't get lost.

I am thankful that I have at least dressed in something decent instead of the staple of sweatpants and t-shirts I've been living in the last couple of days. I was given a pair of jeans and a beautiful loose long-sleeve floral green top. Surprisingly, in my style and everything fit perfectly. Whoever did the shopping for me was intuitive and was given my size, not that I had told anyone. I wondered if maybe it was Dmitri, but I swiftly squashed that glimmer of hope with a healthy dose of darkness.

The door to Andrea's office is closed but opens almost immediately as we get there. Andrea has a big smile as he takes my hand and kisses it. "Ah, Sky, we were expecting you. Come in." The office he leads me into is enormous. The walls are covered in various old-looking tapestries hanging from the ceiling to the floor. One side has a large desk while the other has a large round table with chairs. Chairs currently occupied by Ally, Raina, and Dmitri.

There are a couple of open seats for me and Andrea. As we walk over, I have to force myself to avoid looking at Dmitri for longer than is appropriate. I can feel his eyes on me, and I can see his scent all over the room, almost wrapping itself around me. It is drawing me to him, the intensity of it causing a shiver to run down my spine and my heart rate to increase. I hate that he has this impact on me, and it seems even worse than when we saw each other previously.

Greetings are exchanged as I sit beside Andrea, across from Raina and Ally.

"Wow, Sky, you look remarkably better than just a few days ago. My Ally isn't called a healer for nothing." Raina's hand goes to Ally's, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "She says you are still having issues with the bruising?"

"True story. In light of being honest and hoping it will not impact your decision regarding my leaving soon, the frequency of the bruising actually seems to have increased over the last week. While it steadily increased, I would at least have a day or two, sometimes weeks, in between bruising. Now it's daily. It's quite strange. But the herbal medicine Ally is giving me is helping immensely with the pain. It's really quite bearable compared to before." I smile at them both, grateful to Ally. It didn't solve the underlying issue, but it helped.

"Have the marks on your wrists been doing anything strange this week?" Raina asks, her question confusing me as I'm unsure if and how the two are related. I think back over the last week, focusing even now on the marks on my wrists. They seem to be vibrating, almost buzzing with energy. The energy is pulsing from my wrists and outwards around my body.

"You can tell me. I already felt it when you walked in," Raina says, her eyes moving over my body as if she can see the very energy around me.

"I'm not sure if it's because the painkiller has taken away the pain, and now I can feel everything else, but over the last week the energy in and around me seems to be hyper-charged or something. Sitting here, it is buzzing under my skin. It's difficult to explain." I look around the table, skimming over Dmitri, who is eyeing me intensely, his face nothing but serious.

"It's the detox," Raina says, looking at the others when she says this.

"Dmitri, do you detect anything different about Sky? Her scent in particular," Raina asks Dmitri, her eyes locked with mine.

There is a long silence before Dmitri answers. "It has changed. Back to what it was when we first met. It was slightly... altered when I saw her again."

"In what way?" Raina asks, me similarly curious.

"Rose. It was there when we first met, gone when we met again for the first time at the beginning of the week, and now it is back again." Rose. I remember Dmitri talking to me about this. Rose scent on a woman indicates she is a virgin. Recalling this now, I can feel my cheeks heating up as everyone looks at me.

"Well, it should definitely be there," I say pointedly to the whole table. Not that it was any of their concern. I think I see a flash of relief on Dmitri's features, but I can't be sure as it happened so quickly, and now his face is just serious. I wonder briefly if he has ever slept with Savannah. Though she said he wouldn't get it up for her in the end, maybe they were intimate initially. I remember how they kissed when I saw them a year ago. And living together as mates must be an intimate experience. My heart clenches, and I snap out of my thoughts before it sends me into tears. Indirectly talking about my virginity was terrible enough. Let's not add crying to the list.

"Not that I want to prolong this subject any longer than necessary, but why would it disappear anyway?" I ask Raina, curiosity getting the best of me.

Ally draws my attention as she puts a container on the table. The container of tea that Chris gave me. I wondered where it disappeared to. I'd asked numerous times for someone to make me some of this tea, but I assumed they had forgotten as it never came. By day three, I stopped asking.

"You will probably get tired of me saying this, but I don't understand," I say, pointing to the container.

"How long have you been drinking this tea, Sky?" Ally asks, pure concern lacing her tone.

"Since the beginning, when I met Chris. If I recall correctly, that was about six months after opening Sky's Naturals. He sent it to me the first time he sent samples. I thought it was part of his marketing campaign, you know, some pumpkin tea thrown in with an order. But then he just kept sending it regularly with every order. I probably had a cup a day, sometimes two. I like the taste though it has changed since then."

"When did it change?" Raina asks this time, everyone just staring intently at me as I answer.

"About a month ago. Chris told me he added a new herb to spice things up. It tasted okay, so I just continued living my life."

"How did you meet him?" Dmitri's voice holds nothing but anger as he asks me this.

"He actually contacted me. He said he saw my shop online and that he grew and supplied quality herbs to businesses. Then he sent me over some samples, and since then, we have been working together." Raina gives Dmitri a look I can't understand, making me wonder what I have said that concerns everyone.

"What is this all about? What does Chris or the tea have to do with anything?" I'm starting to panic, the feeling that I am missing something big rising up from my belly to my heart.

Please don't forget to comment and share!